"The export of horses is followed by great environmental changes including different weather conditions and introduction to new microbes and insects. Together with stress, due to the transport, these changes seem to influence the immune system negatively."
Stress is mentioned as a potential pre-cursor to depression of the immune system, leading to susceptibility to sweet itch. I would be interested in seeing the differences in handling / training (i.e. natural horsemanship type training versus icelandic style training and riding) and type of tack (i.e. treeless saddles, no nosebands, no weights, etc.), between SE horses and non-SE horses. Judy http://icehorses.net http://clickryder.com
