It’s entirely possible that not flying her to KY so quickly would have been a good idea or that surgery was a good idea. They could have avoided this on so many levels
I had been following this horse for her entire career, so I am devastated at her death.
I first laid my eyes upon her at the Fasig Tipton Calder sale. Her workout at the sale was awesome. I still have the DVD from the sale, so I will upload her workout onto youtube eventually. I tried to convince the connections that I had at the time to buy her, but she had some conformation problem that they didn’t like so they passed. Those Indian Charlies are fragile, and Greg Gilchrist did a wonderful job keeping her together for as long as he did. My heart goes out to the connections of the horse, and they did everything in their power to save her. RIP to the fast filly. Say hi to Fog for us on the other side. It’s times like these that I question why I love horse racing so much when all it ends up doing is breaking your heart.
What a shame… But I agree as well, diffently the right decision…
Godspeed, Indyanne--------Go join all the greats across The Bridge
Godspeed to another great heart.
Blinkers On----I agree. I wondered why they flew her to Kentucky after such a traumatic injury. Alamo Pintado is not that far to the north of Santa Anita and I thought that is where she might have ended up. I wonder if doing the surg right away would have made a difference. Oh well, hindsight is 20/20. Godspeed to a lovely filly.
There was way more then simply a fractured sesamoid to this wonderful filly’s story. Surgery could have been preformed but was not the best thing for her sake, no matter where it had taken place. Euthanasia was the right choice for her…the humane choice.
The humane choice at the time. Surgery, was the humane choice at the time of injury. It is a very good and useful tool. Something that can save lives and limbs. Quality of life. Chino has a pool. Very good surgeons. Short trip on a leg that wasn’t as good as advertised.
The flight for Curlin to SA was 11 hours plus a van ride on either end. Kind of alot to ask of a horse with a broken limb. Loading/unloading. Loading on a van, a pallet and off again.
Sometimes erring on the side of caution instead of rushing her to a breeding farm early in the breeding season…
Aww, man, that sucks. BUt good on them for doing what was right for her.
Chino would have been the closest to SA–Alamo Pintado is a several hour van ride as would be San Luis Rey Equine.
In the end, I don’t feel qualified to second guess these folks. It’s not just the facility but the surgeon that they were probably interested in. Perhaps they wanted Bramlage. Who can blame them? He’s one of “the guys” in the country for this kind of surgery and horses are flown in all the time for his care.
OK I know I’m being wonky but I couldn’t let the 11 hour flight thing go…Curlin arrived in Kentucky at 5 PM EDT. An 11 hour flight from LA means that the plane left at 3 in the morning from LAX. That sounds a little early to me…and 11 hours sounds a little long especially since you are tacking on the van ride on either end.
Besides are you really saying Chino is the same thing as Rood and Riddle? In what universe?
Wouldn’t it be nice if the people who actually have to live with the consequences of decisions weren’t always second guessed by the Internet? Nah…that’s a pipe dream 
What a shame. I too had thought things would go better for her. I feel terrible for the mare and her connections…
San Francisco Chronicle Jan 13, 2009 excerpts with Greg Gilchrists remarks
“There are always repercussions when you do that much damage and a lot of times you don’t know for days, weeks or even months,” Gilchrist said. “Probably we could have carried on for another month with her, but the percentage of her surviving was very slim. She was losing weight. In everyone’s opinion, it was the humane thing to do.”
Gilchrist purchased Indyanne for $375,000 in 2007 for original owners David and Jill Heerensperger, and they sold her to Sikura in a private transaction after she won the Grade 3 Thoroughbred Club of America Stakes on Oct. 4 at Keeneland.
“Today is not an easy day for me,” Gilchrist said. “You second guess yourself a lot. You try to think what you could have done different, what you could have done or what could you not have done.”
Indyanne is the second star Gilchrist trainee to have died in the past three year. Lost in the Fog, who won the Eclipse Award as the nation’s champion sprinter in 2005, had to be euthanized the following year after contracting cancer.
“The older you get, the harder it gets,” Gilchrist said. "The last couple of horses were two of the best horses I ever trained or probably will train. It is very difficult to deal with, but that’s just the dark side of the game."
Goodbye Sweet Girl
To paraphrase Shelley (1792-1822):
“She has outsoared the shadow of our night”
Such a loss! I feel for Greg Gilchrist.
Hallie I. McEvoy
Racing Dreams, LLC
[QUOTE=Pronzini;3803284]
OK I know I’m being wonky but I couldn’t let the 11 hour flight thing go…Curlin arrived in Kentucky at 5 PM EDT. An 11 hour flight from LA means that the plane left at 3 in the morning from LAX. That sounds a little early to me…and 11 hours sounds a little long especially since you are tacking on the van ride on either end.
Besides are you really saying Chino is the same thing as Rood and Riddle? In what universe?
Wouldn’t it be nice if the people who actually have to live with the consequences of decisions weren’t always second guessed by the Internet? Nah…that’s a pipe dream :)[/QUOTE]
Hm. It seems that comprehension is an issue here as are the words you oddly are putting into my mouth.
