Solution- horse getting cast?

lillie07

lillie07

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Sorry- not really competition riders but I have always had some brilliant responses in here!

Has anybody got any ideas on stopping a horse getting cast? I would really like to avoid using an anti cast roller if there is another way?!

My big gelding got himself cast for the second time last night, he has managed to get himself back on his feet both times but this time he has managed to rip the automatic waterer from the wall, do the stable some serious damage and is now sporting a massively swollen hind leg and the poor boy is very stiff and sorry.
 
It does not stop it happening but putting some strip be it wood or rubber around the box about 2 feet off the floor helps so that when they try to push themselves away their feet can grip against something.
 
Having had one who was constantly getting cast I feel your pain. My problem was solved in two ways. The stable he was in at the time whilst large was oblong, for some reason he always chose to roll near one end resulting in him getting cast, once I moved him into a square stable he would roll in the middle, it iwas all quite odd! The other thing is finding out the reason for rolling in the stable, I assumed that it was because he was itchy and initially bathed him, clipped him, made sure he went to bed well groomed, the rolling continued. I then cut down on his rugs and instantly he stopped - basically he was getting too hot during the night and starting to itch and therfore rolling - may well be worth investigating this possibility with your boy - mine was an Irish connie and I must admit he had always seemed a cold horse, and would shiver like a total wimp, he just needed something lite to keep the chill off him, even when clipped out, not the level of rugging his initial wimpishness suggested.
 
Thank you both! The strips came up when I was googling anti cast, something I will investigate further!

Interesting you should say that Jane_Lou- I did wonder about his temperature because it was this time last year that he got cast last time. He is fully clipped out with a thin top rug on and doesn't feel hot when checked at night or this morning but it does seem like a strange coincidence!

Off to cold hose and clay his leg now!
 
totally sympathise - its horrid when they get cast. We have a mare who used to get cast quite a bit - generally in the night so we'd hear crashing around - but she usually managed to get herself up by the time we went out.

We then fixed the anti-cast rubber strips in her stable, one row just about dado rail height, one a bit lower than that - and touch wood, it seems to have done the trick. I suppose it just gives them something to push off if they get stuck - and as it is rubber, another layer of insulation again them injuring themselves anyway

the ones we got were

http://www.fieldguard.com/wallmats_anti_cast_strips.html

didnt take long to fit and well worth it - means she can never swap stables though...

good luck, hope you get something that works for you
 
i would suggest anti cast strips along the walls, and huge, deep in width, high (like 2 feet+) and solid banks so he cant roll that close to the wall. what bedding is he on? is it making him itchy now he is clipped?
 
Thank you all, good to hear the anti- cast strips have worked for others. He shouldn't be itchy after being clipped, he has had a couple of baths since! The midges are out in force at the moment though which could be a factor- pretty difficult to stop though. On a straw bed on rubber in a big stable, it's been the same wall both times!

Lots of vibes needed, leg is still worryingly swollen. Everything crossed it is just bruising :(
 
What sort of bedding do you use?

Make high thick banks with the bedding - if straw they are best made of clean used straw. Pile high and wack them with the fork until they are thick and packed tight, at least 2' high and 2' wide. Then if he should roll over which is when the problem starts he will be prevented from rolling right over and can usually push himself back over again.

Same with shavings but youo will need to damp and pack them otherwise they fall down too easily.

When you muck out try and avoid digging them up - they need to compact, you can wriggle the wet patches out from underneath by careful use of the fork.
 
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