Stewards News

[Greg Hando]

I have never seen a horse chew one of the treated posts chip a bit of and suck it and you will see why it tastes bad

[Dot]

To us maybe Greg, but not to them, and it appears to have an addictive tendacy to it. I don't know how to post pics on the forum but happy to send pics of plenty of equine chewed posts to Kev to put up if you like.

[Showgrounds]

Arsenic can be absorbed through the skin, as I found out to my detriment a quarter century ago. I had a weanling filly in our paddock which was next door to a treated pine post mill and treatment plant.

She was a good healthy filly but became noticeable ill after every time it rained. After racing her to an equine hospital one day, blood tests showed abnormally high levels of arsenic. We then noted stormwater from the timber treatment plant ran straight into our paddocks; I had seen the filly splashing in the puddles a day and a half before she took ill. Subsequent soil and water (from the puddles) tests revealed high levels of arsenic present. Vets drew the conclusion she had absorbed the arsenic through her hooves and coronary bands.

We removed the filly and never allowed another horse in those paddocks. The old CCA (copper, chromium , arsenate) treated posts have been banned for about a decade and I would imaging most arsenic had leached out of any posts in the ground of that age by now. However, it is likely to still be found in the soil and, as I learned, horses don't have to ingest arsenic through the mouth for it to enter their blood stream.

[Dot]

CCA treated timber is not banned but is not permitted to be used in the construction or repair of structures that humans have high contact with, such as playground equipment, garden furniture, patio and railings, etc. It is permitted to be used in livestock fencing, power poles, landscaping etc.

Whilst arsenic does leach out of it the arsenic is usually contained in the immediate vicinity of the timber, and the timber will still contain significant amounts of arsenic 20 years or more after manufacture.

[gutwagon]

Dot, I read somewhere that there were drenches of synthetic growth hormones that contained arsenic being used. Just rumors of course.
Greg, I had a horse that loved chewing pine posts, can't say that he actually swallowed any of it, just loved chewing them. Trainer was complaining about all the posts in his paddock being destroyed. He was racing while doing this and never returned a positive. They were old posts and this was just last year.

[Greg Hando]

I believe you Dot just never seen one do it on the farm, perhaps they weren't bored enough.

[Messenger]

12mths for John Justice

http://www.harness.org.au/NEWS/news2...20Release1.pdf

[Messenger]

JJ and Gaita both got a stay of proceedings as they have appealed to VCAT

[Messenger]

An interesting reversal of placing for 1st and 2nd in the main race of the night at Ballarat tonight
They do not yet have their sprint lane (coming for ID night)
But Greg Sugars saw that there was just room for sulky to get up the inside of Craig Demmler
The head on at the end of the replay confirms there was at one point and as we cannot match it up with the side on we must assume the stewards saw that Sugars had established the run before Demmler came back down a bit
I thought Upanatom was going to get up but I didn't think it was totally clear cut

http://www.harness.org.au/racing/fie...ic#BAC05101801

[Messenger]

Has anyone been able to find Stewards wrap using thetrots.com.au ?
harness.org.au is going to be my go to page from now on as the News on the Vic page (supposedly ALL news) seems to be missing Stewards Wrap - correct me if I am wrong