Showing posts with label racehorse rehabilitation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label racehorse rehabilitation. Show all posts

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

A Racehorse Daydream

The Equine Reader, as you may have noticed, has been on summer vacation this month due to an abundant amount of outside pressures that have been competing for my attention (read: working full time, taking summer graduate marketing courses every weeknight, and trying to carve a paltry day or two out of every week for sleep and R&R). I have also been daily scanning horse related news and not finding all too much which grabbed my scattered mind and begged to be transposed into a blog article. In essence I have been wanting for a muse.

Today, however, determined to get back in the saddle, I intended to discuss this article from the Paulick Report, on a racing patron's pointed assertion that racing as an industry is not, all doomsday news aside, foundering or hobbling along on two bowed tendons. Racing is alive and well, and the fact that handle at three summer tracks beat opening grosses for three B-level movies in the same weekend should be clear indication that people still want to watch the horses run. While I do agree these are promising figures, in most of the country, racing's glory season is the summer, and posting heightened attendance numbers during high season doesn't give me much faith that the industry as a whole isn't flagging. But I hope I am wrong.

I think I have become a little turned off from following and writing about racing even as a devoted horse lover/owner/enthusiast/obsessed diehard. There is so much bad news that it's hard to find those grains of hope that suggest that the industry can remain afloat. NYRA can't seem to get their act together, instead resorting to trading barbs with Albany government in the press. The NYC OTB is/isn't still in existence depending on the day, the Kentucky breeding industry is crying out for better state support, New Jersey racing is in dire straits, and everywhere I turn it seems that another racing entity is having a near-death experience.

Sometimes, especially when this type of news adds stress to my already harried New York City existence, I mentally run away, back to the fields and farms of my youth, and dream of how wonderful it would be to can the entire lot of my life up here in the City and start a little horse rescue outpost somewhere that only the forest critters could find me. Sort of exactly like what this woman did right here. Lynn Reardon, founder of the LOPE racehorse retraining facility, left her four-walls-and-a-paycheck accounting job in Washington, DC to hit out for Texas and start a racehorse rehab. And she did it without a lot of prior knowledge about owning/training/keeping horses, which makes it all the more significant and special. If she can do it, just maybe I will too...

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

Racehorse Welfare from Starting Gate to Finish Line

While he's employed as an athlete, your average racehorse will traditionally receive top-notch care from a variety of racetrack professionals. He gets a trainer dedicated to enhancing his fitness through closely monitored exercise and adroit nutritional calculations. He gets a veterinarian who monitors stiffness, soreness, and medicinal needs. And he gets a swath of grooms and caretakers that cater to his gleaming appearance and regimented feeding/bathing/training schedule.

Difficulties can arise, however, surrounding the subject of his welfare, both prior to his first stint at the in-gate (if he's pushed too hard early on while training), and after he crosses his final finish line (when he enters the wide unknown of his retirement). Debates have long raged over whether a horse should be raced while still a juvenile because his youthful two-year-old frame may not be physically developed enough to withstand the rigors of the activity. And once a horse reaches the end of his usefulness as a racehorse, if he is not funneled into one of the retirement systems that exist in the country, he likely faces a very perilous road with an inglorious ending.

When I read, therefore, of professionals in the industry working to mitigate these risks by questioning outdated standards and practices, or stepping up to advocate for a horse who's down on his luck, I feel compelled to report on the work being done. I was greatly interested by a recent article at The Saratogian concerning the trend towards increasing racehorse career longevity by delaying the start of a horse's racing until its three-year-old year. This gives the horse more opportunity to mature into an athlete, and as the amaz-a-mare Zenyatta can attest, can have a marked positive impact on its long term success. (The only caveat is if you are looking to campaign your horse in the Derby, as no unraced two-year-old has ever gone on to win the roses at three.) This slow shift away from racing history's precedent of heavy two-year-old campaigns implies to me that the industry is racing smarter and with more regard for the individual training and developmental needs of each horse.

