Derby Weekend Celebration - by Dr. Scott Palmer

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 12 May 2009 13:42:00 GMT

(Originally published in the May 16, 2009 issue of The Blood-Horse magazine. Feel free to share your own thoughts and opinions at the bottom of the column.)

Calvin Borel, Bennie “Chip” Woolley Jr., and Mine That Bird stole the show in the 135th running of the Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I). The upset victory was a Cinderella story if there ever was one. A hard-working, ex-rodeo-cowboy-turned-Thoroughbred trainer drives to Louisville from New Mexico hauling his Derby-bound horse. Borel rode Mine That Bird with a Street Sense-like determination that proved unbeatable in one of the most dramatic finishes in Derby history. Does it get any better than that?

Borel and Mind That Bird weren’t the only winners on the first Saturday in May. In the past year the Thoroughbred racing industry has been focused on reform initiatives designed to make racing safer for both horses and riders. The National Thoroughbred Racing Association Safety and Integrity Alliance has put in place an accreditation program that has stimulated racetracks to institute policies and capital improvements that have created a climate of increased awareness and dedication to the safety of our athletes.

Some have embraced and supported these initiatives. Others are skeptical of the progress made in the past year. They point to the lack of a national racing commissioner and persistent variability in rules and regulations among the 38 racing jurisdictions in the U.S. as shortfalls of this effort. Still others say all this work is a lot of talk and that nothing substantial has really changed. They say you can’t legislate morality or responsibility.

The events leading up to the running of the 2009 Kentucky Derby speak differently.

Decisions by the connections of several Derby contenders demonstrate an increased awareness of safety issues and a commitment to “put the horse first.” Three horses were withdrawn as Derby starters in the week leading up to the race. Quality Road’s connections were unable to resolve a quarter crack. The connections of this horse could have managed him into the race. Instead they put the horse first. Win Willy was not entered due to an ankle problem, and Square Eddie was removed because of a shin injury. Most notably, the morning-line favorite in the race, I Want Revenge, was scratched in the early daylight hours of race day, not due to a fever or obvious lameness but because inflammation was found in the right front fetlock, an indication of an injury that could have placed him at risk had he raced.

Breeder and co-owner David Lanzman, trainer Jeff Mullins, and veterinarian Dr. Foster Northrop weren’t just talking a good game. They walked the walk. This is the first time in Derby history that the morning-line favorite was scratched the day of the race. They put the excitement, the hopes, and the dreams of the moment aside. They put the horse first.

A number of heroes surround this year’s Derby. On the backside of the racetrack, people are focused on safety. They are taking greater individual responsibility for their actions. It’s true we haven’t accomplished all of our goals yet, but correcting the course of the racing industry is a massive endeavor and can’t be turned quite as quickly as we might like.

However, there is progress, and the horse is the beneficiary. Safety issues are at the forefront of racing. First you change the attitude, and the behavior follows. As long as responsible horsemen stay focused on the safety and welfare of the horse, we will continue to make progress toward our goals of reform.

The Jockey Club, the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association, the Horsemen’s Benevolent and Protective Association, the Racing Medication and Testing Consortium, the Association of Racing Commissioners International, and others have all been working to pass model rules that promote uniformity and increased safety and integrity. The AAEP’s recommendations on racehorse safety provided a veterinary viewpoint to insure that in the process of racing reform, the horse was the priority.
Horses are the better for all of these efforts.

We can all celebrate the first weekend in May. It was a remarkable weekend on a number of levels. Congratulations to Calvin Borel and the connections of Rachel Alexandra and Mine That Bird for two performances for the ages.

Behind the scenes, horsemen are working to improve the sport and put the horse first. We should celebrate that as well.

Dr. Scott Palmer is the owner of New Jersey Equine Clinic in Clarksburg, N.J., and is chair of the AAEP’s racing committee.

