> has she? there seems to be a difference between "guesstimate" and "lab > study", and i'd really like to know which was done, and how. > > --vicka
Vicka: Most of the horses we imported developed SE here in KY. The one imported horse we still have that had not developed SE during her first 9 years in this country showed some signs of it last year. I have not been able to keep track of all the imported horses we sold but of those I did keep track of, most developed SE to varying degrees - some light, some severe. That is the reason why we stopped importing. In order to take proper care of SE horses you need to have a good setup for putting them in the stable very early in the morning and at dusk. Some horses need to stay in the stable during the entire day because they also react to flies. I don't have a good setup for this (very hilly and pastures are not connected and not connected to the barn because of the way the land lies) so it is a real pain in the butt to have to convince the SE horses to go in the stable and stay there all day. They really want to be outside. I do all I can to make the horses happy inside: I muck out at least twice a day, have a radio playing classical music, go and give treats frequently and also apply insect repellent frequently. So for me, the whole thing is very labor intensive in the summer. Some people have a better setup for taking care of SE horses (such as a flat topography). It is also easier to keep horses inside if there is activity around the stable all day. Gudmar's setup is very good for this. The horses who are inside get to watch the activity and don't get so bored. So no, this is not a clinical study, just 25 years of experience with Icelandics. Incidentally, no horse born here has ever developed SE. I also do not know first hand of any horse born in the US or Canada to have developed SE. You should know that doing a real clinical study involves huge resources of labor and money that I do not have. But my experience is good enough for me to shape my decisions. Anneliese
