By DOUG GRAVES
Ohio Correspondent

MT ZION, Ky. — Earlier this year the horse racing industry mourned the loss of 2006 Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro.

Tom Scherder of the Pegasus Equine Performance Center on Big Bone Road in northern Kentucky has a contraption that - he believes - could have saved the animal’s life.

That contraption is a one-ton hyperbaric chamber that reduces a horse’s recovery time dramatically.

“The chamber enables us to saturate a horse up to three atmospheres with 100 percent oxygen,” Scherder said. “It activates their immune system and promotes healing up to 70 percent faster. This process takes the blood cells from their bodies, and they’ll live while they’re in there. It forces so much oxygen into their body fluids; it does wonders for any ailing horse.”

Hyperbaric oxygen increases tissue levels of oxygen, allowing for fibroblasts and osteoclasts to function appropriately. This helps with slow healing fractures. Use of the chamber is proven to help prevent tissue damage by decreasing the tissue lactic acid level and helping maintain the ATP, or adenosine triphosphate level.

Such chambers are used throughout hospitals in the country as hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Just like horses that are taken to Scherder’s farm, patients at hospitals are placed in a sealed hyperbaric chamber that is pressurized 2-3 times atmospheric pressure for periods between 90-120 minutes for the purpose of getting relief from chronic wounds.

The same principal applies to ailing horses.

“About four years ago they made them big enough to put horses in them,” Scherder said. “The chamber helps to excite the micro-organisms that produce bone. This is a shotgun effect. This chamber kills aerobic and anaerobic infections. Often we can heal a horse to 95 percent health in 60 days and be ready for the track.”

Scherder and his small staff have been in business for nearly four years. Their ‘clients’ (or horses) come from Turfway Park in Florence, Ky., River Downs near Cincinnati, Indiana Downs near Indianapolis and Keeneland near Lexington.

According to Scherder, there are 14 such chambers in the country, two in Lexington.

“I work at half the price as they do,” Scherder said. “Some charge $500 per treatment. For people using such a chamber at a hospital or clinic it’s $2,500 per treatment. We charge just $45.”

Most horses are wary of entering the chamber at first, but soon become relaxed. Each is hosed down before entering the chamber.

“A static in a pure oxygen environment makes for a very bad day,” Scherder said. “But this chamber is grounded so there’s no chance of a spark any way.”

Once inside, the chamber reaches 86 percent humidity and eventually there is 100 percent oxygen in the chamber.

“The oxygen makes them sleepy,” Scherder said. “The horses absolutely love it, and the horse’s immune system is excited about it. Each horse will spend two hours in the chamber.”

In addition to using the chamber this performance farm also offers a heated swimming pool for racehorses.

“These animals are professional athletes, and when you’re a professional athlete you cross-train,” Scherder said. “We can allow a horse to heal and still keep him fit. We can make him stronger. It also becomes a weight builder. Many horses that have a bad ankle or knee, we keep the rest of their body in shape with this pool while they heal.”

The pool, which is nearly 10 feet deep, remains heated at 78 degrees F. The barn temperature is just as warm.

“It’s amazing to me how much stronger they become,” Scherder said. “Horses are good swimmers and many can do 20 laps.”

The group handles up to 25 horses each day.

“When they come out of the pool you can see the muscle tone in their body,” Scherder said. “There is a real definition in their muscles.”

Helping Scherder with the duties at this small Boone County farm is Sandi Williams, who also offers riding lessons in the evenings.

“The horses can get the same muscles on the track, but it wears the horses’ legs down with all the pounding,” Williams added.

Early morning workouts are preferred by horsemen, but Scherder isn’t convinced it’s the ideal way to go.

“It’s old-school thought as opposed to new-school thought,” Scherder said. “Racehorse owners think this is expensive, but we tell them that losing is expensive.”

Trainers at most tracks command up to $100 a day for their work.
At Pegasus Equine Performance Center the charge is just $40.

“We take care of the feed, exercise and training. Riding is extra,” Scherder said. “We’ve taken horses in here that are finished with their racing career. But so often we’ve taken these same horses and given them this rehabilitation and sent them back to the track, and they’ve been more successful since coming here.

“Some trainers will discard a horse and spend a lot of money for a new horse when they can have rehab done and have a much better horse. We oftentimes take horses we’re rehabilitated and beat others at the track. We’re starting to get the attention of these track folk.”

For more information about Pegasus Equine Performance Center, call 859-322-0880.

This farm news was published in the May 16, 2007 issue of Farm World, serving Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Kentucky, Michigan and Tennessee.