Page 102 - Speedhorse July 2018

FUTURE SELECTION TOOLS
Some people conduct heart scans on sales prospects now, and there
will be other techniques available in the future that can aid buyers and breeders. “There will also be genetic testing,” says Peters. “Some of this
is already being done. We look at bloodlines, but eventually we may be looking at types of muscle fibers, or percentages of types of muscle fibers, to know if this horse is a sprinter or
a distance runner. We’ve done this a little already with selective breed- ing, but once genetic testing is more available and more refined, we will be looking at things like that to give us an indications of muscle make-up or weakness of bone tissue. We may be more able to predict some of this with genetic testing.
“With a better understanding
of the equine genome in the future, we may be selecting horses based on genetic markers for stamina, muscle types, laryngeal concerns, bone strength, tendon/ligament composi- tion, and a myriad of other character- istics that people desire. Some people are already looking at the genetic aspects of horses that are roarers or have a problem with their respiratory system. Researchers have isolated a gene, and there are ongoing studies looking at these things in Thorough- breds because they have found it in other breeds, including Belgian draft horses. Genetic testing may be com- monplace in the future. We can pull some blood and see if this horse has
a gene for more likely being a roarer, etc. Some of these things can be very important to that horse’s ability to run later in life.”
Most sales have repository x-rays on file, which can be looked at to see if any problems show up in the bones that do not show up clinically when the horse is examined.
built a little bit differently and may result in soundness issues later,” explains Peters.
Some horses may have bumps and bruises. “Those blemishes may have been a clinical problem at some point, but are now healed and solidified and will not cause a problem going forward. In many cases, we don’t want young horses to have bumps and bruises, especially racehorses because their career is short. We can’t afford for them to have much time off for healing, since that cuts into their earning ability in that short window,” he says.
CHECKING FOR PROBLEMS
“Most sales have repository x-rays on file,” Peters says. “During the pre-purchase exam, we look at those to see if any problems show up in the bones that are not showing up clinically when we look at the horse itself. There may be subtle changes associated with the sesamoid bones, little cysts in joints or osteochondral fragments. This may make us reconsider what we saw in our physical exam regarding the potential for that horse. The veterinarian may see something on those repository x-rays and want to re-shoot radio- graphs of that area for a different view.”
The veterinarian may also use an ultra- sound to check a joint. “It’s not unusual
for some of these babies to go to a sale and bang themselves,” he says. “They are in an unfamiliar environment for a short time with a lot of activity going on. They may get upset, get cast in the stall or jump in the air and kick out and hit themselves. If you are looking at a horse and there’s a soft tissue swelling, we can use ultrasound to determine if there is any damage or just a little bit of temporary swelling.”
RESPIRATORY TRACT EXAM
“Many of these young horses will be scoped and looked at in the barn alley at these sales,” Peters says. “This way, we can examine the respiratory tract and larynx. We look for changes that may cause a breathing problem later when these horses start train- ing and racing, as well as the size and shape of the larynx and any early indications of inflammation, irritation or abnormalities.
“With young racehorses, we generally don’t have the option to see them work-
ing at the level we’d need to see to know whether they will have noisy breathing or some hindrance of the respiratory system. So, we must scope them and make a projec- tion regarding whether the airway is large enough. Is the arytenoid cartilage abnor- mally shaped? We can look at this visually, or we may ultrasound the larynx to get some indication of problems that may not show up when the horse is just walking around.”
BLOODWORK
“We may also do bloodwork in a pre-pur- chase exam. If a horse looks a little unthrifty or not quite up to what he should be in your mind’s eye, we may pull some blood and check to see if there are any indications of problems. There is also some drug testing that can be done to look for things that shouldn’t be there,” Peters explains.
TWO-YEAR-OLD SALES AND TRAINING SALES
There are several advantages to evaluat- ing the slightly older horse, and you can get a little more indication of horses’ athletic ability because, by that time, they are
working and training. “We can watch them work or gallop and get an indication regard- ing ability and soundness if we can watch the horses perform and assess how they are moving, their running times, etc.,” Peters says. “This is an advantage if you want to try to predict what that horse will do once he gets into a full racing career.
“You can also watch their movement and biomechanics a little better to know how their feet and legs are moving and swinging. You can evaluate their efficiency of movement versus just watching them walk.
100 SPEEDHORSE, July 2018
EQUINE HEALTH