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# Cliff Sise Jr. I go over the horses myself pretty good. But sometimes a veterinarian’s suggestions are good, too. We have to rely on them in California. They check them for workouts; they check them for races. So we rely on a good vet.
# Tim Hills I’m married to a vet, Laine, so I very much respect their opinions. I’m not oldschool. They only get a vet when the horse is near death. We’ve been married 35 years. My wife graduated from Cornell. She came to Suffolk Downs 35 years ago. She came to work for my vet, Dr. Richard Sheehan. He’s also a graduate of Cornell, who was the past president of AAEP. She went on her own and we married a year later. She’s a very bright girl. She’s an accomplished dressage rider. She just turned 65, and bought a new horse to ride. I’m 69. I didn’t feel a thing on my birthday, but 70 is looming.
# Mike Maker Basically, we use a veterinarian as far as illness and lameness, and that’s about it.
# Bret Calhoun We use them when things get beyond our control— things like X-rays, ultrasound, scoping, things like that. Obviously we depend on them quite a bit for that. As far as day to day, we know our horses better than them. We see them every day. When there’s a change in them, obviously I bring them [vets] in for consultation. We use them for routine stuff like Lasix medications. Other than that, we don’t use them that much.
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# Ron Moquett Very little after what I’ve seen over the years. When I first started, the vets and blacksmiths weren’t allowed on the track until after the break. I use them for preventive stuff, taking care of the joints, because we’re asking these horses to do strenuous things. Other than that, I don’t rely on them at all.