How long did it take my horse to die?

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ARussell

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Hello all... I am new to the forum.

Until recently I was the proud owner of a beautiful cob, Bobbi.

To cut a long story short, while I was out of the country for a week with work, Bobbi got mired in a ditch. I had asked a friend to look after Bobbi, but she later told me that she hadn't seen Bobbi at all in the three days prior to his being found.

The last time I saw Bobbi he was rugged up and happily grazing in a new field of grass. However, a farmer moved him back into his old field without my permission. It would appear that Bobbi found a gap in a gorse bush and, not realising there was a ditch on the other side, pushed his way through and dropped into the mud, front first. It would seem he struggled and only dug himself in deeper. He was pulled from the ditch by some farmers when the alarm was eventually raised that Bobbi was missing. They did not think to ring a vet to have him sedated -- I suppose they are used to pulling cattle and livestock out of such situations. I hate to think of Bobbi being treated so roughly and being fully aware of what was going on. He would have been terrified. To cut a long story short, Bobbi was unable to support his own weight and was transported to a shed where he collapsed and was unable to get up although he tried. He ate and drank throughout the night and his temperature rose, but died the next morning. Apparently fluid was oozing from his nose. I asked why he had not been kept on his feet but I was told he was too weak to even stand.

From what I'm told, he had suffered muscle wastage which leads me to believe he must have been in the ditch for quite a while. He was a big strong boy with Clydesdale blood, so I know he would have fought with all his might to stay alive.

Does it sound like he inhaled water/mud and died from respiratory failure? Was it stress or shock? Was it hypothermia even though the vet had said his temperature actually regulated?

I know he had a horrible death. I just want to know how long he would have been stuck in that ditch... I don;t even know what to feel.. am I even justified in feeling let down by by friend for not getting an eye on him? For being angry at the farmer moving him into a field where although it was known to him, I visited him twice a day so he never strayed far from the gate (it's a 10 acre field)

I'm sorry if I don't make much sense in this post... but I'm still in absolute shock and devastated that my horse is dead.

Please help.

Adrienne
 
I'm so sorry to hear your story. How awful for you and your lovely boy.

I can't answer the first part of your question - I'm not sure how long it would have taken him to die. I can definitely answer the second part of your question though and tell you I would be let down, horrified and so angry at my friend unless she had a VERY good reason for not checking on my horse when left in her care.
 
I'm so sorry. There's not going to be a lot that anyone can say that will make you feel better, and I think a lot of what you're feeling is perfectly normal.

My old guy got stuck in a ditch - it was a small ditch, and he was spotted immediately by my neighbour's farrier who happened to be passing. In the great scheme of things he wasn't there very long although it felt like a lifetime while the fire brigade pulled him out. He was OK, but it did take an awful lot out of him physically - I can see how things could have been very easily been very different. The vet didn't sedate my guy as he needed to have all his wits about him to pull himself out when they got him to a position where he could help himself which he wouldn't have been able to do had he become a dead weight. The vet said sedation was a last resort.

It's not pretty having to manhandle a horse out of a situation like this with machinery and ropes and winches, but my lad was absolutely aware that the humans were trying to help him and was so calm about it all, and was helping where he could. Believe me they wouldn't have even been able to get your chap out of the ditch unsedated had he been panicking. Your horse was surrounded by people who were trying to help him, and he will have known that.
 
How terrible and shocking for you - I'm so very sorry for your loss.
No one here will be able to answer your question, but there is some some comfort in knowing that at least Bobbi was able to eat and drink before he died and had got out of the situation he was in. He would have been exhausted, so lying down sounds like the natural thing a horse would do after such an ordeal.
I'm not surprised you feel anger at your friend failing to check on him, though.

All my sympathies to you.
x
 
Jaffa1 said:
I'm so sorry to hear your story. How awful for you and your lovely boy.

I can't answer the first part of your question - I'm not sure how long it would have taken him to die. I can definitely answer the second part of your question though and tell you I would be let down, horrified and so angry at my friend unless she had a VERY good reason for not checking on my horse when left in her care.
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Jaffa... she keeps her horse in a neighbouring field, so she checked every day on her own horse but not mine. I stopped bucket feeding Bobbi when the snow cleared because he was also on haylage. He was also on 24/7 turnout... I figured he didn't need all that, and was happier just to put him on good grass for a while. Because he was a cob he was a good doer anyway and seemed happier on grass. He was the first horse I'd owned in 15 years, so I was kind of relearning good horse care. A pony cob of my girlhood had died of laminitis and I was so terrified of that happening Bobbi... also, I didn't want him getting unshapely and getting a big barrel on him because I felt that that would spoil his fabulous looks.. so I was trying to tread a very fine balance. My friend said that I had told her not to bucket feed Bobbi, but I distinctly remember asking her to 'keep an eye' on him. I don't want to argue with anyone but I just feel so sad and disappointed and still in shock.
 
