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Originally Posted by RolloTomasi
The opposite point of view would be that a stressful work (:48+ is a decent move) right on top of another stressful event (longer than normal ship by van no less) is potentially a recipe for disaster. Isn't there a chance he walks off the van with a fever?
Add on top of that any soundness issues probably wouldn't be detected before KY, not to mention the horse reportedly had lacerations sutured from the gate and plane mishaps, and you wonder what's the hurry.
Is the Cigar Mile this weekend?
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Any horse could break a fever after any ship.
Fit racehorses are not really good at standing patiently in 12 x 12 areas for a day and a half. They tend to destroy themselves.
Works far better if they have been exercised normally, and are a bit tired. Don't forget the horse was worked planning up to the effort of a race, but didn't get that race effort. He's probably climbing the walls a bit if he's that type.
Probably far less likely he walks off the van with a fever, as he can get his head down, and move around in a box; versus a plane ride where they are in crossties in a standing stall.
I would assume, from what has been published, that there may be a couple sutures in the horses upper front gum. That wouldn't interfer with bitting or eating.
If I had a horse with a traumatic gate incident (or trailering incident, or any scary and/or harmful incident whatsoever), I would try sooner, rather than later, to retrain and blot that incident out of the horses' mind, and get back to normal as quickly as possible. Virtually immediately would be best.
Horses think and memorize and imprint in their own equiney way, and it's not like dogs or cats or people.