Kentucky International Equine Summit Ends With Essential Call for Unity Within the Industry

By Lauren Greathouse

The Wellbeing of the Competitive Horse

Communication between the equine and man has always been a mystery. Although it is not in a horse’s genetic makeup to verbally communicate, they “speak” to us all the time. This concept was a common theme throughout all four of today’s panels on the Wellbeing of the Competitive Horse.

Dr. Catherine Kohn, VMD, from the Ohio State University in Columbus, OH, acknowledged people who know horse language have special importance in future equine research. “We need to identify the relevant problems to research,” said Kohn during the panel on “Equine Research: State of the Field.” “But we need bright, intelligent, creative people that work with horses daily and know the problems they experience in order to identify them.”

When Keeneland Race Track installed Polytrack in 2006, it became the third North American facility to transition to this synthetic surface. The reason for the change was revealed during the session on “The Safety of Horses: A Long-Term View.”

“We felt the safety of the horse and rider was not coming first and that was unacceptable,” Nick Nicholson, President of Keeneland, said. “You need to listen to the horse and do what’s best for him. It’s a tenet that is not used enough in this business.”

During the same session, Bill Casner, co-owner of WinStar Farm in Versailles, KY, concurred with Nicholson, but added some personal insight. “Horses that have faulty conformation just float over a synthetic surface,” Casner explained. “It is very forgiving and provides young horses with a chance to work through their issues because it allows their bones to remodel. The horse is telling us that he likes this kind of surface and we need to listen.”

In the panel “Veterinary Research on Equine Athletes,” Dr. Mary Scollay-Ward, Association Veterinarian at Calder Race Course and Gulfstream Park said a horse’s body language usually indicates a predisposition to catastrophic injury.

“With most catastrophic injuries, horses do tell you by exhibiting some sort of sign,” Scollay-Ward said. “Except condylar fractures. In my experience, they usually occur in three-year-olds that are moving quickly through their conditions and forward in their training but there are no outward signs.”

Charlie Hutton, a speaker for the “Experience, Compassion and Handling of the Horse,” owns Hilldale Farm in Princeton, KY, and primarily trains reining horses. In his opinion, the key to equine safety is good horsemanship.

“You have to always listen to the horse,” Hutton said. “Horses are creatures of routine and if they act differently than they normally do, there is almost always something wrong. I rode a horse yesterday that seemed tired and was working to get through the ride. I knew something was off and sent him to the vet this morning.”

For more information about the Kentucky International Equine Summit, please visit www.kyequinesummit.com.