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Coverage of the Merial Raceday - York 2017

Over 40 vets from around the UK attended the continuing professional development event titled ‘How to optimisethe respiratory effects on performance’ at York Racecourse this May. The event, organised by European TrainerMagazine and Merial Animal Hea…

First published in European Trainer issue 58 - July - September 2017

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Over 40 vets from around the UK attended the continuing professional development event titled ‘How to optimise the respiratory effects on performance’ at York Racecourse this May. The event, organised by European Trainer Magazine and Merial Animal Health, featured a panel of expert speakers and was co-sponsored by Connolly’s RED MILLS and Haygain. Louise Jones BSc, MSc attended the seminar and reports on the key messages as follows.

Functional Significance of Upper Airway Obstructions - Dr Kate Allen

Dr Kate Allen, from Langford Vets, commenced proceedings, explaining that whilst upper airway obstruction (UAO) is second to lameness as the most common cause of poor performance, it is difficult to quantify its significance on athletic performance.

UAO is caused by a narrowing of the airways, often as a result of the collapse of the varying upper airway structures. However, Dr Allen emphasised that it is a complex condition and in almost half of the cases involves the concurrent collapse of multiple structures.

Horses suffering from UAO initially attempt to maintain airflow by increasing inspiration time and decreasing respiratory frequency. However, if this is unsuccessful then the amount of oxygen available for the muscles to work effectively will be reduced, resulting in impaired performance. The degree to which athletic performance is affected, especially in the elite horse, will obviously depend on several factors, including....

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Staff Focus: Work experience and the pathways into racehorse care

The pedigrees of racing’s human participants are often as impressive as the horses in their care, but the industry is doing all it can to attract and welcome newcomers from outside of any equestrian background in the hope they might establish future…

First published in European Trainer issue 58 - July - September 2017

Click here to order this back issue!

The pedigrees of racing’s human participants are often as impressive as the horses in their care, but the industry is doing all it can to attract and welcome newcomers from outside of any equestrian background in the hope they might establish future dynasties of their own.

A shortage of staff Europe-wide means it is vital that new initiatives are introduced and supported, to encourage young people to seek careers within racing.

A traditional route into racing has always been simply knocking at a door and asking. While many trainers will welcome schoolchildren looking to gain experience, not every trainer finds them useful and not every young person finds the experience useful. The key lies in matching the correct yards to those taking a keen interest, and the Racing To School programme in Britain and the similar Go Racing Kids’ Club in Ireland are proving beneficial in that respect.

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EMHF - Welfare at the top of the agenda

There is debate over the appropriateness of the use, in the context of horseracing, of the term ‘social licence.’ It is heard in our world with increasing frequency, but opponents point to the fact that it implies a formal power – which society, of …

First published in European Trainer issue 58 - July - September 2017

Click here to order this back issue!

There is debate over the appropriateness of the use, in the context of horseracing, of the term ‘social licence.’

There is debate over the appropriateness of the use, in the context of horseracing, of the term ‘social licence.’ It is heard in our world with increasing frequency, but opponents point to the fact that it implies a formal power – which society, of course, does not hold, in any direct sense – to sanction or prohibit the sport. But it is surely incontestable that racing’s future is brighter where it enjoys broad public support and more precarious where there is widespread opposition. There is encouraging evidence that racing ‘gets’ this.

As public sensibilities around the world shift towards ever greater concern for the wellbeing of animals, so there are numerous examples of racehorse welfare moving ever higher up the agenda of racing’s administrators. The tone has been set at the very top – it has been a mantra of the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities’ (IFHA) chairman Louis Romanet in recent years that horse welfare must be central to the efforts of national racing authorities.

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Developing the young foot

I remember my first yearling and two-year-old-in-training sales at Keeneland, Woodbine, and Tattersalls. To my untrained eye, and despite tracing backwards through the bloodlines, each and every horse appeared sound and fit, looking like a million b…

First published in European Trainer issue 58 - July - September 2017

Click here to order this back issue!

I remember my first yearling and two-year-old-in-training sales at Keeneland, Woodbine, and Tattersalls.To my untrained eye, and despite tracing backwards through the bloodlines, each and every horse appeared sound and fit, looking like a million bucks.

Although few horses ever actually sold for that amount, every inch of those young racehorse wannabes was gleaming from nose to toes. Even their feet were buffed and polished as perfectly as a pair of Usher’s coveted shoes.

Possibly because young horses for sale are primped and preened to the gills, few potential buyers actually ever pick their feet up to inspect them. Instead, buyers tend to focus on joints and throats, using the extensive repository to review joint radiographs (X-rays) and scoping prospects’ throats. “The horses in the September (yearling) sales are simply glamorous, including their feet. I would estimate that only 10% of buyers ever actually pick up at foot at those sales,” remarks Sam Christian, a Kentucky-based farrier servicing several top-level operations such as Shadwell Farm.

In general, the expectation appears to be that if the throat and joints are clear and the young horse appears straight, their feet must also be in good condition. While some horses may have hidden surprises once their party shoes are removed (indicating that some of those fancy feet are in fact simply mutton dressed as lamb), Mark Dewey, a highly sought-after racing farrier, attests this is not generally the case.

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Trainer of the Quarter - Matthieu Palussiere

Matthieu Palussiere started his professional career in the military on the back of a baccalaureate at the agricultural college in Le Mans, before turning to racing where he worked under Christian Scandella for two years. In 1995, Palussiere uprooted…

First published in European Trainer issue 58 - July - September 2017

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“I would definitely say she is right up there with my top 4 or 5 fillies I’ve owned, there were 4 or 5 ‘millionaire’ horses in that race and she showed them. For so many people, this meant so much and everyone was emotional about this win. I would like to credit my incredible team behind us in Ireland who have been with us for a long time, and now in France - it is as much their win as ours”

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