Multiple Grade 1 winner The Tin Man is recovering in trainer Richard Mandella’s Santa Anita Park stable after fracturing his right knee while coming out from anesthesia after exploratory surgery on October 25.
The injury is serious and The Tin Man will not race again. Currently, the injured knee is being stabilized with a bandage. The October 25 surgery was exploratory to ensure The Tin Man’s ankles were in good shape to race another season. When he came out from the effects of the anesthesia he took an awkward step and suffered the knee injury.
“It’s rare, but it is part of the inherent risk when a 1,200-pound animal comes out from anesthesia,” Blea said. “It would be similar to a knee injury suffered by a football player who twists his knee on artificial turf.”
A horse’s knees are more similar to human wrists than knees. A horse’s knee is several bones in the front two legs held together by small muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
The current plan is to allow The Tin Man to rest in the stable while closely monitoring his recovery. Blea is contacting the nation’s top veterinary surgeons to see what kind of surgery could be an option for the injury, which includes a fractured intermediate carpal bone and fractured ulnar carpal bone.
Blea said the extent of The Tin Man knee injury is rare.
“People have not seen an injury like this before,” he said.
The Tin Man has settled well at the stable and has enjoyed his usual amount of attention as a barn favorite.
“On Saturday, he was under a lot of stress, but he is feeling better now,” Blea said. “He’s happy and standing well. He’s a model patient.”
The injury is serious and The Tin Man will not race again. Currently, the injured knee is being stabilized with a bandage. The October 25 surgery was exploratory to ensure The Tin Man’s ankles were in good shape to race another season. When he came out from the effects of the anesthesia he took an awkward step and suffered the knee injury.
“It’s rare, but it is part of the inherent risk when a 1,200-pound animal comes out from anesthesia,” Blea said. “It would be similar to a knee injury suffered by a football player who twists his knee on artificial turf.”
A horse’s knees are more similar to human wrists than knees. A horse’s knee is several bones in the front two legs held together by small muscles, tendons, and ligaments.
The current plan is to allow The Tin Man to rest in the stable while closely monitoring his recovery. Blea is contacting the nation’s top veterinary surgeons to see what kind of surgery could be an option for the injury, which includes a fractured intermediate carpal bone and fractured ulnar carpal bone.
Blea said the extent of The Tin Man knee injury is rare.
“People have not seen an injury like this before,” he said.
The Tin Man has settled well at the stable and has enjoyed his usual amount of attention as a barn favorite.
“On Saturday, he was under a lot of stress, but he is feeling better now,” Blea said. “He’s happy and standing well. He’s a model patient.”
3 comments:
Was "exploratory" surgery really necessary?
That's what I'm screaming. I think all the big-time owners and trainers are just so greedy.
My thoughts exactly... I'm not sure I would chalk it up to greed, though. I really believe that the owners had the horse's best interest at heart, but in hindsight, it seems like it was an unnecessary risk for sure. I asked my vet about it and he said they could have done an MRI instead. Obviously, The Tin Man was a true "war horse", overcoming injuries in the past that they never thought he would recover from. That's what made him one of my favorite horses, so I was very saddened to read this story.
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