Thankfully not a large part of a racetrack veterinarian’s job, severe injury of a racehorse nevertheless is one of the most visible and critical situations these practitioners must handle. Two experienced racetrack veterinarians, Mary Scollay, DVM, senior association veterinarian for Gulfstream Park and Calder Racecourses; and Celeste Kunz, VMD, chief examining veterinarian of the New York Racing Association, moderated a Sunrise Session discussion on triage of acute racing injuries during the 2003 American Association of Equine Practitioners convention. The session covered triage of many specific injuries, as well as more general recommendations and discussion of the relationships between practitioners, jockeys, trainers, and track management.

“The emergency treatment of catastrophic injuries on the racetrack can influence or even determine their prognosis,” stated a paper handed out by Kunz during the session