The Eventing Radio Show a la Three Days Three Ways

Hey Folks! Three Days Three Ways has partnered with The Eventing Radio Show to bring you their amazing interviews. A perfect fit for us here! This first installment includes 3-Day Eventer Leslie Law, a Three Days Three Ways interviewee. Did you catch that one? If not, read it! Either way, tune in to hear him...

Former Olympic Champion, Leslie Law, is our guest this week fresh from his win at Pine Top and with a view to Rolex, Kentucky Three Day Event with 2009 Horse of the Year, Mystere du Val. Plus, why co-host Ashley Adams says, 'Don't Be Afraid to Ask!' Listen in...

Eventing Radio Episode 66 - Former Olympic Champion Leslie Law:

• Show Hosts: Chris Stafford & Ashley Adams


• Guest: Lesley Law


• News: Twin Rivers Winter HT


• News: Pine Top Spring Advanced HT


• Please visit our sponsors as they make this show possible:

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The Finest Care and the Best Horses: Dr. Schramme on the 2008 Olympics Part II

Welcome back to Dr. Schramme's interview for Three Days Three Ways. Read on for vet issues at the 2008 Olympics, those specific to eventers, and how event horses are so special.

Q. What kinds of issues did you see while there?

A. The first issue was about climatological conditions. The heat and humidity. There was enormous attention paid to making sure horses were hydrated and cooled. Every stable had air conditioning and misting fans attached to cooling tanks. That was the first big issue. On the whole we were lucky with the weather. For instance, with cross-country, there was a light drizzle. The sun never really came through very harshly and it rained slightly throughout. So it was the perfect climate for horses. Even for the finals of showjumping there was a typhoon announced. Since it was windy it cooled a bit and the typhoon didn’t come till then next morning. But that was a bit of chaos since the airport closed--but for the horses it cooled things a bit for the evening of the showjumping final.

The other thing you come across with competition horses, from my point of view, is mainly tendon and ligament concerns. We did more ultrasound examinations than radiographs. Horses would come up inexplicably lame the day before the competition and that kind of stuff. Tendon and ligaments are the main issue at that level.

Another problem if you travel these long distances is called “shipping fever”. It’s basically pneumonia. We want to make sure they don’t contract something like that.

Then there was the odd sick horse or horses not doing quite right.

Q. What was the most serious injury that you dealt with?

A. One of the eventing horses finished a course but had fracture a proximal phalanx. So that horse had to be transported back to the clinic with a splint. I think it had four screws put in then it was recovered in a cast and went home to Sweden.

Q. Was the smog a problem or concern or was it just a story?

A. No, not nearly as bad as in Beijing.

Q. Did you have a good time?

A. Absolutely, fantastic. I made some good friends from the vet team. I met some people from different countries that you usually don’t meet. There’s a lot of bonding that goes on. We were working towards a common goal and all the eating and sleeping is all pretty much done together. It was a good experience.

Q. What did you and the other vets do when you weren’t working?

A. I left this out conveniently! There were provisions for some time off. So we’d go shopping in Hong Kong. What else do you do in Hong Kong? We went shopping. You explore, go visit things. My family was out there too so we visited some sights and saw some places. We didn’t quite go to Disney Land with the kids but we saw some other things.

Q. Are there specific veterinary issues that you find specific to eventers?

Ligaments, tendons and heat stress since those [eventers] are the ones that go the hardest. Showjumpers and dressage horses don’t perform at the maximum level of exertion. But eventers have to be concerned about heat stress and that’s where climate comes in again. And since they go at top speed they get more tendon and ligament issues.

Q. What can eventers do to keep their horses sound and healthy?

A. One of the things these teams do is that they have very regular vet check ups. There’s no way of predicting when a horse will injure itself. But one of the advantages to this close monitoring is early intervention. That’s often the key. Not just from a fitness point of view but also from an injury point of view.

One thing I noticed it’s a different type [of horse]-- a different group of horses. These horses are better able to deal with chronic, low-grade, niggling injuries. You wonder why these horses aren’t more lame with the injury? Whether it’s a mental ability to discard pain or a love for the job. But you kind of have to throw out the rulebook in assessing injuries and whether a horse can perform with that injury. You think the average day-to-day patients will need two months off. But a lot of these [event] horses will keep going--and keep going well. The term the riders use is that the horses have a big heart. There’s a huge mental part of it. It’s not just physical. It’s how do they deal with an injury or niggling pain that would put another horse out of action. It’s not just a question of keeping a champion healthy. It’s how big is the horse’s heart as far as wanting to perform and enjoying the job? That’s a big difference from every-day vet practice that you have to get used to.

