dealing with a cast horse?

[el_Snowflakes]

After reading another thread on here about a horse being cast in its stable, it made me wonder what is the best way to deal with a cast horse? obviously we all would like to think prevention is better than cure but not always possible- fortunatly its not something i have ever had to deal with, so how do you get a horse safely back on its feet?

 

[Vetwrap]

My youngster got cast in the indoor school yesterday when turned out in there with our two other horses for a buck and a kick and a roll. He rolled too close to the walls and we could see what was going to happen, though could not stop it.

He was very calm, as were we. We only had lead ropes and my husband looped one Around his foreleg And I linked two together and looped them round his hind. We counted to three and hauled.

We were lucky in that our youngster trusts us implicitly. There was no panic, he just la there'd moaning. We knew what t do and got him up.

 

[littleme]

Loop a lunge line around forelegs and another at hindlegs. Takes a few people, and you have to stay really calm to reassure them and be quick to get out of the way when they jump up

 

[Dolcé]

we had one that for some unknown reason rolled uphill against a big hay bale and got himself stuck, he couldn't roll back the other way because he couldn't get grip on the bale and was all caught up in the hay around it. I was at home with my daughter who was then only 16 and is tiny. We couldn't get him up after risking my head to get ropes on him, tried moving hay from under him but he was really flailing his legs so I decided to call the fire brigade to help me (we lived in the middle of nowhere with no neighbours within a mile or so). Just as I got to the house Sami called me and he had managed to get himself up TG, the hay we had managed to move had given him enough space to get a grip and get himself up. He was very shaken, bless him.

 

[Box_Of_Frogs]

How to help a cast horse, as others have said, above. But just wanted to add, if you have a horse that is cast in its stable, you might need to ask yourself why he got cast. Could be just enjoying a roll on new shavings but if it's not normal for your horse or if it happens too regularly then the horse may have a low grade colic.

 

[Rose Folly]

Nobody has mentioned the rolling over - if you have to! It's the dangerous bit, as you need to secure the 'under' legs in order to roll the horse over. If you pull on the 'top' ones you just stretch the horse and cause damage.

I taught one horse to roll over on command, many years ago. It proved quite useful!

 

[Bertthefrog]

Also take the demeanor of the horse into account. Be very careful if they are thrashing about - it isn't easy to loop lungelines around the bottom legs and often you end up in some very precarious positions! Not a problem when they are lying there quietly waiting for help, but you don't want to end up head first in between several thrashing feet!

When I was younger I was made to sit on the head of horses that were cast, to keep them down and allow someone else to sort the lunge lines out. I wouldn't do this now, or ask anyone else to do so as I was thrown across a stable once by a rather thick set cob!

If the horse is thrashing about, it will generally right itself and is safer to allow it to move unless it is really in danger of hurting itself.

 

[bounce]

I think my pony must have read this thread last night and decided to test me. Found him in a really bad position this morning unable to get himself up in the stable but luckily he was very calm and allowed me and my father to roll him over.

Just how big do the banks need to be to prevent a horse getting cast?

 

[Bertthefrog]

Banks are highly unlikely to prevent a horse getting cast, or reduce injury when it does as they invariably get squashed down or kicked out of the way.

The only way is to prevent the horse rolling in the first place by using an anti-cast roller.

I'm sure getting cast is something to do with the spacial awareness of the individual equine - some never get cast while others manage to get cast in a 10 acre field!!

 

[littleme]

When I was younger I was made to sit on the head of horses that were cast, to keep them down and allow someone else to sort the lunge lines out. I wouldn't do this now, or ask anyone else to do so as I was thrown across a stable once by a rather thick set cob!
.

yes we do this also!

I am afraid of oneday finding something cast on my own as I'm not sure (I'm 5ft!) I could do much about it alone!

 

[[69117]]

I'm sure getting cast is something to do with the spacial awareness of the individual equine - some never get cast while others manage to get cast in a 10 acre field!!

Agree with this entirely. I had a hunter on the yard last season who managed to get himself cast every five seconds. In the end I just had to have him in an anti cast roller all the time, both in the stable and in the field, or he just got himself wedged!