Putting the Horse First? - by Dr. Patricia M. Hogan

Blood-Horse Staff — Tue, 10 Mar 2009 13:12:00 GMT

The American Association of Equine Practitioners recently released its White Paper containing veterinary recommendations for improving the safety and welfare of the Thoroughbred racehorse. It is an admirable effort and contains many constructive suggestions for the racing industry to consider. But in reality, the AAEP is a continuing education organization for veterinarians that relies on voluntary membership and has no ability to enforce these suggestions for policy even within its own membership, let alone within the racing industry as a whole. Elvis Presley put it so well—how about “a little less conversation and a little more action please.”

In case anyone reading this publication has been living under a rock, public perception is king these days. And animal welfare issues are at the forefront of the public’s concerns. As veterinarians involved with racing, we have been woefully unprepared to meet the challenges put forth by the public concerning the welfare of the racehorse. When the issue of horse slaughter was brought to the public stage a few years ago, both the AAEP and the American Veterinary Medical Association aggressively spoke out in favor of the practice without anticipating the tremendous public backlash that would ensue. The AAEP’s strategic move to then officially change the term “slaughter” to “horse processing” in all future discussions on the subject just added fuel to the fire and further contributed to the public’s growing mistrust of veterinarians. Perhaps taking a neutral position on the politics of slaughter and, instead, putting our efforts into demands for revisions of the welfare and humane-care violations surrounding this issue would have been more befitting of veterinarians in the average person’s mind. With half of the annual Thoroughbred foal crop going to slaughter every year, this vocal stance taken by the veterinary community tends to warp the public’s previously treasured “James Herriot” view of veterinarians and has caused great pause and confusion. To this end, we have encountered credibility issues.

We live in an age now where very little is truly discreet. The use of the Internet and visual communication has made the dissemination of information rapid, and often graphic. To some degree, this has hurt racing terribly. When faced with troubling images associated with our sport—whether it be the trials of racehorses shipping from the backstretch to the slaughterhouse, Eight Belles in a heap at the end of the Derby with the winner’s circle celebration commencing just a short distance away, or the reports of trainers and/or veterinarians under investigation for medication violations—often it is just the perception that is the reality to the public. It does not really matter if we have explanations for these situations that may make sense to those of us within the industry. What matters is what appears to be obvious to the average person. We ask the public to embrace our sport, follow the careers of our stars, even join track fan clubs for the very elite performers, and yet we have no plausible explanation for the shocking paradox that exists concerning the lack of care and the eventual demise of the poor performers. It is becoming painfully obvious that the irony has not been lost upon the general public.

The concerns with the overuse of medications, breakdown injuries, the slaughter of racehorses, and the often “tabloid-like” reporting of medication overages, etc., have suddenly thrust the racetrack veterinarian into the role of the villain, or at least an accomplice, in some of these situations. With few exceptions, that is just not the case. But the impression exists because we have not prepared an offense and are merely playing catch-up defense. And because we do not truly understand our opponent: public perception. Veterinarians who work with any of the racetrack retirement programs can tell you that the physical condition of many of those horses “donated” (a clear misuse of the word) render second careers or even adoption as pets next to impossible. Yet, these horses were actually racing often just days prior to entering these programs—how is that able to happen? And is there a veterinary role in this? The public seems to think so.

If we want to be “part of the solution,” then we truly need to examine our role in the problem, and actually put our own house in order. Put some “teeth” into our bite. But that commitment needs to come from within our own circle before we can expect our advice to be heeded by other factions within the racing industry.

If we had been truly living by the mantra of “putting the horse first,” many of the issues we are facing today would simply not exist.

United we stand, divided we fall. That statement has never been more true for horse racing. And for the veterinary community supporting it.

Dr. Patricia Hogan, a veterinary surgeon and AAEP member, operates Hogan Equine in Cream Ridge, N.J.

Final Turn : aaep

Derby Weekend Celebration - by Dr. Scott Palmer

Putting the Horse First? - by Dr. Patricia M. Hogan