Rethinking recommendations

Turner wrote about Delia for a veteri-

nary journal, but the mare isn’t an iso-

lated or unique case, she says: “There

is a listserv where reproductive veteri-

narians share information, and on that

there have been a few reports of prob-

lems with marbles. One other mare had

two marbles that hadn’t shattered but

had rubbed together enough that they

filed down and produced glass shards.

Another mare had a single marble that

had broken.”

Veterinarians also report failure of

the marbles entirely. “There have been

isn’t enough to say that she’s never

going to be able to become pregnant,”

says Turner. “But it is possible that

the glass has done some permanent

damage and she has no future as a

broodmare.” Delia’s owners, however,

are happy to keep their sweet-tempered

mare, even without a foal at her side.

They’ve made no further attempts to

breed her and have returned her to the

Western Pleasure ring.