Even though sometimes have to protect horses against themselves you can’t just always stay on the safe side of the fence and say there’s a risk that this may effect the horses performance when the horse is able to continue to. Also, there are things the riders know better than you do as a specialist. You can’t just come in and make decisions. To be honest, the rider and the vet know more about the horse and how best to deal with it. So you give advice and you try and help them with things like should the horse continue or does it need to go for long-term rest? You can’t just make those decisions on a strictly textbook basis.

Q. Is there anything else you want to add?

A. One thing that was really outstanding was the organization provided by The Hong Kong Jockey Club. Their logistics team was outstanding. Nothing was left to chance. There was a contingency plan for everything from bad weather to terrorism. Sometimes it was hard on us have to be there so early! It was remarkable and very well prepared. I’m sure Olympic horses have never had this kind of care and attention that they received there. Everything was purpose built. Everything was brand new. It was a privilege to be a part of it.

From "All Creatures Great and Small" to the 2008 Olympics: Dr. Michael Schramme

Dr. Michael Schramme, DrMedVet, CertEO, PhD, Dip ECVS, went to the 2008 Olympics in Hong Kong as part of an international team of veterinarians. He is currently the Director of Equine Surgery and an Associate Professor of Equine Surgery at the North Carolina State Veterinary School. He received his PhD in Equine Osteoarthritis in 2000 at the University of London, United Kingdom. He received his Doctor of Veterinary Medicine in 1985 at the University of Gent, Belgium. Dr. Schramme specializes in equine orthopedic surgery and lameness as well as Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI). He gives you the behind-the-scenes look at the equestrian Olympics.

Q. What made you want to become a vet?

A. So many things involved. The main thing was a love for animals and nature in general. We always had animals at home in Belgium. I preferred the animal side to the human side. Something incredibly popular when I was teenager were the books by James Harriot, All Creatures Great and Small. My generation was influenced by those books and the wonderful BBC series. It certainly provided a strong background to persevere with one’s choice if one was so inclined. The other thing was how did you end up working with horses and that in itself was almost process of elimination. Once you get into vet school, in my time, it becomes clear that my female colleagues aspired to the small animal side and my male colleagues were more inclined towards the large animal side. I was always interested in surgery and though surgery for cattle is well developed, economically it’s less and less viable and

realistic. Surgery in horses is much more advanced and sophisticated. So you kind of drift into horses if you’re interested in surgery. Small animal surgery is a lot more sophisticated and advanced but horses are defining species for large animal procedures.

Q. Why did you decide to specialize in Equine Orthopedics?

A. That probably had to do with mentorship. My mentor was one of the pioneers of equine radiology at vet school in Europe. It’s something I hold dear. I was doing a lot of colic surgery and soft tissue surgery. As you move through your career it’s about finding a niche without even looking for it. When you work with competition horses the problem you will find is lameness. Inevitably you’re spending your time doing that and you want to get better at it.

Q. How did it come about that you went to Hong Kong in 2008?

A. When I was a resident at the Royal Veterinarian College in London a friend of mine was doing his PhD in fractures, etc. He became the Veterinary Services Manager for the Hong Kong Jockey Club. That was Dr. Riggs. [Before the Olympics ] it became clear it would not be practical to bring horses into China. Until Hong Kong stepped up they almost gave up on the Equine Olympics. Then Hong Kong stepped up with ability to deal with importing and quarantine and deal with infectious diseases. They held the Equine Olympics there because of the association with international racing for hundreds of years. The Hong Kong Jockey Club used to be British. Because of the British tradition in racing they are well equipped to deal with imports and exports of high performance horses. Dr. Riggs was approached to be the Veterinary Service Manager for the Olympics. He put together a team of international experts to provide on-site vet care. So that team was not associated with any national teams but with the FEI Team of Treating Veterinarians. Australia, USA, UK, Germany, China were all involved. There were about fifteen of us. I was invited as one of those fifteen. Three were board certified surgeons, of which I was one as well. There were also three board certified internal medicine specialists. There was also a whole team of vets dealing with doping control, quarantine and those kinds of things. They were separate from us.

Hong Kong Billboard for the Olympics

photo by Bibash Chaudhuri

Q. How long were you there?

A. For somewhere between 5 and 6 weeks. We had to be there before the first horse arrived by air convoy. And because we had to be there when the horses arrived and accompany them by convoy to the venue. We stayed until the last horse went home. With the exception of a few horses from Australia that had additional quarantine regulations.

Q. Where did you live while you were there?

A. We lived in an FEI hotel by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Sha Tin Race Course. They had built the venue there for dressage and show jumping and there were two hotels close by for competitors and stewards. There was another venue at Beas River Country Club for cross-country. All the event horses had to travel there in convoy and back. There were complicated logistics involved with that. All the horses had to be there at the same time and then come back after cross-country. The convoy consisted of, if I remember correctly, 12 transport vans, which was enough to take 2/3 of the horses. So it had to go twice to take them out there and bring them back.

