Edgar wrote:
"katy" wrote in message
...


A purse string is a surgical stitch taken to sew shut a mare's cervix
after being bred so she does not miscarry her foal.


I know nothing about horses but that sounds like an awful thing to do. What
pain must it cause the mare if nature decides that there is something wrong
with that foetus and it needs to go?


It's done on mares that have been performance horses...they tend to have
a condition where they suck air throiugh there and have spontaneous
abortion because of it...some mares are also stitched (it's one loose
stitch) when they perform also so they don't suck air...it doesn't stop
the labor process so if she is far enough along that she doesn't absorb
(horses absorb miscarriages up to a point) and goes into labor, it is
easily cut...if there was something genetically worng, chancews are she
would absorb first...when that happens they have a dirty heat and you
have the vet over for treatment...