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I once owned an Arabian brood mare who was spayed - yep, spayed.

Right after I graduated from vet school, one of my favorite profs called me up one day and said, "You know that Arab mare out in the large animal clinic that had the uterine infection?" I knew her because I'd helped treat her. "Well, the owner has donated her to the University and taken a tax write-off. The large animal barn manager is going to have her put down if no one will take her. They've spayed her, so the uterine infection is no longer an issue. Will you take her?"

I was a first year veterinarian in a small animal practice in a large city at the time - living in an apartment - where was I going to put a spayed brood mare? I took her. She was a great horse, except that she had an aversion to loading into a trailer - long story.

I ended up doing a lot of equine work when I was in practice and ended up with a lot of friends in the Arabian horse set. I fell in love with Arabs - they are so intelligent, graceful, and athletic. I do hate the halter horses though - tabletop croups are just ludicrous - these horses can't be athletes so why are they the epitomy of the breed? But I digress (sorry about that little rant!).

I am glad you took the spayed brood mare!

Trailer problems are hard to solve, I think because, for the horse, being a afraid makes perfect sense. It isn't a comfortable ride, and it is a scary small place. One of the reasons my friend sold Bay all those years ago was that he wouldn't load in the trailer (easily). But he had an older straight load trailer that I think was just not big enough, and so dark. His next owner (the endurance racer) cured him of loading problems, traveling all over the place like she did, but he now rides in only slant-loads and stock trailers. I wonder if even today I would be able to get him in a straight load. He has preferences!

I do like Arabs too. I love how they stop and 'blow' at little things, but will go forward anyway. I love how they carry themselves. My complaint with the Arab show trends is that "English Pleasure" now means "Park Horse". I had a little Egyptian stallion as a kid who was a 'nice' mover. And always in the ribbons when we were young, but by 1985, I was beginning to have to compete against only park horses, and the old traditional movement couldn't win anymore. I love to watch natural park horses, but they sure have gotten exaggerated.

Here he is, one of the only photos I have of my little Egyptian stallion (very old pic, I am about 16!)

A spayed mare is a new one on me, and as a teenager I worked as a part-time assistant for a large animal vet. I was thinking about vet school but wound up going to law school instead (please don't hit me!)

Glad you were able to take her in. My mare is an easy loader into anything ("Oh, boy, is he handsome?"), although we usually go to the shows with my trainer who has a nice slant-load Sooner. I would not use an old straight load any more though, because they ARE dark and narrow and it's harder for a horse to brace himself on turns and stops. Although my mare is not an antsy shipper, I also don't like the low ceilings in the old fashioned trailers.

Endeavor, you would like my T'bred (our vet loves her) she's so untypical of the breed. She will stand to be clipped, injected, shod, medicated, whatever. I clip the inside of her ears and her chin whiskers in the cross-ties and she never moves. She once almost fell asleep while being shod - I was standing at her head rubbing her ears and poll, and her head just started sinking lower and lower. I woke her up because I was afraid she might tip over with one foot up!

(Did I mention that I wear spurs? :-D )