Horse talk Articles
A horse crush is a must for all property owners in order to allow safe and easy access to any horse that requires or home treatment or veterinary procedures. The design of the crush should ensure the complete protection of both the handler and the veterinarian whilst the horse is being treated.
With access to a well designed crush routine management practices can be performed quickly and efficiently. These include drenching, castration, vaccinations, dentistry, pregnancy testing and ultrasound scans and branding. A crush will also facilitate husbandry tasks like clipping & washing.
All reproductive examinations on mares, including ultrasound scans, should take place in a secure examination crush - you should never assume that any mare is safe to do a rectal examination on without being in a crush. Even the quietest, most tolerant mare can have a bad day or get bitten by a hornet.
Your veterinarian may not be able to perform rectal examinations if he or she feels at risk, as it is possible that even a mares mildest reaction may cost your veterinarian his / her life or at the very least his / her livelihood.
For some small breeders, or individual owners installing a crush may seem a relatively expensive process, however it will pay dividends in terms of convenience, piece of mind, and quality of the workmanship able to be performed.
There are a few simple rules
Dimensions of a standard mare crush are listed below:
Height at sides: 1400 mm
Height of rear gate: 850 mm
Width: 800 - (700 mm internal)
Length: 1850 - (1800mm internal)
(These dimensions are for an thoroughbred mare, and will need to be adjusted for smaller mares or pony breeds. Alternatively, slots can be made along the side rails at the front to enable a bar to be placed in front of the chest.)
A safe design would incorporate full sides, with material such as cattle rail, sheet metal or mesh with a rubber conveyor on the insides for safety.
MARE EXAMINATION CRUSH / STOCKS
The crush design shown below is at the Avoca property where the Equivet recipient mares are kept and scanned prior to arrival at the Equine Breeding Centre for embryo transfer. These stocks work well for scanning multiple mares.
Phone
Postal Address
142 Jimna Springs Road
Cambooya Qld 4358
Location
142 Jimna Springs Road
Southbrook Qld 4363
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