READERS FORUM
Dear BYRH,
Enclosed is a check for one year's subscription to the newsletter. I have also enclosed a copy of a letter I received in 1986 which may be of interest to you and your readers. At the time this letter was written, Kevin Boniface was assistant trainer to his father, Bill Boniface, the breeder and trainer of the 1983 Preakness Stakes Winner, Deputed Testimony.
While stationed in England as a United States Marine, Bill Boniface studied the training methods used there, namely training at home or at a training center and shipping in to race. He then came back to his farm in Maryland and put what he had learned into practice. I am sure the high point of his career as a trainer was Deputed Testimony's classic win in his home state of Maryland.
It should be remembered that turf racing is the only surface raced over in Ireland, England and the European continent. Because of this fact race meets are conducted at many different racetracks, but only for short periods of time-3 or 4 days- so as not to totally destroy the turf surface. Training at home and shipping in to race is the norm over there, not the exception.
Jeffrey K. Bonn
Summerfield, Florida
We have come across some horses that indeed do show nervousness when shipping. Here at Bonita, we ship mainly on the day of the race with few exceptions. For example, we ship the night before to New York and Monmouth; and a few days before when shipping or flying greater distances. With a nervous horse, this seems to help even when shipping close distances. Shipping the day before alots time for the horse to recuperate after reaching the track. Also we will send a man to ride in the back with a horse because human affection does make a big difference. Furthermore, if we notice a horse travels better one time with a partner, then we will ship that horse with a pony. Horses sometimes will ship much better in a trailer, air shock van, or spring van. We will match the horse with the type of transportation he or she likes most. Sometimes a horse will prefer a box stall to the smaller single stall. We do realize it takes a few times to catch these helpful hints, but a trail and error procedure will help.
In many ways, vanning does help a great deal. We do agree not all horses benefit from shipping, but we find that the majority will increase circulation when shipping and blood flows more easily to the legs helping to prepare for the upcoming race. Most horses will then realize why they are there and what they are expected to do. Also, one can draw a horse from any food when shipping. In closing, I would like to share a story with you my father always told me. Frank Whitely, Sr. once had a good stake horse that never ran his race unless he shipped. So when Mr. Whitely trained at the track where his horse was to run, he would load the horse and ship him for three hours around the city, then return to the track prepared to run a good race.
Kevin Boniface
Assistant Trainer
Bonita Farm, Darlington, Md
Thank you, Jeffrey, for sharing your letter...and a special thanks to Kevin for giving us permission to share his views! You see...shipping in is no big deal....horses learn and adapt to many different circumstances. Let's get rid of the stigma that it is not as good as being at the track. Either way can work!--Editor
Dear BYRH,
I've known Janet for almost a year now. She sent me a copy of BACKYARD RACE HORSE. I knew the industry needed this book. We decided to put it in our catalog last year and due to so many calls, I decided to go to Janet's seminar in Oklahoma City last year. If my racehorse customers were so excited about this book, then I had to know more. Last month , I had the opportunity to visit Janet at Rancho Del Castillo. I was really looking forward to this visit to see firsthand how all this worked. Yes, there really is a lake, an orange grove, and starting gates at the bottom of the hill. She really does keep her shavings in the middle aisle of the barn.
The real reason for my excitement was that Janet had offered to let me work on one of her horses. I have been a Certified Equine Sports Massage Therapist for about a year and was in Florida to attend Don Doran's Sports Massage School. I have massaged horses that even though performing well and in relatively good condition, still have muscle soreness and tenseness that is easily felt. Well, I couldn't wait to get my hands on this horse and especially just two days after a race. My associate, Ellen Brown, assisting me in evaluating this horse, kept thinking we were doing something wrong and maybe were missing something. After all, some horses inherently will guard injuries and muscle tenseness. This horse was relatively free of the muscle spasms we see after a hard race and had the most consistency of tone of any horse I have worked on before or since that day. How could that be??? Well, I guess you'll have to read the book!
Bennie Jean Kuehnle
Equine Research, Inc.
