An Artificial Leg Saves French Thoroughbred

Most thoroughbreds are destroyed when they lose a severely injured leg. But for one special French-bred racer, the handicap offered a chance to show his true champion spirit.

Boitron, a 9-year-old stallion and champion breeder, was being shipped to Chicago last year for a contest with a well-known racer when he suffered an injury to the bones in his right rear foot.

The race was to be his American debut and a shot at beating the great John Henry. But a severe infection developed and the hoof of the carefully-trained animal had to be amputated.

Boitron’s racing career was over.

Normally in such circumstances, the animal is destroyed. It’s usually an act of mercy because a good number of the animals are unable to understand what has happened to them and will reinjure themselves.

But Boitron was different. The thoroughbred adjusted quickly to his handicap and allowed his trainers to take over where he could not.

The California syndicate that owns him decided even if Boitron would never race again, he could still lead a happy, maybe even productive, life with three good legs and an artificial one.

They contacted Dr. Barrie Grant, head of the Equine Section of Washington State University’s Veterinary Clinic for his opinion.

Grant is well-known in the thoroughbred racing community for pioneering orthopedic surgical techniques that have returned several “wobblers” back to the track.

He had built artificial legs for other horses, but only once before had the device been intended to replace a hind leg--a decidedly more complicated task.

“We had to do some additional surgery, and I must say I was not encouraged at first,” said Grant of his first contact with Boitron last June.

“But he took it so well and had such a great attitude. How can you put a guy down when he just gets up after surgery and starts eating?”

Grant and a team of 18 veterinary professionals and senior students in equine medicine got together with Gary Held, an instrument maker in the mechanical engineering shops at WSU in Pullman.

After several unsuccessful attempts, Held designed a more solid prosthesis that included a “cup” to fit over the stump of Boitron’s leg and held in place with eight standard ski boot buckles.

Extending down from the bottom of the cup to a hinged foot plate are two stainless steel support tubes.

Behind the support tubes and mounted directly to the foot plate and support cup is a shock absorber from the steering component of a motorcycle.

“It has made all the difference in the world to him,” Grant said of the bionic leg costing about $1,000.

“He’s not a bit self-conscious about it. He can lie down and get up, which he could not do comfortably with the first one we built.

“Not every horse has enough personality to put up with such a device. But those that can tolerate, adapt and still enjoy life are good characteristics worth passing on.

“Boitron has a super personality. Some animals who have broken limbs are considered nasty. When it happens to one, most say he got into trouble because of his personality and that was his fate.

“But this horse is special, the way good horses are. I’ve talked to trainers, like those of John Henry and Seattle Slew. They agree there’s something special about this caliber of horse. It’s like knowing a special person.”

Grant said he knows of only two horses with artificial hind legs.

He put a prosthesis on a mare two years ago and it now has a foal. But the mare was bred artificially.

Artificial insemination is not allowed with thoroughbred racing stock, however.

Knowing that, Grant and his staff exercised Boitron regularly as part of his therapy to build up the muscles in his rear end before taking him home.

“Just a few weeks ago, we took him from something like minus 3 degrees here in Pullman to his home in 85-degree San Luis Obispo, Calif.,” said Grant.

“He was ecstatic. He immediately ran to his stall to check everything out. It was still there and it was still his. He was very happy. I could see it in his eyes.”

The owners were happy, too.

They placed an ad for stud services several weeks in advance of Boitron’s return, saying the father of several promising 2-year-olds would be ready once again.

“He was,” Grant reported, adding pregnancy checks were due on seven mares in the very near future.