Hollywood and Horsepower Show, August 13, 2026

Hollywood And Horsepower Show with Mark Otto

Our guest is Dr. Bryan Waldrige DVM from Mississippi State University Equine Medicinee | College of Veterinary Medicine | Mississippi State University https://www.vetmed.msstate.edu/directory/bw1873

Bryan Waldridge, DVM, MS, Dipl. ABVP, ACVIM, is a veterinarian at Mississippi State University as a Clinical Professor

He also continues to serve as a veterinarian at Old Friends Thoroughbred Retirement Farm, where he cares for an aging equine population. He received his veterinary degree from Auburn University, and upon graduation became a faculty member teaching large animal internal medicine at Tuskegee University and Auburn University. He then worked for Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, in Lexington, as an internal medicine clinician. Waldridge also served as a resident veterinarian for Kentucky Equine Research, where he was responsible for herd health of research horses and overseeing nutritional research and new product development. He was also the treating veterinarian at the equine quarantine facility for the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta. Most recently Waldridge worked for the Kentucky Horse Racing Commission, where he was the treating veterinarian and worked the 2015 Breeders’ Cup at Lexington’s Keeneland Race Course. Waldridge has a special interest in internal medicine and clinical pathology. He and his wife, Sonja reside in Mississippi now on their farm.

Behind the Finish Line: Equine Medicine, Racing Legends, and the Healing Power of Old Friends

Summary

The Healing Power of Old Friends

The episode opens with the host promoting Tony's Steak and Seafood and two charitable causes, No Fallen Heroes and Old Friends. The host and guest describe Old Friends not only as a retirement home for notable racehorses but also as a place that can have a powerful emotional effect on visitors and volunteers. Both men recount how time spent around retired horses can help people decompress and recover from difficult periods in their lives. Game On Dude, Silver Charm, Lava Man, and other famous horses are discussed as examples of the personal connections people develop with equine athletes. The guest says the farm became a kind of personal refuge for him, while the host describes how visits there helped him through a difficult period. They also credit the people behind Old Friends with creating an atmosphere of kindness, acceptance, and respect for both horses and visitors.

The People and Stories Behind Horse Racing

A major theme of the conversation is that horse racing's strength comes from its stories and from the people who work behind the scenes. The guest praises grooms, farm workers, night-watch staff, veterinary technicians, and other workers whose lives revolve around caring for horses that often belong to someone else. He remembers the camaraderie of the racetrack backside and the remarkable stories told by veteran horsemen. The host recalls an older Churchill Downs groom known as Mr. Bones, who could tell stories about horses and Kentucky Derby history for hours. Both speakers argue that racing could attract more people by telling these human stories rather than focusing only on races and wagering. They present the backside culture as hardworking, diverse, humorous, and deeply connected to the horses.

Bardstown, Kentucky Roots and a Career in Equine Medicine

The guest traces his connection to horses back to Bardstown, Kentucky, where he grew up near My Old Kentucky Home and the Talbott Tavern. He remembers his mother's long career at a drugstore near the tavern, his uncle's involvement with racehorses, and his own early exposure to stalls, hot walkers, and farm work. He later attended the University of Kentucky and found a summer job in an animal pathology and blood-typing laboratory before modern DNA parentage testing became standard. He explains how blood types and inherited markers were once used to evaluate parentage in horses. That experience helped mov