Paynter Recovery from Colitis and Laminitis Voted 2012 Moment of the Year; Owner Designates Veterinarian to Accept Award

Stakes winner Paynter was taken ill in August while training at Saratoga in New York. A month of life-and-death struggles with colitis and acute laminitis followed. Many horses don't survive this type of medical insult but Paynter clung to life and is now back in training at Santa Anita in California. His story was publicly broadcast via the Twitter social media network by his owners, Zayat

Paynter Watch: Surgery at University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center Next Option for Ill Zayat Colt, Laminitis Under Control

 Paulick Report flashed the news today that champion three-year-old Thoroughbred colt Paynter will be transferred tomorrow from Upstate Equine Medical Center in Schuylerville, New York to the University of Pennsylvania's New Bolton Center in Kennett Square, outside Philadelphia.

Owner Ahmed Zayat of Zayat Racing has been announcing his horse's medical condition on Twitter since the colt was

Paynter Watch: How Is Post-Colitis Laminitis Different from Common Chronic Laminitis?

TVG interview with champion Thoroughbred Paynter's owner Ahmed Zayat of Zayat Racing, taped the morning of September 19, 2012, explains the timeline of Paynter's illness and suggests the severity of the colt's illness.


All types of laminitis are similar in two ways: First, the epithelial cell system in the foot’s interlaminar zone is damaged.

Second, that damage causes horses great pain.

Paynter Laminitis Watch: Podiatry-Vet Fraley Amazed at Progress Since Hoof Casts Applied

Paynter's Hoof-Specialist Veterinarian Fraley "Amazed At His Progress"



Paynter models his hoof casts: The colt is almost as big a star on Twitter as he was on the racetrack. This photo was tweeted by owner Justin Zayat yesterday and shows the three-year-old Thoroughbred colt outside the Upstate Equine Medical Center in Schuylerville, New York where he has been a patient since late

Paynter Watch: Top Thoroughbred Colt Diagnosed with Post-Colitis Laminitis in New York

Paynter in his stall at a vet hospital near Saratoga. (Zayat Twitter photo)


You could hear a collective moan rise from the world of Thoroughbred racing today.



Paynter has laminitis.



For the past month, the racing press has been reporting on the condition of top three-year-old colt Paynter, trained by California's Bob Baffert. Paynter is owned by Zayat Racing Stable.



After winning the