And while a great deal more industry prominence has been given to the issue of Thoroughbred retirement in the last few years, there are still owners and trainers who continue to race a horse past its prime. In these instances the horse risks breakdown or severe injury as his athletic demands outpace his declining fitness or increasing age. It some instances it becomes the responsibility of a hawk-eyed bystander to intercede before the horse can meet such a fate. So it was with Delta Storm, a multiple graded-stakes winner and 2009 Breeder's Cup Sprint contender, whose career earnings exceeded $500,000. By June, 2010 he had somehow fallen precipitously through the race grade ranks and ended up in a $3,200 claiming race. As the Paulick Report explains, it was there that he caught the eye of Sharla Sanders and The Second Race retirement organization. The Second Race stepped in, took ownership of Delta Storm and shipped him to a long term care facility where he will be fully retired. Considering that his trainer Steve Myadi was "unapologetic" about the decision to race Delta Storm at the very lowest ranks, those responsible for ensuring his safety and seeing to his retirement were very certainly in the right place at the right time. Who knows how Delta Storm may have ended up had he proved unsuccessful as a claimer.

I am glad to see industry participants continuing to advocate for the Thoroughbreds and challenging the status quo when neccesary. Every horse that makes it through his career without injury or breakdown and goes on to a fulfilling life post-racing is a success story.

Saturday, April 10, 2010

Shameless Promotion - of myself and others....

Just a brief note for the The Equine Reader today as I am shortly headed up to Equine Affaire to immerse myself in clinics, fabulous horse shopping, and the Pfizer Fantasia equine show, which is the jewel in the event's horse filled crown. I am also headed up today to spread word among the Equine Affaire aficionados of the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation's Hay Bale campaign, for which anyone can donate 5$ to buy a bale of hay for a retired TB through the TRF's text messaging donation platform. I am currently working with the TRF to help develop new marketing and communications strategy for the organization, so I can't help but shamelessly promote the good work that they do! If you would like to donate 5$ to help feed a hungry TB, please text SUPPORT HAYDRIVE to 20222 and a the donation will be automatically charged to your cellphone bill.

And before I go, I would also like to shamelessly promote myself, because I was lucky enough to have one of my blog articles published in a slightly extended form through the Equine Connection's online monthly magazine. Feel free to read the article, on the strides that America has made in terms of horse welfare practices and legislation, via the web link here.

And finally, one last bit of promotion, for Nanette Levin and her blog, Horse Sense and Cents. Nanette was kind enough to feature me on her "horse blogs worth reading" segment this week, and I am now fondly indebted to her for the recognition. Check out Nanette's most recent post which is, timely enough, devoted to the TB rehab and retirement considerations, and raises great questions about the very community that I work so hard to support.

Friday, November 13, 2009

A Week of New Equine Welfare Initiatives

A great week for equine health and welfare, as two notable collaborations of horsepeople made strides towards a better future for America's equine population.

In Massachusetts, four racehorses retired from Boston's Suffolk Downs were moved this week to the newly incepted Plymouth County Sherrif's Farm, where inmates of MA corrections facilities will train and care for them and future retired charges. This program, sponsored and initiated by the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation and Suffolk Downs president Richard Fields, provides a dual benefit to the Plymouth County community. It's positive impact will extend to both the ex-racehorses lucky enough to take up residence there during their rehabilitation, and the program's inmate groom/trainers, who can use the program to gain certification in various backstretch vocations.

And in national news, a National Equine Welfare Code of Practice received endorsement from the American Association of Equine Practitioners, the American Quarter Horse Association, the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association, the National Thoroughbred Racing Association, the U.S. Equestrian Federation, and the U.S. Trotting Association. The American Horse Council (AHC) drafted the Code to "outline in generic terms what it means for an organization to be committed to the responsible breeding, training, care, use, enjoyment, transport, and retirement of horses...and also provide a guide for equine organizations that are formalizing a welfare philosophy and policy for their respective organizations." Jerry Black, DVM, chair of the AHC's Animal Welfare Committee and ex-president of the AAEP, describes the initiative as a "'a standard for the horse industry and equine organizations to evaluate their individual welfare policies and initiatives...[which] clearly states the principles necessary to achieve a level of stewardship for the horse that always puts the welfare of the horse first."

