January - March 2021 - issue 72
CONTENTS
Yasmin Almenräder - cover profile - a rising star in German racing
David Conolly-Smith portrays trainer Yasmin Almenräder at her Mülheim stable and her aspirations for hopefully another successful year for German racing and breeding - in particular for the Mülheim training centre, the second largest training centre in the country.
Nutrition - antioxidants - their role in racing
Catherine Rudenko questions if there is merit in specifically supplementing antioxidants to enhance performance? Antioxidants are substances that slow down damage to organisms created by the presence of oxygen.
Zilpaterol fallout - isn't it time for a European wide threshold testing protocol?
Alysen Miller investigates another biosecurity scare threatened to cast the longest shadow over the blighted 2020 racing season when the French racing authority France Galop announced that five horses had recently tested positive for zilpaterol.
Anne-Marie Poirier - Riding short; took me months
John Gilmore visits the Dutch native that has come a long way from show jumping horses in Holland to now having a yard for backing and pre-training racehorses at Soucelles in France.
Dr. Russell Mackechnie-Guire researches how well pads under the saddle really work. A recent study suggests that using a pad beneath the saddle might not always achieve the desired pressure-relieving effect.
European Pattern Committee - regulating 'black type' races
Paul Khan looks at some of the EMHF region’s committees and starts with the European Pattern Committee, which controls the classification of black type races in Europe.
Bureaucracy in training - how trainers are coping with the added paperwork they now need to produce for racing authorities
Understanding hydrotherapy and the benefits of water based conditioning
Georgie White explains the use of water for therapeutic benefit in the equine industry and hydrotherapy as a mechanism for enhancing performance in the racehorse.
Sally-Ann Grassick describes the spirit that has resurfaced again with a campaign named in Pat Smullen’s honour driven by John Butler, physiotherapist to the Irish racing stars.
TopSpec Trainer of the quarter - TBC
Trainers and the importance of communicating with owners
Lissa Oliver shows that remote communication has become a necessity especially during a pandemic-stricken 2020.
Funding research in equine veterinary development - what we can expect to learn in 2021
Annie Dodd fills us in on the financial impact of the pandemic on scientific research.
October - December 2020 - issue 71
IN THIS ISSUE -
Johnny Murtagh- TopSpec Trainer of the Quarter
Lissa Oliver talks to Johnny Murtagh whose stable has been in top form this summer.
Nicolò Simondi - trainer profile
Franco Raimondi profiles Nicolò Simondi who became a Classic winning trainer when Auyantepui, landed the Gp2 Oaks d’Italia at San Siro.
Catherine Rudenko investigates alternative and supportive therapies as trainers seek to find other means of reducing the risk or severity of EIPH.
Can we train a completely symmetrical horse? Georgie White investigates this very interesting theory.
The benefit of using ‘yearling rollers’
Dr. Russell Mackechnie-Guire asks if aroller is a harmless piece of equipment or has it been previously overlooked?
Sales protocols across Europe this autumn
Alysen Miller explains how auction houses have embraced changes to their business practices in order to keep the show on the road with the global bloodstock calendar thrown into disarray by the COVID-19.
Sarah Plevin reviews different treatment options for ‘bowed tendons’ and amongst those a new ultrasound technology called ultrasound tissue characterisation.
Conformation - factors for racing ability
Judy Wardrope examines which factors might increase the chances to pick a future star on the racecourse.
Without Prejudice – how anti- doping rules leave trainers at risk
Lissa Oliver points out that it is time to look at whether Europe’s anti-doping rules protect the integrity of the sport and looks into the fragility of the licencing system in the face of integrity accusations, particularly when so many recent breaches of anti-doping rules have absolved the trainer of any responsibility.
Gerald Leigh Memorial Lectures 2020 - minimising risk from equine infectious disease
Celia Marr condenses this year’s Gerald Leigh Memorial Lectures and how it
will hopefully help support education on equine infectious disease.
It is time to celebrate - The European and Mediterranean Horseracing Federation is
10 years old. Dr. Paull Khan tells the story about the first decade.
Will prize money ever return to pre-COVID-19 levels?
Lissa Oliver looks into the various pots of prize money and the racing authorities’
recovery plans to be able to return to pre-COVID.
Thoroughbred Tales - showcasing the good work of the unsung heroes of racing
Sally Anne Grassick explains Rebecca Menzies’s own “Thoroughbred Tale ‘’ when there were celebrations in order when Stormy Girl provided Rebecca with a first ever Black Type success.
July - September 2020 - issue 70
IN THIS ISSUE -
Denis Hogan - TopSpec Trainer of the Quarter
Breandán Ó hUallacháin talks to Denis Hogan about his sprinting sensation - Sceptical.
The Curragh-based trainer explains to Lissa Oliver how his global racing business has been affected during the coronavirus shutdown.
Nutrition - starch v fibre intake
Catherine Rudenko explains how to rein in your complex carb intake for times when work drops, or when returning from injury.
Dr. Russell Mackechnie-Guire looks at the different types of bridles at the trainers’ disposal and what works best for which type of horse.
What we've learnt from the coronavirus shutdown
Alysen Miller explains its impact on how trainers have been able to train. Are there any measures that they’d keep in the 'new normal' because they actually work better?
Minimising serious fractures of the racehorse fetlock
Celia Marr updates us on the results of a symposium of international experts, aiming to devise measures which could be used internationally to reduce the risk of catastrophic fractures associated with the fetlock joint.
Hay quality - sampling and testing protocols
Alan Creighton gives an update about a completed study of hay which was being fed by many of the leading racehorse trainers in Ireland and the UK.
Dr. Paull Khan reports on the pandemic’s effects on Europe’s smaller racing nations and their trainers and especially looks at the experience of the smaller countries.
What is radiofrequency therapy?
Helen Walsh introduces radiofrequency therapy which is used for reducing pain, managing inflammation, aiding tissue repair and reducing muscle spasm.
The differences between a healthy/unhealthy biome
Carol Hughes explains how every common gastrointestinal disease can be linked back to disturbances of the gut bacteria. Currently, new gene technology is driving research at an intense rate, providing new insights into the equine microbial community and providing both trainer and the vet with a powerful and accurate analytical tool to improve health and manage disease.
Sally Ann Grassick explains how racing fans kept connected with what was going on behind the closed doors of training yards around Europe.
