TDN’s ‘Let’s Talk’ – a podcast series featuring TDN’s Christina Bossinakis and TVG online analyst Gabby Gaudet, offers candid discussions of personal and professional issues commonly encountered in the racing community car.
The latest edition introduces a trio of successful veterinarians – Stronach Group Veterinary Officer Dr. Dionne Benson, equine surgeon Dr Patty Hogan (Hogan Equine Clinic in Cream Ridge, NJ) and Doctor Bill Hawk, longtime racecourse doctor, Hall of Fame manager with Steve Asmussen among his large clientele.
Over the past decade, racing has faced increasing difficulties, moving from yesterday’s standards into today’s necessities. And veterinary medicine is no different, as its equine specialists come under increasing scrutiny and pressure. Additionally, long work hours and weekends and catching up with the massive workload in a shrinking community of co-workers are just a few of the factors that make attracting new hires. It’s getting harder and harder to graduate veterinarians and keep existing ones in the equine industry.
“It’s been an incredible career but it has some highs but some real lows,” admits Dr. Hogan.
According to Dr. Hawk, one of the high points in the industry is the approach to community among veterinarians, including follow-up and regulatory veterinarians, who help drive the industry forward. go in the right direction.
“This is where practicing veterinarians and management work very well together in my opinion,” he said. “Every time I have an incident where I think it is not being properly cared for or is properly bedded or is certain the injury is not being cared for properly, I speak to our veterinarians anywhere. anywhere I’ve been and I’ve always found that attendance is almost instant. ”
While the health and safety of the horse population as a whole is one of the most important issues in the industry, the health – both physical and psychological – of the equine veterinary community is an issue that is often overlooked. However, the emotional investment of equine veterinarians emphasizes unwavering commitment to their animals and clients.
“I’m like a high-end auto repair shop for sports cars, but these sports cars are animals with character and they react to you,” says Dr. Hogan. “When I had a particularly difficult case, and I lost that case, it was very difficult. I still think about the horses I had to kill 20 years ago. They are all individuals. That’s the hard part for me. They are real life animals and you will get to know them.. So it remains very personal to me because I have very personal relationships with these horses. “
And like other professions in racing, veterinarians are late for the behavior and actions of some, yet the majority of veterinarians remain steadfastly motivated to do the right thing. and work passionately to help protect the animals they supervise. a daily basis.
“I get really offended when someone mistreats one of these horses,” admits Dr. Hawk. “Honestly, this is an entertainment industry and they are giving it all to our entertainment..and we wouldn’t do our part if someone didn’t take care of that animal and then we said nothing about it. It’s just wrong on every level.”
Despite all the hard work and sometimes thanks to the press, the men and women responsible for the care of the sport’s equestrian athletes are often driven by the most fundamental of forces. – the horse’s absolute love and commitment to its health and welfare.
‘I can’t look from day to day, because I’m going to have really bad days and hopefully have a lot of really great days,’ Dr Benson added. “I look at where we are headed. Are we improving the industry? Are we making things better? Are we seeing the death toll go down? We are seeing racehorses stay healthy for longer. If I feel like we’re still moving, that’s what keeps me personally going is I feel there’s still things we can do to help. “
To watch the ‘Let’s Talk’ podcast, click this and to listen to the audio-only version, click this.
