From Lauren:
Your Weekly “Why Does My OTTB (insert weird quirk here)?” Q&A
I have traded Kentucky rain for Colorado snow this week in a brief venture to do some Pentathlon training at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. Now here I sit in the Denver airport, actually EARLY for a flight for once. Shocking, really. We are t-minus FOUR days from the fabled Mayan end of the world and, assuming we survive that, only EIGHT days away from Christmas. Make sure those stockings are hung from the stall doors with care, grab a Gingerbread donut from Krispy Kreme, and if you are reading this from out West, great ready for some killer POW this week on the slopes and enjoy another OTTB installment.
So Roscoe has always had sensitive skin. He never really seems to react to weather, moisture, stress, or anything like that. It was treated well with baby oil, MTG, and conditioning, and good by the end of the summer. Unfortunately, it has been returning the past month. I’m ready to deal with it, got my battery of skin care at hand, and he was clipped today (woo hoo nakey pony!). The woman who did the clipping today said that it’s highly possible that the drugs he may have been given on the track are now causing his skin afflictions. She seemed knowledgeable (certainly was faster than me with the clippers) and was an assistant trainer on the track. She said she’s seen lots of ex-racehorses with bad skin that is often years later side effects from track meds. With his history of being sold at Keeneland and racing for a few years, she said it was highly possible. Do you think there’s any merit to this? Also, any other suggestions for the gross butt skin?? Thanks again! (contributed by an EN reader Rebecca Tanis )
“Drugs” on the track is a pretty broad area of influence. Medications of all kinds from illegal to homeopathic to effective to ridiculous are all used on racetracks all over the world….just as they are in show barns in every corner of the globe. While the 1990’s bore witness to what was perhaps the most medication-riddled time in racing in terms of pharmaceutical effectiveness and availability, many policies have been put in place to limit the “drugs” that racehorses can be administered, the time frames they can be given, and strides have been made to restrict and in some cases eliminate many of the medications, especially on race days, that racehorses can be “pumped full of.” Most tracks in the US now have a zero tolerance steroid policy (eliminating medications such as Winstrol and Equipoise, just to name two). These bans were primarily enacted circa 2008 and, just this year, the prohibition of Furosemide (brand name: Lasix/Salix) in two-year-old races at the Breeders Cup was realized. So please know that just because a horse has “raced for a few years” or “been sold at Keeneland” does not mean that they have experienced any sort of unscrupulous treatment, especially relating to medication. To give you an idea of what treatments a typical racehorse that runs in the allowance/claiming ranks will experience when racing, most horses have fluids run (just like upper level event horses do before and after XC) and those fluids may contain a vitamin mixture (often B12) and sometimes an analgesic or anti-inflammatory compound depending on the expected surface of the track and the comfort level of the horse. The treatment of graded stakes horses typically varies widely but often errs on the conservative side and the treatment of cheap horses in low-level claiming races often reflects their value. With all of this being said, it is very, very common for racehorses to experience a sort of “crash” during their transition to the showing or pleasure life and even the most basic supplements and feeding regiments that racehorses experience on the track, when practiced or given for long periods of time, can encourage a dependence that will result in withdrawal and loss of condition upon the cessation of these regiments. To answer your question directly, I have experienced many skin problems with Thoroughbreds (especially the gray variety!) but I attribute these afflictions to the individual more than their handling on the track. When breeding an animal for athletic ability, there are simply going to be certain traits that are just overlooked and de-emphasized in the breeding process and skin quality (as well as hoof quality in a large number of cases) is one of those things. It is my personal opinion that racetrack medication is not directly responsible for your horses skin problems. It is certainly possible that your horse may have a slightly diminished immune system from being a racehorse. This can be caused by medication but is more directly related to the carefully controlled conditions of the racetrack life. Racehorses are well-vaccinated in many cases and every single racetrack is obsessed with the control of infectious disease, as they should be. It’s sort of like throwing a 10 year old kid who has been homeschooled throughout elementary school into a germ-filled middle school full of snotty nosed brats with poor hygiene. While this is an extreme example, hopefully it conveys the message that the adjustment for OTTB’s to a herd lifestyle can really take a toll on their immune systems and this toll can be seen in the most pesky ways including a prevalence of skin funk. It might be advisable to do some routine blood work on Roscoe just to rule out white blood cell count that is out of whack or other indicators of immune system issues. As far as treatment options, I find prevention to be the key in heading off a raging skin funk. With susceptible horses, I thoroughly bathe them, often with an iodine or anti-microbial shampoo, and blanket them with a clean blanket that has been freshly laundered at the first hint of wet, nasty weather. Keep in mind that microbes can exist on your horses apparel items for quite a long time and that clean pads, blankets, coolers, towels, and sheets are a must in preventing recurring skin funk. Also, Micro-Tek anti-fungal spray has been a fur-saver for me for spot treatment on minor outbreaks! Good luck and I hope Roscoe is fungus-free in no time!
