The Caslick's Operation

Emma has what is called a Caslick's operation. A Caslick's is when the lips of a mares vulva are stitched together, leaving a small area at the bottom for urination. Emma most likely received this treatment because of a common race track thought that if a mare sucks air into her vulva when she is running she will not run as fast. A mare may also receive a Caslick's operation if she is prone to vaginal infections. Before we could breed her we had to re-open the area that was stitched together. At first our vet only opened her enough to be able to artificially inseminate her, but before she foals we will have to open the entire thing.