A Racehorse Of My Own

Thanks, Headstrong. If you can get your hands on a copy, I would be grateful. :)

I have read lots of info on various UK and oversea's websites, and I am still confused at what would be the best course of action for him. What on earth do other owners/trainers do in this situation? If BH is out for a year it wouldn't be the end of the world, bearing in mind his age, it's just knowing which treatment would be the best for him.
 
The new treatment Venusian (not stem cell but on similar lines and the one I need to find out more about from my local vet), I know costs about £3500.00 for front both legs of my friends horse. Pinfiring is a lot cheaper. I am sure it is less than £1000.00 but depends on vet etc. The stem cell treatment I am not sure but would probably (and I am guessing) would be nearer to £3000.00 than £1000.00.

I have to admit that I was awake most of last night thinking about BH (not waiting for Santa to arrive, honest) and his treatment. I really want to think that what ever decision I make will be the right one for him.
 
Kathy, I had another thought, I can recommend a vet who is holistic, uses diet and acupuncture with herbs and homeopathic to treat animals. He fixed Garrison Savannah who was a cripple before the Gold Cup and I was recommended him by several top trainers as well as Simon Earle who uses all kinds of holistic things on his horses.

Christopher Day, has his surgery in Faringdon, but travels to wherever you want him on various days a week, he would be happy to go to Brendans. He rescued a horse who was due to be put down on the track at Newbury and it lived out its days with him happily.

He treated a filly of ours who had put her back out at Wolverhampton and was more or less retired from racing due to that, but he helped us bring her back to race another season, and she is doing cross country now. He showed me exercises tro do with her and we carried them out to the letter.

Also treated a broodmare with a broken pedal bone, who could hardly walk and she has now foaled a colt and is in foal again jumping about the paddock. He advises about organic pasture and general diet for youngsters and horses in work. He is VERY outspoken. you need to give time to think about what he tells you - just tells it how it is - but he is a wise man.

Give him a call if you want to try alternative therapies alongside traditional ones - it all works together and speeds up healing process.

I can also recommend Bach Remedies, and I am qualified to treat if you want me to have a look at him.


Christopher Day
Alternative Vet Clinicv
Chinham House
Stanford in the Vale
Faringdon, Oxon
SN7 8NQ

01367 710324



He used to have a website - not sure if this still works or not, try

www.homeopathic-vet.com.alternativevet.org
 
Thanks, Isinglass. B)

Definitely another option to consider.

This forum never fails to amaze me at how willing people are to help and advise or just to read and learn.

Thank you!
 
With regards to the stem cell surgery my good friend has had experience of it.

Her mare injured her suspensory ligament quite badly and after a lot of thought and a lot of adding up the costs she decided to go ahead with it. She had been told of the treatment by another girl who had had fantastic results with her horse and put her in touch with the practising vet. It was shipped over to here, from i believe America. This was two years ago now and it was rather a new thing then with only one vet doing it in the North of Ireland. Well to cut a long story short her mare is now back out showjumping (the ground cannot be too soft nor too hard though)and has recovered 100% with no setbacks so far. When her final scan was done the vet even had to recheck the other leg to make sure he had got the correct leg scanned as it had healed so well, even he was amazed at the result! I know it is not always the case but with this mare it worked fantastically well. The after care is crucial as i'm sure your aware but it can work and is an option.
 
Originally posted by Kathy@Dec 25 2006, 05:46 PM
Thanks, Headstrong. If you can get your hands on a copy, I would be grateful. :)

I have read lots of info on various UK and oversea's websites, and I am still confused at what would be the best course of action for him.
Click to expand...
Will do Kathy. I should be able to photocopy the article on Wednesday, if so I'll pm you

Meanwhile here's a link to some alternative therapy pages on Simon Earle'swebsite
http://www.simonearleracing.com/index.asp?PageID=4

I know he is about to pioneer a new tendon therapy from Germany on one of his horses, I think there is something onthe site about it
If you're at Wincanton tomorrow I can introduce you, he's running Saucy Night
Everyone there will be only too glad to try to help - they are very proactive about spreading the word on what they do; and as they are near Warminster should be handy for you to visit

Nicky Henderson tried the new stem cell treatment on one ofthe Elite horses Roi de l'Odet - it might be worth emailing the yard to ask exactly how it went. I think he's about to come back into training - but I think they are not quite sure how it's gone yet; he's been out around a year
 
Thanks, Soba. That's really helpful. It's always so useful to speak to people that know of people or have first hand experience of the various treatments.

