I feel like i'm in a nightmare

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Overgrown Pony

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I'm in the middle of an absolute nightmare. Your experiences and opinions would be a massive help.

Horse had a touch of mudfever with slightly swollen legs (both back legs) around a month ago. Managed to treat it no problem and it was gone within a couple of days.

He's out 24/7.

Went to yard last night. It's very sheltered and in a dip and so is still covered in around an inch of solid death trap ice, as is the track to my horses field. The YO has attempted to grit a path but it's still lethal.

After watching a couple of horses do their bambi on ice impression on the yard decided to feed my horse in the field rather than attempt to bring him in over the ice. Got to the field, put headcollar on, my horse can't walk!! His back legs are hugely swollen from pastern up to and including hock. Warm to touch and pitting slightly when depressed. He can go backwards only just and can pivot round his front legs but can't bend the hocks enough to go forwards.

Cue emergency vet. She thinks cellulitis. Gave him massive injections of steroids and anti-biotics. Left me with 5 day course of anti-biotics. Said to leave him out rather than risk him falling on the ice. Not that he could walk anyway.

After a sleepless night went up to the yard on my way to work and he's not looking much better. He is managing to hobble/lunge to the water and back to the haybale. YO text me a few hours later to say he's now away from the bale and grazing.

Called vet to tell her of ever so slight progress. She wants him in and his legs washed off to check for and treat any mudfever. My problem is that the ice is so dangerous there's a massive risk of him falling.

Help!!
 
I really get mad at this - how do livery owners think it is ok to offer facilities when the horse can't get in or out? We get ice almost every winter and just have to have a plan. Usually this is spreading the mucking out in a path from stables to field. Not pretty, I know, but welfare first.
If they really cannot move around in the field then they come in.
I hope your horse recovers soon.
 
You will need to get some salt down to melt the ice, agric stores even supermarkets and petrol stations are selling it just now. Smash up thick ice with a sharp spade then it aside. Take him very slowly on a long lead so he can balance, he will be careful because of the discomfort anyway. It is nicer to have someone with you for moral support, if you have a friend to take that would help I think. good luck, I hope he's beter soon.
 
can you buy cheap bags of salt or cat litter and grit a path to the stable? We had to do something similar once, there was no salt available but the cat litter worked really well.
 
What I do with long term ice is to create tracks with the straw I take out of stables when mucking out. Yes it makes a mess but it also creates a safe path to walk on for both horse and human. Can you not create such a track to the fields as it will quite possibly save horses legs from breaking. It does take a bit of clearing up afterwards but that outweighs the hassle of not doing it.
 
We used to throw straw over the ice on our yard, it works well to stop the horses sliding about. Failing that, get a large quantity of salt and throw that down, you may have to do it on a regular basis as it does freeze at very low temperatures. Hope your poor horse recovers very soon.
 
Last night the vet told me not to risk bringing him in over the ice. This morning she said get him in if you can to get him cleaned up and check for scabs/mudfever. She said the last thing we need is for him to do the splits/fall on the ice as apart from the obvious risk of injury he'll struggle to get up with the hock immobility.

I know the best thing for him is to try and get him moving.

My poor poor lad. I wish I could give him a piggy back into a nice thick bedded stable.

What might be a plan would be for me to get him on the move a little around the field first. Put down as much grit/salt as I can to make a path to the yard then with a bit of people power get him in.

I asked the vet about some pain relief but she said we can't ontop on the steroids he's had as there's a risk of ulcers forming.
 
Wagtail, there's no way he'd get up the ramp with his hocks so swollen and sore, then the risk of getting him off at the yard how it is with the ice would be just undoable.

I'm going to get my man to come with me after work and we'll get heaps of grit and salt down to try and make a path.

I'm sitting in work with a splitting sore head worrying myself to death... The YO is as much help as no help.
 
Either use barrow loads of muck to make a pathway, or as Wagtail says could you get a trailer or lorry to the gate? And sorry to sound like I'm being awful, but surely he hadn't got to the point of not walking from being checked that morning?
 
he will get up the ramp horses will swollen legs travel to the vets all the time-yes its not ideal but sometimes you have to force the issue and insist.

in your shoes i would concentrate on de-icing the yard then force him into some kind of transport it will be safer than walking him over ice

cellulitis can be a killer and if it does not respond he will need intravenous antibiotics so he would have to come in if he does not respond
 
do you have any old carpet, could you put that on top, if you had two long runs (thinking like stair runners) you could get someone to move on and stand him on the other.
But i think the grit will work well if you can get there before it starts to freeze again.
 
The_angel_littlelegs, all the horses get checked by the YO each morning and I go to him once a day (after work on a Mon-Weds).

He was absolutely fine on Sunday. No pain, swelling or stiffness. I even hacked him out on Saturday before all the snow turned to ice. YO said his legs were a little filled yesterday morning (no she didn't call me to tell me) and by the time I got to him my normal work day time of 5pm his legs were like balloons and he couldn't move forwards!


If it's not clear from above I go to him 7 days a week (well between sharer and I), not just on a Mon-Weds. Those are just the days that I get up there later.
 
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Get a pick and hack at the ice, even if you don't break it up completely (and hopefully you will) it will break up parts of the surface and make it easier to grip on. That combined with salt should help a lot. Be wary putting carpet on top unless you are sure it will grip and not turn into something that slides on top..

Could someone with a tractor drive over it - that often smashes it up, especially if they can shovel at it with a bucket too.

