Trainer Magazine, European Edition, Issue 68 - January - March 2020

ISSUE 68 – JANUARY-MARCH 2020 £6.95 www.trainermagazine.com

THE QUARTERLY MAGAZINE FOR THE TRAINING NG AN AND ND DD DEVELOPMENT EVELOPMENT O OF FT THE HE H E THOROUGHBRED THOROUG

HARRY WHITTINGTON “I actually had no aspirations to be a trainer whatsoever”

THE IMPORTANCE OF STABLE VENTILATION

WHAT IS EQUINE WELFARE?

THE IMPACT SADDLES HAVE ON PERFORMANCE

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| OPINION |

GILE S ANDE RSON PUBLISHER’S OPINION

ver the past decade, racing has moved leaps and bounds to become more commercial. Fixture lists have been expanded, and new income streams have been eked out of media rights deals. Equally, emphasis on the welfare of the racehorse has become paramount, and those charged with the dayto-day care of horses—over the last 10 years—have a much better working environment than ever before.

At the same time, trainers are expected to service the demands of an industry which is producing less horses to race than it was 10 years ago for effectively less prize money than they were 10 years ago.

Something has to give over the coming decade. Any trainer will tell you that the hard costs of running a racing stable are greater than they were 10 years ago. Whether it be the costs of feed, bedding, transport, staff, horse welfare, veterinary care or simply dealing with the increased paperwork, the profit margin for the average trainer is being squeezed like never before.

In my opinion, for the coming decade, racing needs to focus on two main areas.

Firstly, we need to better incentivise those who keep the day-today show on the road, with an increase in the value of appearance money schemes designed to attract trainers to populate an everincreasing racing calendar at the lower levels. Surely, it has to come to the point that if the betting industry wants more racing, it’s got to contribute more to put on these races. Increasing prize money isn’t necessarily the answer at this level, yet an incentive to race through a ‘rights fee’ style payment for all starters may well be the way forward.

We all know that it’s the owner and trainer who are effectively providing the betting operator with the key ingredient to their business model, but for the industry to thrive and grow with solid foundations, we have to change the business model to a model which is more fit for purpose in today’s world.

Secondly, we also need to keep an eagle eye on the perception of the racing industry in the outside world. We all know how well the majority of racehorses are cared for and the lengths that those associated with racehorses will go to ensure their well being. But we need to keep banging this proverbial drum to those who aren’t exposed to our industry on a daily basis and who may well take as gospel what they read, often written by those who have no clue about the subject matter they are preaching about.

So, in this issue of the magazine, we are publishing one of the best opinion pieces I have ever read on horse welfare. It’s written by Neil Mechie who works as a vet for Johnston Racing. His words were first published in The Kingsley Klarion in November 2019, and he put a lot of perspective on how the welfare of a racehorse compares favourably to the wider horse population. What Mechie writes is exactly what those charged with the promotion of our sport should be highlighting to the wider world.

Wherever your racing takes you over the next quarter - good luck!

JOHN

GOSDEN

O

Star Catcher Logician Too Darn Hot Stradivarius Enable

CHAMPION TRAINER

RACE - RECOVER REFUEL - REPEAT CONTACTS: Director of Nutrition, Liz Bulbrook - 07850 368 271 Racing Manager, Simon Venner - 07977 441 571 Export Manager, Mark Buchan - 07711 701 565 Tel: 01371 850 247 www.baileyshorsefeeds.co.uk

ISSUE 68 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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| CONTENTS |

12

24

54

32

72

ISS SUE

68

CONTENTS F E AT U R E S 12 Harry Whittington

Alysen Miller interviews one of National Hunt’s up-and-coming stars.

20 Stable ventilation

Alan Creighton and Sarah McNicholas from the Irish Equine Centre investigate how stable construction design impacts good ventilation and therefore equine respiratory health.

26 Colic – effects of inflammation

Dr Zofia Lisowski, Prof. Scott Pirie & Dr Neil Hudson identify common inflammatory issues that can occur following a colic operation and how to manage them.

32 Saddle design

Dr Russell Mackechnie-Guire studies how technology can quantify the impact saddles have on performance.

38 No guts, no glory!

Catherine Rudenko asks can we increase the efficiency of the digestive system through dietary and supplementary manipulation in order to alter performance and recovery?

46 Conformation

Ahead of the breeding season, Judy Wardrope looks at conformation for breeding choices.

52 Antimicrobial resistance

Jennifer Davis and Celia Marr investigate the development of antimicrobial resistance, how it affects performance health and how to reduce the risks of resistance.

56 Can betting pools find a new market for European racing?

Lissa Oliver updates us how the horseracing industry is interlinked with betting and increasingly dependent on betting options. Can betting pools be turned to our advantage and bring in new fans?

TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 68

04 Contributors 06 ETF Members 08 VetSet Trainers

of the Quarter – Charlie Fellowes

80 Product Focus @t ra in er _m ag /t ra in er ma ga zi ne /t ra in er ma ga zi ne

66 Roarers

Safia Barakzai is looking into the impacts and outcomes of Roarers - Surgery for recurrent Laryngeal Neuropathy.

72 News from the European

Mediterranean Horseracing Federation Dr Paull Khan reports on a busy end of year schedule.

76 What is Equine welfare?

Asks Johnston Racing’s vet Neil Mechie

02

REGULARS

Visit trainermagazine.com to download the digital edition of this issue.

DUBAI WORLD CUP CARNIVAL 2020

The 2020 Dubai World Cup Carnival offers 10 quality nights of Thoroughbred racing with a record purse of US$12,740,000

DUBAI WORLD CUP CARNIVAL PATTERN RACES January

Distance Purse

JAN 2

Dubawi Stakes (Group 3)

1,200m

$200,000 Dirt

February

Distance Purse

Surf

FEB 6

Al Maktoum Challenge Round 2 (Group 2)

JAN 2

Dubai Racing Club Classic (Listed)

2,410m

$175,000 Turf

1,900m

Dirt

JAN 2

Meydan Challenge (Listed)

1,400m

$175,000 Turf

FEB 6

UAE 2000 Guineas (Group 3) 3YO’s

1,600m

$250,000 Dirt

JAN 9

Singspiel Stakes (Group 2)

1,800m

JAN 9

Al Maktoum Challenge Round 1 (Group 2)

$250,000 Turf

FEB 6

Dubai Sprint (Listed)

1,200m

$175,000 Turf

1,600m

$350,000 Dirt

1,800m

$250,000 Turf

JAN 16 Cape Verdi (Group 2) Fillies & Mares 1,600m

$250,000 Turf

Balanchine (Group 2) FEB 13 Fillies & Mares

JAN 16 Zabeel Turf (Listed)

2,000m

$175,000 Turf

FEB 13 Firebreak Stakes (Group 3)

1,600m

$200,000 Dirt

JAN 23 UAE 1000 Guineas (Listed) 3YO's Fillies 1,600m

$250,000 Dirt

UAE Oaks (Group 3) 3YO's Fillies

1,900m

$250,000 Dirt

JAN 23 Al Fahidi Fort (Group 2)

$250,000 Turf

FEB 20 Zabeel Mile (Group 2)

1,600m

$250,000 Turf

FEB 20 Meydan Sprint (Group 2)

1,000m

$250,000 Turf

Nad Al Sheba Trophy (Group 3)

2,810m

$300,000 Turf

FEB 27 Curlin Stakes (Listed)

2,000m

$175,000 Dirt

1,400m

Surf

JAN 23 Dubai Dash (Listed)

1,000m

$175,000 Turf

JAN 30 Al Rashidiya (Group 2)

1,800m

$250,000 Turf

JAN 30 Meydan Cup (Listed)

2,810m

$175,000 Turf

JAN 30 Al Shindagha Sprint (Group 3)

1,200m

$200,000 Dirt

FEB 20

FEB 27

March | Super Saturday: 2.7 million total prize money

$450,000

Distance

Purse

Surf

MAR 7 Dubai City Of Gold (Group 2)

2,410m

$350,000

Turf

MAR 7 Al Maktoum Challenge Round 3 (Group 1)

2,000m

$600,000

Dirt

MAR 7 Al Bastakiya (Listed) 3YO’s

1,900m

$300,000

Dirt

MAR 7 Jebel Hatta (Group 1)

1,800m

$400,000

Turf

MAR 7 Burj Nahaar (Group 3)

1,600m

$350,000

Dirt

MAR 7 Mahab Al Shimaal (Group 3)

1,200m

$350,000

Dirt

MAR 7 Nad Al Sheba Turf Sprint (Group 3) 1,200m Entries close every Monday and declarations close every Tuesday prior to each race meeting.

$350,000

Turf

DUBAI WORLD CUP 2020 FREE NOMINATIONS CLOSE ON WED, JAN 8 Race

Group

Age

Distance

Surface

Value (US$)

Dubai World Cup - 25th running

1

SH 3YO+ & NH 4YO+

2,000m

Dirt

12,000,000 0

Longines Dubai She eema Classic

1

SH 3YO+ & NH 4YO+

2,410m

Turf

6,000,000

Dubai Turf

1

SH 3Y YO+ & NH 4YO+

1,800m

Turf

6,0 000,000

Dubai Golden Shaheen

1

3YO O+

1,2 200m

Dirt

2,500,000

UAE E Derby

2

3YO ONLY

1,900m

Dirt

2,500,000

oz Sp print Al Quo

1

3YO+

1,200m

Turf

2,000,000

Dubai Gold Cup

2

SH 3YO+ & NH 4YO+

3,200m

Turff

1,500,000

Godolphin Mile

2

SH 3YO+ & NH 4YO+

1,600m

Dirt

1,500,000

Dubai Kahayla Classic (Purebred Arabian)

1

5YO+

2,000m

Dirt

1,000,000

First supplementary nominations close on Feb 12.

Second supplementary nominations close on Mar 9.

Dubai Racing Club contacts: Frank Gabriel Jr. – Executive Director - Racing | Stephanie Cooley - International Racing Liason For full details and a complete brochure, please contact the International Department of Dubai Racing Club at intdept@dubairacingclub.com or +971 4 316 8654 #DubaiWorldCup

|

DubaiRacingClub.com

Editorial Director/Publisher Giles Anderson Sub-Editor Jana Cavalier Design ATG Media Advert Production Charlotte Fossey Circulation/Website Kerstin Coward, Anna Alcock Advertising Sales Giles Anderson, Anna Alcock Photo Credits: Alamy, Eirik Stenhaug, Emilie Finkenhagen, Georgina Preston, Giles Anderson, Kerstin Coward, Paull Khan, Shutterstock, The Tote Cover Photograph Georgina Preston

Trainer magazine is published by Anderson & Co Publishing Ltd. This magazine is distributed for free to all ETF members. Editorial views expressed are not necessarily those of the ETF. Additional copies can be purchased for ÂŁ6.95 (ex P&P). No part of this publication may be reproduced in any format without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Printed in the European Union For all editorial and advertising queries please contact: Anderson & Co. Publishing Tel: +44 (0) 1380 816777 Fax: +44 (0) 1380 816778 email: info@trainermagazine.com www.trainermagazine.com Issue 68

ISSN 17580293

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TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 68

Safia Barakzai BVSc, CertES(Soft Tissue), DipECVS, MSc, DESTS, FRCVS is a specialist (ECVS and RCVS) equine surgeon and a Fellow of the RCVS with a particular interest in upper respiratory tract, dental and sinus surgery and minimally invasive surgical techniques. She worked for 12 years at an equine surgeon at the University of Edinburgh and then for a further 5 years in private practice before setting up her own roaming surgical consultancy, Equine Surgical Referrals in June 2017.

Alan Creighton is head of Environment & Nutrition, Irish Equine Centre (IEC). He specialises in biosecurity and the diagnosis and eradication of disease in equine premises. He advises on ventilation, layout, design and environmental aspects of equine premises.

He has consulted on numerous new and rebuilds of racing yards throughout Europe. He is widely experienced in the UK, Ireland, Europe and the USA and is a respected lecturer and speaker on performance, biosecurity and environmental pathogens in the equine industry.

Dr. Jennifer Davis is currently Associate Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine and an Associate Editor of Equine Veterinary Journal. She has completed a residency in Equine Internal Medicine at North Carolina State University and achieved board certification as a specialist in Large Animal Internal Medicine as well as a PhD and specialist status in Veterinary Clinical Pharmacology.

Paull Khan PhD. is an international horseracing consultant. He is Secretary-General of the European & Mediterranean Horseracing Federation and Technical Advisor for Europe to the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities.

His other clients include the British Horseracing Authority. Previously, Dr. Khan held many senior roles at Weatherbys, including Banking Director and Racing Director.

Zofia Lisowski qualified from the University of Liverpool School of Veterinary Sciences in 2008. She worked as a veterinary surgeon in equine clinical practice in the UK for 6 years before being awarded a Horserace Betting Levy Board Veterinary Research Training Scholarship to undertake a PhD at the Roslin Institute and The Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies, The University of Edinburgh investigating Equine Postoperative ileus.

After completing her PhD in 2018, Zofia was appointed as a lecturer in Veterinary Biomedicine at the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies where she divides her time between teaching veterinary undergraduates and research. Her research focuses on the immune system with a particular focus on inflammation in the gastrointestinal tract.

Dr. Russell Mackechnie-Guire runs Centaur Biomechanics and works with elite athletes in all equestrian sports, optimising performance and marginal gains. He recently gained a PhD in equine locomotion from the Royal Veterinary College Structure & Motion Lab. Russell is co-author of more than 30 published papers on horse-saddle-rider interaction.

Professor Celia Marr is an RCVS recognised Specialist in Equine Internal Medicine based Rossdales Equine Hospital and Diagnostic Centre, Newmarket. She is also Editor-in-chief of Equine Veterinary Journal and Honorary Professor at the University of Glasgow and has previously worked at Cambridge University, the Royal Veterinary College, the University of Pennsylvania, and in racehorse practice in Lambourn.

Neil Mechie graduated as a vet in 2010 and immediately specialised in equine veterinary practice. He has worked at Johnston Racing since 2012 as one of the resident vets. Outside of work Mechie is kept busy with a young family and train a handful of national hunt and point to point horses under a permit to train.

Alysen Miller is a writer, editor and producer based in London. She has written about racing for publications including The Sunday Times. She launched and produced CNN International’s first dedicated horseracing magazine show, Winning Post.

She has ridden on the Flat as an amateur and currently competes in eventing on her retrained racehorse, Southfork.

Lissa Oliver lives in Co. Kildare, Ireland and is a regular contributor to The Irish Field and the Australian magazine, Racetrack. Lissa is also the author of several collections of short stories and two novels.

Catherine Rudenko is an independent registered nutritionist with a focus on thoroughbreds. Based in the UK Catherine has worked in the USA, Europe and Asia with trainers and studs creating feeds and feeding plans customised to their needs and climate. With a keen interest in education and research Catherine works with professional bodies and universities to promote knowledge of nutrition and its importance in the management of thoroughbreds and other breeds.

Judy Wardrope mechanically inclined by nature, Wardrope has applied her curiosity regarding how things work in several directions, including a 17-year stint as a locomotive engineer. Combined with an avid interest in horses, she started looking beyond straight legs and subjective descriptors to explain what she was seeing in individual horses.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 15, 2020 EARLY CLOSING: SATURDAY, MAY 16, 2020 ARLINGTON MILLION XXXVIII (GI)

$1,000,000 GUARANTEED 3 YEAR-OLDS & UPWARD | 1 MILE & 1/4 (TURF)

BEVERLY D. (GI)

$600,000 GUARANTEED FILLIES & MARES, 3 YEARS-OLD & UPWARD | 1 MILE & 3/16 (TURF)

SECRETARIAT STAKES (GI) $500,000 GUARANTEED 3 YEAR-OLDS | 1 MILE (TURF)

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:

CHRIS POLZIN, DIRECTOR OF RACING & RACING SECRETARY OFFICE: (847) 385-7738 | MOBILE: (847) 809-0221 FACSIMILE: (847) 870-6720 EMAIL: CHRIS.POLZIN@ARLINGTONPARK.COM

EUROPEAN TRAINERS’ FEDERATION AIMS and OBJECTIVES of the ETF:

a) To represent the interests of all member trainers’ associations in Europe. b) To liaise with political and administrative bodies on behalf of European trainers. c) To exchange information between members for the benefit of European trainers. d) To provide a network of contacts to assist each member to develop its policy and services to member trainers.

ETF REPRESENTATIVES Chairmanship: Guy Heymans (Belgium) Tel: +32 (0) 495 389 140 Email: heymans1@telenet.be

Vice Chairmanship:

Nicolas Clément (France) Tel: +33 (0)3 44 57 25 39 Fax: +33 (0)3 44 57 58 85 Email: entraineurs.de.galop@wanadoo.fr

AUSTRIA

Mrs Živa Prunk Tel: +38640669918 Email: ziva.prunk@gmail.com

CZECH REPUBLIC

Vice Chairmanship:

Treasureship:

Christian von der Recke (Germany) Tel: +49 (022 54) 84 53 14 Fax: +49 (022 54) 84 53 15 Email: recke@t-online.de

Michael Grassick (Ireland) Tel: +353 (0)45 522 981 Mobile: +353 (0)87 258 87 70 Fax: +353 (0)45 522 982 Email: office@irta.ie

HUNGARY

UNITED KINGDOM

Mr Botond Kovács Email: botond.kovacs@kincsempark.hu

ITALY

Rupert Arnold Tel: +44 (0) 1488 71719 Fax: +44 (0) 1488 73005 Email: r.arnold@racehorsetrainers.org

RUSSIA

Joseph Vana Tel: +42 (0) 6024 296 29 Email: horova@velka-chuchle.cz

Agostino Affe Email: affegaloppo@gmail.com

Olga Polushkina Email: p120186@yandex.ru

GREECE

NETHERLANDS

SLOVAKIA

Aggeliki Amitsis Tel: 30 229 908 1332+ Email: angieamitsis@yahoo.com

Geert van Kempen Mobile: +31 (0)6 204 02 830 Email: renstalvankempen@hotmail.com

GERMANY

NORWAY

Erika Mäder Tel: +49 (0) 2151 594911 Fax: +49 (0) 2151 590542 Email: trainer-und-jockeys@netcologne.de

Are Hyldmo Mobile: +47 984 16 712 Email: arehyldmo@hotmail.com

www.trainersfederation.eu

Jaroslav Brecka Email: jaroslav.brecka@gmail.com

SWEDEN

Caroline Malmborg Email: caroline@stallmalmborg.se

care with confidence

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TRAINERS OF THE QUARTER

CHARLIE FELLOWES

The VetSet Trainer of the Quarter has been won by Charlie Fellowes.

Fellowes will receive a large selection of VetSet premium veterinary products, as well as a bottle of artisan British gin.

Giles Anderson harlie Fellowes’ Prince of Arran, has now run in five different countries from thirty eight starts. His sixth ‘stamp’ on his passport will be likely to come on his thirty ninth start should he take up an engagement in the inaugural Red Sea Turf Handicap due to be held as part of the Saudi Cup raceday on February 29th at the King Abdulaziz Racetrack in Riyadh.

