Not such a happy horse

[sawyl]

Continuing today's biological theme, have you ever wondered what happens when a great racehorse is put out to stud and turns out not to be terribly interested in shagging? Well, wonder no more, thanks to this piece in the Times:

"We tried everything," Tsunoda said. "War Emblem, everyone, were physically and mentally exhausted."

Still, there was little reason to panic because young stallions fresh from the racetrack are sometimes slow to embrace their new life. The 1977 Triple Crown winner, Seattle Slew, was another notable racehorse who was reluctant to mate in his first year as a stud.

In his second season, Shadai took no chances and tried a host of tactics to make War Emblem a working stallion. They presented nearly 500 mares to him, often letting him pick from a dozen or so paraded before him. "He was very particular about who he liked," Tsunoda said.

War Emblem was enamored of certain mares more than others and so an elaborate bait-and-switch ballet became part of the mating ritual. Shadai let War Emblem's favorite mares get his attention, then they switched them out for a mare he had previously disliked.

I don't know about you, but I really don't like the idea that they tried everything. It sounds disturbingly reminiscent of the whole monkey fluffing thing from a few years ago...