veterinarian

Every week, the TDN posts a roundup of the relevant Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act (HISA)-related rulings from around the country. The following rulings were reported on HISA's "rulings" portal and through the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU)'s "pending" and "resolved" cases portals. Among this week's rulings, a HIWU arbitrator has banned Illinois veterinarian Dr. Donald McCrosky a total 24 years and fined him a combined $300,000 for a series of nine violations: One count of trafficking banned substances; five counts of possession of banned substances; two counts of...

A hearing officer assigned by the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has cleared the way for that regulatory body to provisionally suspend New York-based trainer Rudy Rodriguez while a final adjudication plays out stemming from a series of alleged rule violations related to "cruelty, mistreatment, neglect or abuse" of Thoroughbreds. The decision, dated Monday, Dec. 15, and made public Tuesday, Dec. 16, was written up following a Friday, Dec. 12, hearing at which Rodriguez testified that "all [of his] horses were well cared for." His legal team also presented...

The horses, of course, remain just as reticent about discussing their health as 150 years ago. But their beauty and courage are also unchanged, which has always kept veterinarians willing to persevere in a one-sided consultation. Until recently, anyway. People do change, however-and the fact is that an increasingly urbanized society is no longer producing as many young people with a natural affinity for horses. That's a problem for our whole industry, but a quietly developing crisis for its veterinary sector. And, having lasted as long as it has, the...

When 2023 GI Breeders' Cup Classic winner White Abarrio (Race Day) was scratched in the moments before the field loaded into the starting gate for Saturday's GI Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile at Del Mar, it was on the recommendation of the on-track veterinarian in a call to the stewards. Some of the horse's connections--comprised of C2 Racing Stable, Gary Barber, and La Milagrosa Stable--have been vocal on social media and in the media in the days since about their disagreement with the call. Tuesday afternoon, C2 Racing Stable posted the...

Robert Hunt, a respected veterinarian at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute, passed away Thursday after a bout with cancer. Dr. Hunt graduated from the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine in 1984. From 1984 to 1987 he worked at the Alamo Pintado Equine Medical Center in Santa Ynez, California. He returned to the University of Georgia in 1987 to complete his surgical training and graduate degree in cardiovascular physiology. He paid his way through school by taking a job as a farrier. Dr. Hunt remained on faculty and became a...

A member of the Internal Adjudication Panel (IAP) for the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) and the Horseracing Integrity and Welfare Unit (HIWU) on July 10 imposed a two-year suspension and a $25,000 fine on a veterinarian who has practiced on the New York circuit for more than three decades for "failing to submit over three thousand veterinary treatment records to HISA within 24 hours after examination or treatment of Covered Horses during the period from Jan. 1, 2023, through Mar. 7, 2024." The veterinarian, Michael J. Galvin, could...

The Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority (HISA) has established a Veterinary Advisory Committee that will be made up of regulatory and private practice racetrack veterinarians from around the nation. The committee will provide feedback to HISA's executive team and standing committees on the implementation and evolution of HISA's regulations and protocols related to veterinary care, medication, racetrack safety, equine research and other relevant issues. "I look forward to the essential perspectives the HISA Veterinary Advisory Committee will bring as we continue to evolve and fulfill our mandate," said HISA CEO...

John Kimmel had $25,000, and wanted an Exclusive Native filly. But he had to pass up his first choice, at Fasig-Tipton in 1978, after she went to $32,000. She turned out to be Genuine Risk. A first experience to put most people off, right? Kimmel gives a wry chuckle and shakes his head. "I'd have been ruined," he says. "I was a sophomore in vet school. Can you imagine? I'd have been wrecked." As it was, he had proved his eye. He continued absorbing the bittersweet lessons routinely dispensed by...

Veterinarian and theriogenologist Dr. Hernando Plata-Madrid passed away at the age of 63 according to an obituary released by his family Friday. The following was provided to the TDN courtesy of the Plata family: "Hernando Plata-Madrid, 63, of Versailles, KY, passed away on the morning of August 18. Hernando was born July 14, 1961, in Bogota, Colombia, where as soon as he was able, he got busy with his favorite past time: work. After getting his Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from De La Salle University in Colombia and completing his...

Woodbine has canceled Sunday's race card due to the extreme heat forecasted for the Toronto area. The release noted that the decision was made in consultation with the HBPA and the commissioned veterinarian with the safety of the horses and all racing participants a top priority. The Victoria Stakes has been rescheduled to Friday, July 19. Live racing at Woodbine is scheduled to return on Thursday, July 18 with first post at 4:50 p.m.

This is the first in a new TDN series on people in the Thoroughbred industry who have a passion for a non-industry charity. Want to recommend someone for the series? Email katiepetrunyak@thetdn.com or suefinley@thetdn.com.  Dr. Scott Pierce has a lot to be proud of and even more to look forward to. The Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital partner and owner of Omega Farm is the breeder of MGISW Country Grammer (Tonalist), who is set to join the WinStar stallion roster this coming year. But if you caught Dr. Pierce bragging...

LEXINGTON, KY--As the calendar turns over to June and the 2023 breeding season nears its close, the Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Manager's Club (KTFMC) focused its monthly meeting on advancements in the equine reproductive field and how the latest research, as well as new treatments and diagnostic tests, might have practical application for farm managers at this point in the breeding season and on into next year. Held Tuesday evening at Copper Roux in Lexington, the event featured presentations from three equine veterinarians. Dr. Emma Adam, who specializes in equine veterinary...