Bill Heller (01 July 2007 - Issue Number: 4)

No doubt we are all aware of the plethora of dietary supplements that are now available and that are promoted as offering clear and profound benefits to our horses’ health, general well being and performance. In the latter category are the so-called ergogenic aids. So what are they, and do they work?These are the questions that this article aims to address.

Dr Catherine Dunnett (01 July 2007 - Issue Number: 4)

Trivia fiends interested in international horseracing and betting will have a field day with the combined question: Which country operates the world’s most extensive pari-mutuel system, and which company is the operator? It might not be who you would expect...

Howard Wright (European Trainer - issue 18 - Summer 2007)

Meeting Mike de Kock, I soon knew that he most certainly is a case of a horseman turned businessman, and remaining a horseman first and foremost. Strange really, when it comes to light that he was brought up in a Dutch / English family with no connections to horses.

Geir Stabell (European Trainer - issue 18 - Summer 2007)

 Horsewalkers are used extensively in the management and training of horses. They permit controlled exercise of horses at walk and trot and are less labour intensive than most other forms of controlled exercise, such as walking in-hand, lunging, riding, swimming or running horses on treadmills.

Dr David Marlin & Paul Farrington (European Trainer - issue 18 - Summer 2007)

Nasal strips’ future in Thoroughbred racing seemed limitless in the fall of 1999. Just two weeks after longshot Burrito won a race at Keeneland wearing one, 29 of the 101 horses competing in the 1999 Breeders’ Cup at Gulfstream Park November 6th had the 4-by-6-inch strip affixed 1.5 inches above their nostrils. 

Bill Heller (European Trainer - issue 18 - Summer 2007)

The damp of County Meath seems a long way from the sunshine of Melbourne, but to first season trainer Nick Cox it’s home from home. Mind you, it’s very misleading to refer to this as his first season, since Nick already has more than 180 winners to his name, back in his native Australia. So what made him decide to make the former Mitchelstown Stud here in Ireland his new base for training?

Lissa Oliver (European Trainer - issue 18 - Summer 2007) 

No doubt we are all aware of the plethora of dietary supplements that are now available and that are promoted as offering clear and profound benefits to our horses’ health, general well being and performance. In the latter category are the so-called ergogenic aids. So what are they, and do they work?

Dr Catherine Dunnett (European Trainer - issue 18 - Summer 2007)

Too often thought of as just a ‘filler’, or occupational therapy to while away the time between hard feeds, forage is worth so much more than that. Simply feeding an inadequate quantity of forage, or choosing forage that has an inappropriate nutrient profile, or is of poor quality can have a negative impact both on health and performance in racehorses.

Dr Catherine Dunnett (European Trainer - Issue 18 - Summer 2007)

Anaerobic work is performed at heart rates above 150 BPM and involves explosive power such as short sprints, acceleration, and fast galloping. A Quarter Horse running 2 furlongs would be deriving energy 60% anaerobically and 40% aerobically.

Robert Keck (European Trainer - issue 18 - Winter 2007)

The rules of racing are intended to maintain a level playing field; any drug testing program is meant to monitor compliance to those rules. In reality, drug testing is a deterrent. For truly illicit activity where the intent is to take an unfair advantage (cheat), the current program in California is working well. But we know it isn't perfect. We are always looking for holes in the system and ways to improve the program.
Rick M. Arthur, DVM, - (01 July 2007 - Issue Number: 4)

California is racing into the future, or maybe not. As of writing, there is turmoil and uncertainty as to how racing will develop in the immediate future. A long-term prognosis is even more uncertain. The California Legislature has placed a stranglehold on funding for the California Horse Racing Board.
Edward I. Halpern, CTT Exec - (01 July 2007 - Issue Number: 4)

Twin Palms in Pasadena was jammed with 400 guests on April 23 to honor Joe and Barbara Harper of Del Mar at the annual Edwin J. Gregson Foundation benefit hosted by California Thoroughbred Trainers. About $100,000 was raised for the foundation, which since its inception seven years ago, has raised close to $1 million specifically for educational purposes for backstretch workers and their families.
Steve Schuelein (01 July 2007 - Issue Number: 4)

Standing in the classroom of the North American Racing Academy (NARA) at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky is a sensory thrill. The smell of leather, the sharp crack of reins slapping against outstretched necks as seven jockeys scrub hard on their mounts. If you close your eyes and listen to the strained breathing of the riders you can almost hear the cadence of the hooves. The only thing that isn’t real are the horses, but with names like John Henry, Alysheba and Sunday Silence, they are all but real.
Frances Karon (19 May 2007 - Issue Number: 3)

There is a need for several changes and improvements in international racing. None can be more pressing that the issue on international regulations on the use of medication. Both on and off the tracks.

Geir Stabell (19 May 2007 - Issue Number: 3)

The use of homespun and herbal remedies may have been superseded by wormers formulated after lengthy research programmes, but the control of worms in the horse remains as important for horsemen today as it was when the significance of these unwanted passengers was first understood.
Dr Philip K Dyson BVMS Cert. EM and Barry Sangster BVMS MRCVS (19 May 2007)

Doctors originally used shockwave therapy more than 20 years ago to disintegrate kidney stones in their patients, then learned that the therapy can also treat tendonitis, tennis elbow, heel spurs and other ailments. Equine researchers are still uncovering everything shockwave therapy can do for horses after it was initially and successfully used in Germany in 1996 to treat lameness.
Bill Heller (19 May 2007 - Issue 3)

He's seen the sport of Thoroughbred racing change drastically in the past few decades. Here, he discusses some of the important issues facing his fellow trainers both in his home state and across the country.

Margaret Ransom (19 May 2007 - Issue Number: 3)

 Attending industry conferences and seminars, especially those staged overseas, as a media reporter can be hard work – honestly! – but when you come across speakers at the top of their game, who can put over concise points in layman’s language, the tedium of long days, and sometimes even longer nights, wafts away on a breeze of simple understanding.
Howard Wright(19 May 2007 - Issue Number: 3)