At the end of the day, unless you physically pay someone to look after your horse in your absence, then although your friend let you down morally, what happened is not her fault. I do think the farmer has some explaining to do though. If he moved the horse into an obviously unsafe field out of eyeshot of where your friends field was, and when you weren't in the country to supervise, then there's a few grey areas there.

It doesn't matter how long he took to die, it's over for him and torturing yourself will only make you feel worse.
 
Thanks for all your replies. Esther -- I'm sorry you had to go through a similar trauma but I am glad yours had a good out come. A friend told me that he had a mare that went out on a hunt one morning, got stuck in mud, had to be hoisted out and by the time she got back to the yard that evening she was barely recognizable. It is comforting to think he would have known the people around him were trying to help him.

ozpoz -- he managed to eat several apples and some conditioning cubes... and my sister (who isn't very horsey at all) was there holding his head in her lap her he died. I was glad of that.

Clippy -- you're absolutely right in terms of money... but my friend would have been offended had I offered her money. Also, I looked after her horse when she went on holiday last summer for two weeks. It was kind of a lady's agreement. I have had some very choice words to say to the farmer, although I'm still so sad about my horse, I dont think I have the energy to be angry anymore. Bobbi has been dead almost 2 weeks now.
 
So so sorry to read your post, it's so sad. RIP Bobbi.

I'm not surprised you have no energy to be angry, but I would stop referring to the lady in whom you trusted, as a 'friend'.
 
Adrienne what a horrible story. I am so sorry. As for not having paid your friend, I disagree that gives her the right to not do as she promised. If she wasn't happy to check your horse, and it was only for a week and she would be nearby checking her own so you really didn't ask much, then she should never have agreed to it.

I suppose you'll never know what really happened, but please don't torture yourself about it. It's not your fault, it's a horrible freak accident and your horse knew you loved him. I am so glad your sister was with him at the end. I'm sorry xxxxx
 
oh this is so sad.... OP i would really try to stop thinking about how long...its obviously very upsetting but i don't think that it will be of any comfort to you...just be glad that he had time to relax after the ordeal.

as for your friend...yes i would be absolutely livid with her.... :(
 
I feel so, so sorry for you, but if it is even the tiniest bit of comfort he may not have been in the ditch that long & not being sedated may have been the best way to rescue him.
Last August my son's horse spooked & ended up trapped in a deep ditch. Vet & fire brigade were both there within 30 mins. He had to be cut free from brambles & they managed to free him & get him out within another hour. They didn't sedate him as that would have meant getting a winch out & also having to turn off overhead power cables, both of which would have delayed the rescue. Amazingly he wasn't hurt but he was very tired & sore for a couple of days. If that had happened in winter, adding cold & damp into the situation he would have become hypothermic quite quickly & the chances are that is why Bobbi was so weak.
 
I'm so sorry for this tragic accident.

I think you should take comfort in the fact that his last hours were not spent in the ditch but with food and water and knowing that somebody was looking after him.

As for blaming your friend. She was wrong and I think it would be hard to forgive her and you are completely justified in feeling she has let you down but blaming her or the farmer won't make you feel any better. It will take time but you have to concentrate on getting over your loss. I really feel for you and this must be deeply upsetting. x
 
Thank you all for your very kind comments. I'm so glad I found this forum. Non-horsey people just don't get it, this love for horses.

I suppose it was important to know how long he had been in the ditch because he could have just been trapped overnight... but the fact that he hadn't been seen for 3 days makes me feel very sick. 12 hours or something is awful... but 48 or more hours, well it just breaks my heart.

Thank everyone. I appreciate it.

Perhaps in time I will get a new horse, but it will never replace Bobbi in my heart. He always kept me safe on the roads, in traffic, on the bridle paths.. through rivers. We've been through a lot together in our relatively short time as partners. He'll never have the chance to disappoint me now. He'll just live on as a legend and I will tell everyone of the wonderful horse I once had, who never put a hoof wrong.
 
diggerbez said:
oh this is so sad.... OP i would really try to stop thinking about how long...its obviously very upsetting but i don't think that it will be of any comfort to you...just be glad that he had time to relax after the ordeal.

as for your friend...yes i would be absolutely livid with her.... :(
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^^ this, the only way you'll know what he actually died of is to have him post mortemed (sp?) but will this help you any?? Be thankful that there were farmers on hand who spotted him (eventually granted) and took time to get him out, then sheltered him, fed and watered him. As said before I doubt a vet would have sedated unless the horse was flaying around becoming dangerous, the vet would need the horse fully awake on removal from the ditch in the hope of it standing. It's always a worry if a horse cannot stand after such an ordeal.

