News from Blue Ridge Equine Clinic

Stage 3: Fall off horse. Use sleeve of shirt to stanch bleeding. Have friend help you get back on horse. Take two Advil and apply ice packs when you get home. Ride next day.

Stage 4: Fall off horse. Refuse advice to call 911; drive self to urgent care clinic. Entertain staff with tales of previous daredevil stunts on horseback. Back to riding before cast comes off.

Stage 5: Fall off horse. Forget name of horse and husbanc. Flirt shamelessly with paramedics. Spend week in hospital having titanium pins screwed in place. Start riding again before doctor agrees.

Stage 6: Fall off horse. Fail to see humor when hunky paramedic says, "You again?" Gain firsthand knowledge of advances in medical technology thanks to stint in ICU. Convince self that permanent limp isn't that noticeable. Promise husband you'll give up riding. One week later, purchase older, slower horse.

Stage 7: Slip off horse. Relieved when artificial joints and implanted devices seem unaffected. Tell husband that scrapes and bruises are due to gardening accident. Pretend you don't see husband roll eyes and mutter as he walks away. Give apple to horse.

Borrowed from BCHA Newsletter. Author unknown but obviously well versed in riding addiction.

New Additions to the BREC Family!

"Darla" Belford

Darla Belford

"Sassy" Huffman

"Scotty" & "Darla" Belford

belford babies

Meg and "Finn" Jones

Meg's foal

Becky Forbes & Cold Cat

winning the $1,000 William

E. Croll Memorial Jumper Stake at the March 2011 Thoroughbred Celebration Show

OTTB Becky Forbes

Guest Bartender

Dr. Donovan Dagner

will be serving drinks to benefit the Charlottesville Area Riding Therapy program at Siips on Thursday, June 23

Congratulations

to Alisa Berry and Resilient of Jason Berry Stables

currently leading A/O 18-35 in VHSA and ranked 3rd nationally!

EHV-1 Risks & Precautions
The concern over the recent EHV-1 outbreak is certainly justified, and gives us a good opportunity to review best practices to keep our horses safe. The EHV-1 virus, including the neurologic form, has been around for decades, is easily transmitted from horse to horse, and can be deadly.

* Is there a vaccine? Yes and no. There are vaccines (Calvenza, Prodigy, Rhinomune, and Pneumabort) for the EHV-1 respiratory and abortion forms, which are more common than the neurologic form. The neurologic form is a variant of the virus and there is no vaccine labeled for it. We don't know if there is any cross-reactivity between other EHV vaccines in preventing the neurologic form. Many of the horses that got the neurologic form of the disease had been vaccinated.

* How do you prevent it? The key to prevention is quick action on the part of horse owners who have potentially infected horses. If you have a horse that has traveled/shown in a location that is of concern, quarantine your horse and call your veterinarian if any clinical signs develop: fever, respiratory or neurologic signs develop: incoordination, weakness, dribbling urine, etc.).

* Is it safe to show your horse? It is a good idea to check the status of a show location with your veterinarian and show managers. The fact is that the recent outbreak has thus far been contained west of the Mississippi and veterinary officials from the USDA have been closely monitoring and implementing strict measures to contain the spread of the virus. That being said, it is always advisable to practice good horse hygiene: do not share buckets, feed tubs, water troughs, pitchforks, manure buckets or let horses touch noses, share stalls, etc. when away from home.

Thanks to Dr. Julia Hecking for the information in this article

Soft Tissue Injuries of the Stifle

The stifle joint of the horse is a very large, complex structure. The stifle is composed of three individual joints determined by the bones that join there. The femur (the large bone in the upper leg) and the tibia (a smaller bone below it) communicate via the femorotibial joints medial (inside) and lateral (outside). The patella, or kneecap, communicates with the femur via the femoral-patella joint. These joints make up the stifle.

The quadriceps muscle is the large muscle in the front of the thigh. It is attached to the kneecap in humans by one thick ligament, and the kneecap is attached to the tibia, the lower leg bone, by another thick ligament. Horses have three patella ligaments that do the same job, and these three ligaments make the horse's stifle stronger. This also allows the horse to lock its leg while standing by shifting its weight and rotating its patella so that one of the ligaments locks over a ridge on the femur. This enables the horse to hold itself up using a minimum of energy, and even enables the animal to sleep while standing.

Unfortunately, this system doesn't always work correctly. Horses that are born with very straight, upright back legs and horses with poor quadriceps muscling sometimes have stifles that lock, but which suddenly can't be released. This condition can range from the very subtle-the horse shows a slight hitch to its gait, especially when going downhill-to the severe, with the leg locked out behind the horse, completely unbendable. Treatment for this condition, called upward fixation of the patella, varies, from exercise-often working up and down gentle slopes or injecting either into the femoropatellar joint or the patellar ligaments.

The stifle has many ligaments that provide structural stability. There are the collateral ligaments on the inside and the outside of the stifle that keep the leg from excessive bending in either direction. In the center of the stifle joint are two large crossing ligaments. They attach to the femur and tibia and form an X inside the joint. These are the cruciate ligaments, and they also keep the leg from bending excessively. Because the stifle is a large joint carrying a lot of weight, it needs some additional means of distributing the forces placed upon it. There are two thick pieces of C-shaped fibrocartilage between the ends of the femur and the tibia that act as additional shock absorbers. These are the menisci, which stabilize the joint. They are important in reducing wear and tear on the cartilage surface of the joint.

