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By Wandering Eyes · Posted
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 oldest practice in the Bluegrass has resolved to do something about that. In 1875 Dr. E.T. Hagyard traveled from Ontario to Kentucky to treat a shorthorn bull named “Eighth Duke of Geneva.” Doctor and clients evidently found the experience mutually satisfactory, because Hagyard returned to Lexington the following year to open a large animal practice. It has evolved in many ways since, in size and ownership, but there are continuities too: not least the presence among the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute partners of Dr. Luke Hagyard Fallon, DVM, extending the involvement of the founder's family into a fifth generation. Transylvania University and the Valley View Ferry are among the very few continuous institutions that locally exceed that longevity, both duly dignified with a stakes race at Keeneland. But it feels safe to say that neither has changed as much in the course of their entire history as does veterinary science from one generation to the next. And how to enthuse that next generation is the challenge now animating the Hagyard leadership, who aim to mark the 150th anniversary of their firm's foundation next year by raising $1.5 million to fund a perpetual scholarship. “Each year, just one percent of the graduating class from North American vet schools matriculate into equine practice,” Fallon explains. “And, of those, upwards of 50 percent will have left equine practice within five years. So we want to utilize our 150th anniversary as an opportunity to raise awareness-not just of the practice's legacy of mentorship and training, but also of the deficit of young folks coming into equine practice. In Lexington, we have an embarrassment of riches: a concentration of horses, farms, owners, an incredible tradition, great land. But if we are to care for that patient load, our ability to recruit and train veterinarians is critical.” There is an element of chicken-and-egg to the alarming statistics, a poor retention rate likely a factor in keeping equine specialization so low in the first place. Fallon says that its anecdotal reputation among educators, and therefore students, magnifies perceived challenges in work-life balance. “The narrative put forth in the schools is to find a place in the profession that satisfies the demands that life may throw at you,” he says. “You may have chosen the career because you love animals, and want to go wherever they take you. But a lot of students nowadays are getting out of school with upwards of $300,000 in debt. And equine practitioners traditionally start out at the lowest end of the earning spectrum. Oftentimes they will wind up at the higher end, but it takes at least a decade to get there. So if you throw in the danger of burnout, you will get disillusionment.” And, as already noted, there is also that growing disconnect between young people and livestock. Certainly it is a very different professional environment from the one into which Fallon's father, Ed, graduated in 1956. Back then, small animal practice was barely nascent: you might treat the farm dog while making a visit to deal with cattle. Ed and Luke Fallon | Courtesy Hagyard “Hagyard survived two world wars and the Great Depression,” Fallon reflects. “But among all those other global challenges, we have had to deal with the replacement of the horse by the automobile. People are no longer as in touch with the land, with horses, and that creates a barrier to entry. But these are incredible animals, and it's a multi-millennial bond we have with them. I mean, we are part of a tradition that goes back 5,000 years. You look at the acupuncture charts that the Chinese developed, the points the warriors would touch to relieve pain in a certain area or where the saddle was sitting. We have lost that broader societal connection.” The firm has a proud tradition of bringing through young professionals, not least in welcoming as many as 150 externs every year, dozens of interns, plus fellows and residents at the clinic. Already three years ago Hagyard began a modest scholarship, lodging an annual $5,000 award with the AAEP for a third-year student. Now the intention is to turbo-charge that incentive, to $25,000 annually for three students. Fallon admits that even such munificence may not suffice, unless accompanied by a shift in perceptions. “With our size and scope, our presence within the industry, we are able to recruit,” he observes. “But how do we retain? By we're trying to get more creative, to offer a more flexible work environment. What does that mean? It used to be that the veterinarian was expected to show up seven days a week. But now we have racetrack practitioners that are doing a five-day week and making it work. We're seeing those people coming back fresher, which means they'll do better for their clientele and also extend their own longevity. And if we can figure it out on the backstretch, with its daily grind, then we can do the same in multiple facets of equine practice.” Fallon acknowledges that such a culture change has to be led by those senior practitioners, such as himself, who may have been raised on different expectations. “During foaling season I was trained to show up seven days a week, five months in a row, without a day off,” he reflects. “It was just what you did. And they knew that Doc was fairly tired by mid-April! But you were just kind of suffering along with your clients. And, actually, if you have to endure the lows that way, you also get to really enjoy the big highs. But I accept that there has to be another way, if we're going to involve young people in this profession. “We have to say that it's okay if I don't show up every day, the world's not going to come to an end. These younger doctors that I've helped to mentor, helped to train, they have my full endorsement. Your horse is in expert care. In fact, sometimes they will be more current than I am. So let's allow them to flourish.” Doing so might alleviate the kind of negativity that pervades vet schools, where the kids are evidently told that the easiest way to clear their debts is with small animals: signing-on bonus, higher starting salary, regular hours. “And your patients come to you,” Fallon concedes. “You're not out there at 2 a.m., trying to pull a foal out, and you turn your phone off when you leave work. That's appealing to a lot of people. Will we ever get to that point in equine practice? I don't think so. But I think we can change the narrative, so that young people know there are options for more flexible work, and a better work-life balance.” That said, if your work is also your passion, then it doesn't always feel like work at all. Here, after all, we are talking to a