C

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TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 68

Charlie Fellowes Racing

The son of Shirooco seems to save his best for trips to Melbourne where he has twice started in the Group 1 Melbourne Cup, finishing third in the 2018 renewal and going one place better in 2019. Who knows what 2020 will hold.

In their own words, Charlie Fellowes (CF) and his travelling head groom, Natasha Eaton (NE) recall their 2019 trip ‘down under’ and outline future plans for their globetrotting stable star.

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01553 819590

care with confidence

COMMUNICATION WITH THE BOSS AT HOME IS THE KEY TO ALL SUCCESS WHICH WE HAD WHILST IN AUSTRALIA. CF - “Prince of Arran had a holiday after getting sick in Dubai so I had to shoehorn three runs into him in England to make sure that he went to Australia race fit. He is a very laid back horse and getting on a bit now so it is much easier to get him fit at the race course. He was seventh in the first million pound Ebor and then ran a great race to finish third in the September Stakes at Kempton.

Prince of Arran is like Natasha’s child.

After travelling worldwide for the last

two years they have a fantastic bond which is unbreakable”.

NE - “Communication with the boss at home is the key to all success which we had whilst in Australia. I would report to Charlie at least twice a day following exercise and again at evening stables. In the build up to races I would also send videos of work and photos so he could access the horse visually as well as reports.

Prince Of Arran very much thrives on one on one attention and carrots. He is a dream to deal with international, very straightforward and thrives off his international travel”.

CF - “Prince of Arran was pretty much foot perfect once again in Australia. I am not entirely sure what it is about the conditions in Australia that he loves but he seems to come alive down under. In the Geelong Cup I was worried about our draw but he broke perfectly and got a lovely position and from there on it was relatively plainsailing. In the Melbourne Cup

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01553 819590

he couldn’t have had a more perfect preparation and I was constantly waiting for something to go wrong.

Luckily nothing did and that included a stewards enquiry going our way too”.

CF - “Prince of Arran is due to flu to Saudi Arabia for the staying handicap out there at the end of February. If he takes up this engagement he will then head to Dubai for the Dubai Gold Cup which has always been a bit of a bogey race for him so far. He never seems to get any luck on world cup night but I am certain that the conditions of the race are perfect for him if we can get him there spot on.

There is a very small chance that he could run at neither of those races and instead head to Sydney for the Sydney Cup but that would only be if I am not happy with either the race track or the opposition in the Red Sea Turf Handicap. My concern with Australia is that you often get very soft ground at the Sydney Autumn Carnival and that would not be to his liking”.

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ISSUE 68 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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The world’s most valuable horserace

For full details, contact Adrian Beaumont: +44 1638 668881 E-mail: saudicup@irbracing.com | www.thesaudicup.com | @thesaudicup

RACE

DISTANCE

PURSE

WINNER

THE JOCKEY CLUB LOCAL HANDICAP 4YO+

NH AGE

1800m (1m 1f)

$500,000

$300,000

DIRT

THE RIYADH DIRT SPRINT

3YO+

1200m (6f)

$1,500,000

$900,000

DIRT

THE 1351 TURF SPRINT

4YO+

1351m (6

$1,000,000

$600,000

TURF

THE DIRIYAH DIRT MILE

3YO

1600m (1m)

$800,000

$480,000

DIRT

3/4

f)

SURFACE

THE NEOM TURF CUP

4YO+

2100m (1m 2.5f)

$1,000,000

$600,000

TURF

THE OBAIYA ARABIAN CLASSIC

4YO+

2000m (1m 2f)

$1,900,000

$1,140,000

DIRT

THE RED SEA TURF HANDICAP

4YO+

3000m (1m 7f)

$2,500,000

$1,500,000

TURF

THE SAUDI CUP

4YO+

1800m (1m 1f)

$20,000,000

$10,000,000

DIRT

Total purse $29,200,000

Maximum ямБeld size: 14 runners | Left handed track

Saudi Cup Day

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 29, 2020 King Abdulaziz Racetrack, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA)

PROFILE

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TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 68

| HARRY WHITTINGTON |

THE A CCIDENTAL TRAINER Alysen Miller

Georgina Preston

actually had no aspirations to be a trainer whatsoever,� confides Harry Whittington five minutes into our interview. The affable Lambourn trainer has already ridden two lots by the time I place my iPhone down on the table in his office: a modern, Scandi-style building perched on the highest point of the Berkshire Downs with commanding views over the Valley of the Racehorse, whose Hygge aesthetic is burnished by a wood-burning fire that he periodically gets up to stoke.

Such a statement may seem like false modesty coming from a Gp1-winning trainer who is generally regarded as one of National Hunt’s brightest up-and-coming stars; however, it is already abundantly clear from having spent the morning on the gallops with Whittington that there is nothing false at all about his modesty, or his ambition.

ISSUE 68 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

13

PROFILE

Now in his seventh season as a fully-fl flledged trainer, the 35-year-old cannot deny that he has racing in his blood.

His grandfather was legendary Lambourn horseman Colin Nash, a successful Point-to-Point and Hunter Chase trainer who is famous for givi ving i Richard Dunwoody his ffiirst i wi winner. i Whittingt gton t himself was actually born on the yard where he now trains. “Mum and Dad have been here since ‘74, when they got married,” he explains. “There was never a yard here, but we grew up riding ponies, hunting, team chasing. We did it all as kids.” Whittingt gton t always knew he was going to make horses his career: “I’ve got

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TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM ISSUE 68

a brother and sister, and they have the brains,” he says, again wi without i a hint of false modesty. “I didn’t have the brains, but luckily I had the horsemanship skills.” After school, he decamped to Australia, where he worked on cattle stations, breaking in wi wild i brumbies. “I loved it out there, but I missed our wi winters,” i he deadpans, adding a log to the ffiire. i “I was 23 when I came back, and I decided I wanted to break in horses in Lambourn because I grew up here and I thought, ‘maybe one day if I could set up a yard here at home, I could do a business of breaking in and pre-training and that there would be a good market for it because I’m in the right spot.’” It was Davi vid i Arbuthnot for whom he was riding out at the time who advi vised i Whittingt gton t to go work for someone else ffiirst, i to gain experience and learn the ropes. A chance encounter in the local pub led to ffiinding i his way to top pre-trainer and consigner Malcom Bastard.

“He was a phenomenal man to work for,” says Whittingt gtton, not attempting to disguise the glint of admiration in his eye. “He was hard on me but very good to me as well. The harder the job, the harder the task master, the more appealing it is to me. I think you learn more from peoplle like thatt.””

Aside from the 4.30am starts, one of the perks of working for Bastard d was the opportunity to attend yearling sales all ovver Europe and North America. This allowed Whitting gto ton to develop an eye for selecting quality bloodstock— —a skill that would prove pivotal in hiis subsequent career as a trainer. “I learnt from Malcolm

| HARRY WHITTINGTON |

THE HARDER THE JOB, THE HARDER THE TASK MASTER, THE MORE APPEALING IT IS TO ME. I THINK YOU LEARN MORE FROM PEOPLE LIKE THAT. all about pedigrees and conformation, what you can and can’t train.” Whittington eventually rose to become Bastard’s assistant, before deciding the time was right to strike out on his own. In 2007, Whittington set up his own breaking-in and pre-training business at Hill Barn Stables. His main clients were Tom Dascombe and Nicky Henderson. Eventually, Dascombe would move to Cheshire to train for Michael Owen, but it is Lambourn neighbour Henderson who inspired Whittington’s eventual, if not inevitable, decision to take out a training licence. “He was pleased with the way the horses came back to him, and when Tom went up to Cheshire, Nicky started filling me up with horses.” Hill Barn Stables eventually became a satellite yard for Henderson. “We’re right next door. We can get to his gallops as quickly as he can get to his gallops, so we were able to join in the string.

I had 25 horses that I was managing for him up here with my own staff. I got a great insight into how Nicky does it, and that’s when I got the bug [for training].”

Now two barns, housing a total of 43 horses, have risen up at Hill Barn; but back then, when Whittington first took the leap in 2012, it was a significantly smaller operation. “I went from having a thriving business to

having five horses. I was doing every single job on the yard. It was literally me, and that was it. I was getting in more and more in debt through the winter because I owned half of the horses myself, having just about managed to scrape together some family and friends to take some shares and things.”

But then Whittington experienced a dramatic change in fortune, thanks in no small part to his keen eye for a pedigree, gleaned from all those years working for Bastard. “I had bought a horse, Dubai Kiss, the previous summer for £2,800 at the Doncaster sales, and I just realised straight away he had a lot of ability. He was a backwards-bred flat horse, but by Dubai Destination, who’d just been bought to stand as a National Hunt sire.

So I took a chance.” Dubai Kiss went on to win a bumper at Newbury at 100-1 and the rest, as they say, his history.

“He won by six lengths on the bridle. I sold him for a very good profit, which cleared all of my debts and allowed me to put a round gallop in that summer.” Whittington’s success brought him into the orbit of owner Tony Holt, who gave him an order for €50,000 to go to France to buy a young horse. “It was my first order, for my first potentially big client. I went over and rode this horse out ISSUE 68 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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PROFILE

PEOPLE ALWAYS SAY THAT IF YOU HAVE A GRADE 1 WINNER, IT DOUBLES YOUR YARD. THAT LITERALLY HAPPENED. on the gallops. He’d finished second in two races in the provinces in France.” That horse ended up being Arzal, who went on to give Whittington his first Gp1 winner.

“People always say that if you have a grade 1 winner, it doubles your yard. That literally happened,” he explained.

It was the exploits of Arzal that firmly put Whittington’s fledgling training business on the map. “We’d gone from five horses to just about 20 [after Dubai Kiss]. And then we went from 20 horses to 45 that summer. And that was quite stressful but a good problem to have.” Arzal may have gone on to achieve even greater feats had he not tragically picked up an infection during the race and had to be euthanized. “He was jumping a fence, and he got a bit of birch into his joint. It was a real freak thing, but we all know that that’s what we have to go through with horses. It was very tragic because he was an extraordinary horse.” Among the horses whom Arzal beat that day are L’Ami Serge and Sizing John. Nevertheless, Holt

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| HARRY WHITTINGTON |

remained loyal to Whittington and remains one of his major owners to this day, while Arzal’s legacy is attested to by the barn that bears his name. “Tony was great. He’s been a huge supporter of mine,” says Whittington.

Through Holt, Whittington met another owner, Andrew Brooks. “Andrew’s got some fabulous horses with us,” he says. Among those is Saint Calvados, whom Whittington describes as the new yard flagbearer, who gave the yard its first Cheltenham winner. While the six-year-old Saint Des Saints gelding is certainly an impressive type, it’s clear that Whittington gets as much satisfaction from identifying value for money as from splashing the cash. “Not all of my owners can afford the top horses. We get a great kick out of not spending too much money and doing really well with certain horses. But we do also get a real kick out of being sent proper horses and doing well with them. Andrew and Tony have some good horses with us, and we have other owners with different budgets; and we’re winning races with those, too.”

If the likes of Saint Calvados were to deliver another Gp1 success, would Whittington be prepared for his operation to double in size again? “I think once you get above a certain number of horses, it becomes a different operation; and that sort of operation doesn’t appeal to me,” he confides. “I have no aspirations to be Champion Trainer one day. It’s not an ambition of mine. I’d rather have a smaller number of horses that I can train as individuals with a team of staff that I can really enjoy it with.” Part of this philosophy includes the careful nurturing of young stock. “We’re not hard on horses,” he says. “We’ve got two round gallops and the bulk of our work, if not all the work, is done there.” Whittington is adamant that nothing should ever come off the bridle at home. “There’s enough stress on a racecourse,” he

explains. “It’s about getting them fit enough to be able to compete and come on for their first runs. We train them with a view to getting longevity out of their careers. I just can’t see how horses can last if they’re not managed properly when they’re younger. The youngest stage in a racehorse’s life is so important.”

Whittington is also impressively candid about his use of a sports psychologist—the first time in my career as a journalist that an interviewee has made such a disclosure of their own accord without my first bringing it up. “I think it’s healthy for any human being to be able to talk,” he says. “I love what I do, but I wanted to talk to someone about the stresses of running a business. My yard sponsor,

WE’RE NOT HARD ON HORSES, WE’VE GOT TWO ROUND GALLOPS AND THE BULK OF OUR WORK, IF NOT ALL THE WORK, IS DONE THERE.

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PROFILE

| HARRY WHITTINGTON |

I THINK IT’S HEALTHY FOR ANY HUMAN BEING TO BE ABLE TO TALK. I LOVE WHAT I DO, BUT I WANTED TO TALK TO SOMEONE ABOUT THE STRESSES OF RUNNING A BUSINESS. who runs a very successful business, had seen this sports psychologist and mentioned him to me, and I felt that it would be quite a good idea. Having a chat with him just gives me perspective. It’s a breath of fresh air.” One piece of sports psychology that has proved invaluable to Whittington is the calculus that being a racehorse trainer is like being the manager of a Premier football team: “The club owners are like the owners of the horses, and the players are like the horses, but also the staff,” he explains, warming to his theme. “It’s the handling of those two different parties and the press as well. It’s a juggling act, and you’ve got to have different skills in order to be able to handle all of it.”

It’s easy to see why the football manager analogy appeals to Whittington, for whom teamwork is clearly very important. With a slimline staff of 14, it’s

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immediately evident to any observer that the dynamic on the yard is closer to that of a family than a business. “If you’ve got good staff, the management is very easy,” he shrugs. “We’ve got a fabulous team here. We’re selective about who works for us. Everybody is great friends here, and we have a great atmosphere. I’m a great believer in that if you have a good atmosphere in the yard, it rubs off on the horses. And happy horses make good racehorses.”

Essential to the operation is Whittington’s wife, Alice, who runs the office and handles their social media accounts.

“The office is very much her domain, and the yard is my domain. It has allowed me to focus on the horses and the staff, which is where my skills are at.”

It also allows Whittington to ride out with a string, a role he clearly relishes. “Ultimately, where I get the greatest enjoyment is riding out the horses. I am a horseman at heart, and I’ve managed to build my operation up through my skills as a horseman. Joe Quintin, my assistant trainer, rides out all the time as well, and we always joke that we’ll still be riding out when we’re 80 years old!”

While few would be surprised if that ended up being the case, it’s clear there are still goals he wants to achieve out of the saddle, as he explains with his trademark modesty: “We’re very ambitious—all of us as a team. We enjoy celebrating. We want to have winners, we want to have good horses, we want to have the big days. We want to keep improving. It’s not just me, it’s everybody within the team.” And with that, he pulls on his boots, ready to jump on another horse.

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| STABLE M AN AGEMENT |

T HE IM PORTAN CE OF STABL E VENT IL AT ION Alan Creighton

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Shutterstock, Kerstin Coward

| VENTILATION – IDEAL AIR EXCHANGE AND AIR DISTRIBUTION |

O

ver the past 20 years the Irish Equine Centre has become world leaders in the design and control of the racehorse stable environment.

At present we monitor the stable environment of approximately 180 racing yards across Europe.

The basis of our work is to improve biosecurity and the general environment in relation to stable and exercise areas within racing establishments. This is achieved by improving ventilation, yard layout, exercise areas and disinfection routines, in addition to testing of feed, fodder and bedding for quality and reviewing how and where they are stored.

Racehorses can spend up to 23 hours per day standing in their stable. The equine respiratory system is built for transferring large volumes of air in and out of the lungs during exercise. Racehorses are elite athletes, and best performance can only be achieved

with optimal health. Given the demanding life of the equine athlete, a high number of racehorses are at risk of several different respiratory concerns. The importance of respiratory health greatly increases in line with the racehorse’s stamina. Therefore, as the distance a racehorse is asked to race increases so does the importance of ventilation and fresh clean air.

Pathogenic fungi and bacteria, when present in large numbers, can greatly affect the respiratory system of a horse and therefore performance. Airborne dust and pathogens, which can be present in any harvested food, bedding, damp storage areas and stables, are one of the main causes of RAO (Recurrent Airway Obstruction), EIPH (Exercise Induced Pulmonary Haemorrhage, also known as bleeding), IAD (irritable airway disease) and immune suppression. All of which can greatly affect the performance of the racehorse. Yards, which are contaminated with a pathogen of this kind, will suffer from the direct respiratory effect but will also suffer from ISSUE 68 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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FIG 2

recurring bouts of secondary bacterial and viral infections due to the immune suppression. Until the pathogen is found and removed, achieving consistency of performance is very difficult. Stable ventilation plays a huge part in the removal of these airborne pathogens.

What is ventilation?

The objective of ventilation is to provide a constant supply of fresh air to the horse. Ventilation is achieved by simply providing sufficient openings in the stable/building so that fresh air can enter and stale air will exit.

Ventilation involves two simple processes: Air exchange where stale air is replaced with fresh air.

Air distribution where fresh air is available throughout the stable.

1 2

Good stable ventilation provides both of these processes.

One without the other does not provide adequate ventilation. For example, it is not good enough to let fresh air into the stable through an open door at one end of the building if that fresh air is not distributed throughout the stable and not allowed to exit again. With stable ventilation we want cold air to enter the stable, be tempered by the hot air present, and then replace that hot air by thermal buoyancy. As the hot air leaves the stable,

FIG 1

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we want it to take moisture, dust, heat, pathogens and ammonia out as shown in Figure 1.

It is important not to confuse ventilation with draft. We do not want cold air blowing directly at the horse who now has nowhere to shelter. Proper ventilation, is a combination of permanent and controllable ventilation. Permanent ventilation apart from the stable door should always be above the horse’s head. It is really important to have a ridge vent or cowl vent at the very highest point of the roof.

Permanent ventilation should be a combination of air inlets above the horse’s head, which allows for intake of air no matter which direction the wind is coming from, coupled with an outlet in the highest point of the roof (shown in Figure 2). The ridge vent or cowl vent is an opening that allows warm and moist air, which accumulates near the roof peak to escape. The ridge opening is also a very effective mechanism for wind-driven air exchange since wind moves faster higher off the ground. The controllable ventilation such as the door, windows and louvers are at the horse height. With controllable ventilation you can open it up during hot spells or close it down during cold weather. The controllable ventilation should be practical and easy to operate as racing yards are very busy places with limited time.

Where did the design go wrong?

The yards we work in are a mixture of historic older yards, yards built in the mid to late 20th century and yards built in the early 21st century. The level of ventilation present was extremely varied in a lot of these yards prior to working with the Irish Equine Centre. Interestingly the majority of the yards built before World War I displayed extremely efficient ventilation systems. Some of the oldest yards in the Curragh and Newmarket are still, to this day, considered well ventilated.

