MARE EXAMINATION CRUSH/ STOCKS

Download Mare Examination Crush Dimensions (Microsoft Word Document)

• Never assume that any mare is safe to do a rectal examination on without stocks.
• Even the quietest, most tolerant mare can have a bad day or can get bitten by a hornet ECT.
• Your mares mildest reaction may cost your veterinarian his life or at the very least his livelihood.
• It is the thought of going to my Doctor & having to explain that I was putting my hand up the rectum of a horse & I didn't think it would kick, that would be the hardest. I think he would think I was too stupid to bother treating!
• You don't have to build the Taj Mahal! Four posts will do.
• There are a few simple rules-
• The height of the rear gate should not be greater than 85cm. (Remember it will become higher as the mares dig out the floor; as they do if it is not cement.)
• It should not be built against an existing wall. If you build against a right side wall, a left handed palpator has to stand directly behind the mare & vice versa. With difficult mares, it is important to be able to stand to one side initially.
• The stocks should be built to be suitable for both left & right handed palpators.
• There should be a moveable bar or chain in front to keep the mare firmly back against the rear gate. ( This bar will always have to be able to come further back than you would expect. Give yourself plenty of room)
• There should be somewhere safe to put the scanner; preferably at about shoulder height & where the screen is not in direct sunlight. The support for the scanner should not be part of the stocks. Even the best built stock will move if a mare becomes agitated.
• There should be a safe place close to the mare to confine any foal.

Some examples