# Kentucky Derby winner War Emblem gelded after refusing post-import test breedings



## egrogan

TB stallion (Kentucky Derby winner) War Emblem was recently imported back to the US from Japan. He showed almost no interest in breeding during his stallion career, and was coming home to be retired. However, he refused to breed the required two test mares to clear quarantine, which presented his owners with a conundrum. Because he couldn't meet that requirement, his new owners opted to have him gelded. 

That test breeding requirement was fascinating to me. I'm quite sure I'll never have a breeding stallion, let alone one coming from overseas, but that requirement sure gave this story an interesting twist.

Here's the full story about his return and gelding as he moves on to his retirement home: Auburn Veterinarians Perform Surgery on Kentucky Derby Winner - Auburn University | College of Veterinary Medicine

Wonder if any of our Forum breeders who deal with international sales have ever faced a similar challenge with stallion import?


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## HombresArablegacy

Very interesting. I'm wondering why a stallion would be required to test breed 2 mares while in quarantine? What is the point? I'm sure mares being imported aren't subject to test breeding in quarantine. I just don't get it.
[ai]Posted via Mobile Device[/i] 


Well, it would help if I read the article, lol. But there's more than one way to extract semen from a stallion to test for CEM, correct? ??


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## Cherie

There are exotic venereal diseases that can be transmitted in semen that cannot be detected with blood tests. Semen testing is one of the requirements for sending stallions to some countries. I have only exported stallions, so I am not sure what US requirement are for import. I have had to have blood tests done for CEM (per export requirements) and had to have semen cultures done but I think that was per buyer's instructions. Every country has its own regulations for import.


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## EliRose

It was either geld him or euth him if they couldn't test him for CEM. Which was not going to happen with a dual-classic winner.

I have a lot of mixed feelings about War Emblem, a known bad actor who doesn't like other horses (he'd attack mares he wouldn't breed) or people, being brought to Old Friends. For those who don't know, Old Friends is a retirement farm that also does farm tours, for both horse and non-horse people. War Emblem was originally going to be put next to other stallions, including Sarava, who denied him his Triple Crown. That would not have ended well.

Currently, he's behind TWO fences.

War Emblem was a superstar in Japan and very well-loved and taken care of. He was a PHENOMENAL stallion for what he bred. His first crop, of only four, all ended up as stakes horses. He has a champion daughter. The reason he was offered to Old Friends was because one of his (much kinder) sons was entering stud - at 8!

More info:
Champion War Emblem gelded at 17


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## Jan1975

I'm not sure what the big deal about gelding him is if they didn't plan on breeding him again anyhow.


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## 4horses

If they have to breed 2 mares to import a stallion, what happens to the resulting foals?


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## EliRose

4horses said:


> If they have to breed 2 mares to import a stallion, what happens to the resulting foals?


They're aborted.


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## EliRose

Jan1975 said:


> I'm not sure what the big deal about gelding him is if they didn't plan on breeding him again anyhow.


It's more so the lack of planning . . . They tried for literal MONTHS to get him to cover two mares in the states. If they could have somehow gotten War Emblem to jump a mare, the Japanese probably would have wanted him back lol.


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## Dwarf

I always find horse behavior interesting, so for those who would know...what would cause a stallion to not want to cover a mare? I'm assuming he was healthy and capable.

Was there training done perhaps during his race days to keep him 'focused' on competing rather than looking at mares? Although I find it hard to believe that could shut off a stallion permanently, especially since they tried for months to get him to do it.


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## EliRose

Dwarf said:


> I always find horse behavior interesting, so for those who would know...what would cause a stallion to not want to cover a mare? I'm assuming he was healthy and capable.
> 
> Was there training done perhaps during his race days to keep him 'focused' on competing rather than looking at mares? Although I find it hard to believe that could shut off a stallion permanently, especially since they tried for months to get him to do it.


War Emblem has never been mentally "right." He has always been a weird, aggressive horse. This is a horse that out of nowhere attacked a hay bale and tried to kill it . . . While being led by his trainer during an interview.

When he lost the last leg of the Triple Crown, this was what Bob Baffert said: "He was so one-dimensional and such an irritable horse as it was, as soon as he was behind horses, I had to sit there for 2½ minutes waiting for the race to be over."

Why he acts like this is the $17.7 million question. There is some thought that he has confidence issues.

He DID manage to cover over two hundred mares, he just hated a lot of them and would try to attack any mare he didn't like. For years he lived along a fenceline beside a herd of mares to peak his interest, and that helped for a while.


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## natisha

Crazy or not he's lucky he was allowed to return.


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## QHDragon

EliRose said:


> They're aborted.


I was wondering the same thing...and that just seems so barbaric. Surely there is a better way to test imported stallions without putting the mares through all of that... :sad:

Also, I am very interested to see how this all goes. I am sure that he will still draw lots of visitors to New Friends, but he does have a rather nasty reputation. Bob Baffert apparently was very against him going there. He said that he would never let War Emblem anywhere near the public like he did with American Pharoah.