In parts of mainland Europe including France the picture is very different. In general, the older yards in France are very poorly ventilated. The emphasis in the design of yards in parts of France appears to be more focused on keeping animals warm in the winter and cool during the summer. This is understandable as they do get colder winters and warmer summers in the Paris area, for example, when compared to the more temperate climate in Ireland and the UK. When these yards were built they didn’t have the quality of rugs available that we do now.

| VENTILATION – IDEAL AIR EXCHANGE AND AIR DISTRIBUTION |

Most of the yards in France are buiilt in courtyard style w wiith i lofts above for sttorage and d acccommod dattion. When courtyard stables are poorly ventilated w wiith i no back orr side wall air vents, you wi will i always havee the situation that the only boxes that get air exchange are the ones facing into o the prevailing w wiind i at that time. In this sceenario, up to 60% of the yard may have no airr exchange at all.

In the mid to o late 20th century eff fffiicient i ventilation desiign appears to have been overlooked com mpletely. There appears to be no deffinitive i reaso on for this phenomenon, wi with i planning restricctions, site restrictions in towns like Newmarkeet and Chantilly, cheaper builds, or builders buildin ng to residential speciffications i all contributing to o inadequate ventilation.

Barn and staable designers did not, and in a lot of cases still don’t, realize how much air exchange is needed for race horses. Many horse owners and architects of barns tend to follow residential housing patterns, placing more importance on aesthetics instead of what’s practical and healthy for the horse.

Many horses are being kept in suburban sett ttings t becau use their owners are unfamiliar with the benefits of ventilation on performance. Many of these horses spend long periods of time in their stalls, rather than in an open fresh-air environment that is conducive to maximum horse health. We measure stable ventilation in air changes per hour (ACH).

This is calculated using the following simple equation: Air changes per hour AC/H N = 60 Q Vol N = ACH (Air change/hour) Where: Q = Velocity flow rate (wind x opening areas in cfm) Vol = Length x Width x Average roof height.

Minimum air change per hour in a well-ventilated box is 6AC/H. We often measure the ACH in poorly ventilated stables and barns with results as low as 1AC/H; an example of such a stable environment is shown in Figure 3. When this measurement is as low as 1AC/H we know that the ventilation is not adequate. There will be dust and grime build up, in addition to moisture build up resulting in increased growth of mould and bacteria, and there will be ammonia build up. The horse, who can be stabled for up to 23 hours of the day, now has no choice but to breathe in poor quality air. Some horses such as sprinters may tolerate this, but in general it will lead to multiple respiratory issues.

Simply put, the objective in any well-designed barn and stable is to get fresh air to the horse and eliminate stale air before it accumulates. Good ventilation is, ideally, designed into the original barn plans or stable and takes advantage of natural wind, air currents and thermal buoyancy. Often people experiment with mechanical ventilation using fans instead of using good ventilation design, which takes advantage of free wind ventilation. Natural ventilation uses

FIG 3

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| VENTILATION – IDEAL AIR EXCHANGE AND AIR DISTRIBUTION |

| STABLE M AN AGEMENT |

FIG 4A

FIG 4B

openings located along the side walls and the ridge and takes into consideration the topography and how the barn is situated in relationship to its surroundings.

The inlet of fresh air is extremely important. Good design takes advantage of the prevailing winds, remembering that the air exchange should be maintained no matter which way the wind is blowing. The passageway of a barn should be pointing directly into the dominant prevailing wind so that we can use the permanent ventilation high in the roof and still control the ventilation down low using the gable end barn doors. Space boarding, which is also known as Yorkshire boarding, is a very useful design tool to maximise permanent ventilation. This type of ventilation can be used from the 3-metre point on back and side walls all the way to the eaves or at the gable end of a barn above the doors. This method slows down cold winds to acceptable levels and allows for permanent venting, shown in Figure 4(a) and (b) overleaf.

A mistake, which is often made in design, is the placement of the manure pit in close proximity between the prevailing wind and the stable or stable barn. This can allow contaminated air to enter the stable. Other design flaws are placing hay stores or walkers in shared air space with stables under the same roof. Both of these scenarios again contaminate the air space with moisture, dust and spores rendering the fresh air unclean.

The ventilation provided in exercise areas such as indoor rides, lunge rings and walkers are also often

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overlooked. Racehorses will inhale deeper and faster when at exercise. If the air is not clean, dust and microbes can penetrate deep into the lungs.

Providing too much shelter can nullify the useful prevailing wind. This scenario often begins at the design stage when the layout of the stable yard is being planned.

Care should also be taken where hedging or trees are planted around stables. I have seen countless examples whereby hedging and trees were planted close to the stable or barn. When this foliage is fully grown, it can change a previously well-ventilated dry barn into a poorly ventilated damp barn. Building a stable yard in a dip or sheltered valley might seem sensible, but in fact it can often prevent the use of natural wind for ventilation purposes.

Many national hunt yards in Ireland and the UK now employ the use of small all-weather paddocks which are attached to the back of stables with no door or barrier between them. They allow the horse the freedom to stay inside or out, ensuring unlimited access to fresh air. This method of stabling is very useful for horses with known respiratory issues and is also very good for the mental wellbeing of the horse.

Horses tolerate cold very well and adapt to cold breezes when housed outside. During winter, horse barns should be kept no more than 2 to 4° C warmer than outside temperatures. Tightly closing the barn, by closing all windows, doors and fresh-air inlets is a mistake when it comes to your horse’s health. If condensation can be seen on interior surfaces during cold weather, the barn does not have sufficient ventilation for good horse health.

Moisture, which comes from horse respiration, sweating and washing, increases the risk of condensation, intensifies odour, increases ammonia, and most importantly increases pathogen growth—all of which contribute to respiratory infection. Mould growth is indicative of poor airflow. Mould is a marker organism, which shows conditions are ideal for all pathogen growth including bacteria. Pathogenic mould can cause RAO, EIPH and immune suppression, resulting in inconsistency of performance and a marked increase in secondary viral and bacterial infection. Ventilation is the key to preventing mould growth and improving the general environment for a stabled racehorse.

If you have any queries in regard to stable ventilation, yard design, stable environment or hay and bedding quality, please do not hesitate to contact the Environment and Nutrition Department at the Irish Equine Centre.

> FOR PULMONARY SUPPORT AND ELASTICITY www.cavalor.com | Consumer line 7/7 +44 (0)1352 746100

| VETERINARY |

COLI C –

EFFECTS OF INFLAMMATION Dr Zofia Lisowski BVSc PhD AFHEA MRCVS

Prof Scott Pirie BVM&S CertEP CertEM(IntMed) DipECEIM MRCVS Dr Neil Hudson MA VetMB PhD DEIM DipVetClinStud PFHEA FRCVS Alamy, Kerstin Coward

C

olic is a term used to describe the display of abdominal pain in the horse. It is the most common emergency in horses with four to ten out of every 100 horses likely to experience at least one episode of colic each year. It is also the single most common cause of equine mortality. In the US, one study showed that thoroughbreds were more likely to develop colic1 than other breeds. It is of great welfare concern to horse owners, and with the estimated costs associated with colic in the US exceeding $115 million dollars per year2 and the average cost of a horse undergoing colic surgery that requires a resection in the UK being £6437.803, it is also a significant economic issue for horse owners.

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Horses with abdominal pain show a wide range of clinical signs, ranging from flank watching and pawing the ground in mild cases, to rolling and being unable to remain standing for any significant period of time in more severe cases. There are numerous (over 50) specific causes of colic. In general, colic occurs as a result of disruption to the normal function of the gastrointestinal tract. This may be attributable to mechanical causes such as an obstruction (constipation), distension (excess gas) or a volvulus (twisted gut). It may also have a functional cause, whereby the intestine doesn’t work as normal in the absence of an associated mechanical problem; for example, equine grass sickness is associated with a functional derangement of intestinal motility due to loss of nerves within the intestine.

Management of colic depends on the cause and can necessitate either a medical or surgical approach. Most horses with colic will either improve spontaneously or with simple medical treatment alone; however, a significant proportion may need more intensive medical treatment or surgery. Fortunately, due to improvements in surgical techniques and post-operative management, outcomes of colic surgery have improved over the past few decades with up to 85% of horses surviving to discharge. Crucially for the equine thoroughbred racehorse population, several studies

| DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT AND AFTERCARE MANAGEMENT |

Complications within the abdomen

Haemoperitoneum: A rare complication where there is blood within the abdomen from bleeding at the surgical site.

Anastomosis complications: The anastomosis site is where two opposing ends of intestine that have been opened are sutured back together again. It is important that at this site no leakage of intestinal contents occurs.

Leakage or breakdown at this site can lead to peritonitis, which is inflammation or infection within the abdominal cavity and is a potentially life threatening complication.

Adhesions: Scar tissue can form within the abdomen following abdominal surgery. Occasionally this may cause further colic episodes

Further colic episodes

Further colic episodes can occur following surgery. These can occur days to months following discharge.

Endotoxaemia

In some rare cases, horses may develop sepsis in response to toxins released by damaged intestine

Diarrhoea

This is a rare complication. It can develop as a result of infections with C. difficile or Salmonella. As a consequence, some horses may need to be treated in isolation to ensure infection doesn’t spread to other horses or humans.

Post-operative ileus

focussed on racehorses that had undergone colic surgery and survived to discharge, reporting that 63-73% returned to racing. Furthermore, surgical treatment did not appear to negatively impact athletic performance. A similar finding was also seen in the general sport horse population.

Despite significant advancement in colic surgery per se, complications following surgery can have a significant impact on post-operative survival and return to athletic function. Common post-operative complications include:

Complications at the site of the incision (surgical wound)

Infection: Infections at the site of the surgical incision are relatively common. Antibiotics are usually administered before surgery and after surgery. Infections are not normally severe but can increase treatment costs. Horses that develop infections are at greater risk of developing an incisional hernia.

Hernia: Incisional hernias occur when the abdominal wall muscles fail to heal leaving a ‘gap’. Hernia size can vary from just a few centimetres, up to the full length of the incision. Most hernias will not require further treatment, but in more severe cases, further surgery may be required to repair the hernia.

Post-operative ileus is one of the potential post-operative complications which can lead to a significant increase in hospital stay duration, increased treatment costs and is also associated with reduced survival rates. Post-operative ileus is a condition that affects the muscle function in the intestinal wall. The intestine is a long tube-like structure that has a muscular wall throughout its entire length from the oesophagus to the anus. The function of this muscle is to contract in waves to mix and move food along the length of the intestinal tract, within which digestion occurs and nutrients are absorbed, terminating in the excretion of waste material as faeces. In post-operative ileus these contractions stop and thus intestinal contents are not moved throughout the intestinal tract. In most cases, it is transient and lasts for up to 48 hours following surgery; however, in some cases it can last longer. A build-up of fluid develops within the intestine as a result of the lack of propulsion. This stretches the intestines and stomach, resulting in pain and the horse’s inability to eat. Unlike humans, the horse is unable to vomit; consequently, this excess fluid must be removed from the stomach by other means, otherwise there is a risk of the stomach rupturing with fatal consequences. Post-operative ileus may occur in up to 60% of horses undergoing abdominal surgery and mortality rates as high as 86% have been reported. Horses in which the small intestine manipulated is extensively manipulated during surgery and those that require removal of segments of intestine are at higher risk. Despite the significant risk of post-operative ileus following colic surgery in horses, there is a lack of studies investigating the mechanisms underpinning this condition in horses; consequently, the precise cause of this condition in horses is not fully known.

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What causes the intestine to stop functioning?

For many years it was thought that post-operative ileus occurred as a result of a dysfunction of the nerves that stimulate contraction of the muscles in the intestinal wall. This theory has now mostly been superseded by the concept that it primarily results from inflammation in the intestinal wall. Based on human and rodent studies, it has been shown that immune cells in the intestine (macrophages) play a key role in development of this condition. Macrophages are important cells found everywhere in the body, with the largest population being in the intestine. These cells become activated by the inevitable manipulation of the horses’ intestines during colic surgery, with subsequent initiation of a sequence of events which ultimately results in dysfunction of the muscle in the intestinal wall. We know macrophages are present within the wall of the horses’ intestine and that at the time of colic surgery there is an inflammatory response at this site. Although the significance of these findings in relation to post-operative ileus in the horse remains unknown, they provide sufficient justification for ongoing research focused on the inflammatory response in the intestine of horses during and immediately following colic surgery. Figure 1 summarises what is known about post-operative ileus based on data from human and rodent studies.

Diagnosis of post-operative ileus

Historically, the parameters used by both researchers and clinicians to diagnose post-operative ileus have varied quite considerably, thus making it difficult to compare studies with respect to disease incidence and response to different treatments. A key challenge in the diagnostic approach to potential cases is making the distinction between post-operative ileus (a functional problem) and physical obstructions of the intestine (mechanical problems), both of which present with very similar clinical signs. In an attempt to standardise and facilitate the diagnosis amongst clinicians and researchers, certain criteria have been suggested to ensure a consistent diagnostic approach.

Diagnostic Criteria for Post-operative ileus

• The presence of four or more litres of nasogastric reflux (contents of stomach removed via a nasogastric tube) at any one time or more than two litres on repeated intubations • High heart rate (consistently over 40 beats per minute) • Evidence on rectal examination or on ultrasound examination of distended intestine • Mild to severe signs of colic • Absent or reduced production of faeces When considered together, this combination of clinical findings may be attributable to both functional and mechanical causes. However, it is generally accepted that a functional problem (post-operative ileus) is more likely if the heart rate lowers and the signs of abdominal pain improve following passage of a tube into the stomach and removal of the excessive accumulation of fluid. Conversely, failure of this procedure to reduce the heart rate and level of pain may be more consistent with a mechanical cause, which is likely to require a second surgery to fully evaluate and potentially correct the underlying problem.

Treatment and management of post-operative ileus Most of the risk factors associated with the development of post-operative ileus relate to the surgical procedure itself; these include handling of the intestine by the surgeon, the duration of surgery and exposure of the intestines to air. Unfortunately, all these factors are inherently associated with colic surgery per se; however, the surgeon does endeavour to reduce their potential impact by minimising the duration of surgery without compromising the quality of thoroughness of the surgical procedure and ensuring the intestine is kept moist throughout the duration of the surgery. Attempts are also made to minimise the handling of the intestine and ensuring that any intestine is handled as delicately as the surgical procedure permits. Excessively harsh handling of the intestine results in an increased inflammatory response within the intestinal muscle and is associated with a greater severity of post-operative ileus.

The main aim of post-operative management and treatment is to reduce the inflammation within the intestine and restore normal contractions. Whilst different clinicians may vary slightly in their relative treatment approaches, the main treatment methods are as follows:

Anti-inflammatory drug administration

As inflammation plays a pivotal role in the development of post-operative ileus, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are generally administered before, during and after colic surgery. They are also used to control pain.

Maintenance and replacement fluid therapy

Many colic cases which require surgery have a significantly reduced capacity to provide an appropriate blood supply to vital organs and tissues. Furthermore, horses which subsequently develop post-operative ileus can have excessive fluid losses associated with the necessary decompression of the stomach. Consequently, intravenous fluids are generally administered both during and after colic surgery and routinely administered in cases of post-operative ileus to correct any fluid deficits.

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| DIAGNOSIS, TREATMENT AND AFTERCARE MANAGEMENT |

Electrolytes

The blood concentration of certain electrolytes, in particular calcium and potassium, is often monitored in horses with, or at risk of developing post-operative ileus, with appropriate replacement if required.

Nasogastric decompression

As post-operative ileus is associated with the accumulation of fluid within the stomach, it is almost invariably necessary to regularly remove this fluid by passage of a tube into the stomach. This intervention both relieves pain associated with stomach distension and reduces the risk of stomach rupture. Some clinicians may leave the tube in place to facilitate regular decompression; however, in humans, this practice is considered to increase the risk of post-operative ileus.

Early feeding and mobilisation

Human patients who have undergone abdominal surgery are encouraged to eat as soon as possible following surgery; furthermore, early gentle mobilisation is also promoted to stimulate intestinal motility. In those patients that cannot tolerate early feed intake, total parenteral nutrition (TPN) is initiated, which involves the provision of nutrients intravenously. Following colic surgery, feeding small amounts of good quality roughage/grass is recommended.

Repeat surgery

If, following colic surgery, horses fail to improve with regard to intestinal motility or continue to exhibit abdominal pain despite the administration of pain-relieving medication and regular (and possibly prolonged) removal of stomach fluid, a second surgery may be necessary to determine whether a mechanical obstruction is present within the intestine.

Although early intervention (i.e., second surgery) in such

FIG 1

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cases might improve the outcome if a mechanical cause is identified and corrected in a timely manner, this must be weighed against the additional inherent risks associated with abdominal surgery per se as well as the greater risk of such cases developing post-operative ileus. Furthermore, such cases generally have reduced survival rates and are at greater risk of post-operative complications.

Prokinetics

Prokinetic drugs are historically administered with a view to directly simulating contractions within the intestinal muscle. Despite regular use, their therapeutic value in cases of post-operative ileus in horses is currently unknown.

This may be attributable to the increasingly evident role of inflammation in the development of post-operative ileus in other species, which may be applicable also to the horse.

As post-operative ileus is almost invariably associated with colic surgery, efforts to minimise the risk of colic per se is likely to be the most appropriate strategy aimed at reducing post-operative ileus risk. Many management factors have been associated with an increased risk of colic; these include the following: Poor nutritional management • Feeding mouldy food • Overload of grain • Too much hard fibre (straw) • Absence of routine dentistry • Inadequate time out at pasture • Sudden dietary changes Change in routine • Box rest • Sudden turnout to lots of grass

Poor worming management

Unfortunately, there are many causes of colic that occur despite every effort to adhere to optimal management practices; these include, amongst others, intestinal strangulations and post-foaling colic in mares. In such situations, the prompt identification of cases that require surgery is crucial. Consequently, veterinary attention should be sought in cases which fail to improve spontaneously within a short period of time, thus facilitating the prompt identification of cases that require referral, either for further diagnostic work up and/or surgical intervention. Delayed referrals can have a detrimental impact on the clinical status of the horse, which may in turn increase the risk of post-operative ileus. Consequently, prompt referral of potential surgical cases is invariably recommended as it has a real potential to favourably impact the post-surgical outcome.

References 1 Incidence of colic in U.S. horses, 2001.United States Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service.

2 Traub-Dargatz JL, Kopral CA, Seitzinger AH, et al. Estimate of the national incidence of and operation-level risk factors for colic among horses in the United States, spring 1998 to spring 1999. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2001;219:67–71.

3 Barker, I., Freeman, SL. (2019) Assessment of costs and insurance policies for referral treatment of equine colic. Veterinary Record 185, 508.

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ISSUE 68 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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| TRAINING |

HOW TECHNOLOGY CAN QUANTIFY THE IMPACT SADDLES HAVE ON PERFORMANCE Thanks to advances in technology, it is getting easier for scientists to study horses in a training environment. This, combined with recent saddlery developments in other disciplines, is leading to significant progress in the design and fit of exercise saddles.