How far do you have to walk over this ice, and how far is it from the yard? If its not far and not too long, , I would be tempted to melt it with hot water and break it up that way, but make sure you sweep the water away afterwards and don't cause more ice..

ps, my gelding has legs that can flare up like that with mudrash, it does take a few days, but the antibiotics do take it down..
 
Hi,I have just gone through exactly the same thing with my sons little pony this weekend,she was taken into the vets at midnight last night.Started Saturday with slightly fat leg,wouldn't stand on it properly,by Sunday morning the swelling had gone all the way up into her thigh,stomach and teets,vet came in 3 times to jab and Finadyne etc.She was unhappy and cold as couldn't really move much in the field,could not lie down as she cannot bend the hock.Vets said it is one of the most painful things.She was so sore and unhappy she was winding herself up more.She loaded absolutely fine and travelled fine,you just have to be a bit cruel to be kind and get someone behind to make them move.
She was admitted last night and I was really shocked to hear that you can lose a horse pretty quickly to it if not got on top of within a very short time. I felt a bit silly and they were very quick to reassure me that she either needed admitting for constant antibiotics and pain relief or vet should be out 3 times a day to administer the correct treatment.He said you cannot deal with this on your own.
She is all strapped up and looking a lot comfier already and is actually moving of her own accord.
Mine started with about 3 little bits of mud fever which she has never had before.
Good luck and hope you can find away to get yours in.
 
They have de-icing grit/salt in lidl at the moment. £3.99 for a bucket. Go and buy several if this is a regular problem at your yard.

To be honest your YO should be making efforts to de-ice, especially if she has employees but in these circumstances better to just get it done yourself. It will be worth it for peace of mind. You can spread it fairly effectively with a scoop or shovel.
 
Thanks so much all you guys. I'm at my wits end here...

A very clever lady has suggested using turnout rugs for him to stand on! Fantastic idea. I will definitely stand on it myself first to make sure it's not going to slip along the top of the ice.

Fiance is on his way to the vets as we speak to pick up the oral steroids and the rest of the anti-biotics (vet only had a handful of sachets in the car) which will be started tonight.

I'm going to try and get my horse in using 2 old TOs for him to stand on to stop him falling on the ice, then i'll get his legs scrubbed down (gently) top to bottom, thoroughly dried and then i'll check for any scabs/mudfever i.e the cause of this. I'll then treat that. I'm going to keep him in until everything is healed and looking better (touch lots of wood).

My next issue will be him fretting when the others are put out in the morning. I'll try him tomorrow morning then will speak to vet about ACP if he's getting upset. I'll make sure he has plenty haylage to keep him occupied. Something staying in beside him would be ideal I know but there's nothing that can/nobody that would be willing to.

God this is stressful. A big weight on my shoulders :( Part of owning a horse though.
 
Are you sure if you offer to muck out and cover the extra hay and feed for staying in, that no one would let their horse stay in for a day or so? Might need to rotate the people you asked.
 
Overgrown Pony said:
I'm going to try and get my horse in using 2 old TOs for him to stand on to stop him falling on the ice,
Click to expand...

Sounds risky. What about if the rugs slip on the ice, or he gets his feet caught in a strap or the lining? And won't it take forever, you be halting every stride. Is it not easier to pop to the shop and buy some grit/de-icing salt. Under a fiver from Lidl, B&M or Asda
 
Got any old hessian sacks lying around ?

Tie them round his front hooves - put knee boots on him, put a lead rope on either side of him to offer support from a distance - but he will need his head to balance so dont hold him up tight, just be there to help if necessary.

PLEASE do not try to hold him up ! he is at least 400kgs and you will be squished

good luck - but i would want to know what the vets intend to do with him once he is in - as he is going to need to go back out soon.

Its not ideal but you should be able to wash his legs in the field and if it were me, i would much rather do this than risk breaking his leg getting him in - as long as he is not being bullied. I would also water him in in a bucket - and not make him get to the water trough all the time
 
You can get a whole load of carpet cut-offs from most carpet stores, I've seen the stuff lying in skips outside the shops. Take a few bundles and spread them down to make a pathway from the field to his stable door. Good luck.
 
Glad you didn't think I was just being picky re it not being noticed that morning. However if yo had noticed & mentioned it that morning, there wouldn't be the current dilemma of getting him in, so certainly something to think about when he's better regarding quality of service yo provides. And I'd definitely try either grit, or driving something heavy over to break up the ice.
 
you could chuck mud dirty straw just anything on the ice to try and make a path to the stables.

i dont no why the stable owners havnt done anything. ;S surely its there responsibility to make sure it safe for the horses.
 
Are his legs dried mud now that the weather has turned so cold? Could you brush them off thoroughly in the field whilst he picks at some hay to keep him occupied? I do this instead of washing off for mudfever as don't really like to have to put water on skin if its already fragile and sore...I find I can get the legs really clean this way if they're dry to start with and am then able to thoroughly check for any signs of MF....just a thought, then you wouldn't have the worry of trying to get him in and out...
good luck whatever you decide
 
It is scary how quickly it comes up. The mud fever bacteria seems to be extreme this year. Mine had 2 minor scabs on one heel and went from no heat, no swelling but just not being happy on one back leg to being quite distressed and anxious to almost showing signs of colic and then not being convinced that he could walk at all. And it was all from infection/swelling that was starting - leg was up within 4 hours of that from fetlock to hock. Took 3 days of the antibiotics to see much improvement and I would say once almost down and off the antibiotics course which was a total of 5 days it was a good two weeks after that for all the swelling to finally subside. I hope you've managed to get him across the ice and he settles in the stable. I'm hoping the really cold snap now will kill off the bugs a bit but I don't hold out much hope.
 
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