Boitron - Thoroughbred
- morethanpethk
- Jul 19
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 24
HIGHLIGHTS
Foaled January 1, 1976 – Died October 5, 1987（11yo）
The Incident : mid-August 1981 (at 5yo) - US
The Injury : The right hind leg was severely injured with a torn ligament.
The Leading Surgeon: Dr. Barrie Grant
The Outcome: A success, the injured leg was amputated, then Boitron was fitted with a prosthetic leg and lived at a stallion farm. Five years later, in 1987, the horse was died at the age of 11 from peritonitis and a gastric abscess.
ABOUT THE HORSE
Boitron is a French bred thoroughbred, the horse won 4 of 16 starts in Europe. At 4yo, he was bought by a group of California investors in 1981. Then Boitron was going to run in the Arlington Million US in August 1981. He should have been accustomed to flying when running in Europe.
THE INCIDENT – mid-August 1981 (at 5 years old)
Something went haywire on the transcontinental flight to Chicago. The trainer put Boitron next to the other horse instead of separating them, he started kicking and snorting when that horse got scared, ripped one of his hocks all to hell and tore some ligaments. By the time he got off the plane in Chicago, his right hind leg was severely damaged. His racing career ended, he was sent back to the Farm in Texas.
THE SAVING EFFORT – led by Dr. Barrie Grant
The farm surgeon had removed his damaged hoof while the horse had a healthy hoof on the other side. But he had circulation problems, and the tissue wasn’t any good. The owner afraid he might founder and didn’t want to put down Boitron.
Gradually, residual problems and infections worked their way up the leg. They sent Boitron to Washington State to meet Dr. Grant, he removed the bone to four inches below the hock, wrapping the skin and the superficial flexor tendon around the stump to provide cushioning. Dr. Ric Redden, who also helped in the initial stages of surgery, he emphasized the need for vigilance in the post-surgery period for support limb problems.
Dr. Grant performed two more amputations. The horse was strong though he was under anaesthesia for 40 hours during the two operations and suffered from low blood pressure.
8 months later, Boitron was fitted with a stainless-steel prosthesis designed by Washington State’s engineering department. It weights about 16 pounds & 14 inches long, starting just below the hock and running to the ground, where it’s supported by a platform. The prosthesis was connected at the hock to a fiberglass cast that covers the rest of the leg.
After fitting with a permanent prosthetic leg, the horse returned to stud duties at a farm near California's Central Valley coastline. The horse had two prostheses, which were changed every day for sanitary reasons. He could trot with it but couldn’t gallop.
Since the experimental days of Boitron's travails with limb loss, Dr. Grant and his team had made technical advances to the whole procedure.
THE OUTCOME
Their persistence had paid off. Boitron covered 44 mares, resulted in 20 foals in breeding. His story later made headlines when his owners and veterinarians saved him from being euthanized by fitting him with an artificial hind leg, allowing him to live a comfortable life for 5 more years. On 10 May 1987, Boitron died from complications through a stomach abscess that led to peritonitis.
Source: Los Angeles Times
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