MEDICAL & VETERINARY MEETINGS

A couple of months before the event each year the Medical and Veterinary teams gather (separately!) for a day at Badminton. The object is to review the previous year, making any necessary alterations to procedures, deployment etc; to let everyone get to know each other again, introducing any new faces; and most importantly to discuss the best treatment of any casualties, drawing on published literature, experience from other sporting events etc.

This year the meetings were on 28^th February and 4^th March. Chief Medical Officer Tony Walsh lead the discussion on medical matters, starting with responses to the questionnaire distributed to all doctors at the 2008 event. Event Director Hugh Thomas then outlined the facilities available, including the distribution of medical teams (doctors, paramedics and ambulances) on the cross country and throughout the event, the radio communications, courtesy vehicles, medical HQ location and the provision made through the Red Cross for the public.

There were questions about getting ambulances out of the ground on the Saturday morning and it was confirmed that the police motorcyclists stand ready to provide an escort.

The doctors and ambulance crews exchanged details of the drugs and equipment they would be bringing and Tony Walsh outlined again the procedures for the use of ‘controlled drugs’.

(All of the doctors on the course on Saturday nowadays hold an A.T.L.S. (Advanced Trauma Life Support) qualification &/or have other very specific skills, eg as an anaesthetist, that are particularly relevant).

 

A few days later, on 4^th March, the equivalent Veterinary meeting was held under the leadership of the FEI Veterinary Delegates, Geoffrey Lane and Paul Farrington. After a fairly brief reflection on what had been a quiet veterinary event in 2008, Paul lead a discussion on the identification of tired or tiring horses and how the on course vets could best pass advice to him in Control with the President of the Ground Jury. Yogi Breisner and the British Team vets had been invited to the meeting and were able to contribute much experience to the discussion.

There followed three outstanding presentations, of fascinating interest to anyone concerned with the management of top class event horses. Lesley Young generously came down from Newmarket to talk about the significance of cardiac abnormalities, with particular reference to those which pose a threat to the competing horse and those that do not.

Richard Hepburn from the Willesley Equine Group which provides the ‘stable vets’ at Badminton then talked about ’Logical and illogical fluid therapy for equine competitions’, reviewing all the published literature and bringing his own experience to bear. Interestingly, in all cases of moderate dehydration, the most effective remedy is for the horse to drink plenty of water with salt in it, rather than resort to high tech drips!

Finally, Bruce Bladon from O’Gorman, Slater and Main, who is a preeminent surgeon and one of our on course vets, spoke about the types of limb injuries that might be sustained in competition, the prognosis for good recovery and the best method of stabilising the horse for transport to a specialist clinic.

All present agreed that this had been an outstandingly helpful day put together for Badminton and the sport by Geoffrey Lane.