Save Your Horse!

I’m sure some of you have safety questions about your horses.  Please let me know what you’d like me to write about.

QUESTIONS: What are the risk factors associated with a horse becoming cast? Does rolling work on a draft horse? Besides a trashing horse, is there any other situation where you would not try to help a cast horse:
ANSWER:. Horses are not designed to spend much time lying down. In the wild, a downed horse is a dead horse. The sheer weight of that large body can cause problems with circulation, just like what happens to us if we spend the night lying on an arm. It falls asleep. The pressure on internal organs makes it difficult to breathe properly after time. Couple that with the horse being in a totally unnatural position and you have trouble. For all that horses are big and strong, they have very delicate digestive systems and respiratory systems. The blood flow to the legs would also be compromised since they would be up in the air and gravity would be at work, pulling the blood back into the core.

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QUESTION: What do I do should my horse become cast in his stall? Supposing it happened whilst I was there alone – what could be done to help the horse and keep myself out of danger?
 ANSWER: The good news is that it doesn’t happen very often. The bad news is that it is difficult to handle alone. My advice is – Don’t Do It! Get Help! It’s Dangerous! ! !
As a horse owner who is often home alone with my critters, I would have to try SOMETHING in that situation. BUT – I would have to exhaust all other methods first.That said:First things first! Your safety is number one! Repeat after me – “My safety is number one!” Keep repeating that because when your animal, your kid, your family member is in trouble you’ll want to charge in to do something – anything! – to make it better. ALWAYS remember: If you’re injured that makes TWO rescues. If you’re not part of the solution you’re part of the problem. You COULD die.

Here are a couple of ways you can handle a cast horse. The scene: Your horse is in a stall. His back is toward you and he is lying with his feet against the back wall. He has a few feet of space in front of his nose.

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QUESTION:

  In extremely bad weather, is it better to bring the horses into the barn where they would be in their stalls or is there less chance of them being injured if left outside in the paddocks? The answer is: It depends.

Are the horses used to being in the barn? Do they consider a stall a “safe place”?
If so, they may be calmer there than they would be outside. But if the horses are used to fending for themselves outside, the sound of intense rain, hail or debris on the roof, and no way to escape it, might incite them to riot. If the horses panic inside their stalls, what will happen? Can they rear up and knock themselves out from hitting the ceiling or light fixtures? Will they kick concrete walls and break a leg? Will they try to jump out of the stall and end up straddling the wall or jam a leg through bars that are too far apart for safety? Can they break through the stall doors, and if so, what awaits them in the aisle of the barn? Can they see their fellow horses or are they isolated in their fear? Or, do you have a single horse who will have no comfort from other horses? If the answers are negative, the horses COULD be better off outside. Keep reading →

Legally, in a situation involving your horse, YOU are the ultimate authority.
On one hand, you are probably much more knowledgeable about horses, horse behavior and horse safety than the “emergency responders” (ERs – Fire, Law Enforcement, Animal Control, Ambulance).

On the other hand, if you are hysterical and interfering with a rescue in a way that makes the rescue more difficult or less safe for the ERs, you will be set aside and your “words of wisdom” will be disregarded.

Most ERs do NOT know how to handle horses or other large animals. If you see a responder doing something with an animal that you KNOW is harmful, you need to step in before someone – animal or human – is further injured. It helps if you can speak their language and you know basic scene protocol.

There are three steps you can take toward ensuring your horse’s safety in the event of any incident where you would expect your local ERs to help out.

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What can we do to educate our local Emergency Response community in Horse Safety?
What is the best way to approach them?

The short answer is, encourage them to train in Large Animal Rescue. There are instructors throughout North America who would be happy to set up a class in your area, including in other areas of the world. Check the Large Animal Rescue website, SaveYourHorse.The reality is this: Most response agencies in the US, Canada, and throughout the world have cut back on training and staff because their budgets have been cut. This means that specialty training, such as swift water or large animal rescue, is often not encouraged or funded.

