Archive for January 20th, 2012

Acepromazine can be very useful for a Veterinarian.  Ace is used when sewing up wounds, floating teeth, and lots of otherwise tough medical procedures.  But, should it be used as a training aid?  By the way, for those of you that don’t know, Ace is a tranquilizer.

I say yes it can be used as a training aid and I have used it as such.  Now let me explain before you all get your panties in a wad.  Green trail horses can have a nicer tail experience.  Young horses can handle a first saddling with less stress.  Or a first shoeing.  Horses recovering from lameness issues are less likely to re-injure themselves.  We used it a lot when our Jessie was recovering from a severed nerve in her hind fetlock. (This was just as severe as a break)  After 9 weeks of stall rest we used Ace and hand walked her for 20 minutes twice a day in the chilly, windy winter. (Remember this is Southern California not Duluth, Minnesota)  It would have been a complete train wreck without the Ace.

We also used Ace when it was time to ride her again after six months of rehab.  That kept me safe as well.  If I was nervous about flying in an airplane and I had to fly once a week for a while I think a mild tranquilizer would definitely make the first couple of flights less nerve racking.  Also, the picture is taken when Jessie was used in a motion picture picture and Ace helped to calm her down with all that was going on around her that was strange.

So here is a big high five for this wonderful training aid.  Here is to Acepromazine.  It is also available in a long-acting tablet. (That is what we used on Jessie)

Do you agree?  Please let us know.