I would be very peed off with my friend, if she admitted not checking on him daily. Big hugs to you, x
 
I really feel for you and understand how devastated you must feel. About getting stuck, a woman I know took her horse in the river at our farm, she had been shown where the shallow, stony part was but decided to try else where and chose a very boggy part that must have had about 3 feet of mud in each bank. Poor pony got stuck, very stuck. He struggled like mad for about 20 seconds, if that, then just lay there and waited with utter patience while my brother and I were summoned to pull him out with the tractor. Yes it was undignified but I really don't think the pulling out bit traumatised him any more than he was already. Luckily for this pony he made a good recovery but it took a couple of weeks for him to be back to normal and he was stuck for a maximum of 20 mins I'd say. From that experience I would say that your boy probably did not struggle too much and will definitely have known that he was being rescued. It is so sad that you lost him in the end but thankfully he did not die in the ditch and bless your sister for being there with him.

I too would feel betrayed by said friend but would simply avoid trusting her again. She has been immensely selfish and is no true friend to you. If she has any decency she will be horrified at what has happened and will have learned from it. I would not be offering to look after her horses again either. For the farmer, I'm not sure how I would feel, I would need to know more about your livery agreement etc.

Again, I really feel for you, I do hope you can take some comfort from all the messages you have had on here. Do you have any photos of Bobbi you would like to share, when/if you felt ready? We would love to see him, he was obviously a very much loved boy.

Rest in Peace Bobbi.
 
How awful and what a devastating way to lose your horse. I would be less angry with the farmer and much more angry with your friend though

As to your question, obviously nobody can really know but its quite possible he was in the ditch for less time than you imagine. The chestnut in my siggy rolled and got stuck under the post and rail fence while I was at work. She is thought to have been there for about 2 hours when she was found and was very unwell but recovered. I had a grey horse (old) who went down on her stable and could have been down for 4 - 6 hours. Her legs had gone numb I would imagine and despite many hours of effort she never stood again. So while this is no guide to what happened to your chap it doesn't take that long for them to be unable to get up again.

So very sorry for your loss, RIP Bobbi
 
This is one of the most upsetting threads I've ever read on a forum :(. I'm so so sorry OP, I can't imagine how you must be feeling. I think you have to try not to dwell on how much he suffered because it can't change anything now and it will only make you feel worse. I would be less furious with the farmer, more furious with my friend, but sadly laying the blame won't help you or Bobbi.
 
Sorry, I haven't read all the replies.

I wanted to send you hugs and thoughts and warmest wishes that you heal okay.

From what I have read of the other horses that have been stuck in ditches, if your lad had been in the ditch for any length of time, i.e. the three days, then I don't think he would have been alive when he was found, especially not given the temperatures lately.

As to your friend. Ladies agreement, payment, whatever, if a friend is away, one naturally keeps an eye out for their horse; it's all part of having friends and having horses.

Before you blow a fuse with the farmer, find out why he moved your horse to that field.

Rest in peace Bobbi. Wait patiently for Adrienne by the Rainbow Bridge.
 
I am so sorry about Bobbi, one of the saddest stories on HHO! He sounds like a wonderful horse who gave you some great times together and I am so sorry he was taken from you so soon.

As for the so called 'friend' you have every right to be livid with her. If she promised to check your horse she should have done so unless there was some incredible emergency in which case she should have let you know. I would not consider her a friend.

The farmer may have had a good reason to move him field, what followed sounds like really, really bad luck. Try not to dwell on it if at all possible.
 
I am so sorry for you, this is so sad - I have tears running down my face now.

But as most of us have said - please take comfort in the fact that he would have known that people were trying to help him.

x
 
OP you have my deepest sympathies. I can only imagine how horrible it must be, and I am so, so sorry for your little cob.

From the sounds of it, it was a horrid accident, and it genuinely sounds like the farmers tried their best to help him out, and I'm sure he will have known that. At least he passed with somebody he knew close by.

As for the 'friend' - I'm sorry, she's a lazy b****h, and I would be so, so furious with her I'm pretty sure I would never have anything to do with her again. If it helps, I'm furious already on your behalf, and I never knew the poor horse!!!

Honestly- how much effort does it take to pop down somewhere and spend 2 minutes checking that a horse is ok?????

Stop trying to think about how long OP, I know it's difficult but try to think of little cob as he was when you left him. Unfortunately none of us can turn back time.
 
