This is an exceptionally common question! The simple answer is that ketamine is a very safe and effective anesthetic and thus has long been used as a sedative (“tranquilizer”) in both human and veterinary medicine. It is very common that human and veterinary medicine utilize the same medications, in fact penicillin is a favorite for humans and horses alike! So while it certainly can be used to sedate horses (and many other mammals as well), it is also commonly used (at much lower doses) for human adults and especially children.
A few reasons why ketamine is favored in veterinary medicine specifically are: ketamine, unlike other anesthetics, remains effective even when administered by intramuscular (rather than intravenous) injection―which is very helpful in creatures who might make placing an IV challenging―and is so safe that it does not typically require continuous vital sign or airway monitoring (which is also helpful for large mammals who are not easily transported in a clinical setting).
Fortunately, ketamine is a drug of many talents and the fact that it is a great choice when a horse needs a procedure does not mean it is not also a wonderful new treatment for mental health conditions and chronic pain!
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