All of these structures (collateral and patellar ligaments, menisci) can be damaged. Damage can occur acutely secondary too a fall or a kick or can be more chronic from overloading stress and strain. Damage to any of these structures will cause inflammation and swelling of the stifle joint. Complete tears of the ligament are rare, but if it occurs there is a high degree of lameness. Incomplete tears or strain on the ligaments results in varying degrees of lameness and swelling. Because of the complexity of the joint, often time more than just one structure is involved.

Soft tissue injuries of the stifle can be difficult diagnose. We typically take radiographs to rule out any bony problems. Ultrasound is of benefit in evaluating ligaments and the menisci. Arthroscopic surgery is also extremely valuable in evaluating and treating these problems. In the future, as less invasive procedures such as CAT scans and MRIs become available for horses, we may be able to look into the horse's stifle.

Soft tissue injuries of the stifle can be career ending and often result is horses decreasing their level of athleticism. Newer treatment such as platelet rich plasma (PRP) .. stem cell and bone marrow aspirate concentrate (BMAC) may also be of great benefit in the treatment of the soft tissue injuries of the stifle.

Arthroscopic view of cranial cruciate ligament. Black arrow indicates tearing of multiple fibers of the cranial cruciate ligament

Help your Mare have a Safe Delivery

If your mare has made it through 11 months of pregnancy, you're almost home free. Labor and delivery, while momentous, are generally uneventful. In most cases, you will simply need to be a quiet observer - if, that is, you are lucky enough to witness the birth. Mares seem to prefer to foal at night in privacy, and apparently have some control over their delivery. Because most mares foal without difficulty, it is usually best to allow the mare to foal undisturbed and unassisted.

What you can do, however, is prepare your mare for a safe and successful delivery. Follow these suggestions from the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) to help the new mother and baby get off to a great start:

* Write down your veterinarian's phone number well in advance of the birth and keep it by all phones.

* Keep a watch or clock on hand so you can time each stage of labor. When you're worried or anxious, your perception of time becomes distorted. The watch will help you keep accurate track of the mare's progress during labor.

* Wrap the mare's tail with a clean wrap when you observe the first stage of labor. Be sure that the wrap is not applied too tightly or left on too long, as it can cut off circulation and permanently damage the tail.

* Wash the mare's vulva and hindquarters with a mild soap and rinse thoroughly.

* Clean and disinfect the stall area as thoroughly as possible and provide adequate bedding.

* Consider using test strips that measure calcium in mammary secretions to help predict when the mare will foal. Sudden increases in calcium are associated with imminent foaling. If a mare is taking longer than thirty minutes to deliver the foal, call your veterinarian immediately.

For more information on labor, delivery and postpartum care for the mare and foal, ask your equine veterinarian for a copy of the "Foaling Mare and Newborn" client education brochure, provided by the AAEP in partnership with Educational Partner Bayer Animal Health. Additional information can be found on www.myHorseMatters.com, the AAEP's web site for all horse health topics.

Reprinted with permission from the American Association of Equine Practitioners

Spotlight on the Thoroughbred Celebration Horse Show Series....

The show series began in 2009, when Chris Kelly, Operations Manager at the Virginia Horse Center, and Anne Russek, a Rockbridge County racing trainer and passionate OTTB supporter, created this horse show in hopes of promoting the secondary careers of Off the Track Thoroughbreds.

They developed a show schedule that accomodated re-trained Thoroughbred ex-racers on many different levels. There are classes geared toward horses in their first or second years of showing over fences, as well as classes for more seasoned competitors. There are Pleasure, Hunter and Jumper classes, as well as the Fasig-Tipton Model Class. Special awards are given to the "Horse Most Recently Off the Track", "Horse Most Recently Adopted", and "Horse Most Recently Rescued". As each horse enters the ring, a bio is read so spectators can appreciate each horse's history in racing. The show proudly offers two stakes classes at each show: the $1,000 After the Finish Line Hunter Stake and the $1,000 Jumper Stake. Each show holds a silent auction to benefit After the Finish Line www.afterthefinishline.org.

There were two shows offered in 2009, and the response was so overwhelming that the VHC decided to offer a third event to the series in 2010. After continued great support and turnout, the 2011 series will offer three days of competition at each of its three shows. The focus of these shows is truly the exceptional Thoroughbred athletes that enter the ring.

Blue Ridge Equine Clinic was an original sponsor of the series in 2009 and is pleased to continue its support for the 2011 series.

Many thanks to Krista Hodgkin, Outreach Director for the Virginia Horse Center, for her contribution to this article.

Thank You!!

We appreciate your valued business, referrals and friendship. Please don't hesitate to call if we may be of help with any questions or concerns. Please send us any feedback, topic suggestions, or updates you'd like included in future newsletters: anne@blueridgeequine.com

Blue Ridge Equine Clinic

(434)973-7947 or (540)460-5702