First, where did I mention Rood and Riddle? I believe I said Chino was close and they have good surgeons. They have a pool and do a fantastic job. I have been nothing but pleased with them. They are a VERY short van ride from where the injury was sustained. No where did I mention that Chino was better than or equal on any level to your highly esteemed clinic. But they do a fine job! And could very well have done the job very well on a filly that was 60/40 to survive? But 60/40 makes her sound to travel? Surely you can open your eyes long enough to do the math. If a horse is on the cusp of euthanasia and life, why not give it every opportunity to survive. Money is surely no object. And an 11 hour flight and van ride, loading and unloading, shifting weight to maintain balance at every turn. Does this seem like the wise choice to you then? and now? I can’t see how you possibly could. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to do that equation.
And it’s fun to be pious and wish that “people who actually have to live with the consequences of decisions weren’t always second guessed by the Internet.” Facts are I have had to deal with injuries like this. Worse and happily some better. They all had a better outcome that this poor soul. BUT then again the surgical horses had surgery. And didn’t fly to KY till they were sound enough to stand up to the rigors of travel. Makes a slight difference in outcome. Might be something to run through your mind. My favorite quote,“for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” True in our dealings with horses and their injuries as well.
Pronzi, I am first hand informed on the Curlin trip. So calculate which ever direction and maybe the wrong direction, but I am not calculating or guessing.
Rood and Riddle was where she was euthanized. Evidently you think her trip was because of greed or something. I prefer to think that John Sikura, as a Kentuckian, was more comfortable with Larry Bramlage and Rood and Riddle as opposed to Chino or some place else and as the owner that’s his right. I also suspect neither of us really know but what we think is part of our world view. These are smart people and your version just doesn’t make sense to me. I don’t think they gained anything breedingwise sending the horse to Kentucky in January as opposed to March (when they were hoping to breed her) so I have to think it was a risk benefit analysis having to do with the doctors they felt comfortable with. Since I don’t have a DVM next to my name nor have I been briefed by the vets who am I to criticize them after a very difficult day? I can almost guarantee that if she was insured, a vet here signed off on her and said she was stable to travel.
Anyway poor Indyanne…I feel for both her and her connections today.
So she travelled the country to be euthanized… good times. Pronzi, they could have saved her life. Honestly, I don’t think it was greed and a vet might have signed off or not. Either way an insurance company might want the records for their own interpretation. Insurance companies can be fun! They’d love a reason not to pay out.
60/40 isn’t “ok to travel.” Sorry.
I guess the blaring difference between you and me is that you feel badly for her connections and I don’t. Human choices have massive repercussions for our equine friends. Even Greg has said they ought to have tried here for a bit.
I feel sorry for the horse. We are the responsible party in their lives and deaths.
It is very feasible that she would have been bred this year. Regardless of where she spent her recovery time. In 2 to 3 months she could easily stand for breeding and still have a relatively early foal.
Again, where did I criticized a vet? I have the utmost respect for the vets involved!
And I agree, nothing was gained by the ship. In fact a lot was lost.
First off…there was more damage then simply a fractured sesamoid. The surgery would have done nothing for the further damage done when she broke down on the track. The possibility of laminitis occuring in her off leg was very high. She was splinted on her LF the entire trip, in order to stabilize that leg.
Since I don’t have a DVM next to my name nor have I been briefed by the vets who am I to criticize them after a very difficult day?
Exactly. Unless you worked first hand with this filly, you do NOT know exactly what was occuring. The press releases did not tell everything that was going on. This filly was in the best hands until she was euthanized, which was NOT at R&R. Dr Bramlage was simply called in to consult on the case and then preform the surgery should it have been an option.
I feel very sorry to all who were involved with this amazing filly. But please trust me, the right decision was reached, as hard as it was.
How do you know they could have saved her life? Were you part of the consultations between the owners and medical staff? Have you seen detailed diagnostic information?
The owners made what they felt was the right decision at the time they made it. You don’t know if they had left Indyanne in CA if the outcome would have been different.
She was a classy filly who’s owners tried to do the right thing for her up to and including the end. Let her rest in peace and stop second guessing her connections.
Exactly. Unless you worked first hand with this filly, you do NOT know exactly what was occuring. The press releases did not tell everything that was going on. This filly was in the best hands until she was euthanized, which was NOT at R&R. Dr Bramlage was simply called in to consult on the case and then preform the surgery should it have been an option.
Do you know what was going on?
If you do, can you please tell us.
Thanks,
Lora
[QUOTE=Where’sMyWhite;3805917]
How do you know they could have saved her life? Were you part of the consultations between the owners and medical staff? Have you seen detailed diagnostic information?
The owners made what they felt was the right decision at the time they made it. You don’t know if they had left Indyanne in CA if the outcome would have been different.
She was a classy filly who’s owners tried to do the right thing for her up to and including the end. Let her rest in peace and stop second guessing her connections.[/QUOTE]
How do I know that? Because I do. BUT If she is “able” to ship when her chances are 60/40, chances are they could have taken steps, like surgery, to help ensure that survival options were higher. 70/30, 80/20… time to be able to physically handle the rigors of travel. Simple things.
Had she been attended to surgically and given some healing time. She’s more than likely be alive. We make choices and there are repercussions. The horse is always on the recieving end on our choices.
I know Greg and do business with the vet group used. I know the vets and how they “roll.” Owners/trainers are synonymous with bad decisions about their equine commodity. We have thread after thread proving that.
I don’t know that it would have been different had she remained in CA, BUT her chances would have been MUCH higher.
I don’t need to see the x ray to have an opinion… the outcome speaks loudly.And sadly!
Sorry to be a realist. I live this and breathe this. I’m not wrong. Not even remotely. She didn’t need to Rest In Peace. She could have rested peacefully as a broodmare.
1+1=2
