HORSE SENSE; DOCTOR'S PATIENTS RANGE FROM JACKASSES TO THOROUGHBREDS

Dr. Linus Huck drew blood from a jenny (female donkey) in order to perform a Coggins test, which identifies equine infectious anemia if present in the animal.

FRUITLAND -- No female approaches an obstetric examination eagerly, and Kate was no different. In fact, it took a few sharp slaps on the rump to get her in the same room with the doctor.

Later, with the help of an ultrasound, the doctor delivered the news: Kate wasn't pregnant.

The scoop was different for Blondie, whose appointment followed Kate's. The doctor said she was about 60 days into pregnancy.

The whole process took minutes. Soon both horses were ready to go home.

The Belgian mares are patients of Dr. Linus Huck, who specializes in horses.

Many practices pioneered in equine medicine have been later adopted for human use, particularly in the orthopedic field. For example, liniments used to ease inflamed joints on race horses are now used for humans who suffer from arthritis.

By the same token, technology developed for humans has been invaluable to horse health.

"The advent of ultrasound has revolutionized equine medicine," Huck said.

Huck, who has been a horse doctor for 26 years, said he has been around horses all his life and has seen many changes in the field of horse medicine.

It's not uncommon for him to see 50 to 60 horses in a day. His patients come to the office, and he also makes house calls.

"The key is linking technology with experience. One without the other is not satisfactory," Huck said.

In other words, learning how to use the latest technological developments is not of much use if a doctor doesn't have any "horse sense," so to speak.

"Most good equine practitioners start out as horsemen," Huck said.

"You have to know what's normal before you can recognize what's not normal."

On the other hand, not taking advantage of advances in the field does patients a disservice, he said.

Dentistry is a fairly recent addition to equine health care -- so recent, Huck didn't learn about it when he was a student at the school of veterinary medicine at the University of Missouri.

"I had to go back (to Columbia) and learn all about it," Huck said. "They just didn't teach that kind of thing when I was in school."

Now dentistry is a substantial portion of his practice, especially with performance horses.

Since the bit is a primary communication device between horse and rider, "a horse can't perform if his teeth are bothering him," Huck said.

As with humans and other animals, good dentistry also improves a horse's general health.

In addition to dentistry and reproduction, Huck said treatments for lameness are also common.

The doctor works with a farrier who develops made-to-order shoes for Huck's patients.

Huck said the most preventable problems are trauma victims -- often horses that get caught in fences. "Barbed wire and horses do not mix," Huck said.

But the most common mistake Huck sees horse owners making is buying the wrong horse.

"I often see the results of someone buying a horse not suited to their ability," Huck said.

The love of horses runs in the family. Huck's wife, Becky, helps run the practice, and his daughter, Martha Ann Huck, is a trainer.

The family's walking mule, Just Plain Fred, is the 1999 world champion 4-year-old-and-under Tennessee Walking Mule, crowned at the Great Mule Celebration in Shelbyville, Tennessee.

The gaited mule is Huck's ride of choice, but he doesn't recommend mules for just anybody.

"A horse will never forget, but they'll forgive you. A mule will never forget and never forgive," Huck said.