Page 72 - June 2018 Speedhorse

South Grand Prairie’s veterinary studies program now has completed its fifth year, with
its second class of seniors. This year’s program included 74 freshmen, 67 sophomores, 58 juniors and 22 seniors. Each of the seniors
served internships at vet clinics, some have been hired on after interning, and each earned CVA certification this year, compared to 55 percent the program’s first year.
Telling iT l ike iT is
“When the kids can learn by seeing someone else doing it, they’re so impressed,” Melanie says. “When they see a vet doing something like scoping a horse, they’re like Ohmygosh!”
The horse was scoped by Dean Jacks, DVM, who went on to explain to the kids not only how and why that particular animal was being examined but also how and why all horses are treated.
“There’s a lot of money involved, so racing has to be structured, supervised and regulated very carefully – in fact, harshly,” Dean declares. “Otherwise, bottom line, some people are going to cheat.
In the training stables (right).
Watching the gate crew load horses in the gates (below).
“Horses have to perform within a very narrow set of guidelines and rules,” he says. “So, all the horses that finish first or second in a race have to go to the test barn after the race – every horse that finishes first or second, and also any other horses that the stewards might order. They take blood and urine, and then send it off to a lab to be tested for any performance-enhancing substances, painkillers or anything like that.”
Dean smiles at the kids, who seem to hang
on to what he is saying. “The tests are extremely stringent,” he continues. “There’s not one of y’all standing here right now that could pass those tests, because I can guarantee that each of you had caffeine in a Coke or coffee or something like that this morning. If a horse has caffeine in his system, the trainer would get a six-month suspension.
“The testing that these horses undergo is more stringent than what any human athlete has,” Dean says. “There is not one human athlete alive that could pass the tests that these horses have to pass. These horses get better care, better medicine and better attention than 90 percent of human athletes do.”
lighTing sparks
Melanie Sherman spent her childhood in Clovis, New Mexico, before her family moved to Grand Prairie. She went through the teaching program at South Grand Prairie High and put herself through college by working as a vet tech while earning her degree in education at the University of North Texas.
“The spark in kids’ eyes when they learn new things and get to handle animals is really the whole reason I’m here,” she says. “Teaching is a calling. If you know you want to be a teacher, you have to do it.”
Her colleague agrees. “Teaching’s definitely hard work, but it’s very rewarding,” Kelsey Sullivan says. “I love it. And I’ve always loved horses, too. My Dad used to buy and sell a lot of horses – we used to go to the Clovis sale all the time – and Mom had horses when I was small. When I was 17, I started working at a barn in
a kids’ camp. That’s where I actually started learning more and more about horses. I always had the passion for them, but that’s where I really started gaining knowledge and getting
Dean Jacks, DVM, examined horses while visiting with the kids, who hung on every word he had to say. “These horses get better care, better medicine and better attention than 90 percent of human athletes do,” he explained to them.