Veterinarian from Nebraska is consultant for ‘Secretariat’

By Loretta Sorensen, Lee Enterprises

Movie-goers won’t spot Justin Jensen on the screen when “Secretariat” is shown in movie theaters.

The saga of the famous Triple Crown winner opened in theaters this month.

Jensen’s expertise, however, will be visible in the movie because he served as a veterinary consultant on some of the sets that were filmed in Louisiana, where Jensen is currently practicing.

“I and one other veterinarian from our 11-doctor practice assisted on site for some of the movie scenes that were filmed,” Jensen said. “The other veterinarian primarily worked with the movie crew on birthing scenes. I worked on scenes that depict Secretariat at the racetrack.

“The film crew was required to have a veterinarian on site each time they had horses on the set in case there was any kind of problem with the animals. I also advised the actor who depicted the veterinarian examining Secretariat, telling him how to properly approach and examine a race horse.”

Jensen received his undergraduate degree from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and graduated from Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in May 2009. He gravitated toward equine care after growing up on a ranch near Tekamah, Neb., working with horses and Hereford cattle. Treating large animals in general appealed to him throughout his veterinarian training. Shortly before graduating, when he learned of an opportunity to work in Louisiana and treat race horses, he decided it was a great match with his career goals.

“Before I moved here I didn’t realize Louisiana had that many racetracks in operation,” Jensen said. “Some people here say the state is second to Kentucky in the racing industry.”
He said his main focus is with mares and newborns in spring, and monitoring stallion health and semen quality.

“Once that spring season is over my main work reverts back to the racetrack,” he said.

Jensen noted that 80 percent to 90 percent of race horses confined to stalls have gastric ulcers that require treatment and daily nutritional supplements.

“Race horses have to be monitored for airway problems and lower limb injuries in the tendons and joints,” Jensen said. “There are three major tracks in the state and Thoroughbred racing takes place throughout the year except for one month. In the area where I practice, the racetrack houses about 3,000 head. The training center houses another 3,000 horses and a new center with an onsite vet clinic that is being built will have a 5,000-head capacity.”

Much of the time Jensen spent on the set of “Secretariat” involved waiting for filming conditions to be readied and weather conditions to be suitable.

“Lighting had to be just right, clouds had to be just so. It all involved a lot of people doing small things to bring everything together,” Jensen said. “Some of the scenes had to be shot over because the horse that was supposed to be racing Secretariat would win. When they redid the scene, they held that horse back.”

Several horses played the part of Secretariat. Some of the race scenes were filmed on location in Kentucky at the appropriate racetrack.

“It was interesting to see how they put those scenes all together when they made the movie,” Jensen said. “I’ve heard of Secretariat of course and knew his general story. There were a lot of tidbits that I didn’t know and learned by being on the set. I didn’t know the story of the family in its entirety.”

The story relates the near-Cinderella tale of Penny Chenery, who inherited her parents’ declining horse farm following her mother’s death. Seemingly against all odds, she was determined to keep the farm and develop the new foals her father bred. In the end she raised what many have since called a super-horse.

Film critics noted in recent reviews that the 1973 Whitney Stakes race at New York’s Saratoga track in which Secretariat lost to a horse named Onion was not mentioned in the movie.

“The thing I’ll remember about the experience is how much detail went into every scene and what a large number of people that involved,” Jensen said.
“If the opportunity arises to work on another similar project, I’ll probably be willing to help out. My most difficult task was waiting around for the action to start. Overall it was a great experience.”

Facts:

-Secretariat clinched the 1973 Triple Crown at Belmont Park, N.Y., winning the Belmont Stakes by 31 lengths.

-Veterinarian and movie consultant Justin Jensen turned 29 years old on Oct. 8, the movie’s general release date.

-The 11 Triple Crown winners are Sir Barton (1919), Gallant Fox (1930), Omaha (1935), War Admiral (1937), Whirlaway (1941), Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946), Citation (1948), Secretariat (1973), Seattle Slew (1977), and Affirmed (1978).

Tags: Justin Jensen, Penny Chenery, race horse, Secretariat, Tekamah, veterinarian

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 4th, 2010 at 9:33 am and is filed under NCTA. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.