Dr. Alina Vale, who received a scholarship from the California Thoroughbred Foundation in 2008, and Dr. Laurie Bohannon, the CTF Louis R. Rowan Fellowship recipient of 2012, are putting their veterinary experiences to good use at Del Mar. Drs. Vale and Bohannon were named as the two monitoring veterinarians during the summer meeting. They are part of a seven-vet team that oversees the safety of the horses stabled and competing at the racetrack.
In the mornings, Drs. Vale and Bohannon pay close attention to the horses on the track from perches on towers just past the finish line and on the backstretch near the five-eighths pole.
“We’re trying to identify horses that aren’t traveling well,” said Dr. Vale. “Horses constantly adapt their skeletons to the pressures put on them in training, and if we can detect minor injuries before they become major ones, then that will make things much safer for the horses and riders.”
Dr. Vale rode retired racehorses as a youngster and is a former Ride and Tie champion. She graduated from the University of California, Davis with a master’s degree in veterinary forensics. She has worked at veterinary hospitals in Kentucky and spent three years working in Dubai.
Dr. Bohannon is a Colorado State University graduate with an advanced degree in veterinary surgery from U.C. Davis. She has competed in Ride and Tie and endurance events, totaling more than 7,000 miles on horseback.