Dr. Steve Allday urged small breeding operations to create and maintain lines of communication with racetrack practitioners in comments made during the April 2 Kentucky Thoroughbred Farm Managers' Club meeting at Keeneland.

“We need to narrow the gap between what the racetrack practitioner does on the track and what goes on at the farm,” Allday said. “Unfortunately, with the smaller outfits, there’s a bit of a gap when the horses come back to you and have time off. How do you handle their problems, and what should you do with the time off they have?”

Allday recommended that farm managers request detailed reports and instructions on how to follow up on an injury from the track vets who examine their horses while they are in training.

“If you have a horse come back, call the track vet,” Allday said. “Make contact. Ask, ‘What did you see? How has it progressed? Where are we going with this injury, exactly how would you like it followed up, and what has been your experience with how these injuries are brought back?’ When you fulfill the cycle of communication, you get more productivity, so that each athlete can come back and reach its potential.”

Allday also stressed the fact that racetrack practitioners are in an intensely competitive business and, in most cases, are readily available to speak with individuals regarding their equine clients.

Meetings of the KTFMC are currently held at Keeneland in the Phoenix room. The next meeting is scheduled for May 7. More information may be found on the organization’s Web site, www.ktfmc.org.