Vets from University’s Equine Hospital provided the public with a unique insight into horse health this week, ahead of the Grand National.
The public lecture was part of a wider event, known as Randox Health Week, which ran between Monday 3rd and Wednesday 5th April, and was a collaboration between the new Grand National sponsors Randox Health, Liverpool John Moores University and the Philip Leverhulme Equine Hospital.
At the talk, which took place on Tuesday, 4 April, Professor Cathy McGowan discussed equine excellence in racing and the increasing use of blood tests in training horses, She was joined by colleague Harry Carslake, who explained why clean air and lungs are crucial for performance.
Professor McGowan, Head of the Philip Leverhulme Equine Hospital, commented: “The racehorse is one of the finest athletes on the planet with a highly specialised physiology to enable it to perform at such high levels. We focused on highlighting that unique physiology and also how understanding that is used to monitor and maximise the health of these equine athletes.”
The Equine Hospital is also once again providing veterinary support at the Grand National Festival. During the three-day event, veterinary experts are working at Aintree Racecourse and enabling access to the hospital’s state-of-the-art facilities at the University’s Leahurst campus, for any horses requiring specialist care.
The hospital offers specialist expertise in Equine Medicine, Surgery, Anaesthesia and Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation. Facilities include a £1.8 million Intensive Care Unit, CT and MRI scanning, a radiography suite, two highly equipped operating theatres and stabling facilities.
