Toe Grab Controversy
by Greg Ferraro, DVM
In the past several months the issue of whether or not to restrict the use of toe grabs on thoroughbred horses racing in California has become a controversial topic. These discussions within the industry have been brought to the fore by concerned horsemen based on the results of research conducted by the J. D. Wheat Veterinary Orthopedic Research Laboratory at the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Davis.
Our research is always conducted with the intention of advancing equine medical knowledge and improving the health, care and maintenance of the individual horse.
The role of such investigations is to provide information that is factual and unbiased.
We are always hopeful that this information can be utilized in a beneficial way by the horse industry. It is never our intention or desire to dictate to the industry or to individual horsemen the conduct of their training or racing endeavors.
In accord with that policy I am reprinting here a factual summary of the toe grab research prepared by Dr. Sue Stover, the director and principal research scientist of the J. D. Wheat Laboratory. We, at UC Davis, understand that there are many sides to this issue but we feel that its discussion should be based on the actual scientific facts of the research and so are summarizing them for you here. I will add my own personal comments based on my experience as a racetrack practitioner (not as a scientist) following Dr. Stover’s statement .
Fatal injuries, although catastrophic, are rare events. Because fatalities are relatively few in number, the causes of fatal injuries are difficult to study. However, there is evidence that many fatal injuries are the severe manifestation of non-fatal injuries that affect the ability of horses to train and race on a daily basis. Many factors contribute to the development of injuries. These factors likely include horseshoes, racetrack surface, and training and racing intensity, among many others.
One study of Thoroughbred horses that died at California racetracks found associations between toe grabs and rims on horseshoes and risk for any fatal musculoskeletal injury, and specifically, for fatal suspensory apparatus injury (the structures that support the fetlock joint). The odds of any type of fatal musculoskeletal injury were 3.5 times higher for horses shod with a regular-height toe grab on horseshoes of the front limbs than horses without toe grabs. The odds for fatal suspensory apparatus failure were 6 and 16 times higher for horses with low-height and regular-height toe grabs, respectively. Interestingly, the presence of another traction device, a full rim, on horseshoes of the front limbs was associated with a two-thirds decrease in odds for any fatal musculoskeletal injury and for fatal suspensory apparatus injury.
The strength of the association between the toe grabs and fatal suspensory apparatus failure and the tendency for increased risk with increasing height of toe grabs strongly suggest that toe grabs are a contributing cause of catastrophic injury in Thoroughbred racehorses. However, a cause and effect relationship between toe grabs and fatal musculoskeletal or suspensory apparatus injury can not be determined from this one study alone. Unfortunately, there are no other studies which have substantiated or contradicted these results. There are also no reports that evaluated the risk associated with toe grabs in live horses for nonfatal injuries. And, there are no studies that have simultaneously looked at toe grabs and other potential risk factors (for example, racetrack surface) for musculoskeletal injury. It is possible, for example, that the presence of a toe grab on a horseshoe parallels a period of high intensity training and racing - and thus the high risk for injury associated with a toe grab is really an indicator of another factor that might be contributing more directly to the development of injuries. This information is simply not known at this time.
However, the California study does indicate that of the two types of traction devices studied (toe grabs and a full rim), the presence of a full rim on a horseshoe appears to be more protective from injury than a toe grab. And, there is no scientific evidence that racehorses training and racing without toe grabs are at any increased risk for any musculoskeletal injury.
My personal comments:
As many of you know, I was a racetrack practitioner for many years. Based on that experience and my interpretation of the research data, I think there is sufficient reason to believe that the Thoroughbred industry may indeed be able to decrease the risk of injury by discontinuing the use of toe grabs on the fore limbs of horses. I realize that there are many concerns and opinions regarding this change but I see very little downside risk to either the industry or to individual horsemen by trying it. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain by at least implementing the change for a specific period of time to determine if, in fact, it proves beneficial.
This experiment will not work, however, if the participants are forced into it or have a negative attitude from the beginning. The change should be made by the general consensus of horsemen, racetracks and regulators as an effort to protect the safety of the horse. Not everyone is going to agree that the change is needed but those who dissent will have every opportunity at the end of the trial period to prove themselves right. Change is not always easy (the devil you know is better than the devil you don’t) but change is necessary for progress to be made. Innovative and thoughtful measures must be applied to race training methods if we are ever to improve on an attrition rate that is no longer economically or ethically viable. My fear is that the industry will be severely criticized by the general public if it does not at least make the attempt to improve this situation.
If it provides any comfort to those of you who worry that the elimination of the long toe grab might affect either the soundness or performance level of your horses, I might mention to you an experience of my own as the attending veterinarian of the great Charlie Whittingham. I was Charlie’s veterinarian through most of the 1970’s, all of the 1980’s and into the early 90’s. During that period, Charlie was at the height of his powers, winning everything in sight and establishing a reputation for his ability to keep his horses sound throughout an extensive racing career. I can tell you for a fact that during that entire period the shoe of choice for the stable was the rim shoe. It certainly didn’t prove to be a handicap to the master!
Toe grabs (above left) on racing shoes were found to be associated with an increased risk of fatal injury, particularly suspensory apparatus failure. The risk of injury was found to increase as the height of the toe grab increases. Rim shoes (above right) actually decreased the odds of injury, offering a safer traction device for racehorses.