man who exudes passion for his vocation; who considers it a daily privilege to be so intimately involved with these glorious animals. But we are also talking to a realist. What would Fallon tell a young student, toying with equine practice? Photo courtesy Hagyard “I would be honest with them,” he replies. “It truly is more a lifestyle than just a profession. You have to love it for what it is, with all its challenges. There are so many wonderful people that you meet. And you get to work on these incredible athletes. “My son's applying to vet school now, and my niece just started at UCD, and I tell them: 'The horse will take you anywhere in the world you want to go. When I was a student, it took me to Newmarket, Dubai, Ireland, all over the U.S. I had seen how hard my father worked. I started riding with him when I was five or six, and I'm sure I was more a hindrance than a help, but it was just a great adventure. Dad loved his profession, and clients loved him, and if he brought his work home it was always in such a positive way. I'm not saying every day was roses. This is a profession that doesn't always have a start and stop. In a way, that can be a nice demand to have placed upon you. But we do need young people to see that there are ways they can turn it off.” Obviously there are few walks of veterinary life where your patients are quite so valuable. On the other hand, who can put a price on a cherished dog? “Our clients here in Central Kentucky expect the highest level of service,” Fallon acknowledges. “And the stakes involved can be demanding on the practitioner. But I think even those high-level players increasingly understand and appreciate our profession. When they're coming to see us at the clinic, it's their worst day-and we understand that. But I think they appreciate the resources that are there, the technicians and the clinics.” We're talking on a recent sales day at Keeneland, and Fallon hails a passing client. “We've been working with that farm for over 100 years,” he marvels. “I think they were given the land for service in the French and Indian War. And I'd be the third generation tending their horses. From the time I rode with my father, as a boy, I loved the people he worked with-and loved following their horses. We lived vicariously through them. And it's the same today. When I see a horse excel that I foaled out, or treated, I'm so excited for my clients. It just makes the hair on the back of your neck stand up. And that's why sometimes there's no question of saying: 'Oh, it's Sunday, I don't want to go out.'” And, if a young veterinarian does happen to share that love for the game, he or she will nowadays serve as its front line: making sure that our community can face Main Street with a clear conscience in everything we ask of these animals. A Hagyard colleague, sitting with us, overrules Fallon's modesty to relate how the trainer of a Grade I winner at Saratoga this summer declared that his horse was only still in business thanks to his care. “For a young person coming in, it's got to be exciting to see the technology and the multiple aspects of medicine available even in a hyper-focused area like this,” Fallon says. “I remember making one of those naive teen statements to my dad one time. I said, 'Well, Pops, you've kind of lived the golden age.' Because he was a pioneer in many things: reproduction, vaccine research, herd health. And he said, 'Every time you push back the frontiers of science, you feel like you're falling over the edge. You really don't know where you're going with it.' “We, as a profession, are evolving. And, as a clinic, we're trying to do what we can to mentor and collaborate and continue to grow the art and science of veterinary medicine. There are so many exciting things happening, and we want a new generation of vets to enjoy them as well.” The post Hagyard Heirs Celebrate Past by Investing in Future appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
Tickets are on sale for the 55th Resolute Racing Eclipse Awards, which will be Thursday, Jan. 22 at The Breakers Palm Beach. View the full article -
This goes back several decades, Chief. Its not recent. Look back at renovation of Greymouth. Canterbury grass sown under advice from the CJC track manager, Max Skelton ( for one) sustained severe injuries when his horse slipped over. Gore redone, horses fell over, Terry Moseley slipped twice at the same place on the same day! Rangiora renovated. That disaster has been discussed at great length, hasn't raced since. Riccarton itself, remodelled, although it is still operational the surface has been criticized ever since. It gets away with less than perfect because it is a large circuit with sweeping turns. You'll sneer and say I'm dredging up ancient history. But the facts are there, NZ racing has a history of botching renovation. The only saviour has been the variety of tracks still left to take up dates. Now that the brains trust has seen fit to mothball so many, the flaws inherent in the 'preferred ' tracks are there for all to see. Liam O'Keefe seems to be a very valuable adviser. We are lucky to be able to call on his expertise. But whether he has the time - or inclination - to continue in that capacity may be dubious. -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
The 2025 International Conference for the Health, Safety, and Welfare of Jockeys Dec. 11-12 in Hong Kong is themed Performance Medicine in Racing—Developing and Protecting the Jockey. View the full article -
By Wandering Eyes · Posted
The 55th Resolute Racing Eclipse Awards will be held Thursday, Jan. 22 at The Breakers Palm Beach and tickets are now on sale for the black-tie event. The link to purchase is found here. The event is scheduled to begin at 6:00p.m. EDT with the cocktail party and red carpet show, followed by the dinner and awards ceremony at 7:00p.m. EDT. The after-party will follow at the conclusion of the Eclipse Awards at 10:45p.m. EDT. All evening events will be held in the Ponce de Leon Foyer and Ballroom. Britney Eurton and Lindsay Czarniak return as co-hosts while Caton Bredar reprises her role as ceremony announcer. A charity golf tournament to benefit the PDJF at The Breakers Ocean Course will kick off at 10:00a.m. the same day and registration for that is also open. “We are very excited to have Britney Eurton, Lindsay Czarniak, and Caton Bredar back at the Eclipse Awards,” said NTRA president and CEO Tom Rooney. “These three women are incredible representatives of our magnificent sport, and we look forward to them once again headlining an event where we honor the human and equine stars from 2025.” The post Tickets for Eclipse Awards Now on Sale appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions. View the full article
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