After a busy month in Athens, Greece, Jack Snyder, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVS, a professor in the Department of Surgical and Radiologic Services at the University of California, Davis, and a director of the Olympic Veterinary Clinic, returned to the United States. Snyder has been sending updates and photos to The Horse on horse health news from the Olympic Games.
We’ll provide specifics and a summary on veterinary experiences in Athens in our November issue, but here are some tidbits from the 2004 Olympics, including Snyder’s insights.

On Aug. 20, Snyder gave the outcome of a distal femur fracture in the stifle sustained by Belgian mount Over and Over (ridden by Joris Vanspringel) during the cross country course on Aug. 17. "The fracture was too bad to fix," said Snyder, "but at least we gave it a try."

It was also found that Great Britain’s Tamarillo, William Fox-Pitt’s mount, had fractured his stifle in three places during cross country. The injury was not considered life-threatening, but it could affect future performance.

Snyder had noted that early in the Olympics, heat and humidity had been a problem with several horses, causing the need for fluids and medical intervention for some colics. At one point in mid-Olympics, Snyder said, "We’re still working on two to five horses each day, but there are no major problems. I think since it cooled down, the colics have slowed, although it is getting hot again