Big Brown Has a Quarter Crack but Will Still Race

Big Brown, whose owners are hoping will win the Triple Crown after his wins at the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness, has developed another quarter crack. They're giving him two days off, then fixing the quarter crack. They plan to run him in the Belmont. Here's a quotation from the referenced article:

"This is a very, very minor crack," hoof specialist Ian McKinlay said, adding the fissure was about five-eighths of an inch long. "We will put a set of wires in and patch it up."

"Ian keeps telling me it's nothing and he'll be fine in a couple of days, that he will be able to fix it up by Thursday," Dutrow said. "I am sure he will be 100 percent, yes. If we get to breeze him Tuesday or Belmont week, or even Wednesday, we can live with that."

Big Brown has had problems with quarter cracks before. In fact, he had to take the month of January off to heal a quarter crack. Here's an excerpt from a Suite 101 report dated two days ago about how Big Brown has been free of quarter cracks since then:

McKinlay treated Big Brown's first quarter crack by lacing the crack together with wire. Curl used the same technique in the colt's second quarter crack, which developed in his left foot. After Big Brown' s first race this season, Curl told Dutrow he thought rubber cushion Yasha glue-on shoes, developed by McKinlay, would work for the colt.

A set of Yasha glue-ons were anchored to Big Brown's feet 21 days before the Kentucky Derby. Dutrow says the colt's feet went cold within 24 hours of the shoe-fitting. Although the Yasha glue-ons are expensive, as much as $550 a pair compared to regular nail-ons at $25 a pair, Big Brown hasn't had any further problems with his feet.

Curl's philosophy is when the feet are right, the rest of the horse does well also.

So now, Big Brown has his third reported quarter crack. Fortunately, my knowledge of quarter cracks is all academic. To refresh my memory, I went on a search. First I went to my out-of-date Illustrated Veterinary Encyclopedia for Horsemen, which gives you a summary of things with pretty good illustrations. It didn't educate me much other than to learn (1) a quarter crack is not a good thing and (2) it must be pretty serious if they're having to wire it together.

What causes quarter cracks? The Suite 101 article says:

Curl notes that quarter cracks are not unique to the Thoroughbred racehorse. Any breed can develop quarter cracks. The causes of quarter cracks range from running on hard surfaces, to concussion, to thin hoof walls, to imbalance of the medial lateral foot.

Big Browns' quarter cracks were atypical, says Curl. A hoof wall separation initiated the cracking. Possibly a bruise on the bottom of the foot prompted the beginning of a separation, Curl explained. This leads to an abscess which can't drain. The abscess pushes infection up the hoof wall. That, in turn, separates the hoof wall (the fingernail) from the laminae (the membrane that is at the core of a laminitis infection).

The separation of the fingernail is difficult to detect since it can't be seen. A horse can run a race, or perform workouts, and cause the infected area to heat up, but if it cools back down, a problem won't be detected. If a problem is susptected, and the horse is suspended from workouts for a short time period, his next work, or breeze can cause the abscess to break out through the top of the hoof.

Ian McKinlay, who is based in New York, and treated Big Brown's first quarter crack, said he sees the condition more frequently in Standardbreds. He believes tracks becoming harder may be a root cause of the trouble. Curl and Dutrow believe that a wall separation developed over time in Big Brown's case because he has always trained on good surfaces.

And another source says:

"A quarter crack is a stress fracture of the hoof wall and it is telling you that the horse has been overworked and needs a rest. But trainers know that these products are available and that they can, if they're used properly, keep a racehorse working. I'd only repair a wall injury if the wall is in such disrepair that it is not weightbearing or if the horse is standing on its sole. Then build the wall up, by all means, so the horse has something to stand on until the foot regrows." From www.hoofcare.com

What does this mean for Big Brown? Amateur speculationist (I made that up) that I am, I can only figure that his owners will do absolutely everything that they can short of killing him to give him a chance to win the Triple Crown. Will running on a quarter crack kill him? Not unless it indicates that the horse is breaking down in other places.

I assume he will get doctored on enough to run, and he might just win again. Then he'll spend his life getting to meet lots of lady horses, and we can only hope he's not passing on  genes for more bad Thoroughbred feet.

And if all does not go well in his future public races (after what happened to Eight Belles), as I have said before, the racing industry is handing their future to anti-racing forces. No one will defend them when they become indefensible.

Race sound horses in a safe environment, all will be well. Race unsound horses until they break down in tragedy on national television, you deserve what you get.

UPDATE May 26: The New York Times is running a story on this now, which you can read here.

And here's a photo of a quarter-crack repair of the type Big Brown has received.

Comments

[Beckz]

Have you seen the pictures of how much gue and stuff were holding his feet togther before the Preakness. Whats sad is that if he wins the triple crown, he will go to stud and produce lots of foals with weak feet woohoo!