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## churumbeque

HombresArablegacy said:


> Very interesting. I'm wondering why a stallion would be required to test breed 2 mares while in quarantine? What is the point? I'm sure mares being imported aren't subject to test breeding in quarantine. I just don't get it.
> [ai]Posted via Mobile Device[/i]
> 
> 
> Well, it would help if I read the article, lol. But there's more than one way to extract semen from a stallion to test for CEM, correct? ??


It does not make sense and would raise many more questions such as where the mares come from who gets the offspring and if they use the same mares with the intention of not getting pregnant I would be worried about sexually transmitted diseases.


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## churumbeque

EliRose said:


> They're aborted.


That doesn't make sense either. If they are testing semen they would use a boot and they would not ejectulate in the mare.


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## EliRose

The MARES are then tested for CEM.

https://www.aphis.usda.gov/publications/animal_health/content/printable_version/fs_CEMrev09.pdf

Testing for CEM
Private veterinarians work with State or Federal animal
health officials to test any horse suspected of having
CEM, or any horse exposed to a CEM-positive animal.
You may also need to test for CEM to meet requirements
for exporting horses, semen, or embryos to
another country. There are three different ways to
test for CEM: bacterial culture, blood testing, and
test breeding.
Bacterial culture tests look for the bacteria that cause
CEM. Veterinarians collect swabs and send them to
approved laboratories. They require special handling 
and must be processed within 48 hours of collection. It
takes 7 days to get a result. Typically, the veterinarians
will collect three sets of swabs for culturing during a
7- to 12-day period.
Blood testing looks for an immune response to CEM,
which helps determine if a horse has recently been
exposed to the disease. This complement fixation test
can only be used in mares because stallions do not
develop an immune response to CEM.
Test breeding is used to detect CEM in stallions under
certain circumstances. A stallion is bred to two mares
known to be CEM-free. Those mares are then tested
for CEM. It takes 5 weeks after the test breeding to
declare the stallion negative. Test breeding will sometimes
detect bacteria that direct testing of the stallion
did not detect. To maximize the chances of detecting
the bacteria, USDA requires stallions to be tested by
both bacterial culture and test breeding if they are
known to have been exposed to the CEM bacteria or
are being imported to the United States. Test breeding
is not normally required to export stallions or semen
to another country. Mares are tested with bacterial
culturing and blood tests.


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## HombresArablegacy

So, what happens if a mare tests positive for CEM after being bred by the stallion? Is she euthanized? That seems pretty harsh if it is the case.


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## piglet

Thank you for the info, EliRose.

I remember losing a lot of respect for a famous horseman when he proudly wrote about helping a Thoroughbred farm breed a vicious stallion. Why keep that in the gene pool?

(Okay - - I know why.$$$$$$)


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## Captain Evil

Cherie said:


> There are exotic venereal diseases that can be transmitted in semen that cannot be detected with blood tests. Semen testing is one of the requirements for sending stallions to some countries. I have only exported stallions, so I am not sure what US requirement are for import. I have had to have blood tests done for CEM (per export requirements) and had to have semen cultures done but I think that was per buyer's instructions. Every country has its own regulations for import.



Thanks for the explanation. I always wondered why.


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## EliRose

HombresArablegacy said:


> So, what happens if a mare tests positive for CEM after being bred by the stallion? Is she euthanized? That seems pretty harsh if it is the case.


Treatment and Recovery
Although the occurrence of CEM in the United States
is a serious concern, there is some good news. Both
mares and stallions can be successfully treated using
disinfectant scrubs and antimicrobials. Most importantly,
after treatment, fertility appears to return to normal in
recovered horses.


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## ShirtHotTeez

IMHO test breeding has to be a very hit-and-miss way of testing for CEM in the stallion. It is known that often with diseases that of 100 contaminated with it a certain percentage don't contract it, a natural immunity of sorts.

Poor old War Emblem. I'm glad they saved him, even if he is a bit nasty. It would be great if he could go to 'Old Friends', even if visitors are not allowed to pat him.


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## HombresArablegacy

EliRose said:


> Treatment and Recovery
> Although the occurrence of CEM in the United States
> is a serious concern, there is some good news. Both
> mares and stallions can be successfully treated using
> disinfectant scrubs and antimicrobials. Most importantly,
> after treatment, fertility appears to return to normal in
> recovered horses.


That's fantastic news! Thanks for all your informative posts: once again I've learned something new that pertains to horses.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## EliRose

They didn't "save him". He was never in danger, he was no Ferdinand. He was a fan favorite stallion in Japan.

He's already at Old Friends.


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## Remali

You have to wonder about the life of some race/show horses. While some lead fabulous lives, and have as natural a life as possible (lots of turnout time, and so on)... I wonder about the cause of his aggressive and "crazy" nature. 95% of the time bad behavior is man-made. And, if he was known to have such a violent disposition, why on earth would his owners/syndicate (whoever) would want to breed him (I know, of course, it is greed), if he is truly that nasty, and it was not from abuse or improper handling, or being cooped up in a box stall, shame on his owners. Sounds like he should have been gelded from the get-go.... or if his aggressive behavior was from improper handling/training/environment/abuse, then those people responsible should be "gelded".

I sort of shudder to think what his life was like over in Japan.... many countries (such as the Middle East, for one) have reputations that are not good, and are down right horrific.