Some agencies require their responders to continue their education, and some LAR classes carry CEUs (continuing education units). In this instance, motivated responders may be encouraged to take the classes – usually because they either own horses or because they like them.

When speaking of response agencies, although all should be trained, the most important to train are the fire departments. They are the folks who are the “doers” at the scene of an incident. They have the skills and equipment to remove critters from entrapment.

Animal Control is usually the LEGAL authority; Law Enforcement handles THE SCENE security; the large animal vet is the MEDICAL authority; the owner is the FINAL authority; and fire is the PRIMARY resource for technical skills. The Incident Command System, or ICS, is the framework that allows inter- agency communication and efficiency of response.

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Question: What do you consider to be absolute non-negotiables in terms of safety
when trailering so as to avoid accidents?

There is no short answer to this. I have written extensively on this subject in my book;
Cherry Hill helped me with my information, and has written books on the subject, such as “Trailering Your Horse”.

LEARN to safely haul a trailer before you put a live animal into it. Drive in all weatherconditions; ride in the trailer around your property to feel the stress it puts on your horse.

TRAIN your horse to travel. Don’t assume your horse knows HOW to ride comfortably in a moving cave.

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Spring is almost here, and with it comes good weather. We’re all anxious to be playing with our horses, whether on the trail or competing in shows. Now is the time to make sure your trailer will be ready when you need it.

If you’re like most of us, your trailer has been sitting idle over the winter. Harsh weather takes its toll on mechanical equipment, so it is wise to go over your trailer with a “fine-toothed comb” before hitting the roads. Writing down a plan and sticking to it is the safest way to make sure all problems are fixed; all areas of concern addressed.

Start by taking some pictures of the trailer from the front, sides and back. Print them up on plain paper s o you can write over them. List the main areas you need to check on the back of one sheet, and then start a visual check of the trailer. These areas are: tires and wheels, floor and body, brakes, hitch, wiring, suspension, safety equipment including first aid kit.

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Hay Barn Fire - More Images

Fire strikes fear into the heart of all horse owners. It’s fluid and unpredictable, it’s fast and it’s deadly. According to the National Fire Protection Association, in a typical year, from 1999-2000, there were approximately 5,800 barn fires. Apart from the staggering financial loss, one person and thousands of animals died – chickens, livestock and horses. What the NFPA found in investigating these fires was that most were preventable. Barn fire safety specialist Laurie Loveman has been tracking fires on her website, www.laurieloveman.com for several years. Even a cursory glance at the amount listed is chilling – 16 pages of fires in under 2 years.

In order to PREVENT fire you need to know what CAUSES it. Fire is a living entity that needs three things to survive: heat, oxygen, and fuel. This is called the fire triangle, and the combination of these three elements creates a chemical reaction: fire. An open flame, like a match, is the most common source of heat. Add fuel in the form of hay, straw, or wood, and the fire will grow. Add a breeze to fan the flames and you have a raging inferno. Take away any one side of the fire triangle and the fire will diminish, eventually dying. Dump dirt on a fire, you smother it. Add water and you remove the heat.

One of the three major causes of stable fires is hay. Keep reading →

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Here are some questions to ask yourself as you design your fire plan:

• Do I need to rearrange the parking area so that emergency vehicles have a clearer access and room to turn around?
• Do emergency vehicles have easy access to my property?
• Do I have defensible space around the stable or do I need to clear up debris or vegetation?
• Where are the fire extinguishers located? Do we need more? Are they ready to use? Does everyone know how to USE a fire extinguisher?
• Where are the halters and lead ropes? There should be a set outside every occupied stall.
• Will the horses leave the stable? Can they be blindfolded? How will they react to firefighters in turnout gear? Train your horses with firefighters in SCBA gear. This new type of human, combined with the awful smell that accompanies them, can un-nerve even the most bomb-proof horse.
• Are the most vulnerable horses stabled closest to the exits?
• Is there a phone in the stable? If the stable is large, are there phones at each end of the stable?
• Are emergency numbers posted by the phone? Who gets called?
• Is there a hose at each end of the stable? Are they long enough to reach down one length of the stable?

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