Headstrong, just read the article, thanks. I've got plenty more to think about now and a few more people to contact.
 
Con. anything from Germany I more than happy to help. Remember now that one of my trainers used stem cell therapy or something of that kind as well, and she recommended one vet over here, let us know if there is anything I can do. I remember though that she said that rather quick action and a "fresh" injury was relatively crucial to the success of the treatment.
 
Thanks, Cat.

I was invited (via Brendan) as a guest of the sponsors of three of the races at Wincanton today. The sponsors are also fairly big owner/breeders. They had a fanstastic win with Blaze Ahead trained by Brendan Powell today so there was more than a few bottles of champagne consumed. The day just got better and better ending in the fantastic win by West Ridge which paid £11.80 on the Tote. :D It was great to see Diminuendo who was working at Wincanton today and so pleased she was able to join us for a winning glass of champagne before we all went our seperate ways as it was the last race.

Anyway, the purpose of this addition to this thread was to say that having spoken to a few owners today, one (very) strongly recommended just turning Bay Hawk out into a field for a year and letting nature take it's course. This has happened to couple of theirs and they came back and won again.

A great day spent with some really nice people at a lovely, friendly course.
 
Kathy, Here is a link to my local college back home. This is info on tendon and ligament injury and how to treat. You might find it helpful.

Obviously you will get a zillion bits of advice from everyone, and it will all depend upon exactly what injury BH has sustained as to which will be better for him, how patient you are and how much money you want to spend. Probably many ways to deal with this, and everyone will have their favourite methods.

We have had success with horses turned out to heal too, but only if carefully watched as also have had some gallop about on a day when they were feeling great and injure their other leg. Caution advised with turn out.

http://www.vmth.ucdavis.edu/vmth/clientinf.../lausbroch.html
 
Thanks, Isinglass. I have to admit that I didn't realise how much things have moved on in the last 3-4 years with the treatment of tendon injuries. It's a great time for me to start learning though.
 
Also do bear in mind what it says in that article I referenced about 'doing nothing' - the x-rays on monitored horses seemed to show quicker degeneration than those fo rhorses being treated with whatever treatment.

It must be very hard to decide what to do - esp given the costs of treatment!
Glad you had a good day and that BP had a winner! I had a surprisingly sober day... :what:
 
Originally posted by Isinglass@Dec 26 2006, 09:01 PM
Kathy, Here is a link to my local college back home. This is info on tendon and ligament injury and how to treat. You might find it helpful.

Click to expand...
You are right, that info has been very useful, thank you, Isinglass. :)
 
We were chatting about this at Newbury on Friday, Trudi. Someone I know has a few horses in training and one of his mares had a leg. His vet told him he had scanned the bad leg and there was definitely a hole. When this chap looked at the scan and saw his horse, they had shaved the wrong leg. :blink: I am not sure if this is true but evidently most horses have a small amount of damage to their tendons and it is sometimes difficult to spot where the damage is. Probabably why they always prefer to treat both legs for treatments such as stemcell treatments. :) My vet half jokingly said there was no point sending me Gizzmo's scans when he did his tendon as they would tell me nothing.

By the way, has anyone anything good (or bad :what: ) to say about the Lambourn Rehabilitation Centre?
 
Originally posted by trudij@Dec 31 2006, 08:03 AM
and X-rays on tendon injuries wont show you anything at all..... ;)
Click to expand...
Scans rather... I'm not a vet, but I've seen the pictures!
 
Originally posted by Kathy@Dec 31 2006, 08:51 AM


By the way, has anyone anything good (or bad :what: ) to say about the Lambourn Rehabilitation Centre?
Click to expand...
Nicky Henderson uses it a lot, I think. Never heard anything bad about it
 
:lol: Tis one of the few things I can remember!!!
and yes - you often find "problems" on both if they're there on one.Half the time though the horses is perfectly ok and would go on for years quite happily!!

X-rays are the same though - if you have a horse vetted that is over £10,000 an insurance company will insist on Feet,fetlock,knee and hock x-rays before they will insure it.
You can almost guarantee that most horses have some form of bony changes in at least one set of those joints,and as for the amount of navicular holes you find by chance - they all have to be reported, and Quel Suprise - the insurance companies say "sorry - we arent insuring for xyz as there are changes on x-ray" DESPITE the horse being completely sound!!

In all the time i was at the vets i never got my head round scans though - I can tell you a hole, and the suspensory ligament when you get low enough for it to split, but as for which one is kidney shaped, which one is the circle and the rest.... all complete gobbledygook and look like aliens to me!!
 
Back
Top