Horsey Talk

STOP PRESS + STOP PRESS + STOP PRESS

Two cases of strangles confirmed
at one of Redwings Norfolk sites

One of the horses at their Piggots site in South Norfolk was confirmed to have strangles after a routine check found it had nasal discharge. The horse, a six-year-old bay gelding, was immediately put into isolation at their quarantine centre and all movements between sites were suspended as a precaution.

Another horse was found showing symptoms the following day and is now also in quarantine.

All sites and areas where the contact may have happened are now locked down to prevent any further spread and their veterinary team are running tests on any horses who may have had contact with the infected equines to ensure they are isolated and treated if required and using their extensive records to find possible routes of entry.

Redwings' veterinary team are running tests on all horses who may have been in contact with the infected equines.

Strangles is a highly contagious infection of the upper respiratory tract (nose and throat) that spreads very rapidly through contact with infected mucus, either directly between horses or indirectly with contaminated items such as feed and water containers. It can be infectious even when symptoms are not showing which is why is it very challenging to contain.

Although strangles is usually not fatal it can cause real distress and can result in large abscesses that prevent swallowing and restrict breathing. It is endemic in the UK horse population and is particularly common in immunocompromised animals. As a result our Reception Centre staff deal with it routinely in the rescue and neglect cases we take in but this is the first time in 23 years there has been a case within Redwings' resident herd.

Head of Welfare and Senior Vet Nic de Brauwere said: "We have extremely stringent quarantine procedures in place and every horse that comes in to the Sanctuary is screened and cleared before they join a farm like Piggots. It just shows that no system or test is 100% effective. We are very proud of, and invest a lot of time, care and resources into our quarantine systems and so if we can get an unexpected case amongst our residents at Redwings, I believe that it shows that anyone can. It's not a notifiable disease but it's so prevalent and contagious that we believe anyone finding themselves suffering an outbreak should, for the sake of the wider horse population, do the responsible thing and be up front and open about the situation so the proper steps get taken to bring cases and the spread to a halt."

Redwings Chief Executive Lynn Cutress said: "With a resident herd of 1,500 horses and so many new arrivals and unavoidable movements between our sites, a strangles outbreak is one of the biggest risks for our organisation, and unfortunately even taking into account all the robust controls and systems we have in place to prevent it we can never fully eliminate that risk. However, this also means that no one is better placed to deal with this than us. Our knowledgeable teams of vets and care staff were fully prepared, they manage and deal with cases of strangles all the time and they have dealt with this situation in an equally calm and professional manner."

Both horses are now under treatment and are making good progress. We are actively monitoring and testing other horses in our resident herd who may have been in contact with the infected equines, and we will provide weekly updates via our website. All of our visitor centres are open as normal and while any rehoming has been temporarily suspended it is hoped this will be reinstated very soon.

To order your free copy of the Redwings Strangles pack, which includes information on how to manage an outbreak and how to help minimise the risk, please email info@redwings.co.uk, telephone the Redwings Welfare Helpline on 01508 481008 or download a PDF here.

Watch out, Ascot.
Singapore wants to create a global horse race

Singapore hopes to create a horse race that can that can match globally recognised events like the Melbourne Cup or Ascot.

The China Horse Club is organising the race and wants to attract an international audience as well as racing enthusiasts from mainland China.

It is offering $2m in prize money, but as Sharanjit Leyl reports from Singapore, that does not match the prize money on offer by big races elsewhere.

Paralysed jockey on life after Cheltenham Festival fall

Irish jockey JT McNamara has told of his determination to forge a new way of life after a fall at the Cheltenham Festival which left him paralysed.

Father-of-three McNamara, 39, was seriously injured at the 2013 meeting. "I said this to myself, this isn't going to get me beat. I'll show 'em," he told the Racing Post in his first interview since the accident.

His wife Caroline said: "Our lives have changed enormously but I can look beyond his disabilities."

John Thomas McNamara fractured two vertebrae in his neck after being thrown from his horse Galaxy Rock in the Fulke Walwyn Kim Muir Challenge Cup on 14 March, 2013. He is at home in Limerick after he was discharged from the North West Regional Spinal Injuries Centre in Southport, Merseyside, last year.

"Of course there have been low days and the worst were when I was in hospital in Dublin because they gave me no hope. That just made me more determined and I said to myself this is not going to get me beat. I'll show 'em," he said.

"The sheer number of visitors and the support from the public helped me keep going. All those people making the time to come to see me - it showed a few people liked me anyway. "Not being able to play with the kids is the hardest thing. And it always will be."

McNamara, who is immobile from the neck down, can spend up to four hours at a time - although often less - off a ventilator and is helped by two carers around the clock. He moves around the family's stables in a wheelchair and retains his love for horses.