Dr Russell MacKechnie-Guire

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Alamy, Dr Russell MacKechnie-Guire

| SADDLE DESIGN |

B

ack pain, muscle tension and atrophy are common issues in yards.

Although there are many contributory factors, the saddle is often blamed as a potential cause.

Unlike other equestrian sports, where the effect of tack and equipment on the horse has been investigated, until now there has been little evidence quantifying the influence of exercise saddles.

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New era

The technological advances used in sport horse research are sparking a new era in racing, enhancing our understanding of the physiological and biomechanical demands on the horse, and helping improve longevity and welfare. For the trainer this translates into evidencebased knowledge that will result in marginal or, in some cases, major gains in terms of a horse’s ability to race and achieve results. Race research has always been problematic, not least due to the speed at which the horse travels. Studies have previously been carried out in gait laboratories on treadmills, but this is not representative of normal terrain or movement. Thanks to new measuring techniques, we can now study the horse in motion on the gallops. Evidence of this new era arises from a recent study published in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science. It found areas of high pressures under commonly used exercise saddles which had a negative influence on back function, affecting the horse’s gallop and consequently performance.

The pressure’s on

Researchers used a combination of pressure mapping and gait analysis (see Technology in focus panel) to investigate three designs of commonly used exercise saddles: full tree, half tree and three-quarter tree. The aim was to identify pressure magnitude and distribution

3/4 Tree

Half Tree

Full Tree

$#!

under each of the saddles then to establish whether the gait (gallop) was improved in a fourth saddle designed to remove these pressures.

Areas of high pressure were found in the region of the 10th-13th thoracic vertebrae (T10-T13). Contrary to popular belief, none of the race exercise saddles tested in this study produced peak pressure on or around the scapula. The pressures around T10-T13 at gallop in the half, three-quarter and full tree were in excess of those detected during jumping or dressage in sport horses. They were also higher than pressures reported to be associated with clinical signs of back pain. Therefore, it is widely accepted that high pressures caused by the saddle could be a contributory factor to back pain in horses in training.

Fig 1: Three most commonly used saddle-tree lengths, plus the new design (purple 40cm)

New Design

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10.00 6.00 1.00 1.00 kPa

FIG 2

FIG 1

Fig2 Half tree: High peak pressures in the region of T10-T14 were consistent with the end of the tree.

Three-quarter tree: Peak pressure was localised on one side of the back at a time, depending on the horse’s gallop lead.

Full tree: Peak pressure was further back and, although not high, gait analysis demonstrated a reduction in the extent to which the hindlimb comes under the horse, reducing the power in the stride.

New design: A more uniform pressure distribution, recording the lowest peak pressures at each location.

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| TRAINING |

| SADDLE DESIGN |

FIG 3

FIG 4

Fig 3: A greater femur-tovertical angle indicates that the hindlimb is being brought forward more as the horse gallops.

Fig 4: A smaller hip flexion angle denotes the hip is more flexed, allowing the horse to bring his quarters further under him and generate increased power.

Lower pressure leads to longer strides

When looking at propulsion, there are two important measurements: the angle of the femur relative to the vertical and hip flexion. When pressures were reduced beneath the saddle, researchers saw an increased femurto-vertical angle in the hindlimb and a smaller hip flexion angle (denoting the hip is more flexed).

When pressure is reduced in the region of T13, the hindlimb is allowed to come more horizontally under the horse at this point in the stride, leading to an increase in stride length. Researchers speculate that this could be due to the fact that the thorax is better able to flex when pressure is reduced.

Perhaps surprisingly, the study found that reducing saddle pressures did not result in any significant alteration in the forelimb at gallop. The major differences were recorded in hindlimb function. This could be explained anatomically; the forelimb is viewed as a passive strut during locomotion, whereas the hindlimbs are responsible for force production.

This is consistent with findings in the sport horse world, where extensive research investigating pressures in the region of the 10th-13th thoracic vertebrae has shown that reducing saddle pressure is associated with improved gait features in both dressage and jumping.

support the theory that the higher pressures seen in gallop are due to forces created by an increase in speed.

At walk, with the addition of a rider, the forces on the horse’s back are equivalent to the rider’s body mass. At trot, this becomes equivalent to twice the body mass, and two-and-a-half times at canter. In gallop, the horse’s back is experiencing a higher range of motion than in any other gait; so if the saddle induces high pressures or limits this movement, it will undoubtedly compromise the gallop. The speed in this study was standardised so that any alterations in pressure distribution would be directly attributed to the saddle and not to alterations in ground reaction forces.

Efficiency of stride

Horses in training spend most of their time in an exercise saddle. As each loading cycle causes joint wear and tear, if a new design of exercise saddle can help the horse achieve a longer stride length, this would mean fewer strides are necessary to cover any given distance. A study has suggested that horses have a maximum number of gallop strides in them before they fail, so any reduction in stride quantity (loading cycles), could potentially reduce injury risk.

Compared to work, when racing, the saddle pressures are higher still. A study in 2013 looking at pressures under race saddles identified peak pressures on the

FIG 5

Speed matters

High speeds are associated with higher vertical forces beneath the saddle: it has been shown that a 10% increase in speed at walk increases pressures under the saddle by 5%, and in trot the figure rises to 14%. Figures for canter or gallop have not been recorded but pressures under exercise saddles were significantly higher than in dressage or jumping, despite the jockey being in a standing position and having a lower centre of mass compared to most other equestrian athletes. Plus, race exercise saddles are lighter than those in other disciplines. These findings

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" !

Fig 5: Improved hip flexion was recorded in the new saddle design (A) compared to a commonly used saddle (B).

ScientiďŹ cally * proven Improves performance by reducing pressure & increasing power

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Gain the competitive advantage fairfaxracing.com | 07801 2481477 *Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 81 (2019) 102795 | The Veterinary Journal 198-1 (2013)) 92-97 Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 35 (2015) 947-955

| TRAINING |

Fig 6: Technology enables pressure to be recorded under the saddle at gallop.

Fig 7: Peak pressure location zone T10-T13]

spinous processes of the actual vertebrae. These pressuresensitive bony prominences are not evolved to withstand pressure and are less equipped than the surrounding muscles to do so. Spinal clearance is, therefore, an important consideration.

Pressure pads

All saddles tested in the recent research achieve spinal clearance by means of panels separated by a channel.

However, in an attempt to alleviate spinal pressure and make one saddle fit many horses, it’s standard practice to use multiple pads under an exercise saddle. This is counterproductive as it can lead to saddle instability. In galloping race horses, forward or backward slip is an issue, and this could be attributed to the use of pads. In addition, too much bulk under the saddle puts a feeling of distance between the horse and jockey.

Tack and equipment form one part of a multi-factorial approach to training, and it is an area that, until now, has been largely overlooked by the scientific community. From studies such as these we have a better understanding how relieving saddle pressure at the base of the withers (T10T13) allows the long back muscles to transfer propulsive forces from the hindlimb, creating increased power and stride length, and how poor saddle fit compromises performance.

The best we can do is to strive to ensure that performance gains are optimized in all aspects of training.

The saddle is, at last, an area where design developments have shown their merits in improving performance and welfare, based on proven scientific results.

FIG 7

ANATOMY & SYMMETRY

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The area at the base of the wither (around thoracic vertebrae T10-T13) is the location of a high concentration of muscle activity related to posture and movement.

The Longissimus dorsi (m. longissimus dorsi) is a stabilizing muscle that’s most active at T12, and spinal stability is essential for the galloping thoroughbred.

In gallop, the forelimbs have to support twoand-a-half times the horse’s body weight with every stride. This is an incredible feat, bearing in mind that the horse has no collarbone, and the forelimbs are attached to the trunk by the thoracic sling musculature. Add in the fact that there’s a significant intestinal mass pulling down on the spine, and it’s easy why spinal health is so important.

Any compromises in this area will impact performance.

FIG 6

TECHNOLOGY IN FOCUS

Pliance pressure mapping uses a large pressure mat beneath the saddle. The mat has 128 individual pressure sensor cells on each side of the spine.

Pliance has been used extensively in research to measure the pressures under the saddle and it can be used in all gaits, including gallop and jumping.

Initially the results are displayed as a moving colourcoded image, with areas of peak pressure showing as pink and red. For the statistical analysis, peak pressures, maximum force and mean force are extracted and processed.

Biomechanical gait analysis uses skin markers placed on the horse at the centre of key joints, and the horse is then videoed in gallop at a rate of 300 frames a second—approximately 25 times faster than the human eye. The data quantifies changes in the horse’s joint and limb angles allowing any differences in movement to be determined. Using these stateof-the-art measuring systems and robust protocols removes the subjectivity and bias about the extent of any changes a jockey might think they can feel.

The combination of pressure mapping and gait analysis allows researchers to see whether relieving pressure has a direct affect on the horse’s limb function.

When compromises such as high pressures occur, horses adopt a compensating strategy.

They’ll still perform but will develop a gait that alleviates discomfort caused by, in this case, ill fitting or uncomfortable tack. If they are forced to adopt this gait every day, they are likely to increase their asymmetries, leading to asymmetric forces, potentially resulting in poor performance and increased risk of injury.

In fact, all species are asymmetric to some extent: 90% of thoroughbreds were found to prefer galloping on the right lead; and gallop is an asymmetric pace in itself, so pressures will already be asymmetric.

However, the aim is still to produce an ambidextrous animal that can withstand the demands of training. So, as trainers, we have to encourage horses to work symmetrically.

Equipment that creates high pressure and causes a compensatory gait hinders this.

Further reading Could pressure distribution under race-exercise saddles affect limb kinematics and lumbrosacral flexion in the galloping racehorse?

J Eq Vet Sci 81(2019) 102795

Back pathology in racehorses Equine back pathology, Wiley Blackwell, UK (2009), pp. 213-222

protraction and flexion in the swing phase Vet J, 198 (2013), pp. 92-97

Applied load on the horse’s back under racing conditions Vet J, 198 (2013), pp. e88-e92

Electromyographic activity of the longissimus dorsi muscles in horses during trotting on a treadmill American Journal of Veterinary Research 65 (2004) 155-158

Girth pressure measurements reveal high peak pressures that can be avoided using an alternative girth design that also results in increased limb

A bridle designed to avoid peak pressure locations under the headpiece and noseband is associated with more uniform pressure and increased carpal and tarsal flexion, compared with the horse’s usual bridle J Equine Vet Sci, 35 (2015), pp.

947-955

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Relationship between saddle pressure measurements and clinical signs of saddle soreness at the withers.

Vet J 2010 538 650-3 Saddle pressure patterns of three different training saddles in thoroughbred racehorses at trot and gallop Equine Vet J 42 (2010) 630-6

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ISSUE 68 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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| NUTRITION |

NO GUTS N O G L O RY !

Can we increase the efficiency of the digestive system through dietary and supplementary manipulation in order to alter performance and recovery?

Catherine Rudenko

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Alamy, Catherine Rudenko

| HOW CAN THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM BE IMPROVED AND STIMULATED? |

T

he idiom ‘no guts, no glory’, when taken in the literal sense, is quite an appropriate thought for the racehorse.

The equine gut is a collection of organs, which when in a state of disease, causes a multitude of problems; and when functioning eff ffectively, it is key for ffe conversion of food to fuel and maintaining normal health.

In the same way we consider how fuel-eff ffic ffi icient our car engines are, what power can be delivered and the infl fluence flu of fuel quality on function, we can consider the horses’ digestive anatomy. The state of the ‘engine’ in the horse is critical to the output. What is fed or supplemented, and the manner in which we do so, has fascinating and somewhat frightening eff ffects on eff ffe ffic ffi iciency and recovery.

We now, in a human context, have a much better understanding of the relationship between the gut and states of disease. Before disease in a notable sense is present, we see loss of function and reduction in performance. With equines, in recent years, the focus has fallen toward ulceration and the stomach. Now interest is growin ing into the small and large intestines, looking at factors that infl fluence their performance and in turn how flu this aff ffects performance on the track. ffe In order to consider how we can positively infl fluence gut flu function, fi first we need to understand its design and capability fir ty, ty,

or lack of capability ty which is more ofte ten the problem.

The horse, by defi finition, falls into the category of a large fin nonruminant herbivore—the same grouping as rhinoceroses, gorillas and elephants. The horse is well designed for a fi fibrefib based diet, as refl flected by the capacity fle ty of the large intestines, yet we must rely heavil ily on the small intestine when feeding racehorses. Health and function of both small and large intestine are important and are connected.

Small Intestine

The small intestine is a relatively short tube of approximately 25m in lengtth h—the same lengt gth as found gth in sheep or goats. The primary role of the small intestine is the digestion of protein, fats and carbohydrates. The workload of this organ is signifi ficant and is also time fic constrained, wit ith feed typi pically movin ing at a rate of 30cm

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| NUTRITION |

per minute (1). The rate of passage is highly influenced by whether the stomach was empty before feeding, or if forage has recently been consumed. The advice of feeding chaff with hard feed is in part to the slow rate of passage and give further time for the processes of digestion.

The mechanisms for digestion in the small intestine include pancreatic juices, bile and enzymes. Of particular interest are the various enzymes responsible for digestion of protein and carbohydrates— the key nutrients often considered when choosing a racing diet. The ability to digest carbohydrate, namely starch, is dependent on two factors: firstly, form of starch and the level of alpha-amylase—a starch-digesting enzyme found in the small intestine. Whilst the horse is quite effective in digestion of protein, there are distinct limitations around digestion of starch.

Starch digestion, or lack of digestion in the small intestine, is the area of interest. When feeding, the aim is to achieve maximum conversion of starch in the small intestine to simple sugars for absorption. This is beneficial in terms of providing a substrate readily available for use as an energy source and reducing the ill effects seen when undigested starch moves into the next section of the digestive tract. Alpha-amylase is found in very limited supply in the equine small intestine—the amount present being only approximately 5% of that found within a pig.

Despite a low content, the horse can effectively digest

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certain cereal starches, namely oats, quite effectively without processing. However, other grains commonly used, (e.g., barley and maize [corn]), have poor digestibility unless processed. Flaked, pelleted or extruded cereals undergo a change in starch structure enabling the enzyme to operate more effectively.

Processing grains whilst improving digestion does not alter the amount of enzyme present in the individual.

An upper limit exists on starch intake, after which the system is simply overloaded and the workload is beyond the capacity of the naturally present enzymes. The level is estimated at 2g starch per kilogram of bodyweight in each meal fed. In practice, this translates to 3.5kg (7 ¾ lbs) of a traditional grain-based diet of 28% starch. In bowls, this is roughly 2 bowls of cubes or 2 ¼ bowls of mix—an intake typical of an evening feed. The ‘safe limit’ as a concept is questionable because of other factors involved in starch digestion, including how quickly a horse will eat their feed, dental issues and individual variation in the level of alpha-amylase present.

In practice, feeding racehorses will invariably test the capacity of the small intestine as the volume of feed required to meet the demands of training is significant, and through time constraints of both horse and human results in a large-sized evening meal. The addition of amylase or other enzymes to the diet is therefore of interest. Addition of amylase is documented to increase digestion of maize (corn)—one of the most difficult grains to digest—from 47.3% to 57.5% in equines (2). Equally, wheat digestion has been evidenced to improve with a combination of beta-glucanase, alpha-amylase and xylanase in equines, increasing starch digestion from 95.1% to 99.3% (3).

Use of enzymes in the diet has two areas of benefit: increasing starch conversion and energy availability, and reducing the amount of undigested starch that reaches the hindgut. The efficacy of the small intestine directly impacts the health of the large intestine—both of which influence performance.

Large Intestine

The caecum and colon, of which there are four segments, form the group referred to as the hindgut. Their environment and function are entirely different to that of the small intestine. Here, digestion is all about bacterial fermentation of the fibrous structures found in forages and parts of grains and other feed materials. The time taken to digest foodstuffs is also significantly different to that of the small intestine, with an average retention time of 30 hours.

The end result of fermentation is the production of fatty acids, namely acetate, butyrate and propionate—the other by-product of fermentation being lactate. The level of fatty acids and lactate produced is dependent on the profile of bacteria found within the gut, which in turn react to the type of carbohydrate reaching the hindgut.

There are markedly different profiles for horses receiving a mostly fibre-based diet compared to those with a highgrain intake (see opposite).

The interaction between the microbial organisms and metabolism, which directly influences health and disease, is gaining greater understanding. By looking at the faecal metabolome, a set of small molecules that can be identified in faecal samples, and the categories

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| HOW CAN THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM GET IMPROVED AND STIMULATED? |

| NUTRITION |

Bacteroidales Bacteroidia Lawsonia Prevotella Other Veillonellaceae Ruminococcus IncertaeSedisXIII Mogibacterium -4

-3

-2

-1

0

1

2

3

-4

5

LDA SCORE (log10) Linear discriminant analysis indicating significant differences in relative abundance of nine bacterial genera before and after supplementation. Red bars show greater abundance before supplementing, and green bars show greater abundance after supplementing. (4)

Effects on Performance & Large Intestine Function

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a)

B

b)

6000

Acetic acid

of bacteria in the gut, it is possible to investigate the interaction between the individual horse, its diet and bacteria. Of course, the first challenge is to identify what is normal or rather what is typical of a healthy horse so that comparatives can be made. Such work in horses in training, actively racing at the time of the study, has been carried out in Newmarket.

Microbiome is a term used to describe microorganisms, including bacteria, that are found within a specific environment. In the case of the horses in training, their microbiome was described before and after a period of dietary intervention. The study evidences the effect on the hindgut of including an enzyme supplement, ERME (Enzyme Rich Malt Extract). The table below shows changes in nine bacterial groups before and after supplementation.

Along with changes in bacterial abundance, which were relatively small, came more significant changes within the metabolome. The small molecules found in the metabolome are primarily acids, alcohols and ketones.

Of particular interest, and where statistical significance was found, were changes in acetic acid and propionic acid evidencing an effect on the digestive process.

Whilst production of fatty acids is desired and a natural outcome of fermentation, further work is needed to determine what is an optimum level of fatty acid production. This study of horses in training is an interesting insight into an area of growing interest.

A

We know that starch should ideally be digested in the small intestine and have evidence as to some of the ill effects seen when large quantities reach the large intestine. It is accepted that dietary changes influence microbial changes, and such changes are related to health status in many species. What is less well documented is the direct effect on the performance of manipulating starch digestion. It is logical to assume good health equals good performance, but data is scarce as to whether dietary manipulation could really be performance enhancing.

