RACEHORSE BOOK NA TRAINER ISSUE 34_Jerkins feature.qxd 23/10/2014 01:49 Page 2
BOOK REVIEW
Valuable veterinary information at your fingertips The Thoroughbred racing industry is now more than ever a global affair, with technology, transport and communication links having a profound effect on racing and breeding activities, as well as the veterinary advances that support them. In his new book, The Racehorse: A Veterinary Manual, by leading equine veterinary practitioner, Pieter H L Ramzan, BVSc(Sydney), MRCVS provides a practical and objective source of veterinary information, pertinent to the Thoroughbred racehorse, that is accessible not only to the racehorse clinician but also others within the industry, who will find it a useful, if not indispensable, reference work.
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WORDS: HARRIET SCOTT
HILE there are several excellent texts available on equine orthopaedics and sports medicine, information relating to the racehorse is fragmented and often contradictory, failing to take into account the practicalities of management peculiar to the racing industry. Ramzan has consciously created a text based more on evidence than anecdote. However, as much of what the equine clinician does is derived empirically, there is often no scientifically validated ‘best way’ to treat conditions. Here, rather than simply transcribe the received wisdoms of Newmarket racing practice, every effort has been made to build a reference manual from a scientific base by reviewing not just the published equine and human sports medicine literature but also incorporating shared experience accumulated over generations in equine veterinary practice. As far as possible the text has been made relevant to all major racing jurisdictions, not just the United Kingdom and Europe.
This work draws together those conditions that might reasonably be encountered in the day-to-day management of a racing yard in a clear, well-illustrated format. Orthopaedic injury necessarily accounts for the major part of the book, however, topics as diverse as rehabilitation periods and prognosis, respiratory medicine, exercise physiology and ‘herd health’ adds to the wealth of information included, spanning the full range of fields relevant to the clinician, trainer and owner. With the sales upon us, we have taken an excerpt the ‘Selection of a racehorse’, covering every possible problem or condition that a buyer may encounter, whether as a yearling or two-year-old.
Selection of a racehorse Pre-purchase examinations vary in content with type of animal, intended purpose and client demands, and may comprise any combination of physical inspection, assessment of airway function, radiographic and ultra-sonographic imaging and blood analysis. Examination of horses for private sale typically follows the recognized standard
of ‘five-stage’ inspection encompassing preand post-exercise phases (+/- supplementary diagnostic imaging), while examination in the context of public auctions typically has a curtailed examination depending on type of horse and circumstances of sale.
Pass or fail? The pre-purchase examination represents a ‘risk assessment’ of the potential for a horse not to fulfil the particular purpose for which it is being considered. Every purchasing client has different perceptions of risk and what is acceptable to one buyer may ‘fail’ for another. Criteria for horses purchased (‘pinhooked’) specifically for public or private resale at a future date must necessarily be more stringent than for horses bought primarily for racing. Acceptability of orthopaedic conditions that require some patience in handling or that may necessitate medication to maintain soundness is determined largely by the client’s requirements. It is therefore important for the clinician to establish clearly the purpose for which the horse is being bought and the level of acceptable risk. Significance of clinical and
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