Kudos to everyone involved with the development of these horse friendly initiatives for enacting positive change and development in the equine industry!

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Horse People with Heart

With the news so regularly peppered by stories of humans and equines in conflict due to abuse, neglect or ethical shortcuts, it can be helpful to remember all those out there that are doing good for, or with, the equines in their life.

During this, the week leading up to the year's biggest showdown in horse racing, I'd like first to applaud the seven racing contingents that have pledged a portion of their earnings during the Breeder's Cup to assisting the New Vocations racehorse rehabilitation organization. Were every owner or breeder to donate just a small portion of yearly winnings in such a manner, organizations like New Vocations and the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation, that ensure that racehorses continue to have productive lives off track, would be able to operate in much better stead.

On their Twitter feed today, TheHorse.com linked to a story that deserves attention, about an organization that is using horses to do real good via their Equine Assisted Therapy program. By taking their horses into the community and introducing them to autistic children, adults with eating disorders, nursing home patients and now hospice patients, the folks at Reins of Change are sharing the magic of their horses with those who could most benefit from their inspiring and hopeful presence. I have witnessed first hand the joy, independence and dignity that these gentle, patient creatures can imbue in anyone struggling to overcome life's hurdles, and truly appreciate the gift that Reins of Change is providing. Sick or well, able-bodied or not, I'd assume that many of us horse lovers can relate to the need to have our horses as support during emotional and physical challenges.

Does anyone out there have more examples of humans doing good with their horses? Feel free to leave comments and share your stories!

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Gone But Not Forgotten

An interesting article in the New York Times Monday about the state of the country's racehorse retirement system. The article details the dramatic legal battle required to, in essence, rescue 11-year-old thoroughbred Tour of the Cat from the track after he became unfit for racing. The horse's owner at the time, David Jacobson, claimed him at age 10 and campaigned him well past his prime, entering him in progressively less competitive races until animal welfare authorities took note and forced his retirement. While this case ultimately ended on a positive note for Tour of the Cat, it underscores the shallowness of the resources allocated in New York state and across the country for the retirement of racehorses who have fullfilled their duty on the track, and the resistance by some in the industry to deciding when enough is enough for their older charges.

My theory on the matter is that every horse is built physically and mentally to do a certain job, and if the horse has the spirit and aptitude he can excel at that job for many years. Every breed register and show roster and racing season can attest to the fact that there are horses who continue to love their work and compete injury free well into the golden years of their career. 10-year-old racehorse Evening Attire, 25-year-old endurance horse Tala, and 16-year-old Quarter Horse racehorse Silent Cash Dasher all prove that older horses can and do remain competitive if they are properly maintained.

The question though is how to determine when a horse is past its competitive prime and would best be served by either retirement or a switch to a less demanding discipline, and how to ensure that resources are allocated to allow that transition. As the NYT article points out, 3000 horses need after-track placement every year, but the racing industry is ill-equipped to process more than a third of those horses into retirement or rehabilitation. Many end up euthanized or slaughtered due to a profound lack of any good exit strategy. Entities like NYRA have recently stepped up their commitment to ensuring the health and safety of the retirees upon which its livelihood once depended, but even those efforts (as the NYT article points out, NYRA recently raised $125,000 to go towards helping the Thoroughbred Retirement Foundation retire New York bred horses) seem paltry given the millions of dollars often won and traded when those same horses are in their prime. Perhaps legislation should be introduced on behalf of these animals to guarantee that a certain percentage of racetrack/farm/breeder income be earmarked every year for the appropriate retirement of their animals. This would require a stronger chain of responsibility from breeder to owner to retirement, but could ultimately result in lessening the sense that certain sectors of the equine industry are concerned more with return on investment than with welfare.