"He has amazed me the way he has dealt with his total surrender of privacy and dignity," added Caroline. "John has accepted that this is the way it is. As long as he gets to the yard every morning and can immerse himself in his horses -- he leaves on the van at ten to eight in the morning on the dot - then he'll be all right."

The 19-time champion jump jockey AP McCoy said he planned to visit his friend more often following his own retirement at the end of the season.

"When you go to see him now he makes it easy for you, but I admit I find it's still so hard," said McCoy. "I can recall every detail of that day at Cheltenham and one image in particular sticks with me. I can still see his clothes hanging on his peg with his shirt on top, and realising he would never be coming back into the weighing room. That memory will never leave me. "And the next day at Cheltenham? Do you know, I just didn't want to be there.

When I remember lads from the weighing room who have been killed, God rest them, and look at JT, of course it makes you think. "But he has three young kids, which makes a huge difference to your life, and Caroline is an amazing girl who just gets on with it. She is beyond words."

Owner scratching her head why thief would steal horses manes for jewellery..

Peach, Sara and Alli have fallen victim to a horse hairdresser.

But, this horse hairdresser didn't trim their manes and tails for good reason. Celina Karnes is still scratching her head about it.

"Kind of feel violated. Someone came onto the property and hurt innocent horses. They're some of the nicest mares. They're older. They let these people come up to them. They trusted someone come up to them in the pasture," Karnes said.

Karnes owns Henderson Equestrian Complex in Butler, Pittsburgh. The complex houses around 30 horses, all with local owners who use them for show, or just pleasure.

Peach and Sara are retired show horses. Alli still shows. "Especially for show horses, it's part of the beauty of the horse, their mane and tail," Karnes said.

They were in pasture in broad daylight on Wednesday when she says it happened. A neighbor spotted a suspicious car.

"To have someone so calculated bring scissors or whatever, I don't know why," Karnes said.

Peach is the only horse of the three that lost her entire tail. It used to go all the way down to the ground. However, it was cut right below the tail bone. "I don't know if it's just to be vindictive or if they're using it to sell jewelry or tail extensions,"

Trainer and Manager of Henderson Equestrian Complex Cortney Shipley said. Shipley says using horse hair to make jewelry is a growing trend. She's heard of hair cutting happening more out west, but not in this part of the country. "The owners of the farm did buy security cameras so they have them up now," Shipley said.

State police are looking for the culprit.

The 2015 Golden Button Challenge

Organisers could find no cause for the sad loss
of three horses

Following the 2015 Golden Button Challenge, The Ledbury Hunt has completed a review of the event.

In particular it considered the deaths of three horses, two from suspected heart attacks and one from a broken back. It consulted the riders of the three horses, plus the clerk of the course, stewards and other officials who were present on the day, and competitors. It took account of the riders who had competed in similar hunt rides, or ridden in team chases and point-to-points, and found only a handful were newcomers.

It looked again at the 25 fences, in particular those at which falls occurred, and it considered the ground conditions and the weights that were carried by horses. It took account of the number of starters and finishers, plus those who fell, were brought down or unseated their riders, and also those who remounted. It considered the distance of the challenge and the pace at which the event was run, noting those who set the pace.

It was found that the pre-event favourite, Zoe Gibson, made the running until the 11th fence, when another experienced rider, Catherine Atkinson, took over. The winner, Dominic Gwyn-Jones, was in front from the 18th fence. It therefore accepted that the pace was set by experienced competitors.

Of the 62 horses that started, 39 (63%) completed the course. The ground conditions varied around the course – it was generally softer in the maize fields at the start and finish, but, following three unseasonably dry weeks, the overall description was 'soft'. William Fox Grant, an experienced competitor in this type of event and who finished runner-up, said: "The course was fantastic and it was beautiful going for the middle of winter."

In considering the horses that died the organisers had to accept that deaths from heart attacks are not uncommon in horses, and can occur at any time. The horse that suffered a broken back did so at a fence which was not obligatory – riders had the option of taking a longer route if they preferred not to jump it. It was ridden by a highly accomplished rider from a family of noted riders, and was jumping a hedge and ditch typical of many found in the hunting field. Due to the veterinary provisions that were in place for the event the horse was painlessly euthanized by injection within minutes of falling.

One rider who suffered a fall was airlifted to hospital as a precaution, but she was allowed home the same day suffering rib injuries. She finished runner-up in the previous running of the Golden Button Challenge and had taken part in other hunt rides.

The Golden Button Challenge is an enormously popular rural event that has attracted a vast crowd and a maximum field of runners in each of the six runnings. It was accepted in advance that all owners and riders would ensure their horses were fit and ready for a three-mile gallop across country, and were responsible for the welfare of their mounts during the event.

