21 Years At the Iroquois

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Tennessee Equine Hospital veterinarians have been volunteering their services on race day at the Iroquois Steeplechase in Nashville, TN at Percy Warner Park since 1991. Owner of the practice, Dr. Monty McInturff said he’s been coming to the Iroquois since 1979. “We volunteer our time for the Iroquois, which is a fundraiser for Monroe Carrell, Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. We are the official track veterinarians. We make sure all the horses are healthy, sound before they race. We observe them, watch them jog, give them a visual exam, and make sure they are sound enough to race; otherwise, they don’t race. We verify the tattoo to make sure that the horse running is the proper horse. We also give emergency treatment, if needed. We had six veterinarians at the track this year.”

“The death of a horse here is rare, and I’ve never seen one post-race,” he said, referring to the collapse of Arcadius just after winning this year’s prestigious $150,000 Iroquois Steeplechase. “I’ve seen two horses go down on the track, die quickly, in similar conditions. But this year’s race was a cool day, the track was good, and there was not much to do – until after the last race.”

“The track is much safer now than it was in the past. The brush jumps have been changed – the horses can jump through them without injury. The timber jumps break away. So the jumps are constructed to protect the horses.
“Usually, the only problems we get are heat exhaustion, or electrolyte imbalance. We are there primarily as support for the horses.”

Tennessee Equine Hospital also sponsored the $30,000 Grand Prix at Brownland Farms’ Nashville Country Horse Show, May 23-27.

Tennessee Equine Hospital is located in Thompsons Station, TN, south of Franklin.

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