The job of taking care of the horses
HEATHER SACKETT, News Staff Writer
LAKE PLACID — The riders and their trusty steeds get all the glory, not to mention prize money, at the Lake Placid Horse Shows. But behind the scenes is a contingent of people working to ensure the horses’ health and safety so they can compete in top form.
The farrier
A farrier can be described as a cross between a blacksmith and a podiatrist. They specialize in equine foot care and their primary job is to put horseshoes on the horses’ feet. But according to farrier Tony Bucci, who has been shoeing for 38 years, that seemingly simple task can be tricky.
The farrier has to make adjustments to align the shoes properly, which in turn align the bones of the feet and legs, all the way up to the horse’s withers. A bad shoeing job could leave the animal stiff and sore in the shoulders. Hooves are made out of keratin, which, like human hair and fingernails, is constantly growing, so the horse typically gets its hooves filed and a new pair of shoes about once a month.
“Sometimes you adjust them every two weeks,” Bucci said. “If you have to make changes, you do it gradually, over three, four shoeings.”
Bucci’s day in Lake Placid typically begins at 4 a.m. and can go until 8 or 9 p.m. After attending a shoeing trade school, 15 years working under an experienced farrier and 13 more on the horse show circuit, Bucci still doesn’t claim to be an expert. Learning on the job never stops.
“You never, never know it all,” he said.
Bucci’s favorite kind of horse to shoe is confirmation ponies, a type of show pony in the hunter class. They are judged on appearance and the field is extremely competitive, so Bucci has to get the shoes just right.
“They are fun to do,” he said. “I love doing them.”
Humane Equine Aid and Rapid Transport (HEART)
Craig Kellogg has been coming to the Lake Placid Horse Shows with the Equine Ambulance for the past five years. It is his job to transport horses with serious injuries or illnesses to a clinic in Saratoga or at Cornell University. Most of the time, a horse show vet can take care of the animal, but with nearly 800 horses at the horse show grounds there are bound to be occasional emergency situations. The most common ailment among horses, Kellogg said, is colic. Caused by a lack of water, a change in diet or stress, a stomach ache for a horse is serious. It could require surgery and is sometimes fatal. A broken leg could also spell big trouble for a horse.
“It isn’t an animal that you can say stay off it for six weeks,” he said. “As splendid as they are, horses can be pretty fragile sometimes.”
The “ambulance” is a specialized horse trailer with equipment that can slide under a horse to help lift and transport the animal. There is also a system inside the trailer that can suspend a horse from the ceiling if it is unable to stand. Kellogg is not a veterinarian, but he knows how to handle horses. He is an experienced horseman whose grandfather was a cavalry officer, and he trains horses for carriage driving when he’s not working with HEART.
“If a horse is in pain or scared, they can be very difficult to handle and uncooperative,” he said.
But so far, so good. The equine ambulance has not yet been needed at this year’s Lake Placid Shows.
“Serious injuries are few and far between,” Kellogg said. “But horses at this level have a lot of miles on them, just like any athlete.”
Horse Watch
Glenn Geary, owner of Horse Watch, stays up all night, looking after the health and safety of 700 to 750 horses. He checks on the horses and makes sure they haven’t become sick or injured while unsupervised in their stalls. But most importantly, he makes sure all the horses are present and accounted for.
“They are like little kids,” Geary said. “They are escape artists. They are always looking to do something. They are on a mission to self-destruct.”
Although horses can nap standing up, it’s not unusual for them to lie down to sleep. But in a cramped stall, that can be a potential problem because, if they don’t have enough room to roll themselves upright again, a horse can get stuck on the ground, or “cast.” Geary helps to right cast horses and also keeps an eye out for signs that a horse may be sick.
“They do talk to you, you just have to be able to read their signs,” Geary said. “If it’s swishing its tail and kind of crabby, it’s probably got a bellyache (colic). You have to pay attention.”
If a horse has a serious problem during the night, Geary will alert the owners and maybe a veterinarian as well. For a less serious incident, Geary will document it and leave a note for the owner or groomer to see in the morning. He said he thinks of himself not as a security guard (there’s not much theft at horse shows at all, he said) but more of a horse babysitter. Still, there are about 10 to 15 percent of the horses at the grounds that he does not visit. Some owners choose not to use Geary’s services, something he doesn’t quite understand.
“These people spend a lot of money on the horse,” he said. “When you buy a horse, you are buying something that makes you feel good, an emotion. When you think of what it would cost to replace that, what I offer is cheap.”
Geary has been coming to the Lake Placid Horse Shows, first as an exhibitor, now as a business contractor, since 1972. These days, he travels the Northeast with Horse Watch on the horse show circuit, but still says Lake Placid is his favorite stop.
