Revisiting The Racehorse - Conference Report

To celebrate the first year at our new site, Newmarket Equine Hospital held a veterinary course entitled 'Revisiting the Racehorse' on 23rd and 24th September.  The course was attended by over 60 leading veterinary surgeons from across the UK and including delegates from as far afield as Dubai, South Africa and even New Zealand.  The course covered the current concepts in the veterinary care of the Thoroughbred racehorse and had gathered together leading experts in their respective fields from North America, Dubai, Hong Kong and the UK.  The course was opened by the leading trainer and veterinary surgeon, Mark Johnston, who gave a presentation entitled 'What a trainer expects from a veterinary surgeon'. 

Mark Johnston also contributed to the active discussions following various lectures.  Topics covered included intra-articular medication in the racehorse, a very topical subject, and Professor Tim Morris of the British Horseracing Authority explained the current regulations on drug detection and withdrawal times.  Ian Wright, head of the Referral Department at NEH, gave a talk entitled 'Subchondral Compromise in the Carpus' illustrating how to monitor and manage knee disease in young Thoroughbreds. After lunch on the first day, there were sessions on the use of gamma scintingraphy and MRI, and Professor Roger Smith from The Royal Veterinary College gave a paper on the latest techniques for managing tendon injury.

The course dinner was held in the magnificent surroundings of The Jockey Club Rooms and the after dinner speaker, Sir Mark Prescott, was in sparkling form.

The second day of the conference covered respiratory disease and Professor Paddy Dixon from Edinburgh University gave a presentation on the current methods of dealing with laryngeal disorders. The thorny problems of displacement of the soft palate and bleeding during racing were also covered, and Mr Ben Mason from the Hong Kong Jockey Club described the approach to exercise induced pulmonary haemorrhage in Hong Kong.  In the afternoon, various causes of poor performance were discussed, with Richard Piercy from The Royal Veterinary College presenting a paper on tying up.  Locally based cardiology expert Dr Lesley Young considered the effects of heart murmurs on the performance of racehorses.

The course concluded with a tour of the facilities at NEH and the delegates made their way home, tired but full of knowledge!  Everyone was looking forward to the next veterinary course at NEH.