For the above-mentioned enzyme supplement, a field study to consider effects on performance took place following a flat yard—a minimum of 35 horses—over three seasons. The study was based on Timeform racing performance of the individuals and then averaged across the yard for each season. The three seasons of 2013, 2014 and 2015 whilst supplemented were compared to the three previous years from 2010-2012 where no supplemented was given. The average rating increased from 83.0 to 89.2 across the yard. Field studies are always challenging, having a control group without supplementation is not always practical, and so as in this case, the study is for all horses over a period of time to

4000

1500

2000

500

0

0 0

Group

1

0

Group

1

Changes in abundance of acetic and propionic acid in 6 thoroughbred horses following dietary supplementation with malt extract. 0 = horses before supplement, 1 = horses after supplementation (4)

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| HOW CAN THE DIGESTIVE SYSTEM GET IMPROVED AND STIMULATED? |

| NUTRITION |

AVERAGE OF INDIVIDUAL MAXIMUM TIMEFORM RATING 92

90

90.5 88.7

TF rating

88

88.3

86

84

82

84.1 82.4

82.3

80

78 2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2015

Year Changes in average Timeform rating for years without supplementation (2010-2012) and years with supplementation of enzymes from malt extract (2013-2015). (12)

compare the whole yard’s performance. The results of this study are positive in terms of identifying an effect of dietary intervention and monitoring of performance.

Other approaches to influencing bacterial profile are through the use of probiotics and prebiotics, and these are already commonly found in the feed room. Probiotics include bacteria and yeasts designed to promote the development of ‘beneficial’ bacteria in the gut. Prebiotics are also frequently supplemented and include specific sugars, namely FOS (fructo oligosaccharides) and MOS (mannan oligosaccharides). Their use is recommended where gut health is challenged, or poor health already exists, as the benefit to a healthy thriving gut is questionable. Racehorses, through the training and feeding regimes required, are considered to operate in a challenging environment and so use is likely warranted.

The probiotics Lactobacillus species (bacteria) and saccharomyces cerevisiae (yeast) have been proven to survive the acidic environment of the stomach and successfully progress

to the large intestine. Yeast is documented to improve digestion, specifically of dry matter and the minerals magnesium, potassium and phosphorus (5). In terms of performance, evidence exists for studs around improved milk quality and foal growth (6,7). Yeast is often supplemented within racing diets, although not all brands include this probiotic as standard.

Lactobacillus has been considered more from a stud perspective looking at its role in reducing diarrhoea in foals.

FOS as a prebiotic has reports of clinical benefits related to reducing the incidence of colic (8) and is proven to modify the balance of bacteria found in the large intestine (9). Aside from direct benefits to the hindgut itself, studies are proving links between immune response and gut profile when supplemented. Studies in pigs and broilers have evidence improved immune response when supplemented with FOS, and an initial equine study looks promising although more work is needed (10).

MOS operates in a different manner to FOS, helping to reduce pathogen adherence to the intestine lining.

Its beneficial effects come from the ability to safely bind and eliminate certain pathogens from the gut. MOS as a substance is used in many species including humans, dogs, poultry and equines. It too can influence immune response, and most work focuses on influencing the mother and her offspring in various species. In equines, mare IgA and colostrum IgA, IgM and IgG antibodies have been evidenced to improve following supplementation (11).

Summary

The health status and efficacy of both the small and large intestine are of significance when considering performance. Whether directly monitoring the effect of a dietary intervention on racing results, the improvement of nutrient conversion, the microbiome, immune response or effect on presence of pathogens, the manner in which we feed and what we supplement is of importance.

Use of enzymes, prebiotics or probiotics is an area that warrants consideration when looking at how to get more from the gut and also when wanting to reduce the risk of colic or presence of pathogens. Each of these categories of supplements has a different mode of action, and so one is not per se better than another. There is still more needed in terms of equine-specific research, particularly around direct links to on-track performance following supplementation, but what is there is promising, and the benefits already documented are relevant and worthy of attention.

References 1. Frape,D. (2010) Equine Nutrition and Feeding (4th Edition) West Sussex: Wiley-Blackwell

supplementation on nutrient digestibility in mature horses. Kentucky Equine Research Conference 2018 Proceedings p137.

2. Meyer,H., Radicke,S., Kienzle,E., Wilke,S., Kleffken,. Illenseer,M. (1995) Investigation on Preileal Digestion of Starch from Grain, Potato and Manioc in Horses. Transboundary and Emerging Diseases 42:371-381.

6. Glade, M. J. (1991). Dietary yeast culture supplementation of mares during late gestation and early lactation: effects on dietary nutrient digestibilities and fecal nitrogen partitioning.

Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 11(1): 10-16.

3. Rowe,L.,Brown,W.,Bird,S. (2001) Safe and Effective Grain Feeding for Horses. Rural Industries Research Development Corporation.

7. Glade, M. J. (1991). Effects of dietary yeast culture supplementation of lactating mares on the digestibility and retention of the nutrient delivered to nursing foals via milk. Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 11(6): 323-329.

4. Proudman,C.J., Hunter,J.O., Darby,A.C., Escalona,E.E., Batty,C., Turner,C. (2014) Characterisation of the fecal metabolome and microbiome of Thoroughbred racehorses. Equine Veterinary Journal pp 1-7.

8. Julliand,v. (2006) Pre-and Probiotics: Potential for Equine Practice. Proceedings of the 3rd European Equine Nutrition & Health Congress.

5. Pagan,J.D. (1990 ) Effect of yeast culture

9. Respondek,F., Goachet,A.G. Julliand,V. (2008)

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Effects of short-chain fructooligosaccharides on the intestinal microflora of horses subjected to a sudden change in diet. Journal Animal Science 86: 316-323.

10. Apper,E. Favire,L. Goachet,A.G., Respondek,F. Julliand,V. Fermentative Activity and Immune Response of Horses fed with scFOS followed by vaccination: a preliminary study. Tereos poster presentation at Agro Sup Dijon.

11. Spring,P., Wenk.c., Connollys,A., Kiers.A. (2015) A review of 733 published trials on Bio-Mos, a mannan oligosaccharide, and Actigen, a second generation manna rich fraction, on farm and companion animals. Journal of Applied Animal Nutrition 3:1-11.

12. Hunter,J.O. & Cumani,L. (2015) Field study of horses in training supplemented with ERME (Enzyme Rich Malt Extract). Unpublished.

HEALTHY HORSES WIN RACES

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CONFORMATI ON AND BREEDI NG CHOICES Judy Wardrope

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Judy Wardrope, Shutterstock

| CONFORMATION |

A

lot of factors go into the making of a good racehorse, but everything starts with the right genetic combinations; and when it comes to genetics, little is black and white.

The best we can do is to increase our odds of producing or selecting a potential racehorse. Examining the functional aspects of the mare and then selecting a stallion that suits her is another tool in the breeding arsenal.

For this article we will use photos of four broodmares and analyze the mares’ conformational points with regard to performance as well as matings likely to result in good racehorses from each one. We will look at qualities we might want to cement and qualities we might hope to improve for their offspring. In addition, we will look at their produce records to see what has or has not worked in the past.

In order to provide a balance between consistency and randomness, only mares that were grey (the least common color at the sale) with three or more offspring that were likely to have had a chance to race (at least three years old) were selected. In other words, the mares were not hand-picked to prove any particular point.

All race and produce information was taken from the sales catalogue at the time the photos were taken (November 2018) and have not been updated.

Mare 1

Her lumbosacral gap (LS) (just in front of the high point of croup, and the equivalent of the horse’s transmission) is not ideal, but within athletic limits; however, it is an area one would hope to improve through stallion selection.

One would want a stallion with proven athleticism and a history of siring good runners.

The rear triangle and stifle placement (just below sheath level if she were male) are those of a miler. A stallion with proven performance at between seven furlongs and a mile and an eighth would be preferable as it would be breeding like to like from a mechanical perspective rather than breeding a basketball star to a gymnast.

Her pillar of support emerges well in front of the withers for some lightness of the forehand but just behind the heel. One would look for a stallion with the bottom of the pillar emerging into the rear quarter of the hoof for improved soundness and longevity on the track. Her base of neck is well above her point of shoulder, adding additional lightness to the forehand, and she has ample room behind her elbow to maximise the range of motion of the forequarters. Although her humerus (elbow to point of shoulder) shows the length one would expect in order to match her rear stride, one would likely select a stallion with more rise from elbow to point of shoulder in order to add more lightness to the forehand.

MARE 1

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Her sire was a champion sprinter as well as a successful sire, and her female family was that of stakes producers. She was a stakes-placed winner at six furlongs—a full-sister to a stakes winner at a mile as well as a half-sister to another stakeswinning miler. Her race career lasted from three to five.

She had four foals that met the criteria for selection; all by distance sires of the commercial variety. Two of her foals were unplaced and two were modest winners at the track. I strongly suspect that this mare’s produce record would have proven significantly better had she been bred to stallions that were sound milers or even sprinters.

Mare 2

Her LS placement, while not terrible, could use improvement; so one would seek a stallion that was stronger in this area and tended to pass on that trait.

The hindquarters are those of a sprinter, with the stifle protrusion being parallel to where the bottom of the sheath would be. It is the highest of all the mares used in this comparison, and therefore would suggest a sprinter stallion for mating.

Her forehand shows traits for lightness and soundness: pillar emerging well in front of the withers and into the rear quarter of the hoof, a high point of shoulder plus a high base of neck. She also exhibits freedom of the elbow.

These traits one would want to duplicate when making a choice of stallions.

However, her length of humerus would dictate a longer stride of the forehand than that of the hindquarters. This means that the mare would compensate by dwelling in the air on the short (rear) side, which is why she hollows her back and has developed considerable muscle on the underside of her neck. One would hope to find a stallion that was well matched fore and aft in hopes he would even out the stride of the foal.

Her sire was a graded-stakes-placed winner and sire of stakes winners, but not a leading sire. Her dam produced eight winners and three stakes winners of restricted races, including this mare and her full sister.

She raced from three to five and had produced three foals that met the criteria for this article. One (by a classic-distance racehorse and leading sire) was a winner in Japan, one (by a stallion of distance lineage) was unplaced, and one (by a sprinter sire with only two starts) was a non-graded stakes-winner. In essence, her best foal was the one that was the product of a type-to-type mating for distance, despite the mare having been bred to commercial sires in the other two instances.

Mare 3

Physically, this mare has several areas for improvement.

Her LS could be better, and her rear triangle should not have the femur (point of buttock to stifle protrusion) as the shortest side as this puts additional stress on the hind

MARE 2

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| CONFORMATION |

OUR SAMPLE MARES WOULD SEEM TO PROVE THAT THE BEST OFFSPRING ARE THOSE THAT REPRESENT A CROSS OF SIMILAR TYPES WHEN IT COMES TO THE MECHANICAL ASPECTS THAT DICTATE DISTANCE PREFERENCES. legs, especially from hock down. As the photo shows, the mare’s suspensory apparatus on both hind legs (particularly on the right hind) exhibit signs of stress.

Her forehand has two main areas for improvement: the bottom of the pillar and a tight

elbow. The pillar emerges well behind the hoof, putting strain on the tendons and ligaments of the forelegs, and the tight elbow limits the range of motion. Notice the muscle she has developed as a brake to avoid hitting her ribcage with the elbow and consider how much more muscle she would have had in training. One would hope to find a stallion to eliminate these issues in her foals.

She is not built to have an efficient stride and not built to be sound. In fact, she likely alternated between being sore behind and being sore up front. Breeding her and expecting the stallion to improve all the areas where she could be improved, is a real longshot.

Her sire won the Breeders’ Cup Classic among other Gp1 stakes, and sired champions as well as numerous stakes winners. Her dam was a stakes-winner (at eight to nine furlongs and by a champion sprinter) and a producer of four stakes-winners plus a stakes-placed winner. One of the stakes-winners was a stakesproducer and one was a sire of stakes-winners.

Despite her appealing pedigree and running family, she was unraced. The three offspring (all sent to GB) that met the criteria for this article were also all unraced despite the fact that one was by a sprinter; one was by a miler and one was by a classic-distance horse. If she passed on any of her faults, it is little wonder that she was a proven failure as a broodmare for the track.

MARE 3

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Mare 4

This mare has the best construction of our sample group.

Her LS gap is positioned directly in line with a line drawn from hip to hip for maximum ability to transfer her power. Her rear triangle is equal on the ilium side (point of hip to point of buttock), and the femur side (point of buttock to stifle protrusion), allowing for maximum propulsion without additional strain. Her stifle protrusion would be just below sheath level, were she male, meaning that her best distances would be just over a mile.

The forequarters exhibit a pillar of support that emerges well in front of the withers for lightness on the forehand and into the rear quarter of the hoof for soundness. Her elbow is located a significant distance from her ribcage, allowing her a full range of motion without interference.

Her humerus shows considerable rise from elbow to point of shoulder, adding more lightness to the forehand and her high base of neck continues that trend. Because she has her head turned towards the camera, she appears to have more muscle on the underside of her neck than is evident when she is looking straight ahead.

Her sire was a stakes-winner on the turf, preferring distances of seven or eight furlongs. As a shuttle stallion, he sired champions in addition to his numerous stakeswinners on two continents. Her dam produced two stakes-winners and a stakes-placed winner who, in turn,

produced a stakes-winner.

The mare raced from three to seven, was a multiple graded-stakes winner in Argentina and was stakes-placed in a Gp1 (at a mile and an eighth) in the U.S. She had four foals that fell within the selection criteria: one stakes winner at a mile and a sixteenth (by a sprinter stallion), one stakes-placed winner at a mile and a quarter (by a classic-distance horse), one winner in Australia (by a sprinter sire) and one unraced gelding (by a miler). This is the type of mare that makes stallion selection easier, and I suspect that she might have produced even better if bred to higher quality milers.

Lessons Learned

Our sample mares would seem to prove that the best offspring are those that represent a cross of similar types when it comes to the mechanical aspects that dictate distance preferences.

We might also deduce that if there are too many corrections for the stallion to make, the mare has little chance of producing a superior runner.

Our best bet is to add an examination of the functional aspects of conformation of both mare and stallion if we are breeding or selecting with racing, not marketing, in mind. And, after all, isn’t that healthier for the entire racing and breeding industry?

MARE 4

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| VETERINARY |

ANTIMICROBIALS IN AN AGE OF RESISTANCE Jennifer Davis and Professor Celia M Marr

Lewis Smith, Rossdales LLP, Shutterstock

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rowing numbers of bacterial and viral infections are resistant to antimicrobial drugs, but no new classes of antibiotics have come on the market for more than 25 years. Antimicrobialresistant bacteria cause at least 700,000 human deaths per year according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

Equivalent figures for horses are not available, but where once equine vets would have very rarely encountered antimicrobial-resistant bacteria, in recent years this serious problem is a weekly, if not daily, challenge.

The WHO has for several years now, designated a World Antibiotic Awareness Week each November and joining this effort, British Equine Veterinary Association and its Equine Veterinary Journal put together a group of articles exploring this problem in horses.

For more information: https:// beva.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/hub/ journal/20423306/homepage/sc_ antimicrobials_in_an_age_of_resistance

FIG 1

Fig 1. This mare’s problems began with colic; she underwent surgery to correct a colon torsion (twisted gut). When the gut wall is damaged, bacteria easily spread throughout the body. The mare developed an infection in her surgical incision and in her jugular veins, progressing eventually to uncontrollable infection—resistant to all available antimicrobials with infection of the heart and lungs.

How do bacterial populations develop resistance?

Certain types of bacteria are naturally resistant to specific antimicrobials and susceptible to others. Bacteria can develop resistance to antimicrobials in three ways: bacteria, viruses and other microbes, which can develop resistance through genetic mutations or by one species acquiring resistance from another. Widespread antibiotic use has made more bacteria resistant through evolutionary pressure— the “survival of the fittest” principle means that every time antimicrobials are used, susceptible microbes may be killed; but there is a chance that a resistant strain survives the exposure and continues to live and expand. The more antimicrobials are used, the more pressure there is for resistance to develop.

The veterinary field remains a relatively minor contributor to the development of antimicrobial resistance. However, the risk of antimicrobial-resistant determinants travelling between bacteria, animals and humans through the food chain, direct contact and environmental contamination has made the issue of judicious antimicrobial use in the veterinary field important for safeguarding human health. Putting that aside, it is also critical for equine vets, owners and trainers to recognise we need to take action now to limit the increase of antimicrobials directly relevant to horse health.

it is also critical for equine vets, owners and trainers to recognise we need to take action now to limit the increase of antimicrobials directly relevant to horse health.

How does antimicrobial resistance impact horse health?

The most significant threat to both human and equine populations is multidrugresistant (MDR) pathogens, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), extended-spectrum betalactamase (ESBL) producing Escherichia coli, MDR Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Enterococcus faecium, and rising MDR strains of Salmonella spp. and Clostridium difficile.

In an analysis of 12,695 antibiograms collected from horses in France between 2012-2016, the highest proportion (22.5%) of MDR isolates were S. aureus.

Identification of ESBL E.coli strains that are resistant to all available antimicrobial classes has increased markedly in horses.

In a sampling of healthy adult horses at 41 premises in France in 2015, 44% of the horses shed MDR E.coli, and 29% of premises shedding ESBL isolates were

found in one third of the equestrian premises. Resistant E. coli strains are also being found in post-surgical patients with increasing frequency.

Of major concern to stud owners, antimicrobial-resistant strains of Rhodococcus equi have been identified in Kentucky in the last decade, and this bacteria can cause devastating pneumonia in foals. Foals that are affected by the resistant strains are unlikely to survive the illness. One of the leading authorities on R equi pneumonia, Dr Monica Venner has published several studies showing that foals can recover from small pulmonary abscesses just as quickly without antibiotics, and has pioneered an ‘identify and monitor’ approach rather than ‘identify and treat’. Venner encourages vets to use ultrasonography to quantify the infected areas within the lung and to use repeat scans, careful clinical monitoring and laboratory tests to monitor recovery.

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FIG 2

Fig 2. Rhodococcus equi is a major cause of illness in young foals. It leads to pneumonia and lung abscesses, which in this example have spread through the entire lung. Research from Kentucky shows that antimicrobial resistance is increasingly common in this bacterial species.

Judicious use of antimicrobials for surgical patients

Vets are also encouraged to choose antibiotics more carefully, using laboratory results to select the drug which will target specific bacteria most effectively.

Antimicrobials are still used in foals, which are more severely affected, but this targeted approach helps minimise drug use.

What can we do to reduce the risk of antimicrobial resistance?

The simple answer is stop using antimicrobials in most circumstances except where this is absolutely avoidable.

In training yards, antimicrobials are being over-used for coughing horses.

Many cases are due to viral infection, for which antibiotics will have little effect.

There is also a tendency for trainers to reach for antibiotics rather than focusing on improving air quality and reducing exposure to dust. Many coughing horses will recover without antibiotics, given time. Although it has not yet been evaluated scientifically, adopting the ‘identify and monitor’ approach, which is very successful in younger foals, might well translate to horses in training in order to reduce overuse of antimicrobials.

Vets are also encouraged to choose antibiotics more carefully, using laboratory results to select the drug which will target specific bacteria most effectively. The World Health Organization has identified five classes of antimicrobials as being critically important, and therefore reserved, antimicrobials in human medicine. The critically important antimicrobials which are used in horses are the cephalosporins (e.g., ceftiofur) and quinolones (e.g.,

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enrofloxacin), and the macrolides, which are mainly used in foals for Rhodococcal pneumonia. WHO and other policymakers and opinion leaders have been urging vets and animal owners to reduce their use of critically important antimicrobials for well over a decade now. Critically important antimicrobials should only be used where there is no alternative, where the disease being treated has serious consequences and where there is laboratory evidence to back up the selection. British Equine Veterinary Association has produced helpful guidelines and a toolkit, PROTECT-ME, to help equine vets achieve this.

