NTWA | National Turf Writers Association

NTWA HONOREES

Joe Palmer Award - For Meritorious Service to Racing

2007 Honoree - Dr. Larry Bramlage
by Denise Steffanus

Dr. Larry Bramlage is a familiar face to racing fans. His 14 years as a member of the American Association of Equine Practitioner’s “On-Call” program for television viewers of the Triple Crown and the Breeders' Cup World Championships has brought him into millions of homes, most often at a time of crisis.

Fans, media, and the racing industry look to Bramlage for answers to difficult questions when a horse is injured on the track—how bad is the injury, what is being done for the horse, and will he or she survive. His explanation and delivery always offer reassurance that the situation is under control and the horse is in good hands.

The image television viewers see is the public Larry Bramlage, a world-renowned surgeon who has honed his skills over more than 30 years of practice. In private, Bramlage is a soft-spoken, humble man with a love of horses and a desire to help them that has driven him to great career heights.

As a partner in the prestigious Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington, Bramlage has perfected a surgical technique to repair fractured fetlocks, a procedure called arthrodesis that he teaches twice a year to veterinarians who attend his course. Bramlage considers this his finest accomplishment.

"It has saved many horses' lives and has improved the quality of life for many others who have had their ankles fused," he said.

Another surgical technique Bramlage developed helps horses with tendon injuries and has earned him the nickname "Master of the Bow."

But these are just two of the many ways Bramlage has benefited horses directly. His leadership in the field of veterinary medicine and his contributions to education and research shine equally as bright.

On-Call, which provides expert veterinary commentary during major, televised races, was the brainchild of a group of elite members of the AAEP that included Bramlage. He described what he considered the seminal moment for that program, when a horse named Filago fractured his forelimb during the 1991 Breeders' Cup Turf (G1) at Churchill Downs and the media was scrambling to provide information to viewers. The media eventually turned to Bramlage for help.

"I explained that coming out of the turn, he had fractured one of his sesamoids, which had allowed his ankle to collapse, and that's why he needed the splint, and that the prognosis was reasonably good, but he would require surgery," Bramlage recalled. "That was the kind of information the media was looking for. That horse, I think, set up the scenario where I was asked to do the Triple Crown so that one person would be doing all three races. Then, eventually the Breeders' Cup and the Triple Crown, which I have done for 14 years."

Bramlage explained what goes on behind the scenes of the On-Call program while he is on camera.

"Most of the time, you're on the radio with the veterinarian who's handling [the horse]," he said. "On rare occasion, when the injury occurs right in front of you, essentially in front of the stands, you're able to go look at it. That was the case with Barbaro. I went right out on the track and looked at his leg as they were loading him. But most of the time, we're dependent upon the veterinarian in the ambulance giving us the report as to what the injury looks like.

"Part of the reason why most of us who do On-Call are either orthopedic surgeons or people who do lots of lamenesses is that it's up to us to put the report from the track veterinarian into the context of our experience with particular injuries ... so when they tell you what kind of signs they are seeing, as far as the stability of the limb, you have a group of patterns that you know are likely to apply. So we can sort of estimate what the X-rays are going to look like before they are actually taken."

At Rood & Riddle, Bramlage views each lameness examination he performs as a puzzle to be solved.

"Each arthroscopic surgery, you have to unravel," he said. "So it's fortunate that when I come to work each day, I have a different puzzle or a handful of different puzzles to work on, and that's still very intriguing to me."

Dr. Steve Reed, a colleague at Rood & Riddle, has known Bramlage since their days at Ohio State University 30 years ago.

"Larry always amazes me with his ability to look at a problem and quickly see all sides of an issue, and then he can articulate a plan for how to solve the problem," Reed said. "Even when others disagree with his solution, they rarely ever disagree with his logic or his justification for the recommendation."

Reed added, "One anecdote I might add about shaking hands with Larry, I always try to get on first because he is as powerful with his grasp as he is with his voice. When he speaks, he does so with conviction that comes from understanding an issue, from not only his perspective but that of the opposition.

"Larry Bramlage is a friend whom I am proud to work alongside, because you know that when you work alongside him, you never have to worry about the effort or the commitment of your colleague, but only whether you will be able to keep up. He is tireless."

Bramlage, 56, has served as president of the AAEP and as a board member of the Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation. He taught equine surgery for 14 years at Ohio State before joining the staff of Rood & Riddle as a board-certified equine surgeon in 1989. But these are just a few of his many accomplishments.

His interest in horses goes back to his childhood on his father's Kansas cattle ranch, but Bramlage admits that he did not see his first Thoroughbred race until he was 20 years old, when he fell in love with the powerful creatures he has dedicated his life to save.

"That was at Fonner Park in Grand Island, Nebraska," he said. "But it wasn't the race so much that I enjoyed; I loved the backside and watching the horses train the first time I saw it ... Just the excitement and I think the amount of energy that a training horse has has always been sort of special to me—you know, how fit they are, and sometimes to their own detriment. The statement that people commonly use, 'jumping out of their skin,' seems so appropriate to me for the amount of energy that they have when they are as fit as they are when they are running."

For Bramlage, that same intensity of brawn and beauty still thrills him today and drives him to do the best for the Thoroughbreds he loves.