| From The Horses Mouth |
The affects of the Equine Influenza virus have been well documented through all forms of the media. Thoroughbred horse racing has taken centre stage with the loss of jobs and uncertainty throughout the industry not to mention the shortfall in revenue right across the board. At the other end of the spectrum are the many thousands of Australians who ride horses purely for pleasure. I am thinking mostly about the children who have had there recreation and competition taken away from them. Recently I heard of a novel idea that still allows events to take place without threatening to spread the equine influenza virus. Pony clubs are having member's video tape dressage events at the owner's property and sending them to a judge by an agreed date. The judge views the tape makes his or her decision and finally mails the ribbons out to the winners. A fantastic way to keep children enthused about there sport particularly during a lull, whoever came up with the idea definitely deserves a pat on the back. Happy Racing The Aquanita Team |
| Staff Profile |
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This is the first in a series of veterinary articles written and supplied by Kensington Banks Equine Services. We will aim to discuss some of the current veterinary problems that affect the racehorse and allow you the owner to understand the problems better. One of the most common pieces of gear added to a racehorse is the tongue tie. Ever wondered why we use them? What do they do? What indication is there to use it? Well we hope to explain why we use them in racehorses. The reason for using them is if a horse has a tendency to displace the soft palate in the throat. Horses that have a tendency to displace their soft palate will often race well and then stop suddenly, swallow and then return to their normal racing pace. Some jockeys will report that the horse pulled up making a gurgling noise. This is the vibration of the soft palate as the horse breaths in and out. The horse is different from us in that they can only breathe through their nose. They are unable to breath properly through their mouth. When the soft palate displaces in the larynx the result is that the epiglottis drops below the soft palate. When the horse then breathes in, the soft palate is pulled upwards and reduces the size of the airway. Conversely when the horse breathes out the soft palate will obstruct the air out also. As you can imagine the horse when galloping is moving an incredible amount of air with each breath and any reduction in the airway size will reduce the performance of the horse. The epiglottis is attached to the back of the tongue, so the thinking behind the tongue tie is to tie the tongue forward and as a result pull the epiglottis forward and reduce the chances of displacement. This may reduce the chances of the horse displacing his soft palate and allowing the air to move freely. Another piece of gear that has been added to some horses is the Cornell Collar. This is used also for dorsal displacement of the soft palate similar to the tongue tie. This piece of equipment pushes the larynx upwards also and as a result pushes the epiglottis forward and helps prevent the displacement of the soft palate. We hope this has helped you understand the use of the tongue tie and hence the condition of dorsal displacement of the soft palate. If you have any queries regarding this condition please do not hesitate to contact me either via email: info@kensingtonbanks.com.au or phone 03 9573 3730. Dr Mike Tweedie Kensington Banks Equine Services |
On the biggest stage, two of Aquanita's Racing biggest star's shone brightly. The pair were rewarded for there race track deeds at the 2007 Australian Racehorse of the Year & Hall of Fame Dinner at Royal Randwick in late November. Aquanita trainers took out two of the twelve awards, with the Robert Smerdon-trained Some Are Bent winning the Jumper of the Year award and Tony Vasil's classy galloper Haradasun winning the Three-Year-Old Colts & Geldings category. The regally bred Haradasun raced nine times as a three- year old winning five races with the highlights being his back to back wins in the Group 1 George Ryder Stakes at Rosehill followed by the Group 1 Doncaster Handicap nine days later on Easter Monday. Some Are Bent was the standout performer over the winter racing season in Melbourne. His efforts had people digging through the record books and more importantly returning to the races. He created an atmosphere and level of interest not seen in jumping circles for many years. His feature wins included the Galleywood, Houlahan, and Lachal Hurdles before adding the grueling Grand National Hurdle. Despite his punishing schedule he switched to the big sticks for an outstanding win in the MacDonald Steeplechase. His only defeat for the season came in the Hiskens Steeple where as a tired horse he finished third. Haradasun is set to fly to Ireland for the stables of leading international trainer Aiden O'Brien. O'Brien trainer for the Coolmore breeding and racing empire will attempt to gain a northern hemisphere Group 1 win with Haradasun. No such travel plans exist for Some Are Bent; he will stay in Melbourne for another tilt at the winter jumps features. |
• In the coming weeks look out for changes to the website. Our award winning site is currently going through an upgrade to feature more information about Aquanita Racing. The site will retain all the features that owners are used to and will be simple to navigate. • The spring racing carnival went through without a hitch for which we must all be thankful. Racing Victoria and the race clubs deserve credit for the way they have dealt with the issues of Equine Influenza in what is the busiest time of year for them. • With 2007 fast drawing to a close we look to the year ahead with great optimism and belief that 2008 will be a fantastic year. Aquanita will commemorate its tenth year in operation and more importantly we will train our 2000th winner, a fantastic achievement and one worth celebrating. |
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Highlights • From The Horses Mouth • October Winners • Staff Profile • Around the Tracks
October Winners He's Latin Geelong, 1700m 04/10/07 Calumet Geelong, 1400m 04/10/07 Fontajeune Hamilton, 1600m 05/10/07 Spinning Lady Ballarat, 1100m 10/10/07 He's Latin Moe, 2050m 18/10/07 Montoya Hamilton, 1200m 22/10/07 Cockpit Geelong, 1100m 24/10/07 Pelican Head Cranbourne, 1400m 25/10/07 First Drinks Ballarat, 1600m 26/09/07 General Appeal Ballarat, 1200m 26/10/07 Liquefy Murtoa, 2050m 27/10/07 Calumet Werribee, 1600m 31/10/07 Barwon Express Werribee, 1100m 31/10/07 Thanks to Racing & Sports and Slickpix for use of images in the Aquanita Form guide Slickpix TVN Authorised Racing Photographer Contact: Ross Holburt (03) 9354 5754 www.slickpix.com.au Racing and Sports Thoroughbred racing, breeding, form guides and sporting news. Contact: Gary Crispe (02) 6288 4080 www.racingandsports.com.au If you are interested in advertising in the Aquanita Form guide please contact Sam on (03) 9573 3744 or via e-mail sam@aquanita.com.au E-Mail: sam@aquanita.com.au Web Site: www.aquanita.com.au |