I am very sorry for you loss, I think in times like this we want to blame someone, to lash out anything to ease the pain, there is a chance your friend is racked with guilt over your lad so please before you think so bad of her give it time for hte dust to settle then talk to her.

proberley the same with the farmer.

chin up and hugs .
 
Its a really really sad story, and one that you're never going to fully know I'm afraid. My heart goes out to you. Its easy to say, but you've got to try and stop playing it over and over in your mind. If he'd been in the ditch very long he would have given up very quickly. Whatever led to him being there is tragic, but the anger and bitterness it leaves you with (naturally) won't help you move on. You could have a massive go at the girl, who was in the wrong, but it won't change anything. I bet that your friend, despite doing a dreadful job of looking after him, feels terrible too. The farmer - must have had a reason for moving him? The farmers who found him probably recognised that the horse needed rescueing immediately and couldn't wait for a vet to sedate - sounds as though he was too weak for sedation anyway...

You should focus on the fact that he was rescued from the ditch, and taken somewhere warm and dry, where he had a bit of food, and died in the arms of someone who was fussing him - very different from being alone and frightened in the ditch...
 
This is sad but it's time to move on because you're only torturing yourself. It's a question that can't be answered by anyone on a forum, the only person who can help you is a vet and even then it would only be a guesstimate.

I still have nightmares about losing Teal, a Border Terrier bitch who had some three week old puppies on her. The postman had left the gate unclipped, she followed some hikers up the fields and we only found her some six hours later because a farmer found her, by chance, in his round water trough the far side of his farm. It was a horrible way to die for a terrier and I can't forget it, I still think of her swimming around for ages unable to get out until she was too weak to go on; that was 25 years ago now so I know how you are feeling.

As to others remarks, playing devil's advocate here, why would the farmer think it was wrong to put horse back in his old field for some reason? Perhaps he was moving cattle around or something, I don't know what his reason was but he does have a right to move anything on his land safely whether you are there or not; he would assume, like most of us, that it would be safe, he had only been out of that field for a short while.
 
Heartfelt condolences to you at this very sad time. I totally empathise with how you must be feeling. It is bad enough losing your horse in such distressing circumstances but the loss of trust in friends is equally difficult to handle. I hope that you can, in time, find some inner peace and can move on. I hope that you have some better friends around you to support you through this.
 
I'm so sorry for your tragic loss. I too would be absolutely mad/hurt/feel let down at a friend who hadn't checked the horse at least once a day. I think the farmers who got him out were just doing their best to quickly get him out of the ditch in an emergency situation. I know it's difficult when you're not there and have heard everything from others as your mind will worry about how it all went.

I recently attended a talk by a fireman from our local fire service who heads up the area's large animal rescue service. They sometimes will rely/call on farmers with appropriate machinery/lifting gear if the ground is bad as their vehicles/tenders can get stuck going across fields to rescue fallen stock or horses.

Try and hold onto the wonderful memories of the great horse you had. And if and when you feel ready I hope another horse comes your way. RIP Bobbi.
 
Horses don't cope well lying down - they tend to die fairly quickly, especially when shock sets in. On the plus side, he would have probably been numb due to the shock, rather than in pain, particularly as he was eating and drinking once rescued.
I suspect he hadn't been there very long, and it sounds as though he died a relatively painless death.
No point worrying about it now, anyway - let it, and him, go.
S :D
 
i get the feeling from your posts that you are trying to 'justify' being angry with your friend, please don't take this the wrong way but it doesn't matter how long he was in the ditch, the fact is your friend admitted not checking on him for 3 days, that to me is not something a friend would do (or not do).
ok if she had checked him each night/morning then he could still have been stuck in the ditch for a few hours but the point is she didn't check on him. i would be fuming and there's no excuse good enough (in my opinion and experience) to not check on a horse that she said she would.

the farmer shouldn't have moved him without your permission but unless it says so in your contract you can't really blame him (angry at him, yes).

i'm so sorry for your loss, be thankful that he was pulled free from the ditch and your sister was with him at the end. he would have known he was loved.

i would seriously be re evaluating your 'friendship' though with the person who should have been checking on him. i hope you can find some comfort in the knowledge your sister was with him at the end. RIP Bobbi
 
I'm so sorry, this is a horrible story. At least your horse died in comfort. I suspect that if he had been in the ditch for any length of time he would have been 'out of it' for long periods as he would have been so exhausted and cold. It sounds as though he died from secondary drowning. I would find it hard to forgive your friend. If she had just glanced into the field you would have at least been spared the anguish of not knowing exactly how long he'd been trapped.
 
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