href="#ulink_7de4f3c9-995c-5c9c-99fc-47c1c701dfdd">Figure 3.8 Bucket with liner to provide clean water for washing mares. All materials are disposed of between horses.
Figure 3.9 Bucket with liner closed to prevent dirt from contaminating water or to prevent water spillage when walking quickly with the bucket.
The water hose technique is less labor intensive and involves fewer materials than the bucket technique and works well where there are stationary horse stocks. A gentle stream of water or a shower‐type water nozzle should be used. Disposable examination gloves are placed on the hands and the perineum is rinsed with water to remove any gross debris. A mild detergent soap is placed directly on the labia or is placed on the back of the hand. The back of the hand and knuckles are used to vigorously scrub the perineum, using concentric circles going outward from the vulva (Figure 3.10). The gloved hand used to wash the mare is rinsed with the water hose. When rinsing the perineum with the water hose, the back of the hand/fingers may be used to help remove soap residue (Figure 3.11). The perineum is scrubbed until clean, usually involving three to four wash/rinse cycles.
Figure 3.10 Washing the perineum with a gloved hand.
Figure 3.11 Rinsing the perineum with a gloved hand and a gentle shower spray. Note Velcro®/neoprene tail wrap.
Once the mare has been cleaned adequately, a final wetted cotton piece is squeezed to remove most of the water and the lips of the vulva are separated. The cotton piece is then swiped from the dorsal to the ventral commissure just inside the mucosa to remove any debris that wicked in between the labia. This is done usually only once so as to avoid trauma to the mucosa. The perineum is dried with a clean paper towel in the same outward concentric pattern used to wash the mare.
Interpretation
When washing the mare, care should be taken so that water running down the back legs does not cause the mare to kick outward.
A disinfectant soap should not be routinely used in order to prevent killing normal skin flora and to prevent overgrowth of a pathogenic bacteria. A disinfectant soap may be used for surgical procedures.
The perineum should be scrubbed from the labia to 15–30 cm outward from the labia so that if the mare moves when entering the vulva with a gloved arm, the gloved arm will remain clean.
4 Placement of a Tail Rope
John J. Dascanio
School of Veterinary Medicine, Texas Tech University, USA
Introduction
The mare’s tail is often tied to the side to keep it from interfering with access to the rectum or reproductive tract. Horse tail hairs can be very abrasive to mucosal tissue or can lead to bacterial contamination from dirt/fecal contamination. In most cases the mare’s tail should be tied to her body so that if she were to fall down or jump out of stocks, the tail would not be injured. If the tail is tied to a rigid structure, such as the stocks, it should be tied with an elastic cord that is attached to a lightweight piece of twine that would break when significant tension is placed on it.
Equipment and Supplies
Tail rope equal to 2× the length of the mare, bungee cord, tail wrap, twine.
Technique for Tying a Tail Rope
Being careful to not stand behind the mare, the tail is grasped and the tail dock (or end) is located.
The running end of the rope (short end) is laid across the tail hairs just caudal to the tail dock (Figure 4.1).
The tail hairs are flipped upward and over the rope (Figure 4.2).
The running end of the rope is passed under the tail and over the flipped tail hairs (Figure 4.3).
A bight (loop) from the running end of the rope is tucked under the rope encompassing the tail and the standing part of the rope (longer end) is pulled to tighten the tail rope (Figures 4.4 and 4.5).
The standing part of the rope is then passed over the mare’s back so that if the tail is moved to the left side of the mare’s body, the rope is passed over her back to her right shoulder. The rope is then passed between her front legs. It is then passed over her back and tied with a quick release knot at her back (Figure 4.6).
This method works well when having to breed one mare, especially if there are no stocks around.
Care should be exercised as some mares may find the rope around their chest constricting and may need time to acclimatize to it.
Technique for Using an Elastic Cord to Tie the Mare’s Tail to the Stocks
The mare’s wrapped tail is encompassed by a stretchy cord such as a bungee cord with both ends of the bungee remaining free (Figure 4.7).Figure 4.1 The running end of the rope (short end) is laid across the tail hairs just caudal to the tail dock.Figure 4.2 The tail hairs are flipped upward and over the rope.
The bungee cord is hooked to a loop of twine attached to the stocks (Figure 4.8). The twine will break if too much tension is placed on it (due, for example, to the mare jumping out of the stocks). The bungee cord should never be directly attached to the stocks.Figure 4.3 The running end of the rope is passed under the tail and over the flipped tail hairs.Figure