Well, that letter was a nice surprize...it is a nice to see rational training and horsekeeping pay off!--Editor
Dear BYRH
This letter is intended to express our gratitude to your publication for reinforcing so well the philosophy which we believe guides our inter actions with our horses, i.e., prepare them in a sane, drug-free, reasonable way to perform the tasks we ask of them , take them to the track as sound, well-conditioned individuals, and then do everything in our power to insure that, whether they are winners or not, we bring them away from the track in as sound a condition as possible. Our personal goal is to be certain that all of our horses end their track careers fit enough to begin another career. We're not naive, we do recognize the risks inherent in racing , but we believe that the guidance and information your publication provides will help us decrease those risks. In the long run, the more trainers and owners who recognize and act upon this shared responsibility to the animals we use, the more the risks to the racing industry itself, such as public animosity and hostile legislation, are decreased.
We also thought some of your readers might find the information in the enclosed article by Rick Augustine to be interesting. It was published in the January issue of THE ARABIAN FINISH LINE, the magazine for the Arabian racing industry. The article, entitled, "What's this going to Cost Me?", compares the general costs of showing your "backyard" four-legged friend to the estimated cost for racing. Even though Mr. Augustine is not dealing with the concept of "shipping in" or of doing any of the training yourself, the economics favor racing...to say nothing of the thrill.
So keep spreading the word, keep that support network in place, and keep up the good work. We'll see you soon at the track!
Pamela Fullerton
and Rand Glass
Resolute Farm, Hamburg, WI
It is great to know there are so many horse owners willing to learn and try sensible ways of training. Keep up the input and most importantly, the Networking that will help us all endure in this difficult and challenging Sport! The article follows on the next page!--Editor
Dear BYRH
I had owned and worked with horses most of my life and was interested in learning about racing. I thought what better way to learn than work for the vets at the racetrack.
The diagnostic work was interesting. When young horses had persistent coughs we would examine them endoscopically and often find pharngitis and or guttural pouch disorders. We would get calls after a race to scope a horse to see if it had bled.
Not often would a day go by that we didn't radiograph a horse. Sometimes for routine pre-purchase exams, to check knees to be sure they were closed, but most often to diagnose a lameness problem. When a horse broke down in the morning or during a race they were always X-rayed before any decisions were made. When a horse was having a problem with a tendon or ligament, they were often ultrasounded to determine the severity of the injury. We would pull bloods samples and run a CBC or a Blood Chemistry that could explain a horses' poor form.
Occasionally we would treat horses with injuries due to catastrophic accidents that happened in a race or during exercise in the morning, or sometimes if a horse got loose on the backside.
For the most part, though, the job was very routine. In the afternoon the medications were drawn up and we would go from barn to barn administering them. Coming from a farm background I was not familiar with all of the medications that were used. I was also surprised at how routinely drugs were given. Patterns became apparent of the MEDS use with individual trainers; the drugs of choice differing from trainer to trainer. I was unable to observe the cause or effect but assumed that they were indicated. The long term effects of these drugs were never discussed.
The rapport between the vets and the trainers was much different than what I was used to. It was seldom that the trainer would ask for or the vet would give advise. Most often the trainer would just tell the vet what MED to give to what horse.
In retrospect I feel many of the trainers did not realize the long term effects of these drugs but I feel there also were those who did.
It was only after I got into the business of racing myself and read your book that the long term effects of these drugs became clear to me. In the two years I worked with the vets, I seldom heard any mention of the danger of breakdown possible when using corticosteroids intramuscularly over a period of time. I didn't realize that prerace treatments with these drugs would weaken bone (by inhibiting calcium absorbsion and by making the bone less dense) and weaken soft tissue. Perhaps this could be causing weaker tendons and ligaments which are soft tissue as well. The "ask the Vet" column in your last newsletter had a good discussion about these medications.
There is alot of discussion about the decline of soundness in race horses today. Comparisons between horses racing now and over 20 years ago show that our horses raced longer and stayed sounder years ago than they do now. In my mind the major difference in that time frame was the introduction of anabolic and corticosteroids. The racing industry doesn't seem to want to acknowledge this issue. I am grateful you wrote your book and started this newsletter. Perhaps if I had read it sooner my own horses' racing career could have been salvaged.
A Friend in the Northeast
I'm sorry about the breakdown of your horse. With what you have learned, your horses should now run well into the future! Good Luck--Editor