Q. What did your days look like while you were there?

A. They had a pretty organized system. Dr. Riggs was the Service Manager and had a roster together for us. At any given time there were four different slots to fill. So there was one team of two for flight duty. They would travel to the airport and back with the horses. One vet was on emergency clinical cover 24 hours around the clock. Then there was the routine clinic cover and the clinic reception and office as well as being available for specific team veterinarians. Then there was the surgery and medical cover from 7am to 8pm. There were two surgery vets and two internal vets. So there were five slots to fill with one or two people in each. There was a rotation drawn up between those different things.

In addition to that, whenever competition necessitated, we had two vets ringside and one vet with the ambulance. During cross-country we all went to the venue. We arrived at 4am and manned all the stations and made sure radio contact was provided. There were different stations out on course, in the stables, the ten-minute box and the finish lines. You know how it goes. We stayed out there and the first half came back with the first convoy and the second came back with second convoy.

Q. What kinds of issues did you see while there?

Find out what kinds of veterinary issues Dr. Schramme saw while at the 2008 Olympics in the next post......

It's a Groom's Life: Emma Ford in the Streets of Rio, about Phillip Dutton, and Her Favorite Horse. (Psst, it's Connaught!)

Emma Ford was born and raised in England.  She came to the US in 1998 to work for top eventer Adrienne Iorio.  She currently grooms for Phillip Dutton, winner of Rolex 2008 and 10-time USEA Rider-of-the-Year.  She keeps his True Prospect Farm going as well as speaking at the Dutton Eventing Academy.   In 2007 she won the US Eventing's Professional Groom's Award.  She knows her stuffs and shares that and more below.

Q.  How did you come to the US?

A.  It was March '98 and I had finished my degree in England and had never traveled.  Well, I had been to France for two days.  I wanted to go and travel and not go to the real world right away.  I went through an exchange agency and they hooked me up with Adrienne [Iorio].  Basically I filled out an application with what I had done and what I wanted to do.  They had employers on the other end with what they could offer.  I interviewd over the phone and ended up with Adrienne.  After eight months she checked in and was like, " Do you want to extend your visa?"  Yup!  Eighteen months in, "Do you want to extend your visa?"  Hell yeah!  Now I'm here with a Green Card.  Still not in the real world.  I don't see myself going back to England to work in the event circuit.  The weather is way better here!

Emma Ford with Connaught (right)--photo credit to www.equinature.com

Q.  Who have you worked for since being here?

A.  Adrienne and Phillip [Dutton].  I have been with Phillip since August 2005.

Q.  What made you make that switch?

A.  I sort of got the bug.  Me and Adrienne went to the Blenheim 3-star.  I thought it was pretty cool and thought it was very neat.  I just wanted to do more of the international stuff.  I knew Phillip was looking for a groom so went that way.  it expanded from there.

Blenheim Palace--photo credit to www. blenheim-horse.co.uk

Q.  What does your daily life look like?

A.  95% is with the competition horses.  Turning out, tacking up, medical needs, grooming.  It's the same at any barn.  It's all the same.  Everyone has to take care of every horse.  No amazing difference.  I hardly ride.  I'm pretty much on the ground all the time.

Q.  What's your favorite thing about the job?

A. I enjoy being on the road.  Going to the big competitions and seeing the horses run, especially the upper level horses.  The barn is so busy we joke that being on the road is my downtime.  The actual competing is what I enjoy seeing.

Emma Ford (far right) on the road in Hong Kong

photo credit to Mark Hart

Q.  What's the hardest thing?

A.  Keeping it all together!  Keeping the barn going and keeping on top of things.  One of the things different from Adrienne to Phillip is that there's so many more people involved like working students, farriers, etc.  I have to delegate to make sure everything works smoothly.  That's definitely what I find the most difficult.

Q.  How would you describe Phillip Dutton as a person?

A.  Anyone who knows him would say "quiet" comes first hand.  He's very quiet but all observing.  He definitely sees everything and is one for a good story.  He loves a good story.  Adrienne was very hard working too.  I've worked for two people that are so hard working.  How he juggles everything including his family is amazing.  His wife is a big part of the famr keeping the office running.

Phillip Dutton  aboard Connaught in Hong Kong

photo credit to Mark Hart

Q.  How would you describe his work style?

A.  He is always on the go.  If he's not riding he's on a conference call.  If he's not on a call he's teaching.  It's unreal how he fits it all in.  He's one of these people that wants you to work hard but you take away what you put in.  If you don't make an effort why should he bother?

Q.  What is the atmosphere like at his farm?

A.  People are coming and going whether it's farriers, vets, students, boarders--it's very busy.  Work needs to be fun but it can get stressful.  Especially with this run up to Rolex.  We've got four horses going so it's the final gallops...There are days when you think you'll pull your hair out but we all pull together.  We make it fun but it can be high stress.