“It’s one of the best (horse shows) in the country,” he said. “It’s a great town. People are friendly. Even with all the rain, everyone is happy.”
POSTED: July 2, 2009
Photos
The farrier
A farrier can be described as a cross between a blacksmith and a podiatrist. They specialize in equine foot care and their primary job is to put horseshoes on the horses’ feet. But according to farrier Tony Bucci, who has been shoeing for 38 years, that seemingly simple task can be tricky.
The farrier has to make adjustments to align the shoes properly, which in turn align the bones of the feet and legs, all the way up to the horse’s withers. A bad shoeing job could leave the animal stiff and sore in the shoulders. Hooves are made out of keratin, which, like human hair and fingernails, is constantly growing, so the horse typically gets its hooves filed and a new pair of shoes about once a month.
“Sometimes you adjust them every two weeks,” Bucci said. “If you have to make changes, you do it gradually, over three, four shoeings.”
Bucci’s day in Lake Placid typically begins at 4 a.m. and can go until 8 or 9 p.m. After attending a shoeing trade school, 15 years working under an experienced farrier and 13 more on the horse show circuit, Bucci still doesn’t claim to be an expert. Learning on the job never stops.
“You never, never know it all,” he said.
Bucci’s favorite kind of horse to shoe is confirmation ponies, a type of show pony in the hunter class. They are judged on appearance and the field is extremely competitive, so Bucci has to get the shoes just right.
“They are fun to do,” he said. “I love doing them.”
Humane Equine Aid and Rapid Transport (HEART)
Craig Kellogg has been coming to the Lake Placid Horse Shows with the Equine Ambulance for the past five years. It is his job to transport horses with serious injuries or illnesses to a clinic in Saratoga or at Cornell University. Most of the time, a horse show vet can take care of the animal, but with nearly 800 horses at the horse show grounds there are bound to be occasional emergency situations. The most common ailment among horses, Kellogg said, is colic. Caused by a lack of water, a change in diet or stress, a stomach ache for a horse is serious. It could require surgery and is sometimes fatal. A broken leg could also spell big trouble for a horse.
“It isn’t an animal that you can say stay off it for six weeks,” he said. “As splendid as they are, horses can be pretty fragile sometimes.”
The “ambulance” is a specialized horse trailer with equipment that can slide under a horse to help lift and transport the animal. There is also a system inside the trailer that can suspend a horse from the ceiling if it is unable to stand. Kellogg is not a veterinarian, but he knows how to handle horses. He is an experienced horseman whose grandfather was a cavalry officer, and he trains horses for carriage driving when he’s not working with HEART.
“If a horse is in pain or scared, they can be very difficult to handle and uncooperative,” he said.
But so far, so good. The equine ambulance has not yet been needed at this year’s Lake Placid Shows.
“Serious injuries are few and far between,” Kellogg said. “But horses at this level have a lot of miles on them, just like any athlete.”
Horse Watch
Glenn Geary, owner of Horse Watch, stays up all night, looking after the health and safety of 700 to 750 horses. He checks on the horses and makes sure they haven’t become sick or injured while unsupervised in their stalls. But most importantly, he makes sure all the horses are present and accounted for.
“They are like little kids,” Geary said. “They are escape artists. They are always looking to do something. They are on a mission to self-destruct.”
Although horses can nap standing up, it’s not unusual for them to lie down to sleep. But in a cramped stall, that can be a potential problem because, if they don’t have enough room to roll themselves upright again, a horse can get stuck on the ground, or “cast.” Geary helps to right cast horses and also keeps an eye out for signs that a horse may be sick.
“They do talk to you, you just have to be able to read their signs,” Geary said. “If it’s swishing its tail and kind of crabby, it’s probably got a bellyache (colic). You have to pay attention.”
If a horse has a serious problem during the night, Geary will alert the owners and maybe a veterinarian as well. For a less serious incident, Geary will document it and leave a note for the owner or groomer to see in the morning. He said he thinks of himself not as a security guard (there’s not much theft at horse shows at all, he said) but more of a horse babysitter. Still, there are about 10 to 15 percent of the horses at the grounds that he does not visit. Some owners choose not to use Geary’s services, something he doesn’t quite understand.
“These people spend a lot of money on the horse,” he said. “When you buy a horse, you are buying something that makes you feel good, an emotion. When you think of what it would cost to replace that, what I offer is cheap.”
Geary has been coming to the Lake Placid Horse Shows, first as an exhibitor, now as a business contractor, since 1972. These days, he travels the Northeast with Horse Watch on the horse show circuit, but still says Lake Placid is his favorite stop.
“It’s one of the best (horse shows) in the country,” he said. “It’s a great town. People are friendly. Even with all the rain, everyone is happy.”
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