Pedigree Query

Been watching a horse prepping for its 1st start and was scratched by the track vet. What would cause a vet to scratch a horse, especially a maiden in a low level event?

The horse most likely was sore someplace. We need more thorough pre-race vetting.

Been there and seen that. Roger is right. All horses should be thoroughly examined pre-race. No horse should get to the gate and be scratched unless it is injured during loading, can't be loaded, or throws the rider.

In one of the cases that I'm personally aware of the jockey was uncomfortable w/the horse's way of going, but when returned to the stall, the horse was examined and turned out to be fine. What a monumental waste of time for owners and trainer.

Not always a lameness issue if it is a vet scratch.... unless it was already in the post parade, a vet scratch could be the horse got hurt, colic, or had a temperature the night before and was give something to help that the horse could not race on.

Sometimes a green horse will be very nervous and tie up on the way to the gate. This is especially true of fillies. The vet is doing everyone concerned a favor by scratching a horse that shows signs of tying up, because some serious muscle damage can occur if allowed to race.

I think about all the different ways a vet can scratch have been covered. The one time that my horse got scratched going to the gate still makes my blood pressure go up. The pony girl had a mare and the mare was in heat and I had a three yr old stud colt. The rider told the vet my horse was crazy and he scratched me. After we got back to the test barn, I ask him to show me what he saw and all he could say, I thought I saw something. The pony girl later told me her mare was in heat and my boy was acting like a boy should in that situation. The last race after driving 250 miles and having go home without running is not fun.

Roger wrote:I think about all the different ways a vet can scratch have been covered. The one time that my horse got scratched going to the gate still makes my blood pressure go up. The pony girl had a mare and the mare was in heat and I had a three yr old stud colt. The rider told the vet my horse was crazy and he scratched me. After we got back to the test barn, I ask him to show me what he saw and all he could say, I thought I saw something. The pony girl later told me her mare was in heat and my boy was acting like a boy should in that situation. The last race after driving 250 miles and having go home without running is not fun.

OUCH!

Shammy Davis wrote:In one of the cases that I'm personally aware of the jockey was uncomfortable w/the horse's way of going, but when returned to the stall, the horse was examined and turned out to be fine. What a monumental waste of time for owners and trainer.

Don't get me wrong, I understand how frustrating that would be, however there are cases where the jockey maybe felt uncomfortable with the horses way of going and didn't say anything and the horse breaks down during the race. I don't think it is a perfect system but what is?

Mood Swings posted:

Don't get me wrong, I understand how frustrating that would be, however there are cases where the jockey maybe felt uncomfortable with the horses way of going and didn't say anything and the horse breaks down during the race. I don't think it is a perfect system but what is?

I agree, it is not a perfect system. In the link I posted above the AAEP suggests pre-race examinations in an attempt to preclude a potential scratch at the gate or for that matter a potential breakdown.

I had my gelding scratched for exactly what Shammy said...Jock didn't like his way of going, he 4-beats when he canters slowly (like a western pleasure horse) and the jock said he felt sore behind. Scratched him on post parade just about at the gate. I was so PO'd, he bucked and squealed all the way back from the gate with the pony, I could hardly hold him on the way back to the barn. Trained sound as a bell the next day, even the vet that scratched him didn't get it the next day when she watched him go. I took him home after that, was such a waste of money it wasn't even worth trying him again as I had to wait a week to work him in front of the vets and there wasn't another race for 2 weeks after that.

I am certainly not saying there isn't validity or merrit when a horse is scratched by the vets, and I have seen some lame ducks get through only to break down that very day in their race.