Antimicrobials are commonly used in the peri-operative period. In both human and veterinary medicine, antimicrobial use for surgical prophylaxis has been a target for reducing or eliminating inappropriate antimicrobial administration.The British Equine Veterinary Association recommends administration of penicillin pre- and post-operatively for 24 hours for clean surgeries; penicillin and gentamicin pre- and post-operatively for five days for contaminated surgeries; and penicillin and gentamicin preand post-operatively for 10 days for complicated surgeries. Furthermore, for uncomplicated contaminated wounds

FIG 3

How well are we addressing this problem?

Disappointingly, in a recent review of prescribing behavior of three ‘reserved’ antimicrobials at first-opinion equine practices in the USA and Canada between 2006-2012 published in Equine Veterinary Journal, only 5% of prescriptions for the ‘reserved’ antimicrobials enrofloxacin, ceftiofur and clarithromycin were informed by culture and sensitivity testing. There was also an overall trend of increased prescribing of enrofloxacin across the study period, and despite increasing awareness of the challenge of antimicrobial resistance, a decreasing proportion of enrofloxacin prescriptions were based on culture and sensitivity results.

Fig 3. Faced with a coughing horse, trainers will often pressure their vet to administer antibiotics, hoping this will clear the problem up quickly.

Many respiratory cases will recover without antibiotics, given rest and good ventilation.

| FRACTURES |

Clinical conclusions

Given the increasing prevalence of resistant bacteria affecting the equine population, judicious use of antimicrobials is necessary. Trainers and vets must work together to implement this, otherwise before long, we will find we have no effective drugs left. Firstly, in any given situation, we should question whether antibiotics are really necessary.

Appropriate antibiotic selection, as well as choosing the correct dose, frequency, duration and route of administration should all be considered. Veterinarians should encourage culture and sensitivity testing to allow for guided and narrow spectrum therapies whenever possible. It is also important to keep up-to-date with the latest information on drug treatment schedules and be prepared to modify and adapt as new information becomes available. Appropriate antimicrobial stewardship in veterinary medicine will ensure the availability and legal use of antimicrobials remains an option for our equine patients.

(e.g., hoof abscesses), antimicrobial therapy is not recommended. A 2018 survey of peri-operative antimicrobial use amongst equine practitioners in Australia revealed that most equine vets selected an appropriate antimicrobial agent. However, the dose of penicillin chosen was often sub-optimal, and therapy was frequently prolonged beyond recommendations in all scenarios except for castration.

Judicious use of antimicrobials through appropriate routes of administration

Due to increasing isolation of MDR organisms, research into local therapy of ‘reserved’ classes of antimicrobials is of interest. Intravenous regional limb perfusion of ceftiofur sodium may be appropriate for septic arthritis but is less

clear cut for osteomyelitis.

Oral and rectal administration of antimicrobials are common means to provide cost-effective and convenient treatment options for owners. However, these routes of administration can lead to variable absorption and therefore have the potential for subtherapeutic concentrations. Rectal administration of some antimicrobials has been explored in order to provide antimicrobials to horses with diseases that prevent oral administration, such as small intestinal problems or to provide an alternative for horses which find drugs unpalatable and go off their feed. Metronidazole is one of the few drugs for which pharmacokinetic data following rectal administration have been published, but the optimal dosing regimens via this route have yet to be determined.

FIG 4

Fig 4. Using antimicrobials as effectively as possible helps to reduce their use overall.

For septic arthritis, intravenous regional perfusion of antimicrobials can achieve very high concentrations within a specific limb.

This involves placing a temporary tourniquet to reduce blood flow away from the area while the antimicrobial is injected into a nearby blood vessels. The technique is suitable for some but not all antimicrobial drugs.

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CA N PA R I- MU TU EL B ETT ING P OOL S FIND A NEW MARKET FOR EUROPEAN RACING? Dr. Paull Khan, Lissa Oliver

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Alamy, Giles Anderson, Eirik Stenhaug, Shutterstock, The Tote

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W

here there is competition, there is gambling. Punters naturally take an interest in a sporting outcome and enjoy “putting their money where their mouth is� when it comes to having an opinion on the winner, but never more so than in horseracing. Rightly or wrongly, our industry seems to be inextricably interlinked with gambling and increasingly dependent on betting options. Can betting pools be turned to our advantage and bring in new fans?

A totalisator, or pari-mutuel system, is similar to a lottery in that all the stakes on a race are pooled with a deduction to cover costs and a contribution, where obligated, to racing. The remainder of the pool is divided by the number of winning units to provide a dividend.

On-course bookmakers are struggling to compete with online betting opportunities, and on-course pari-mutuels are no exception. The Irish Tote returned a year-on-year 33% decrease in 2018 to under Ă?70m, due to falling international turnover. Yet a sliver of silver shines in the gloom for 2019, with first-half figures showing a 5.4% increase on-course.

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Speaking to a government committ tttee in November, HRI CEO Brian Kavanagh announced a strategi giic revi view i of the Tote in Ireland, sayi yiing, “There is talk of a new gambling regu gulator u being appointed and the taxation status of the Tote has been raised as an issue. The Tote is facing the same struggle as on-course bookm makers. We are in discussions w wiith i a number of part rtties w wiiith regard to the fu fu uture of the Tote, and we w wiiill be bringi giing some strategi gic i options to the board.”

It’s interesting to note that in countries such as Ireland and Britain, where horseracing is managing to retain its with i the general public, the simple w wiin-only i popularity wi bet is by far the most popular bet, suggesting punters are followi wing i form and looking outside our sport for more adventurous fun bets.

The most popular bet in Britain, Ireland, France, Germany, Spain and Swi witzerland i is the w wiin-only, i in Greece the trifecta, multiples in The Netherlands, and in Denmark, Norway, Sweden and Russia, it’s the Jackpot that most captures public interest and investment.

Understanding the market and what attracts customers is half the battle, but attracting new customers is the greatest challenge.

Cyril Linette is the CEO of the French PMU, the biggest betting pool in Europe and the third-largest in the world. viing turned the ailing fortunes of L’Équipe newspaper Havi successfully around, he is now turning his attention to revi vitalising i the PMU. Earlier in 2019, he outlined a new “operating roadmap” designed for corporate recovery and transformation strategy, revi vivi iving i French racing for all stakeholders.

At a conference in April, Linett tte t expressed conffidence i in PMU’s long-term prospects, despite declines across its port rttfolio in 2018—notably sport rts t and poker bett tting t down wn 2.3% to

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Ð9.7bn and horseracing down wn 2.6% to Ð8.8bn. This comes on the back of a 20% decrease in bett tting t since 2011, when bett tting t on horseracing has almost halved during that period.

In response to these declines, Linette has launched a Ð30m cost savi vings i plan, sanctioning “strong actions” across PMU’s retail network, which currently generates 75% of corporate wagers. “If we do not find i a solution, in five i or 10 years the company puts the key under the door,” Linette warned starkly. As a result, the operator wi will i no longer servi vice i the Brazilian horseracing market, ending its partnership wi with i Rio de Janeiro’s Hipódromo da Gávea.

A key proposal is the revamping of the Quinté, which celebrated its 30th anniversary in 2019, removi ving i all bonus rounds to make it “less reliant on chance.” Linette states his aim to simplify fy the Quinté: “The Quinté is a rather complicated game, not in its formula, but finding i five i horses is complicated. There are very simple bets where you just have to find i the horse that w wiill i w wiin, i to attract a younger clientele. That is the big challenge in the years to come—to try to rejuvenate our clientele.”

Among other measures introduced is a new loyalty programme, to engage and reward regular French racing will i place horseracing bettors back patrons. “The PMU wi at the centre of its business, take good care of today’s customers; because our PMU clients are important, they contribute to the social link, they contribute to the financing i of the sector,” Linette vows.

This goes hand-in-hand w wiith i a nationwi wide i campaign to improve the general public’s awareness of the sport and hopefully bring in a wi wider i audience. “I do not know if the PMU is corny, but it’s a world a little closed,” Linette acknowledges. “The younger generation is not going to naturally play PMU and does not always go to racetracks.

| E U R O P E A N PA R I - M U T U E L B E T T I N G |

There is a real value to our public image. The PMU is known but not sufficiently considered.”

Linette explains, “One thing is certain: diversification towards gambling is over. The PMU has had years of decay; we are no longer in the 1950s, 1960s or 1970s, during the glorious Thirty Years when we used to play the trifecta to buy our new clothes, caravans or something else. There was competition, so at one time the PMU went into lottery games, games of chance, and I think we were losing our soul a little.

“Basically, it’s a life-size board game—you have to find the right combination, and the one who finds the right combination deserves to be rewarded, whether in very expert games like the Quinté or in games a little simpler like finding the horse that wins.

“I think we have two ranges of customers: the turfistes (400,000 people), which represent 80% of our turnover, and those who we could call the gamers (2 to 3 million people), which are more volatile. For the first, we must go back to fundamentals by erasing the maximum references to games of chance. Return to the DNA of horse betting, sagacity and gains. For the latter, we must work on image and innovation, so new types of bets to keep them or conquer them.” The message here is clear: stop trying to diversify and instead specialise for each group of particular clients.

The issue of attracting a fresh, new and younger audience is not just a problem for France. Paull Khan spoke with former CEO of the Norwegian Betting Operator Rikstoto, Harald Dorum, who stepped down earlier in 2019 to “allow a ‘new broom’ to attract a younger audience, with whom racing is struggling to communicate.” He remains President of the European Pari-Mutuel Association, however.

Dorum places much emphasis on the benefits of the pool betting model. Primary among these is the greater susceptibility to race-fixing of fixed odds bets and, especially, exchange models. “The pari-mutuel operator is completely independent of the result of the race. If a punter places a large stake on an unexpected result, his winnings will be

correspondingly lower. Moreover, bets on losers are not allowed,” he says and even claims, “In countries with the Tote model, there has been no case of fixed races for years.”

Despite this, pool betting has not been immune to a general trend in public opinion, which is hardening against gambling and focuses not only on its links to race or match-fixing but also on its use for money laundering, the growth of illegal betting and, perhaps most notably, on the social cost of gambling addiction.

“We have to modernise. We have to find a way of bringing a new and modern product to the market, while still taking care of the integrity of the sport. And fixed odds may be a part of that mix,” Dorum concedes.

He believes that the likelihood of public support will be increased if Tote has a real and clearly explained public mission, whereby some of its profits are directed to other causes, such as financial support of broader equestrian interests.

It is an oft-observed fact that there is no universal rule book for horseracing and the discrepancies in the interference rules significantly deter many punters.

Dorum agrees that the recent progress in harmonising

Left: Cyril Linette

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AN OVERVIEW OF THE EUROPEAN PARI-MUTUEL ASSOCIATION MEMBERS France

Belgium

The largest betting pool in Europe and third-largest worldwide, the PMU originated in 1930 and is the sole off-track horseracing betting operator in France. It also manages horseracing channels, notably Equidia. Under the supervision of the Agriculture and Finance Departments, PMU became an Economic Interest Group (EIG) in 1985, gathering together 52 non-profit-making racing associations.

The Belgian Racing Federation and five shareholders launched Eurotiercé in 2006 to manage betting operations in Mons racecourse with a Tote system. In 2010, Achille Cassart and another shareholder took over the company in order to develop online betting. In 2013, the PMU took a majority share in Eurotiercé, offering betting on three Belgian racecourses and commingling products in betting shops and online.

Britain

Hungary

UK Tote Group owns Britain’s leading pool betting operator. The Tote was established in 1928 and has an exclusive partnership with 55 British racecourses to provide pool betting services to the 6 million people who attend race meetings in Britain every year.

Switzerland

Created in 1991, Loterie Romande operates lottery games and organizes betting on sports and horseracing in the six Frenchspeaking Swiss regions. Independent bodies appointed by the regional authorities decide how its profits are allocated.

Sweden

ATG was founded in 1974 with the aim of guaranteeing long-term stability for trotting and horseracing. ATG is 90% owned by the Swedish Trotting Association and 10% by the Swedish Jockey Club and is licenced by the Swedish Government to arrange betting on horseracing.

The licence regulates the conditions governing betting activities and comes up for renewal at regular intervals.

Ireland

Tote Ireland Limited is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Horse Racing Ireland (HRI) with responsibility for the Totalisator on all 24 racecourses in Ireland. All profits made by Tote Ireland are used for the improvement of Irish horseracing.

Spain

Although Hipodromoa is located on the San Sebastian racecourse, with only 12 days of horseracing, an exclusive licence granted by the Basque Government and an agreement of collaboration with the French PMU, Hipodromoa Turf is introducing betting points throughout the Basque region.

Netherlands

Runnerz is the only company in The Netherlands licenced by the Gaming Authority for betting on horses and is strictly controlled by the authorities. Runnerz has established partnership with betting operators worldwide to offer bets on French, English, Irish and Swedish races amongst others and contributes to the preservation of Dutch trotting and racing by paying a part of every bet to Dutch sports, as well as a contribution based on bets on Dutch races. Runnerz is owned

by RBP Luxembourg, known for its brands ZEturf and ZEbet, and operates licences in France, Belgium and Malta.

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Pari-mutuel betting was launched in 1871, and Hungarian Racehorse Betting Ltd is a state-owned company organising on-course betting at Kincsem Park, with 100 PMC terminals and up to 200 PMC terminals for off-course betting. There are 5,000 SG terminals inside Hungarian lottery shops, while bet.lovi.hu is the online betting platform.

Denmark

Dantoto is the only pari-mutuel horseracing betting operator in Denmark and is part of Danske Spil (National Lottery Company) since 2000. The profits of the company are distributed to various cultural and sporting organisations, including the Danish Horse Sport Associations. Dantoto also offers betting on foreign races in Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Britain, Ireland, France, South Africa, USA and Germany.

Greece

Horse Races SA organises and conducts horseracing in Greece and both offline and online pari-mutuel betting. The company objective is to develop the sport at the national level and partnerships at international level. Since 2016 it has offered betting on races in England, South Africa and France.

Russia

JSC (Russian Racecourses) in association with PariMutuel Russia has been licenced since 2014 to operate gambling activities. The company owns 13 racecourses in the Russian Federation, with plans to build further racecourses and develop contracts with other operators to offer international racing.

Germany

WettStar operates horseracing betting worldwide in conjunction with PMU and provides live pictures on all German races.

The World Pool was seen as a seminal moment where we finally moved out of the constraints of the home market. It was the first time we have had true cross-fertilisation of pool markets. It demonstrated that the technical, legislative and political barriers which have dogged such cooperation in the past have all been overcome. It therefore seems only fair that ‘racing’ now expects the momentum to be maintained and will be keeping a close watch on whether more and bigger such collaborations materialise in the coming months.

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these rules under the so-called ‘Category 1 approach’— now uniform pretty much the world over save for North America—has “absolutely been good news.” Medication rules would be top of his list of the remaining rules to harmonise. Aside from harmonisation, Dorum believes that the sport’s rules must chime with the sensibilities of today’s population, in particular the need to limit the use of the whip to a broadly acceptable level.

Dorum concedes that progress towards a Global Bet, a single world-wide product available around the world and backed by strong marketing and branding has been very slow with neither the betting operators nor the racing authorities gripping the concept and taking ownership of it. But software developments promise an imminent technical solution, he believes. “Just like with a lottery, you have the chance for a life-changing win, but at the same time, you have a great experience.”

In his view, success in launching a Global Bet will require a joint effort between betting operators and Racing Authorities and this, in turn, will require a commitment in terms of time and policy prioritisation, from the global Racing Authorities, both for galloping and trotting races.

And there is a general feeling that the key to this must be the support of the powerhouse that is the Hong Kong Jockey Club. For Dorum, it is political issues rather than technological or legal ones, that have hindered the Global Bet. For instance, he explains, a time of day must be agreed

Right: Paddy Burrowes

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by all the parties, and a publicity programme then to surround it to give it the marketing reach.

Further, Dorum believes, “We need to increase our cooperation between Tote operators and find solutions and future products together.” In this context, it has been reported that the PMU, Europe’s pre-eminent Tote operator, is considering its future within the EPMA. “I very much regret, if it will be the case, that the PMU will be leaving the EPMA in May and joining the World Lotteries Association. We and the WLA have a lot to learn from each other, and we have established a working group to determine how we might work and cooperate together.”

Another project which has been on the agenda for a while, he notes, has been to establish an equivalent body to the EPMA in Asia, essentially to create a near-global organisation, thus rivalling the reach of the WLA. Aside from any Global Bet, there remains the ambition to develop commingling. Why is there still so little commingling? Why, for example, has the successful Ascot offering in June not been repeated? Dorum explains that technical issues have been blamed, but he is clearly sceptical.

“We landed people on the moon 50 years ago. Surely we can overcome such technical problems!” he observes.

Dorum also offers a view on the UK Tote Group’s prospects of overcoming the historical antipathy of the British punter to pool betting. He suggests the target audience should be the ‘scratch card’ and lottery punter, and the youth in whom attitudes to the best types of bet are yet to be formed.

The Tote in Britain is a very different animal from other European pari-mutuels. Since its privatisation was first mooted over 20 years ago, there has been more than one failed attempt by owners and others to ensure that it fell into racing’s hands. Initially sold to bookmaker Betfred

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WE NEED TO INCREASE OUR COOPERATION BETWEEN TOTE OPERATORS AND FIND SOLUTIONS AND FUTURE PRODUCTS TOGETHER. in 2011, a deal was recently completed by a consortium of private investors who describe themselves as “a dedicated group of racehorse owners, breeders and racing fans who are passionate about revitalising the Tote.”

As Dorum observes, the British punter is tightly wedded to knowing how much they will receive when they place their bet and shopping around for the best price.

Pool betting accounts for less than 4% of total horserace betting in Britain, and even before the burgeoning of online betting, its market share was only around 10%.

As a result, UK Tote Group is a minnow in the international pool betting world. Susannah Gill, UK Tote Group’s Communications and Corporate Affairs Director, points out, “There’s $100bn annual turnover on horserace pool betting globally. The UK has 0.8% of this, despite having some of the best racing. France has about $15bn, Japan $25bn, Hong Kong $15bn and Australia $10bn.”

Given the national disconnect with pari-mutuel punting, will the new Tote management be targeting the traditional

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Right: Harald Dorum

fixed-odds punter, or the lottery or scratch-card player, as Dorum suggests? UK Tote Group’s founding force and CEO, Alex Frost’s response is interesting.

