Texas Equine Veterinary Association

Page 37 | The Remuda | SPRING 2024 EDITION by Sammie Crosby, DVM of hay bales or a stall door must suffice. While we as veterinarians all know how to perform this procedure, I think it is necessary for this article to describe a proper caslicks. With the mare under sedation, and in a safe environment, preferably a set of stocks, the vulva area is scrubbed and using a local anesthetic the upper 2/3's of the vulva opening is blocked along the edges up to the apex. A 1/8-inch-wide – 1/4-inch-wide strip of mucosa is cut off at the edge of the epidermal/mucosa junction. It is important to remember that the mucosa will regenerate scar free while the epidermis will usually scar. To limit future excess scarring in the mares breeding career, I try to stay in the mucosa right at the mucosa/epidermis junction. When the mucosa is cut away there will be an incised area from just above the pelvic brim up to the apex of the vulvar opening in appearance like an upside down U. The 2 incised edges are then sutured into apposition using a continuous interlocking suture pattern. I advise the trainers to give the animal five days with no speed work to give this procedure time to heal. In summary, I believe doing caslicks on performance mares eliminates many issues that we encounter such as: Tail swishing, stiffness, or palpable pain in lumbar area, kicking out or bucking against pressure of a rider's leg, and continual signs of estrous (e.g., winking). I have encountered mares with a sore ovary that won't turn barrels or won't stop when roping. Jumpers that refuse to jump a 3-foot jump are common as well. Take time to educate your clients about the benefits of performing a caslick procedure on their mare. CASLICKS PROCEDURES are done on breeding mares to prevent issues on a daily basis. However, it has been my experience that performance mares, that are not on the racetrack, are not having this procedure as much as they once were. Every spring 2-year-old fillies that are being started at the racetrack have a caslick procedure done to prevent issues with the reproductive tract that will affect their performance. It is not common practice among the many other disciplines to have this procedure done, and I believe we, as veterinarians, see many performance issues that are caused as a result of this. In the 1930's, Dr. E. A. Caslick first started performing this procedure on mares to address "Pneumovagina". He published his findings in volume 27 of Cornell Veterinarian in 1937. Pneumovagina is due to an improper seal of the vulva that allows air to pass into the vagina and associated reproductive organs. This air will carry external contaminants with it that can cause irritation of the vaginal lining which causes pain internally that will affect athletic performance. Uterine infections are not an uncommon sequel to this as well. In some extreme cases painful ovaries result from this chain of events causing pain in the lumbar area which will make mares kick out or buck or even refuse commands from the rider. The influx of air is due to changes in intra-abdominal pressures during athletic activity, which then sucks air through an incomplete or abnormal seal of the vulva. Dr. Caslick's procedure has become the most commonly performed procedure done on horses today. It is a simple procedure that is done standing in the stocks, if available. Oftentimes, on a farm, a crude working stocks made "Neglected but Not Unimportant" THE CASLICKS PROCEDURE

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