After considering all aspects of the event the organisers could find no cause for the sad loss of three horses. However, future entry forms will stress the need to ensure horses and riders are fit to compete in a test of this nature.

The organisers would like to express their sincere sympathies to the riders/owners and grooms of the horses who did not return to their stables.

Tiny pony gets periscope for peeping

A pony struggling to see over a stable door. Life isn't easy when you're a petite Pony

Children in Brixton have come up with a clever solution to help Pedro the pony see over his stable door.

Pedro in his stable Pedro the Shetland
At just over a metre tall, Pedro can't see over his stable door

Pony moved into the Ebony Horse Club in London a year ago but they only had full sized stables to house him in.

School children with Pedro the pony

A group of school children were invited to come up with a solution

Building a new stable was too expensive, so the team came up with a clever idea

Pedro using his perioscope

They designed a periscope, which uses mirrors to let Pedro peek over the stable door Pedro in his stable The club is now trying to raise money to build Pedro a new stable

Eventer Bonnie Fishburn lands "first" sponsorship

Equerry Horse Feeds are sponsoring event rider Bonnie Fishburn - the first official rider to receive support from the company.

Bonnie is a keen amateur rider who works hard to keep a small string of horses and competes most weekends in either British Eventing or British Riding Club competitions, with great success.

Currently, Bonnie has a string of three horses, that she owns herself, competing at BE100 and Intermediate/CCI* level.

One of her greatest achievements to date is being part of three teams winning British Riding Clubs National Championship Team titles in three consecutive years, in three different disciplines. In 2012 she was part of the Open Horse Trials team, in 2013 she competed in the Open Show Jumping team, and in 2014 Bonnie was in the Open Dressage team.

Said Bonnie: "I feel privileged to have the support of a company that has been around since 1675. All my horses will be fuelled by their fantastic range of products.

"Since I have been feeding Equerry products my horses could not have looked better and I am very pleased with the results."

Equerry Horse Feeds will also be attending Bolesworth International in June, where Bonnie will be on the stand to give first hand advice on the products she uses.

Equerry horse feeds combine highly digestible fibre sources to support a healthy digestive system with cooked cereals where appropriate to provide a highly digestible source of energy.

The range includes seven cubes, six coarse mixes, one mash and one treat in the form of Equerry Minty Horse Treats.

Telephone the Equerry Helpline on 01845 565640 or visit www.equerryhorsefeeds.com

The importance of a horse ass in the development of the modern world

A major design feature of the Space Shuttle, arguably the world's most advanced transportation system, was determined over two thousand years ago by the width of a horse's ass.

The behind-the-scenes story

Two drunks were walking down the railroad tracks. One drunk said, "Man, these steps are close together." The other drunk said, "I can handle the steps, but why did they make the damn handrails so low?"

The U.S. Standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. That's an exceedingly odd number. Why was that gauge used? Because that's the way they built them in England, and English expatriates designed the U.S. railroads.

Why did the English build them like that?

Because the first rail lines were built by the same people who built the pre-railroad tramways, and that's the gauge they used.Why did 'they' use that gauge then? Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that they had used for building wagons, which used that wheel spacing.

Why did the wagons have that particular odd wheel spacing?

Well, if they tried to use any other spacing, the wagon wheels would break on some of the old, long distance roads in England, because that's the spacing of the wheel ruts.

So, who built those old rutted roads?

Imperial Rome built the first long distance roads in Europe (including England ) for their legions. Those roads have been used ever since.

And the ruts in the roads?

Roman war chariots formed the initial ruts, which everyone else had to match for fear of destroying their wagon wheels.

Since the chariots were made for Imperial Rome, they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing. Therefore, the United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches is derived from the original specifications for an Imperial Roman war chariot. In other words, bureaucracies live forever.

So the next time you are handed a specification, procedure, or process, and wonder, 'What horse's ass came up with this,' you may be exactly right. Imperial Roman army chariots were made just wide enough to accommodate the rear ends of two war horses.

Now, the twist to the story: When you see a Space Shuttle sitting on its launch pad, you will notice that there are two big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank. These are solid rocket boosters, or SRBs.

The SRBs are made by Thiokol at their factory in Utah

The engineers who designed the SRBs would have preferred to make them a bit larger, but the SRBs had to be shipped by train from the factory to the launch site. The railroad line from the factory happens to run through a tunnel in the mountains, and the SRBs had to fit through that tunnel. The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad track, and the railroad track, as you now know, is about as wide as two horses' behinds.

So, a major Space Shuttle design feature of what is arguably the world's most advanced transportation system was determined over two thousand years ago by the width of a horse's ass. And you thought being a horse's ass wasn't important!

Now you know, horses' asses control almost everything...explains a whole lot of stuff, doesn't it?

