Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

This thread started with a request for veterinary opinions on three 
"non-invasive" methods of birth control.  Well, two of the three options in 
the initial posting sure looked invasive to me (but then, I'm not a vet) 
and I wondered why anyone in their right mind would go to all that trouble 
to prevent something that almost never happened.  I would be surprised if 
more than a handful of mares have become impregnated at an Endurance ride 
in the past 30 years.  Besides, as Heidi has pointed out, there are 
post-coital medications that can stimulate an abortion.

Then came Spottedracer's last post saying that at the track she recalled, 
"the majority of fillies/mares being sewn without ill effects" and it all 
began to make sense.  LP, you are allowing your experience at the tracks to 
interfere with your judgment processes regarding issues today.  Learning 
the ropes (in this case horses) in any highly structured, closed 
environment, will always produce prejudices for and against many ideas. 
Then when you face contradictory information from outside the closed 
society, you have a "gut reaction" against it, ie, "We don't do it that 
way".  Some of the procedures you "know" to be valid are.  Some are not. 
There are over 50 million horses in the world and the only place they 
routinely sew up "the majority of fillies/mares" is in the racing industry. 
 That alone should give you pause.  Stop and think - if it's such a good 
idea, why don't ALL the prestigious equine clinics recommend it?  It would 
be a helluva money maker!  But they don't.  In fact, none do.  ONLY in 
racing is it considered a reasonable practice.

Take Heidi's advice and forget the whole thing and save a bunch of dollars. 
 No surgery, sewing, infections, ripping, drug reactions to PZP for ANY of 
your horses.  Then if one of your mares becomes the what, maybe 5th mare 
ever to get impregnated at an Endurance ride, give JUST HER a morning after 
pill.


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