I think I may be an AI convert or a bad day at the breeding shed!!!

[selah]

:yes:Dr. Threlfall at Ohio State emphasizes steel toed boots with instep protection from his own personal experience:yes:
I saw a SO get her foot broken during a collection…don’t know how she avoided passing out…but she managed to hold it together to get the collection:eek:

(She DID have her helmet on!)

[Jos]

One of the worst injuries I have ever experienced while collecting semen occurred as a result of my wearing steel-toed boots. When the stallion stepped on my foot, the distal end of my toes were on top of a small pebble resulting in their slight elevation. This in turn caused the portion of the steel toe-cap opposite the toe end to cut into my foot just behind my toes when the weight of the horse was applied to it. The end result was major bruising and a significant amount of blood in the boot. It would not have been helped by an instep protector either.

I ceased wearing steel-toed boots to collect! In the 25 or so years since, I have had my toes stepped upon occasionally, but have never experienced as serious an injury as I dd when wearing the steel-toed boots. I also consider that not wearing the steel-toed boots makes me more conscious of where I am putting my feet, and if I do get stepped on, it reminds me that I shouldn’t have been standing there in the first place!

When during lectures I discuss protective equipment for collecting, I include steel-toed boots (with a suitable caution) in a “personal decision” category as to whether to wear them, as opposed to head protection for example, which is in the “mandatory” category.

Regards to all,

[not_again]

We have been standing stallions and did all of our own collections and live cover work for 25 or so of our 40 plus years. Many injuries to man and beast during that time.
It is money well spent to drive the stallions to SBS and walk inside and read a magazine while they do all the hard work and packing fresh or freezing. Whew! I especially like the electric phantom that lowers when the stallion is done. No more twisted forelegs! This is especially nice when the stallion is maintaining a competition as well as breeding schedule.

[Daventry]

@Sportpony;5697138

It’s scenarios like this … with no apparent solution … that really make me pleased that almost 100% of the time we collect the stallion and A.I. the mare. It started 20 years ago for two reasons. I was already doing some warmblood/pony crosses to establish a sportpony line, with A.I. being about the only reasonable option in some cases. Plus about 75% of the the time I had no help, I was on my own. Dealing with just one animal at a time really does cut down on the risks.

We have always collected and AI’d everything too! In this particular case, AI is absolutely not an option.