GODOLPHIN STUD AND STABLE STAFF AWARDS 2015

SMALL NATIONAL HUNT STUD MANAGER, JESSICA FORTT CROWNED EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR

Following a gala evening ceremony celebrating the achievements of stud and stable staff from across the country at the Godolphin Stud and Stable Staff Awards, Jessica Fortt, Stud Manager for Dunraven Stud, has been named as Employee of the Year 2015.

Jessica was awarded with the perpetual Godolphin Trophy by presenter Clare Balding and special guest presenter and three-time Champion Flat Jockey Ryan Moore at an event hosted by the British Horseracing Authority (BHA), and partnered by the Racing Post. She was also presented with a cheque for the total of a staggering £40,000, of which £20,000 will be shared amongst the staff at the Dunraven Stud in Wales.

Jessica started her career at the Racing School and joined Dunraven Stud 16 years ago, after a bad facial injury ruined a promising apprentice career. She originally helped train pointers before moving on to the breeding operation at Dunraven Stud. Dunraven is a small National Stud based near Bridgend, standing two stallions, Dr Massini and Vinnie Roe.

Jessica carries out all aspects of the work on the stud, including the office administration, stallion handling, foaling throughout the season, breaking in, updating owners and even sends videos to owners of their new foals. Her dedication, hard-work and passion typifies what the racing industry should be proud of in stud and stable staff.

The Awards ceremony took place at the Jumeirah Carlton Tower Hotel in London's Knightsbridge in front of a specially invited audience from across the racing industry to celebrate the vital role of stud and stable staff in the sport.

All 16 finalists, including the winner of the Administration Staff Award, were praised by the judges for their talent, outstanding commitment and contribution to the racing industry.

Brough Scott, Chairman of the Judging Panel, commented:

"This year's awards have yet again produced a quite outstanding set of finalists and excellent winners. Despite the remarkable credentials of the winners, Jessica was a clear-cut choice for Employee of the Year in the eyes of the Judging Panel.

"Despite not being the typical stud staff breed, at less than five feet tall she shows empathy with each stallion and a natural way of handling them that means her lack of physicality is not an issue. She has been, and still is, involved in all parts of the game, as well as stud life and is also a magnificently refreshing character."

The winners were decided at a formal judging day held in the morning before the ceremony at the BHA's London office, where the finalists were interviewed by members of the judging panel.

The full list of winners and runners up are as follows:

RIDER/GROOM AWARD:

1. Winner: Simon Archer, Groom – Sir Mark Prescott
2. Runners-up: Steve Nicholson, Full Time Work Rider – Ed Dunlop
3. Martyn Peake, Rider/Groom – Lady Cecil

STUD STAFF AWARD:

1. Winner: Jessica Fortt, Stud Manager – Dunraven Stud
2. Runners-up: Dale Clements, Stud Groom – Cheveley Park
3. Ron Lott, Stallion Man – Shadwell Stud

LEADERSHIP AWARD:

1. Winner: Johnson White, Assistant Trainer – Philip Hobbs
2. Runners-up: Joanne Fowles, Head Lass – Roger Varian
3. Kevin Mooney, Assistant Trainer – Charlie Hills

DEDICATION TO RACING AWARD:

1. Winner: Lesley White, Travelling Head Lass – Mick Channon
2. Runners-up: Clifford Marsden, Head Man – Luca Cumani
3. Robynne Watton, Senior Travelling Manager – Mark Johnston

DAVID NICHOLSON NEWCOMER AWARD:

1. Winner: Tegan Clark, Head Lad – Olly Stevens
2. Runners-up: Charlotte Clayton, Work Rider/Groom – Rae Guest
3. Reggie Eggleton, Yard Man/Feed Manager – Seamus Mullins

ADMINISTRATION STAFF AWARD

1. Winner: Peter Shoemark, Racing Office Manager – John Gosden

The winners of the Leadership, Rider Groom, Stud Staff and Dedication to Racing categories will receive a prize of £5,000 with an additional £5,000 also being awarded to the winner's yard or stud. The two runners-up in these categories will win £2,000 each, with the same amount going to their year or stud.

The winner of the Administration Staff Award will receive £5,000, with the same amount going to their yard or stud.

The winner of the David Nicholson Newcomer Award will receive £2,000, with the same amount going to their yard or stud, while two runners-up will receive £1,000 each, with the same amount for their yard.

The Employee of the Year will receive an additional £15,000, with the same amount awarded to their yard or stud.

3. The Judging Panel was: Judith Allen, Sally Aston, Ian Balding, Mark Bradburne, Dale Gibson, Dawn Goodfellow, Matt Mancini, Leanne Masterton, George McGrath, Dinah Nicholson, Brough Scott (Chairman), Peter Scudamore.