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## CaliforniaDreaming

Remali said:


> You have to wonder about the life of some race/show horses. While some lead fabulous lives, and have as natural a life as possible (lots of turnout time, and so on)... I wonder about the cause of his aggressive and "crazy" nature. 95% of the time bad behavior is man-made. And, if he was known to have such a violent disposition, why on earth would his owners/syndicate (whoever) would want to breed him (I know, of course, it is greed), if he is truly that nasty, and it was not from abuse or improper handling, or being cooped up in a box stall, shame on his owners. Sounds like he should have been gelded from the get-go.... or if his aggressive behavior was from improper handling/training/environment/abuse, then those people responsible should be "gelded".
> 
> I sort of shudder to think what his life was like over in Japan.... many countries (such as the Middle East, for one) have reputations that are not good, and are down right horrific.


Cuz he was a Derby/Preakness winner and Shadai Stallion Station had just lost Sunday Silence in August of that same year and they were looking to replace him because of how similar they looked. I wouldn't necessarily say it was greed that had them attempting to breed to him, the Japanese are very passionate about their racehorses and were expecting him to do well, and Shadai went above and beyond to try and accomplish success for him. But that's War Emblem for you, he always was a contrary horse. 

And for the record, Japan has very nice farms for the racing operations. I follow Big Red Farm on Facebook because they bought I'll Have Another who was a personal favorite of mine and they're taking fabulous care of him. A friend of mine's vet also works for the airline companies that ship the stallions/yearlings/brood mares over and she says the farm is pretty fantastic because they have hidden speakers that play soothing birdsong that varies with the seasons and they have really long covered tracks for working the racehorses. I think the stallions based in Japan look way healthier than the US stallions (they're not as fat for instance) War Emblem had it pretty good over there. 

As for the Middle East, Meydan Racecourse in Dubai is un-freakin-believable. The stalls are huge and the entire place looks fabulous. Saudi Arabia's track isn't too bad either, I saw pictures when a lady I know (who works for a trainer based at Santa Anita) posted some pictures when one of their horses was sold overseas. Most of the farms belonging to the Saudi sheiks are in the USA, UK and Australia anyway.


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## EliRose

Remali said:


> You have to wonder about the life of some race/show horses. While some lead fabulous lives, and have as natural a life as possible (lots of turnout time, and so on)... I wonder about the cause of his aggressive and "crazy" nature. 95% of the time bad behavior is man-made. And, if he was known to have such a violent disposition, why on earth would his owners/syndicate (whoever) would want to breed him (I know, of course, it is greed), if he is truly that nasty, and it was not from abuse or improper handling, or being cooped up in a box stall, shame on his owners. Sounds like he should have been gelded from the get-go.... or if his aggressive behavior was from improper handling/training/environment/abuse, then those people responsible should be "gelded".
> 
> I sort of shudder to think what his life was like over in Japan.... many countries (such as the Middle East, for one) have reputations that are not good, and are down right horrific.


There is no absolutely no need to speculate. I'll post pictures later, but the Japanese farms are INCREDIBLE. Look up Big Red Farm. Same as the Middle Eastern ones. Which, as CaD said, are usually not actually in the Middle East and are open for public tours.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Remali

I am not saying all farms are evil and terrible in other countries. But, that said, there are too many that, sadly, are not decent and could care less about the horses.

If you really want to be sickened.... just do a Google search about the Arabian endurance races in the ME (Middle East), and one horse in particular and what happened to him. In the end, it doesn't matter I guess, what country... look what happened to the Gucci (yes, THAT Gucci) herd of Arabian horses, that was horrific.


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## EliRose

Like you said, it doesn't matter what country. At all.

But a horse purchased for _$17 million_ isn't going to be kept in poor conditions. Look up Shadai Stallion Station - and for the sheikhs, Darley.


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## Remali

EliRose said:


> Like you said, it doesn't matter what country. At all.
> 
> But a horse purchased for _$17 million_ isn't going to be kept in poor conditions. Look up Shadai Stallion Station - and for the sheikhs, Darley.



Oh, I believe you. But, sadly, even horses that have sold for hundreds of millions, and owned by millionaires still can, and do, end up being abused, and/or in some cases starved and neglected (I only know of Arabians that this has happened to, but they were worth millions and owned by very wealthy people... makes no sense to me either).


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## KigerQueen

that is true. look at Dual Peppy. 
2003 World Champion Lead Sire NRCHA
1998 Open Champion Congress 5/6 YO Classic Cutting
1998 Reserve Champion AQHA World Show SR Cutting
1999 World Champion NCHA Novice horse

1998 Reserve World Champion AQHA Sr. Cutting
NRCHA Superior Cow Horse Award

they found him half dead and starved in a barn with several other dead and rotting horses. he was lucky he got saved and is in his forever home after being adopted.

it happens. know a few arabs who sold for 30k and were bought as sad skinny wormy things for 500 less than a year later.


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## JulieG

If the CEM can be successfully treated, why don't they just treat horses they can't test? 

Perhaps the treatment is rough or expensive, just wondering if anyone knows!


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