“We don’t see ourselves as rivals to bookmakers. We see ourselves as the opposite of that. What does success look like to us? I think broadening the audience is key, through things like the Tote Ten to Follow competition, to appeal to a different audience from those attracted to the more confrontational nature of traditional betting. We’re very much of the view that ours are mass-distribution products. The Placepot and all these exotics are only effective if they are played widely. You can’t just pick on one little eco-system and hope it will work, which has been the problem historically for the exotics in the UK.” Bookmakers may hold a key to providing some of the mass-distribution platforms which the Tote’s products need to flourish. “Part of our strategy is very much to work with the shops here in the UK and with the online market here,” Frost says. The UK Tote team are optimistic of a favourable outcome of these discussions on the grounds that bookmakers will face few marketing or integration costs, and the tie-up promises them a guaranteed return in these days when FOBTs are not the ‘money-trees’ they once were.

That UK Tote Group has chosen to revive its iconic Tote Ten to Follow to lead it into battle is fascinating, a competition in which people select a ‘stable’ of 10 horses, which throughout the season score points for them for winning races. Frost sees the different type of engagement that it encourages, with conversations in pubs and homes, as a key driver to fresh business.

Next to be pressed into battle is the Placepot, but with a twist. Rather than simplifying multiples, as Linette proposes, Frost envisages the ability for the punter to be able to select and weigh various criteria such as trainer record, going preference, etc., for his/her selections, which could then be automatically applied to a selected Placepot race on a weekly basis, again allowing a league table to be developed and thereby building a more immersive, longer-lasting involvement. The popularity of football ‘dream teams’ springs to mind.

Frost, like Dorum, is keenly aware of the current public and political opposition to gambling. “It’s our opportune moment to present it in the right way to people and differentiate ourselves by being deeply, deeply aware of our obligations in terms of ‘knowing your customers’ and our product mix.

We’ve got to look more like Camelot and the lottery. We’ve got to impress on people how we are all passionate racing people who have bought the UK Tote to support British racing.”

The UK Tote team are only just becoming involved in discussions on the Global Bet, but Frost believes there is work to be done in identifying the features of how

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the selected races should be framed and structured, and on the rules that must be harmonised to produce that structure universally across the world, in order to maximise international betting interest. The template is likely, in his view, to include the need for 14-runner fields, with reserves and commonality on their deadlines, 48-hour declarations and common betting rules on what constitutes a ‘place’.

More generally, international collaboration, particularly in Europe, is very central to UK Tote’s thinking. As Commercial Director Paddy Burrowes explains, “Poolwagering and jackpot-type pools can cross borders within Europe in a very exciting way. So a big part of our strategy is to start drawing together the best of the European product. We are building relationships with other European Totes, listening to them rather than pitching to them. We need a really strong combined European parimutuel approach around culture, attitude, technology.”

Frost is convinced that, with the undeniable quality of European racing, given that 26 of the Longines Top 100 Races are run in Britain, Ireland or France, it will appeal to the critical Asian markets. “There is a big upside for European racing to make itself really attractive to the Asian market in the pool world. That’s why Royal Ascot was so fantastic.”

Here he refers to World Pool, the collaboration between Ascot Racecourse, Totepool and the Hong Kong Jockey Club, which saw 13 countries betting into commingled pools at the 2019 Royal Meeting in June. Turnover on the World Pool grew from £10.5m to £84.8m.

Many of the world’s pool betting operators are, by contrast, seeing a general decline in business but any pessimism apparent at gatherings such as the Racing and Betting Forum in Paris is in stark contrast to Frost’s view of the future. “My optimism in the future of the pool betting model is reflected in the high calibre of recruits UK Tote Group have managed to achieve from the bookmakers. Pool betting is so well in tune with the progress of technology and of globalisation of product, [and it] is perfectly situated for a higher-regulated environment. Our investors are owners of thousands and thousands of horses across Europe, and they’re tremendously enthused at the prospect of this helping the industry.”

Frost keenly feels that prize money is totally inadequate and unreflective of the quality of British racing. “The owner of a median-rated horse in Britain can expect to earn around £2K in prize money and have training fees of ten times as much. The bottom line is it’s not a satisfactory place to be for a racing community providing a fantastic product, and we feel a massive obligation to work very, very closely with the racing industry to improve things.”

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R OA RER S-

S U R G E RY F O R R E C U R R E N T L A RY N G E A L NEUROPATHY – IMPACT AND OUTCOMES Safia Barakzai BVSc MSc DESTS Dipl.ECVS Equine Surgical Referrals

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R

ecurrent laryngeal neuropathy (RLN), more commonly known as ‘roaring’, ‘laryngeal paralysis’ and ‘laryngeal hemiplegia’ is a disorder affecting primarily the left recurrent laryngeal nerve in horses >15hh. This nerve supplies the muscles that open and close the left side of the larynx.

The right recurrent laryngeal nerve is also now proven to be affected, but only very mildly, thus affected horses very rarely show signs of right-sided dysfunction.

Horses with RLN become unable to fully open (abduct) the left side of their larynx. During exercise they then make abnormal inspiratory noise due to collapse of both the vocal fold(s) and the left arytenoid cartilage (figure 1), and airflow to the lungs can become severely obstructed in advanced cases. There is a proven genetic component to RLN, but in many cases the disease progresses over months or years. The age at which clinical signs become apparent is highly variable. Foals can show endoscopic and pathologic evidence of RLN, but some horses do not develop clinical disease until >10 years old.

Severity of disease can be reasonably estimated using endoscopy in the resting horse (grades 1-4), but the gold standard for assessing this disease is endoscopy during exercise, when the high negative pressure—generated when breathing—test the affected laryngeal muscle, which is trying its best to resist the ‘suction’ effect of inspiration (Fig. 1). During exercise, RLN is graded from A to D, depending on how much the left side of the larynx can open (Table 1).

Treatment of RLN

Traditionally, left-sided ventriculocordectomy (‘Hobday’/ ventriculectomy plus vocal-cordectomy surgery) and laryngoplasty (‘tie-back’) surgeries have been used to treat the disorder, depending on which structures are collapsing and how severely. The intended use of the BELOW: Two horses after ventriculocordectomy surgery. The horse on the left has an excellent left-sided ventriculocordectomy, with complete excision of the vocal fold tissue (black arrow).

The right cord is intact, but the right ventricle has been removed (‘Hobday’). The horse on the right has bilaterally incomplete vocalcordectomies, with much of the vocal fold tissue left behind (green arrows).

FIG 1

ABOVE: Horse undergoing exercising endoscopy to ascertain how the left arytenoid performs when the airway is under pressure.

Inset photos show resting (top) and then exercising endoscopy (bottom) of a larynx with grade D arytenoid collapse (green arrow) with additional deformation of the arytenoid cartilage shape and bilateral vocal fold collapse (red arrows).

horse, the budget available and other concerns of the owner/trainer also come into play. New techniques of providing a new nerve supply (‘re-innervating’) to the affected muscle are now being trialled in clinical cases.

Pacing the muscle with an implanted electronic device has also been attempted in research cases.

Ventriculocordectomy

Ventriculocordectomy is commonly now referred to as a ‘Hobday’ operation; however, the ‘Hobday’ actually only refers to removal of the blind ending sac that constitutes the laryngeal ventricle. Currently, surgeons tend to remove the vocal cord as well as the ventricle, because it is vocal cord collapse that creates the ‘whistling’ noise. It is a relatively straightforward surgery to perform with minimal risks and complications for the patient. In the last 15 years, there has been a shift to performing it in a minimally invasive way, using a diode laser under endoscopic guidance in the standing sedated horse rather than with the conventional method, via an open laryngotomy incision on the underside of the neck with the horse under a general anaesthetic. However,

FIG 2

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LARYNGEAL GRADE AT EXERCISE

DEFINITION

A

Full abduction of the arytenoid cartilages during inspiration

B

Partial abduction of the affected arytenoid cartilages (between full and the resting position)

C

Abduction held at the resting position

D

APPEARANCE OF LARYNX ENDOSCOPICALLY

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Laryngoplasty is indeed one of the most difficult procedures that equine surgeons perform, and suffice to say that with such an advanced surgery, using a registered specialist veterinary surgeon that has considerable experience in airway surgery will likely minimise the chances of a negative outcome. Laryngoplasty surgery has an unjustified poor reputation in my opinion, but major improvements have occurred in the last few years. The persistently coughing horse with regurgitation of food from its nostrils after laryngoplasty should be a thing of the past. Refinements to the surgical technique of laryngoplasty, better knowledge of the anatomy around the arytenoid cartilage and new surgical methods to deal with dysphagic horses (coughing/nasal discharge) after laryngoplasty surgery all contribute to this.

Laryngoplasty was traditionally performed under general anaesthesia, however Rossignol et al. 4 first described the technique in standing sedated horses in 2015, and most upper airway surgeons now perform laryngoplasty with the horse standing (Fig. 3), as long as the patient is amenable. Results in standing cases have been equivalent to those performed under general anaesthesia.4

Complications after laryngoplasty

Collapse into the contralateral half of the rima glottidis during inspiration

transendoscopic laser surgery is technically difficult with a very steep learning curve for the surgeon.

All ventriculocordectomies are not equal (Fig. 2) and for both laser and ‘open surgery’ methods, incomplete resection of the fold can leave behind enough tissue to cause ongoing respiratory noise and/or airway obstruction after surgery.1,2,3 Sports horses, hunters and other non-racehorses were often previously recommended to have a ventriculocordectomy performed rather than a laryngoplasty, even if they had severe RLN. This decision was often made on the grounds of cost, but also due to fear of complications associated with laryngoplasty (‘tie-back’ surgery). A new study has shown that for horses with severe RLN, a unilateral ventriculocordectomy is actually extremely unlikely to eliminate abnormal noise in severely affected horses, because the left arytenoid cartilage continues to collapse.3 The authors recommended that laryngoplasty plus ventriculocordectomy is a better option than ventriculocordectomy alone for all grade C and D horses if resolution of abnormal respiratory noise and significant improvement of the cross sectional area of the larynx are the aims of surgery.3

Advancements in laryngoplasty (‘tie-back’) surgery

ABOVE: Grades A-D of laryngeal abduction during exercise.

Figures c/o F. Rossignol.

Gradual loss of surgical abduction (opening) of the larynx occurs in 100% of cases to some degree after laryngoplasty. The average post-operative long-term loss of abduction is 1 grade1,2 (out of 5 grades), and this degree does not significantly affect the long-term result. However, in some cases, more profound abductory loss does occur. Although a wider degree of abduction logically creates a larger cross section of the airway, it has been shown that in UK National Hunt horses, there is no significant difference in racing performance of horses that had moderate (Grade 3 of 5) post-operative abduction compared to those with wide (Grades 1 and 2) abduction.5 It would appear that providing stability to the left arytenoid cartilage is the most important factor in removing respiratory noise and improving airway function, and not simply the degree of abduction present.

In the majority of horses, respiratory noise during exercise is significantly improved after surgery, but some ongoing respiratory noise is not uncommon. Until recently, noise was often blamed on ‘failure’ of the tieback surgery. However, the first papers1,2,6 showing results of exercising endoscopy in horses after laryngoplasty have been eye opening and indicate that other noisecausing abnormalities are often present in horses after laryngoplasty. These include right vocal fold collapse, soft palate issues and ary-epiglottic fold collapse. True surgical failure (i.e., an unstable and non-abducted cartilage) is definitely associated with noise but is fairly rare. The conclusion of these three studies was that a) exercising endoscopy is absolutely key to investigate such cases and b) in many cases, post-operative noise can be improved further with a relatively simple standing surgery rather than having to repeat the tie-back. Preliminary results of an ongoing study funded by the Horserace Betting Levy Board correlating sound recordings of horses after laryngoplasty with grade of abduction after

| ROARERS |

FIG 3

laryngoplasty shore up these findings.7 Dysphagia (difficulty swallowing food) and coughing are uncommon after laryngoplasty, but occasionally horses can be severely affected; and the cough becomes so bad that it does affect the horse’s quality of life (approx.

3.5% of cases).8 In mild cases that only cough during exercise, withholding feed from horses for several hours prior to exercise can be a simple way to successfully manage them. In the past, the only way to manage a severely coughing horse after laryngoplasty was to surgically remove the sutures that hold the larynx open.

This should be left as long as possible after the initial surgery to allow adhesions to form and keep the abducted arytenoid in an open position. Suture removal is reported to fully resolve coughing in two thirds of cases.8 Once the suture is removed, 50% of cases will experience significant loss of abduction of the left arytenoid cartilage8 (i.e., any benefit of the laryngoplasty may be lost). A new

ABOVE: Laryngoplasty (tie-back) being performed in standing sedated horses.

alternative to suture removal is to surgically section any adhesions that have formed around the suture which may have ‘adhered’ the cranial oesophageal diverticulum to the other tissues around the suture, causing distortion of this top part of the oesphagus. Because the suture is not removed, the left arytenoid stays in the open position.

This method certainly does relieve clinical signs of coughing in some cases, but it is not known yet whether this is a useful long-term resolution or whether new adhesions will form over time.

The simple recent anatomic description of the cranial oesophageal diverticulum9 is probably the most groundbreaking revelation, which has decreased the incidence of post-operative coughing after tie-back surgery. With surgeon education about the anatomy of the upper oesophageal diverticulum, it is easy to avoid this structure and thus drastically reduce risks of both postoperative dysphagia/coughing and surgical site infection.

Another new and exciting minimally invasive solution for horses that cough after laryngoplasty has also recently been described by Professor Ducharme from Cornell University. It is suitable for horses that have a ventral glottic defect (i.e., the left and right arytenoids meet during a swallow), but food may enter the trachea through the gap where the vocal cordectomy(ies) has been performed. The procedure involves bulking of this area with a solid ‘filler’ material, injected under endoscopic guidance, and has shown very promising outcomes in the first cases. Results have not been published at the present time.

Treatments that restore function of the weakened laryngeal muscle

Several research groups are searching for a more physiologic method of restoring function of the muscle that controls laryngeal opening (crico-arytenoideus ISSUE 68 TRAINERMAGAZINE.COM

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dorsalis muscle, or CAD). In the past, grafts consisting of a piece of strap muscle, and the nerve that supplies it has been implanted in the affected CAD.10 This technique works well in theory but is very technically challenging, and it seemed that only a few surgeons worldwide had success with it. Using an electronic pacemaker implanted in the horse’s neck (functional electrical stimulation, or FES) to stimulate the abductor branch of the recurrent laryngeal nerve has been shown to be successful in small numbers of experimental cases.11-13 There appear to be unresolved issues with high cost and with keeping the electrodes in place. For racehorses, the pacer could potentially be interfered with externally and used to manipulate racing performance, thus approval from regulatory bodies seems unlikely. These factors have prevented these implants being used in clinical cases, in the UK at least.

Direct re-innervation of the diseased CAD muscle with a cervical nerve implant14 has shown good preliminary results in clinical cases, particularly those with less severe RLN. When re-innervation and electrical pacing are combined, results are thought to be more reliable (J Perkins personal communication), and this is probably the best bet for the future. As for any novel surgical technique, questions still remain for the success rate of re-innervation procedures, including the degree of abduction that can be obtained (usually only partial abduction is achieved) and the loss of muscle mass is likely to occur when the horse is rested for any period of time, because higher speed exercise is required to ‘pace’ the cervical nerve.

In summary, our assessment and understanding of current treatments for RLN is ongoing. Refinements to surgeries, including understanding why complications/ failures occur and how best to treat them are evolving fast. In the near future, more functional treatments will hopefully become more affordable and available, but like all new surgical techniques, long-term results in large numbers of clinical cases need to be evaluated before the true ‘success’ rate is known.

References 1. Davidson, E.J., Martin, B.B., Rieger, R.H., Parente E.J. (2009) Exercising videoendoscopic evaluation of 45 horses with respiratory noise and/ or poor performance after laryngoplasty. Vet. Surg 39, 942-948. 2. Barnett, T.P., Dixon, P.M., Parkin, T.D.H. and Barakzai, S.Z. (2011) Long-term exercising video-endoscopic examination of the upper airway following laryngoplasty surgery: A prospective cross-sectional study of 41 horses.

Equine Vet J. 45,,593 3. Barakzai S.Z., Wells, J., Parkin, T. Cramp, P. (2019) Overground endoscopic findings and respiratory sound analysis in horses with recurrent laryngeal neuropathy after unilateral laser ventriculocordectomy. Equine Vet J. 51, 185-191 4. Rossignol F, Vitte A, Boening J, Maher M, Lechartier A, Brandenberger O, Martin-Flores M, Lang H, Walker W, Ducharme N. (2015) Laryngoplasty in standing horses Vet Surg 44 341-347 5. Barakzai, S.Z., Boden, L.A. and Dixon, P.M. (2009b) Postoperative race performance is not correlated with degree of surgical abduction after laryngoplasty in National Hunt Thoroughbred racehorses. Vet. Surg. 38, 934-940. 6. Leutton, J.L. and Lumsden, J.M. (2015) Dynamic respiratory endoscopic findings pre and post-laryngoplasty in Thoroughbreds. Equine vet. J. 47, 531-6 7. Barakzai S.Z., Parkin, T. Cramp, P. Ongoing HBLB research study. Correlation of arytenoid abduction and other exercising endoscopic findings with respiratory noise in horses after laryngoplasty. 8. Fitzharris LE, Lane JG, Allen KJ. (2019) Outcomes of horses treated with removal of a laryngoplasty prosthesis.

Veterinary Surgery. 48, 465-72. 9. Brandenberger O, Pamela H, Robert C, Martens A, Vlaminck L, Wiemer P, Barankova K, Van Bergen T, Brunsting J, Ducharme N, Rossignol F (2016) Anatomical description of the boundary of the proximal equine esophagus and its surgical implications on prosthetic laryngoplasty in horses. Veterinary Surgery 45:6 E1-E22.10. Fulton, I.C., Anderson, B.A., Stick, J.A., Robertson, J.T. (2012). Larynx. In: Equine Surgery. Eds. Auer, J. and Stick, J.A. Pub. Elservier, St Louis, Missouri. Pp 592-623. 11. Ducharme NG, Cheetham J, Sanders I, Hermanson JW, Hackett RP, Soderholm LV, Mitchell LM. (2010) Considerations for pacing of the cricoarytenoid dorsalis muscle by neuroprosthesis in horses.

Equine Vet J. 42(6):534-40. 12. Cheetham J, Perkins JD, Jarvis JC, Cercone M, Maw M, Hermanson JW, Mitchell LM, Piercy RJ, Ducharme NG. (2015) Effects of Functional Electrical Stimulation on Denervated Laryngeal Muscle in a Large Animal Model. Artif Organs. 39:876-85. 13.

Cheetham J, Regner A, Jarvis JC, Priest D, Sanders I, Soderholm LV, Mitchell LM, Ducharme NG. (2011) Functional electrical stimulation of intrinsic laryngeal muscles under varying loads in exercising horses. PLoS One. 2011;6(8):e24258. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0024258. 14. Rossignol F, Brandenberger O, Perkins JD, Marie JP, Mespoulhès-Rivière C, Ducharme NG. (2018) Modified first or second cervical nerve transplantation technique for the treatment of recurrent laryngeal neuropathy in horses. Equine Vet J. 50,457-464.

