equine veterinarian

William Joseph ("Doc") Solomon, beloved veterinarian, farm owner and mentor to many, has passed at the age of 84. As founder and owner of Pin Oak Lane Farm, a full-service farm and equine veterinary clinic in York County, Pennsylvania, "Doc" Solomon was responsible for helping to raise a Kentucky Derby winner, Lil. E. Tee, the supposed supporting act who took a curtain call in the 1992 running of the race after favorite Arazi flubbed his lines. Alongside the many talented horses that "Doc" Solomon helped nurture, he inspired many young...

A new Equine Health Advisory on the risk of fatal injury in Covered Horses previously placed on the Veterinarians' List as Unsound was revealed by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) on Friday. The advisory, which is based on data drawn from the HISA Veterinarians' List, provides practical guidance, including on the use of wearable biometric sensors during training programs to provide additional insight into horses' condition and performance. "Decisions to place a horse on the Veterinarians' List as Unsound are made with the utmost care and expertise by...

You might have a lifelong passion for horses, and even devote your whole working life to their welfare. But sometimes there is no substitute for sitting on their backs. A few years ago, Dr. Jeff Berk took a vacation from his relentless schedule as an equine veterinarian in order to-well, spend a little time with horses. His next trip to Britain was not to Tattersalls, as usual, but to an eventing course run by two former Olympians. Though Berk was a perfectly accomplished rider, with years of foxhunting behind him,...

LEXINGTON, KY--Hagyard Equine Medical Institute observed its Founder's Day on Thursday, Feb. 5, with a formal commemoration of its sesquicentennial. The occasion served as the kickoff to a year-long celebration of 150 years of accomplishments and contributions to the equine veterinary field. Hagyard announced plans to honor the milestone through a series of commemorative initiatives and events slated for the coming year. "At 150 years old, Hagyard is in elite company," Hagyard's CEO Ken Ford said at Thursday's event. "Enduring for 150 years puts us in the same category as...

Two racetrack veterinarians who are the principals of Maryland Veterinary Group (MVG) have been served with notices of violations and were given provisional suspensions that started Jan. 12 after Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) searches of that practice's offices at Laurel Park and Delaware Park allegedly turned up "banned" substances that, under Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) rules, are never to be found in any covered Thoroughbred or possessed on any HISA-regulated grounds. Dr. Nicholas Meittinis and Dr. Adam Lockard are both alleged to have violated HISA Rule...

Edited Press Release A highly respected team of equine veterinarians is set to serve the 2025-26 racing season at Santa Anita Park starting on Friday, Dec. 26 with opening day of the Classic Meet. Under the leadership of Dr. Dionne Benson, Chief Veterinary Officer of Santa Anita's parent company 1/ST Racing, a total of seven veterinarians will be on hand to oversee every aspect of training and racing at Santa Anita. Santa Anita will host a total of 78 race days from the start of the traditional Classic Meet until...

All this week, the TDN has been trying to nail down concrete details surrounding the studies performed for the Racing Medication & Testing Consortium's (RMTC) Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC) into the way metformin behaves in Thoroughbreds. It turns out that the first of the three papers stemming from this study was published Wednesday in the online journal, Drug Testing and Analysis. In short, the study finds a "prolonged detection time" for the drug. This first study involved 12 Thoroughbreds aged between two and seven years of age. It was broken...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has named the members of its newly-established Medical Advisory Committee, a group of leading medical professionals with a broad range of specialties from across the United States who will provide expert guidance on matters related to jockey health, safety and well-being, a press release from the regulator said on Thursday. The committee will advise HISA's executive team and standing committees by offering recommendations on best practices for jockey safety, reviewing proposed rules and providing insight on medical protocols involving jockey care, injury prevention,...

GSW Starting Over (Liam's Map) sustained an injury on the grass in the GII United Nations Stakes at Monmouth Park on Saturday and was humanely euthanized by the track veterinarian staff after the race. Owned by Nice Guys Stables and transferred to the care of Brittany Russell last year, the 8-year-old ran third in the Cape Henlopen Stakes at Delaware Park June 14, and then shipped to Monmouth after registering a workout at Saratoga July 13. In the United Nations, the gelding raced at the rear of the field past...

The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) and the New York State Gaming Commission (NYSGC) have placed a group of horses located in Barn 28 at Saratoga Race Course under quarantine due to a suspected case of strangles, which includes La Cara (Street Sense) who was scratched from the GI CCA Oaks, the track said in a press release on Saturday morning. The 4-year-old filly [Surprenant Cocca (Catholic Boy)], who is trained by Mike Maker and stabled in Barn 28, presented symptoms early Saturday, July 19 and has been transported...

The TDN always strives to remain scrupulously non-partisan and confines its occasional attention to the world of politics to such opportunities and concerns that directly affect the Thoroughbred industry. Recently, for instance, we spent time with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis as he stepped in to support the campaign against decoupling in that state. A few days ago, Chris McGrath was given the opportunity to sit down with the Governor of the Bluegrass State itself, Andy Beshear, a figure increasingly on the national radar as a potential White House contender in...

In discussing the evolution of his StrideSAFE wearable sensor, Dave Lambert turns to a tufty-haired German philosopher called Arthur Schopenhauer, who described new truths as a play in three parts. "First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as self-evident." Lambert has had the rejection and a little bit of ridicule, he said. "Some people have thrown rocks at me," he added, one recent afternoon via Zoom in a brightly lit corner of his Kentucky home, a small bronze horse as his virtual companion. "But...