[Molly]

This millionaire will go to stud anyway. There is no way owner & trainer will not go to the Belmont with such an opportunity to take the Triple Crown. I've been trying to picture him running in EasyBoots to save his blistered soles. I hope he will make it home safely to a comfortable retirement.

[risingrainbow]

The danger with quarter cracks is them continuing to run. That's why they're doing the wire thing - to support the concussion so that it doesn't put pressure on the crack causing it to run the whole length of the hoof not to mention into the "growth area.". That's where the real problem for the horse is.

Just like anything else, there are lots of reasons for quarter cracks. None are cut and dry or black and white. It's hard to know what the real story behind Big Brown's problem when we're not on the inside track. The rest of this stuff is just speculation. Time will tell the true story.

[BrownEyedCowgirls]

I think the techniques they are using are phenominal. I guess I just don't undertand why people are so upset. Imagine the horses that the development of these techniques are going to save down the road.

[Anne]

Brown-eyed Cowgirl,
You are so right. This kind of development will indeed help so many horses down the road, and I thank you for pointing that out.

I think the reason that people are upset is that (1) it could be happening because this young horse is having his growing body stressed too early, which could mean other things breaking down in him and (2) if he has truly bad feet but he’s a highly desirable stud, he’ll add his truly bad feet genes to a gene pool already full of truly bad feet.

[Grey Horse Matters]

I just hope he makes it safely through the race and can retire to stud and let his feet heal as he matures. Did I ever mention that I have absolutely no respect for his owners.

[jewel and abu]

Money...lots and lots of money. Why would these owners, no stock holders be bothered with such a small thing as feet, after all this is an investment not a pet...PPPPPLLLLEEEEAAASSSEEE. They only good that will come from this is awareness in the general public. Although should he win the Triple Crown I an afraid this will all be forgotten. I do find it truely amazing the advances they are making in hoof care, and the conversations and thinking it has caused in the public. Even should he not win, he will go to Stud. To make the most of this we all have a voice, let us speak for these animals, as they have no voice. I think this is hard for us common folk to digest as our Horses are pets and a luxury to us. Big Brown is a commodity, and thats sad. i really hope there is at least a groom or handler that has looked deep into his eyes and feels that love that only a horse person can understand.

[Linda - The Mane Point]

Thanks for your comment on my recent blog post at THE MANE POINT, "Providence."

Good eyes!

Actually, the sorrel colt is a registered solid paint. Both of his parents were overo paint horses. The sire was black and white, and the dam was chestnut and white.

The colt simply has 4 socks and a blaze, along with a white lower lip. (He also appears in the banner at the top of the blog.)

;-)

Of course, the first photo in the post is a chestnut half-Arab filly.

Blessings,
Linda

http://themanepoint.blogspot.com

[BrownEyedCowgirls]

I can understand the points you bring up. They are valid concerns and I doubt that the TB world is terribly concerned about the generations of horses that will be affected if in fact his feet are genetically poor rather than stress induced.

Poor feet on TBs does go back well into the 60's though. Three Bars, a TB, but considered a modern founding sire for the QHs sired several studs who's offspring's feet have been nothing but trouble for generations.

I did purchase a TB gelding one time and his front feet were bad. They were two different sizes and he was incredibly flat footed. I kept shoes on him long enough to correct the problem(it was just really poor shoeing over a long period of time) of the different sizes. One looked "normal" and the other was a pancake. After that I pulled his shoes and he tippy toed around for quite some time but within a year he was completely sound while barefoot and his front feet at least looked like they belonged on the same horse.
You would think that the very best farriers come from the tracks but that is often not the case. It really suprised me because I had always heard that the best farriers were race track farriers. So I guess this is somewhat my reasoning for giving BB's feet the benefit of a doubt.

How did a QH girl like me end up with a TB? I bought him at auction. He "spoke" to me while I was checking the horses out. I bid up to $350 but his owner wanted $500. I gave her the $500. No one wanted him because of his feet. Unfortunately, at the 17H he matured out to be-he was just a little too big to run barrels on.
He now has a wonderful home with a girl my daughter 4-Hed with. He is a H/J, she is doing some eventing with him and uses him for mounted shooting. He has the most laid back personality of any TB I have ever been around.

[Victoria Cummings]

This is one race I'm never going to be able to watch. I just hope this poor horse makes it through safely. Once the smell of money is in the air, there's nothing more important to most people.

[tonya]

i think it's horrible that money not the health of this beautiful horse is more important to these greedy owners. granted the situations are somewhat diffrent why has no one mentioned eight belles or barbaro both of these horses were healthy and broke down what kind of message are we sending when we put a horse with documented problems on the track, what happens if this poor horse breaks down on the track i can tell you one thing for sure barbaro's owners roy and gretchen jackson would never endanger any of their horses or would they have run barbaro if they new he had a problem they loved that horse and i feel awful that big brown's best interests are not being thought of. i pray he runs the race of a lifetime, and not an example of what not to do. god bless you big brown and good luck.