ESTEEMED veterinary surgeon Professor Sidney Ricketts held centre-stage at last week’s Irish Thoroughbred Breeders’ Association autumn/winter veterinary lecture, chaired by the ITBA’s veterinary advisor Des Leadon.

Mark MacRedmond of Anglesey Lodge Equine Hospital gave the opening presentation, discussing the veterinary requirements for selling racehorses to Hong Kong.

The limited horse population of 1,250 horses there means that only 400-450 horses are sold into Hong Kong every year.

Although only approximately 15-20 Irish horses are sold to Hong Kong each year they have a record of performing well over there, according to MacRedmond, who gave the example of a race meeting at Sha Tin where Irish horses represented 20% of the winners and placed horses out of 10 races.

The veterinary examination horses need to pass before being accepted into Hong Kong is often perceived as very stringent. MacRedmond used personal experience to explain how the process works and what can cause a horse to fail the exam.

One of the primary functions of the exam is to eliminate any horses with underlying problems before exportation. It is not simply done on a pass/fail basis. There is a large grey area where horses are deemed clinically sound and healthy to race but it is up to the prospective new owner to decide whether any potential issues discovered by the veterinary exam are going to impact on the horse’s performance. Potential issues are graded low to moderate.

For instance, a horse may have a small chip or had a previous surgery and still be accepted. However, any lameness, laminitis, blindness in one eye or tendon damage all deem a horse unsuitable for export to Hong Kong. Compulsory blood tests must also be carried out on horses heading there.

BARREN MARES

Professor Sidney Ricketts is currently a veterinary advisor to the TBA in Britain and to the Alborada Trust, an equine welfare charity founded by Kirsten Rausing. He is also a consultant to leading equine veterinary practice Rossdales, and to others in the fields of equine stud medicine and pathology.

Combining his own veterinary experience with Weatherbys’ statistics and recent developments in veterinary medicine, Professor Ricketts spoke for over an hour on how best to get mares, especially barren mares, into optimum breeding condition.

Professor Ricketts emphasised the importance of the autumn barren mare examinations. He said new breeding mares, mares that have been rested, and any mare that ended up barren at the end of the breeding season, should have this exam.

Some mares are retired after the exam. Others are treated, rested, re-examined and rested again for three months so they are ready for next season.

Professor Ricketts has adapted the ‘no foot, no horse’ motto to ‘no vulva, no foal’. He spoke at length about the importance of correct care of the vulva, especially correct stitching. Although the vulva heals quickly it is not always treated correctly and can cause further problems down the line.

The 2017 Weatherbys statistics show that the live foal rate to be 87.7% and the barren mare rate has dropped to 8.6%. Professor Ricketts was pleased with the continued improvement in these rates but urged vets “to get to know each mare individually and diagnose as an individual.”

A number of steps can be taken during the breeding season to keep mares in optimum condition, according to Professor Ricketts. They include examinations during oestrus to minimise coverings per oestrus period, pre and after service checks, and ovulation checks.

ARTIFICIAL LIGHT

The benefits of artificial lighting during the breeding season was touched on by Professor Ricketts. Dr Barbara Murphy from UCD expanded on this in her lecture on understanding light for optimal breeding efficiency.

Dr Murphy explained how specific cells absorb light which help to set every horses’ daily rhythms, including hormonal rhythms. Horses need at least six hours of undisturbed darkness or red light in order to regulate melatonin levels. Melatonin regulations the immune system.

She recommends that florescent lights are used as little as possible as they have the least amount of blue light needed by horses. Using red lights was recommended, especially if lights are being turned on in a barn at night time.