Q.  Who is there from day to day?

A.  Me; Phillip; his wife; three riders: Jenny, Boyd [Martin], and Ryan; 2 working students: Nate and Charlotte.  Then Bea who rides and is learning and helping me to manage the barn.

Q.  How many horses do you work with?

A.  From anytime we can vary between 35-40 horses on the property.  We oversee all of them and work together to take care of them.  Coming up to big competitions my priority is the upper level horses (off the top of my head we've probably got, including student's horses, at least 12 Intermediate through Advanced horses on the farm).  But you can't just not take care of the others either!

Q.  Do you have any favorite horses you work with?

A.  I do, though I probably shouldn't!  Connaught, he is extremely quirky.  When I first started he hadn't really come into himself.  I am drawn to quirky horses.  If you asked anyone they'd be like, "Yup, he's her favorite!".  I love the way he tries.  At competitions he wants to please.  If he was a child, he'd be the nerd in the class.  He always comes out on top.

Q.  Where have you traveled with Phillip?

A.  We went to Germany for the Worlds in 2006; 2007 to Rio in Brazil for the Pan Ams.  Obviously England.  Last year to Hong Kong.

Emma Ford (first row, center) at the 2008 Olympic Games in Hong Kong

photo credit to Mark Hart

Q.  What does your to-do list look like to travel internationally?

A.  Once you're on the road it's everything to do with making sure the horse is happy within himself.  Simon [Connaught] is the main one I've traveled with.  It's individual care of the horse.  He's a finicky eater so you want to keep his stress level down so you're forever hand grazing him.  Just keeping them happy.  Extreme care of their legs and knowing what they're looking like.  You've got time to do that.  You've got to know your horses.  Simon does best when you're not at him all day.  If you can leave him alone then that's when he eats.  He doesn't want you grooming and massaging and putting on the magnetic blanket.  He can't stand that!  You have the time to take the proper individual care of them.

Q.  Do you have any grooming tips?

A.  For me it's time management.  If Phillip has seven horses at an event then time management is key.  I have them ready 5-10 minutes before he needs to get on.  If I haven't had time to go over tack again then I put babby oil on my hands and go over the bridle to bring out the shine.  We use lots of oil sprays for African American hair.  We put it in their tails and make them shiny.  A product called Super Grow is good for blanket rubs.  Another good one is, especially with the economy, witch hazel.  If you can't afford Sore-No-More use witch hazel to tighten up legs.  It's less hard on their skin than rubbing alcohol but has the same benefits.

Q.  What are your favorite products for grooming or tack cleaning?

A.  Equinature products are a must for my grooming kit.  The antifungal shampoo is a must for any horse with a skin condition.  It rebalances the pH of the skin therefore improving the overall health of a horse's coat.  Devoucoux tack cleaning cream for saddles is amazing.  You can put one or two layers of cream on it and it's back to normal after a downpour.  I also like Leather Therapy products for bridles.

Q.  When you have time off what do you like to do?

A.  I ballroom and Latin dance.  I'm looking for a new [studio] in Pennsylvania.  Any weekend we're home they tend to have socials and stuff.  I've done it for nine years.  A good friend of mine used to work for Adrienne's sister and took me to a place down in Wellington she used to go to and I got hooked.

Q.  Who's better: American or British eventers?

A.  I'm not going to say!  I do think for the Americans to know how good they are they need to be competing with European riders.  Because the Europeans can travel more to more competitions.  We need to be up against them to knew where we're at.

Q.  Any crazy, wild stories?

A.  I'm not the biggest party groom but one that sticks with me is when we were in Rio [for the Pan Ams].  The base of the venue was an hour from where the riders were staying.  The riders had a van to take them back and forth.  They had that van take us into the city for dinner and we had to take a taxi back.  The driver said they knew where he was going but he didn't.  They guy pulls up outside this army barracks and one of the girls jumps out.  The guard was like, "Who are you?!" and pulls a gun on her. Everyone is like, "get back in the car!"  All is well but looking back on it, it was a funny moment in our lives.  Luckily the driver did eventually sort it out.  The funny thing is that we were literally one street away from where we wanted to be.  One of our more entertaining evenings.

Q.  Do you have a favorite competition?

A.  I love Stuart Horse Trials. One: it's a beautiful area and, two: they have good parties!  But Rolex is on its own, really.

Q.  What are your future goals?

A.  Grooming-wise I wanted to do the Olympics, Burghley, Pan Ams and the World Games.  So I've just got to get to Badminton.  I would like to go to another Worlds.  [The World Games] in Kentucky next year will be amazing.  Hopefully the stars will align and we'll make it.  I would like to get into sport horse rehabilitation when I move on.  I would like to hang in there for the Olympics in London but that's still three years away.