>>>> in holland, close [to] 80% develop eczema if the horse isn´t taken care of
I missed this original post, but I take issue with the "isn't taken care of" line. I've heard that one too many times. That just makes me see red. An SE horse can get exactly the care of another not-at-risk horse, but one will suffer and one won't. To say that the horse "isn't taken care of" implies that the fault is with the owner, and that's simply not fair. The care that the SE-horse receives may be considered optimal for other horses in the area, but that may not be enough. I don't stall my horses from dusk til dawn, and I never have. I don't like the idea of installing an automatic fly-spraying system for worry about over-exposure to chemicals. I don't put expensive gnat-resistant flysheets on my already hot horses in the summer - normal flysheets don't work from what I hear. I think I get exemplary marks as a good horse owner. I'm lucky - I DO have a barn where I can stall him overnight if I have to. A lot of perfectly good horse owners don't have stalls, maybe only a run-in shed or shelter from trees. And not all barns have electricity and plumbing - I'm lucky that mine does. If Loftur comes down with SE, I will have to change my care, and if that's not enough, find him a new home...but it won't be easy to find a new home for a horse with physical issues, a past bolting problem and the potential for emotional scars to resurface. I'll have to rearrange my pastures and herd to accommodate him. I'll do what I have to do...but there's a heck of a lot more to the SE problem than horses not being well-cared for. It can be a huge financial expense, very time-consuming, not to even mention the suffering for the horses. Karen Thomas [EMAIL PROTECTED]
