AAEP Convention 2005: Lameness in Racehorses

Inconsistencies in racetrack surfaces account for a large number of lamenesses in racehorses, said Jeff Blea, DVM, of the Southern California Equine Foundation in Arcadia, Calif., during the Lameness in Racehorses Forum held at the 51st Annual

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Inconsistencies in racetrack surfaces account for a large number of lamenesses in racehorses, said Jeff Blea, DVM, of the Southern California Equine Foundation in Arcadia, Calif., during the Lameness in Racehorses Forum held at the 51st Annual AAEP Convention, in Seattle, Wash., Dec. 3-7, 2005. “Even though they are at the same track, the consistency of the surface can change every day.”


Blea said footing inconsistencies can strain and injure the horse’s tendons. “If you go out jogging, you don’t have any trouble jogging on grass or on asphalt,” Blea explained. “But if you run along the curb, where grass and asphalt alternate, you’ll have problems. Now add a layer of dirt on top of that so you can’t see it and imagine what that does to your legs. That’s what it feels like for these horses to run on an inconsistent track. Inconsistencies in track footing are what get horses hurt.”


A member of the audience suggested the use of Polytrack surface (polypropylene fibers, recycled rubber, and silica sand covered in a wax coating) such as that recently installed at Turfway Park in Kentucky would solve the problem with less maintenance.


“The Polytrack is probably a good thing, but we just have to wait and see what happens in the next couple of years,” Blea said. “Remington (in Oklahoma City) used another type of Polytrack that consisted of silicon coated sand. At first, trainers loved it. But after the third year, they hated it. The silicon binders that coated the sand had begun to break down. It was like running on pure sand

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Written by:

Chad Mendell is the former Managing Editor for TheHorse.com .

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