What considerations are made for when a male racing horse is gelded? We have one who acts like he was gelded late (who knows). He was never a huge stakes winner, but he won a few races and made a touch of money but not breeding material? (contributed by EN reader Adam Barb)
Gelding is a huge point of contention on the racetrack. Many owners, afflicted with delusions of grandeur, are often hell bent against gelding their “Kentucky Derby/Breeders Cup/Claiming Crown” winner. It is frustrating but it is a fact of the industry. It is also worth noting that many male trainers seemed opposed to gelding horses without due cause, just on principle. Lacking a set of cojones myself, I cannot empathize but it does seem to be a legitimate motivating factor in some cases. In my barn, if he doesn’t appear to be the next coming of Secretariat or Man O’ War, he will be a gelding in short order. Usually before ever even working a half. This is a because life as a stallion is a lonely, isolated, difficult existence that, for a herd animal, is akin to solitary imprisonment. The chief motivating factors for gelding, aside from providing a bright future, are that large testicles (as MOST horses have) often inhibit hind end movement (getting squished between thighs while running is obviously uncomfortable to them and they will usually let their rider know immediately with bouts of resistance, sour behavior, and a funny way of going behind), stallions often lack the ‘focus’ that most geldings exhibit with their minds on the mares next to them (though of course there are exceptions to every rule), and they are generally less tractable and most prone to injure themselves in creative and ridiculous ways with their raging hormones driving them onward. I have ridden many nice stallions and almost all of the young male Thoroughbreds that I start under saddle are intact colts. I have no personal aversion to them but I recommend to almost every one of my owners that their geld their colts as soon as possible for the betterment of everyone involved.
What would you say the difference is between a free OTTB and one the trainer’s asking for money for? Quality? Need to move the horse out? etc. etc.?? (contributed by EN reader Beate Schwirtlich)
Nothing in life is free! The “free horses” that I have acquired have all required various levels of investment from the insignificant to the major. However, many, many factors effect a trainers decision to move a horse on to another career and the price is often affected accordingly. If a racetrack is closing for the season, the fewer horses a trainer has to ship the better. If a horse is taking up a stall and not running well and the trainer has 10 babies at the farm that could all be his next big champion, expect a cheap horse. If a horse is obviously sore, expect a bottom basement price but vet it very, very thoroughly. Be advised the most concerning of free horses are the ones with behavior issues that make them difficult or impossible to race and may not be apparent until you are are their back 30 minutes from the nearest human being. Screen all OTTB’s both physically and psychologically before taking on a new project, either for free or for a price.
I do hope that some of my answers to the questions above been enlightening and even a little laughter-inducing. I encourage you (PLEASE! Even if you think they are stupid questions!) to send any further, horse-specific or general-knowledge questions to me via email ([email protected]) for more in-depth and on-point answer. The EN response has been great and I look forward to fielding more thought-provoking questions each week! Go Eventing and go gallop a former racehorse!