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The Lycetts Team Champion Award Celebrating Successful Teamwork

The 2020 award has a new look, as a result of feedback from the first two years.

The nomination period has been extended so all trainers and their teams have the opportunity to review the way they work and produce the strongest evidence using simplified forms.

Nominations may be made from now to 3rd April 2020. A new award presentation ceremony will be aligned with Racing Staff Week in July 2020.

As well as national recognition, two winning yards will receive a £4,000 prize to further enhance and improve their winning teams!

ENTER NOW For more information and entry details visit - www.racehorsetrainers.org

Team Champion Award

Lycetts | Piers Plunket piers.plunket@lycetts.co.uk | 01672 512512 National Trainers Federation | Rupert Arnold r.arnold@racehorsetrainers.org | 01488 71719

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| INDUSTRY |

Paull Khan

EMHF U PDATE

WHAT’S BEEN GOING ON AT THE EUROPEAN MEDITERRANEAN HORSERACING FEDERATION Dr Paull Khan reports on a busy end of year schedule

WINDSOR AND CHELTENHAM: EMHF EXECUTIVE COUNCIL MEETING

Britain had never before hosted a meeting of the EMHF’s Executive Council. We try to move this annual event around, between as many member countries as possible, so as to further our education of the sport in our region and give the host country a chance to showcase its racing.

We have had some memorable racing experiences to accompany our reunions in recent years, including the fearsome fences of Pardubice; the quirky charms of the Grand Steeplechase des Flandres; and the glorious ocean views of Jersey’s Les Landes racecourse. So the pressure was certainly on the British Horseracing Authority to provide an occasion befitting one of Europe’s major racing nations. They did not disappoint, although the British weather all but conspired to ruin the party. The Saturday of Cheltenham’s November Meeting always serves up some of the best jump racing outside the festival itself, and for several of our number, it was the first visit to jump racing’s beating heart. The management of Cheltenham were extraordinarily generous, receiving us all in its Royal Box.

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The following day, it was time to do some business, and the spookily imposing Oakley Court Hotel in Windsor, on the banks of the River Thames, provided our base.

For fans of the Rocky Horror Picture Show, this was Dr Frank N. Furter’s castle and was also a star of over 200 films including The Brides of Dracula and The Plague of the Zombies. A fitting venue, then, for our nine-strong Executive Council.

Our constitution dictates that representatives of France, Ireland and Great Britain, (as the three EuroMed countries with the largest-scale racing industries), have permanent seats on the ‘Executive Council’ (ExCo).

In addition, at least one will always represent the Mediterranean countries, and another the non-European Union countries. This year, we re-elected our chairperson, Brian Kavanagh, also CEO of Horse Racing Ireland, who has held the role since the EMHF’s inception, in 2010.

Omar Skalli, CEO of the racing authority of Morocco, was also re-elected as one of our three vice-chairs.

One of the seats on the ExCo of our parent body, the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities

| EMHF |

THERE HAVE BEEN MORE CHANGES THAN EVER THIS YEAR, AND THE KEY ONES WERE EXPLAINED.

(IFHA), is reserved for the EMHF, to represent our ‘smaller’ racing nations. We agreed to repeat the nomination of Rudiger Schmanns, experienced racing director at Germany’s Direktorium.

Very sadly, we said farewell to both Austria and Libya.

The continued political upheaval in Libya is well known to us all, and Austria’s thoroughbred racing activity has regrettably shrunk to such an extent that its Direktorium felt unable to continue as members. We hope very much that they will feel able to return one day.

On the positive side, there has been a flurry of interest in joining the EMHF, with Bulgaria, Romania and Russia all expressing an interest. A process of inspection precedes the accession of any new racing authority, and this will take place in these three countries over forthcoming months.

A key role of EMHF is to keep our members abreast of changes to the International Agreement on Breeding,

Racing and Wagering (International Agreement). There have been more changes than ever this year, and the key ones were explained. We also discussed the prospects of more EuroMed countries being able, in future, to stage Black Type races.

We wanted to take advantage of being in Britain by arranging for presentations to be made covering some areas in which British racing has chosen to place more resources than have other racing authorities. One such are the efforts being made to increase the degree of diversity to be found within the sport. Rose Grissell, recently appointed as Head of Diversity and Inclusion in British Racing, described the work that she and the BHA’s Diversity in Racing Steering Group are engaged in. Tallulah Lewis then explained the role and aims of Women in Racing—the organisation of which she is the new chair. The second British ‘specialty’ we chose was the work done at the BHA on analysing betting patterns.

Chris Watts, Head of Integrity at the BHA, presented on his team’s work identifying suspicious activity, thereby upholding the integrity of the racing and fending off racefixing attempts.

ROME: INSPECTION VISIT, ITALIAN MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE

Not many racing authorities have their headquarters in a palace. The governing body for horse racing in Italy is the country’s Ministry of Agriculture (MIPAAFT), whose offices are situated in the magnificent Palazzo dell’Agricoltura, a building replete with paintings, frescos adorning ceilings and walls, wrought-iron decorations and stained-glass windows. It also houses a worldrenowned library of all things agricultural.

In January 2019, the European Pattern Committee (EPC) announced that, in view of various ongoing concerns relating to the administration of racing in Italy, not least MIPAAFT’s record of prize money payment, the country would no longer be a full member of the Committee, but would become an associate member and be subject to monitoring. That process has now begun, and this was the first of three planned visits which I shall make by way of an inspection programme, likely to conclude in the summer. The inspection is not restricted in its scope to race planning matters and is therefore being undertaken under the EMHF’s auspices.

Additionally, it is evidence of the EPC working ‘with Italy to try to progress matters as quickly as possible such that Italy will hopefully become a full member of the EPC again in the near future’.

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SOFIA: INSPECTION VISIT, BULGARIAN NATIONAL HORSE RACING ASSOCIATION

The Bulgarian National Horse Racing Association (BHNRA) may not have a palace at its disposal—not to be outdone—but our meeting did take place in the reigning ‘Office Building of the Year’ of central Sofia. Bulgaria’s political history has been subject to some wild swings in recent decades, and the fortunes of its horse racing activity have waxed and waned accordingly. Bulgariantrained horses have enjoyed international success in the past—notably winning the 1972 renewal of the famed Velka Pardubicka in the Czech Republic. They still make occasional forays into Germany and Hungary, and the BNHRA is keen to raise the standards of administration and join the international racing community, in order to encourage and enable more such competition. Without the benefit of any funding from betting, there are considerable challenges to be overcome. Mine was a preliminary visit, but the plan is to return next summer when racing takes place at Balchik, near the Black Sea coast.

LONDON: EUROPEAN PATTERN COMMITTEE

I mentioned earlier the ambition of some of our member Racing Authorities to have a race that is afforded international ‘Black Type’. For these countries, such a move could provide an enormous fillip for their racing industry. If a race in, say Czech Republic, were to be

WITHOUT THE BENEFIT OF ANY FUNDING FROM BETTING, THERE ARE CONSIDERABLE CHALLENGES TO BE OVERCOME.

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given international Listed Race (and, thereby Black Type) status, the argument runs that it would attract quality foreign runners to bolster its home-trained contingent, and this would raise the race’s rating, thereby attracting a better class of runner in what would be a virtuous circle.

But, much as the European Pattern Committee would like to prefer this status, on one level, it is constrained.

Its raison d’etre is to uphold the quality of Black Type in Europe. Indeed, it is rightly proud of the stringent quality control it applies. A strict threshold of an average rating of 100 for the winner and placed horses in recent runnings of the race is the criterion.

How, then, might this ‘Catch 22’ situation be broken?

Discussions are ongoing, but a start has been made. A number of our member countries have been invited to submit sufficient details of their two best races to enable international handicappers to assess their merits.

HONG KONG: IFHA COMMITTEE MEETINGS ON RULES HARMONISATION, HORSE WELFARE AND MOVEMENT OF HORSES

Every year, in the days leading up to and following the Prix de l’Arc de Triomphe, the IFHA organises a number of meetings covering various facets of international racing administration. Key administrators are already in town for the Arc and for the IFHA’s annual Paris Conference the following day, so it makes sense to take advantage of their presence. For example, it is then that the IFHA’s Technical Advisory Committee—the body which supervises the International Agreement—meets.

Also the International Grading and Race Planning Advisory Committee, which oversees the system of Black Type, races around the world. And, on the Tuesday after the Arc, the IFHA’s Executive Council holds its main annual meeting to bring all the strands together. In recent years, the Hong Kong International Races, held at Sha Tin in December, have become increasingly important in performing the same job for other IFHA Committees.

I attended full-day Committee meetings for the

| EMHF |

International Harmonisation of Racing Rules, for International Horse Welfare and for the International Movement of Horses. While I was there with a different hat on—that of vice-chair of the Technical Advisory Committee, much of the work of these Committees will also have relevance to EMHF member countries.

Of course, there was downtime, which included racing both in the extraordinary setting of Happy Valley and at Sha Tin, where the level of European interest in the International Races this year actually eclipsed that at the Breeders’ Cup. The Hong Kong Jockey Club had the considerable problem of the political unrest to contend with, but their organisation and hospitality, always exemplary, rose to the challenge.

OSLO: EUROPEAN TRAINERS FEDERATION’S ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING

It was in 2015 that I first attended the ETF’s AGM, in Ireland. I was very pleased to do so—to introduce the EMHF and discuss ways in which our two organisations could work more closely together. And this has certainly come to pass.

One such area is in monitoring relevant political developments in Brussels. Both the ETF and the EMHF are members of the European Horse Network (EHN).

The EHN is a lobbying group for the equine sector and has the ear of key EU decision makers—its most recent lunch meeting was addressed by none other than the new president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. However, its members cover the whole gamut of equine activities—vets, transporters, horse welfare organisations and equines from Icelandic horses to draught horses. So it is important that the interests of the thoroughbred industry are effectively voiced. I represent the EMHF on the Board of the EHN and, by agreement with the ETF, look out for the interests of the trainers as

well. An important piece of European legislation that is currently being shaped is the Animal Health Law, and the EMHF and ETF, together with other sister organisations, have been making joint submissions on the various elements of this law, as they are released by Brussels for public consultation. By working together, we have the best chance of influencing policy.

I was therefore pleased and honoured to accept an invitation again to attend the ETF’s AGM—this time in Oslo—to update on all the changes to the International Agreement that had been agreed to in October and that were of relevance to trainers, to report back on EHN activities and to discuss a subject close to the trainers’ hearts—harmonisation of rules.

Coincidentally, Oslo had been the venue for the EMHF’s General Assembly in May, so, having never visited Norway before, I had the pleasure of two trips within a year—in dramatically different weather conditions!

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| WELFARE |

Neil Mechie

Alamy, Giles Anderson

W HAT IS EQUINE WELFAR E?

ASKS JOHNSTON RACING’S VET NEIL MECHIE

T

he world of equine welfare— and animal welfare in general—is a proverbial can of worms. Decisions regarding equine welfare must be made on logical scientific evidence and not be biased by emotion or fear of incorrect perceptions in the media or public eye. As with many things in life, education is the key, especially in a world where large parts of the population have very little experience or knowledge of keeping or working with animals.

The welfare of animals is protected in national legislation in the UK. The Animal Welfare Act 2006 makes owners and keepers responsible for ensuring that the welfare needs of their animals are met.

These include the need: • for a suitable environment (place to live) • for a suitable diet (food and water) • to exhibit normal behaviour patterns • to be housed with, or apart from, other animals (if applicable) • to be protected from pain, injury, suffering and disease

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Reading these concise bullet points, one would think it quite simple to meet these needs, but issues arise when it comes to interpreting and putting this guidance into practice.

As an insight into how emotive language can change the interpretation of animal welfare requirements, below are the The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) “Five Freedoms,” which are not too dissimilar to the above but portrayed in a different light: • Freedom from hunger and thirst • Freedom from discomfort • Freedom from pain, injury or disease • Freedom to express normal behaviour • Freedom from fear and distress The RSPCA is a charity champions animal welfare, and the use of words such as hunger, thirst, discomfort, fear and distress conjure up images of tortured animals wasting away in squalor. There is no need for this dramatic language when the preservation of welfare only actually requires common sense and compassion.

The same can be said when considering the welfare of horses, but sadly this is not the case. The biggest welfare issues facing the horse population are not, as the media would have you think, horses breaking their legs on racetracks or the travelling community mistreating horses at Appleby Fair. It is obesity and the mismanagement of horses in the general population. Every day horses are being killed by a plethora of issues caused by

First published in The Kingsley Klarion - November 2019 https://www.johnston.racing/klarion/if-only-they-could-talk

over-feeding and poor management regimes. Laminitis, colic and numerous hormonal and metabolic diseases negatively affect the welfare of thousands of horses each year and are in a large part caused by the poor knowledge and horsemanship of their owners. It is now a large part of most equine vets’ job to educate horse owners on appropriate feeds and management regimes for their horses.

Racehorses, on the contrary, are looked after with the highest of standards as they are athletes competing at a high level.

If their trainers neglected their needs, they would not perform at the races, and in turn the owners would move their horses to more successful yards where standards were higher. This is the benefit of a competitive environment; it puts pressure on providing high levels of care and service.

In the past year, 87 horses have been killed on Britain’s roads while out being ridden compared to 190 on our racetracks.

There are race meetings on virtually every day of the year, with each meeting having six or seven races, and numerous horses in each race. There are approximately 90,000 runners per year, so the casualty rate in racing is about 0.2%. There is constant vigilance to protect the horses’ welfare and minimise risk.

There is far less attention and media coverage paid to horses’ safety on the

roads although, thankfully, campaigns are now in place to educate road users on safe conduct around horses, and this should in turn reduce casualties. These numbers pale into insignificance when mortality rates of horses in livery yards and private homes are considered, for they are considerably higher than those in racing stables.

Another factor to consider is that the process of death is a natural one within all populations—animal and human; death is a fact of life. An animal’s death and its welfare, although linked, are not the same thing.

Every part of a racechorse’s life should be maintained to the highest standard; it is housed with other horses in an excellent environment, developed to optimise its health and athletic function. It is fed an appropriate diet, has a well thoughtout, developed training regime; and it has the services of two onsite vets doing everything reasonable to prevent pain, injury, suffering or disease.

You could say these horses want for nothing. On the rare occasions a racehorse is injured at the track, it is immediately attended to and given pain relief and, if necessary, its suffering ends.

Animal welfare is about the prevention of suffering in life and the run-up to death. In my view, it is a greater welfare issue when a horse is thrown out in a

| OPINION |

field for 10 years with minimal company, stimulation or exercise, or when a horse is hit by a car and has to wait ages for veterinary help, than when a racehorse kept in the best way possible is injured during a race and is quickly put to sleep humanely by a vet who is no more than seconds away.

Welfare in racing and the perception of welfare in racing is of paramount importance, but they are not entirely the same thing. The industry as a whole must educate the viewing public and the sports’ sceptics about the high standards we in the industry maintain and the protocols we have in place to protect our participants. We must not, however, pander to external pressures questioning the sport’s welfare practices and bring in changes simply to appease our critics. All decisions should be made with insight into the scientific facts and the knowledge of horsemanship.

In the UK, The British Horseracing Authority (BHA) has a strict licencing structure for trainers who must demonstrate knowledge of how to care for horses and maintain equine welfare before they are granted a licence. In questioning a trainer’s competency to decide whether a horse is fit to run or not, or what shoes a horse should or should not wear, the BHA undermines its own licensing procedures and the trainers it licenses. This in turn brings the sport into disrepute, as it looks as if they don’t trust the participants to look after the horses’ welfare.

It has been extensively covered in the racing media that Racing Victoria has introduced pre-race CT scanning of some of the contenders for the Melbourne Cup as a screening process to attempt to prevent casualties. This has resulted in Marmello, Hughie Morrison’s challenger, being barred from running, even though the trainer and his riding staff in Australia are happy with the horse and he is continuing to exercise as normal. The reason cited is that the CT scan has shown pre-fracture pathology.

The scans performed provide no evidence regarding the timeframe in which the horse has had this pre-fracture pathology. Had he been screened as a twoyear-old and the pathology was there then, the relevance would be virtually nil. If he was scanned before his last race and there was no sign of pathology, but now there is, it would likely be a relevant finding.

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| WELFARE |

and believe the horse is fine. After all, it would not be in Morrison’s interest, or the owners, to unduly risk the horse by racing him if they were not happy with his soundness. They would be the ones to lose the most if the horse were to be injured.

Another issue with this approach is that the standing CT scan being used looks only at a small portion of the limb and not at any possible issues higher up the limb.

When assessing the risk of injury to racehorses, the best approach is to try to gather as many facts as possible and not focus on one narrow region or issue. This

| OPINION |

involves being familiar with how each individual horse moves and any changes in their action, and the time frame in which these changes occur.

Localising any lameness so the cause can be determined and knowing any pathology they have on X-ray or scans and whether that pathology changes over time are important factors in determining if there are any issues that present a higher risk than normal.

We must never forget that horses cantering at speed, whether on a racetrack or in a field, carry a risk of injury due

WE MUST NEVER FORGET THAT HORSES CANTERING AT SPEED, WHETHER ON A RACETRACK OR IN A FIELD, CARRY A RISK OF INJURY DUE TO THE FORCES EXERTED ON THEIR LIMBS BY NATURALLY GOING FAST.

to the forces exerted on their limbs by naturally going fast. This is all too often brought to our attention when we hear of horses that have been turned out in a field because of injuries with varying severity.

My points on welfare were emphasised by a recent interview I watched of a vegan animal rights activist who sadly did not seem to understand the concept of welfare. She argued that livestock farming of any kind was a welfare issue and that animals should just be left to roam freely and die naturally.

The biggest issue with this view is that nature does not provide animal welfare.

Nature allows animals to starve, become injured or be affected by disease. The process of dying naturally is usually not quick and pain-free. It involves suffering as the body slowly cannot function.

Natural selection is often harsh.

The process of keeping animals for production, pleasure or sport means that we humans then take responsibility for their welfare. Better welfare results in better productivity, a healthier animal companion or a better animal athlete.

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EQUINE MEDIRECORD PARTNERS WITH ARABIAN RACING ORGANISATION TO HELP THEM BECOME A GLOBAL LEADER IN EQUINE WELFARE Equine MediRecord (EMR), recent winner of the Irish Midlands Best Startup in 2019, has partnered with the Arabian Racing Organisation (ARO) in the UK to bring about the highest standards of equine welfare in the world. ARO is the first equine organization in Europe and only the second in the world to mandate electronic veterinary records to be kept by their registered trainers for the horses in their care.

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HH Sheikh Hamdan Al Maktoum’s Al Azeeza with Jim Crowley and James Owen after winning at Dubai International Arabian Races at Newbury 2019

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