Cast horses (a continuation to the other thread)

[Tootsie4U]

I didnt want to hijack the banking bed thread, so I've made one of my own...

This is complete nievity, nothing more...

I have only seen one cast horse in my short horsey life (;) - three years) and it was fairly simple to get him undone. The only damage was some scrapes on the stall wall from him trying to get up, no harm to him whatsoever....

His owner went into the stall, rolled him over and he hopped up.

I really dont want to sound insensitive, so please don't take it that way, but can casts really be life threatening?

[Showjumper]

Yes. If a horse gets cast, panicks and struggles, he could break bones, and even suffer internal damage.

A horse at my old yard got cast, panicked and started thrashing about. One of his feet went through the stable wall (wood) and got caught. He almost dislocated his hip but managed to free himself and get up with only cuts and bruising.

[Mehitabel]

it depends on the type of horse. a sensible type will lie there and wait for a rescue party, but some will panic when they find they can't get up, thrash about, whack themselves on the walls pretty hard, give themselves colic from the stress, etc etc.

[shaka]

Some horses I know will panic and struggle, and could severely huret themselves, others can get stress induced colic. Horses often do get up and walk away unharmed though.

[Echo64]

I'm not sure if this was ever disproven, but I heard it quite some time ago. If a horse is over on his back (laying right on it, not just sideways) he can suffer spine and brain damage after 6+ hours.

flighty horses have a tendancy to thrash about when they're cast, and this does cause injuries, but usually a horse will lay there and wait to be rescued.

[shaka]

Echo, Ive heard that to about horses onm their backs. Something to do with blood rushing to somehwere or other.

[galadriel]

I knew a Percheron with EPM who was also having founder trouble. He was on stall rest...he kept laying down and not having enough room to get up.

He was very good about waiting for someone to come help him, but he was HUGE. It took about 4 people each time, so they'd have to wait for more people to show up if he laid down when few were around. I can't imagine how tough that would have been if it had been a smaller facility, with less people around...if they'd ended up leaving him there for a day or so, would he eventually have started thrashing around on his own? Would he have gotten dehydrated and sick? I don't know.

I've also heard that lying for too long can cause fluids to build up in the lungs. Anyone know any more about that?

[Bel]

I've had to deal with quite a few cast horses thoughout my horseie life..mainly when working for studs where colts and fillies got cast quite often. Most were quite calm and waited til someone noticed them, which i might add was never that long since someone was at the stables at alll times, the quite ones just got rolled over or pushed away from the wall. Others when nuts, thankfully we could always hear them and got to them before any major damage was done..but i might add they where always the hardest to get up..they never let u roll them and getting between them and the wall to push them away was never an option..most times the Stud manager ( the only bloke in the place) would have to pull them away by their necks..something that should never be done. I've heard of quite a few horse being ruined when people don't know how to get them uncast..at the MM sales a few years back one colt had to be put down after someone who knew very little about horses thought it was a good idea to use a lead rope around the horses neck to pull him off the wall..u can imagine what happened.. the horse got off the wall but the affect of the rope choked him..his neck swelled until he was unable to breath.

[tasha]

Ive heard of people using lunge line round the legs nearest the wall to get them up. Is this safe?

[Mehitabel]

not terribly, but sometimes it's the only way. i'd rather use an exercise bandage or something that is a bit wider and less likely to leave rope burns. also less of it flailing about if you have to let go.

[Wally]

I have seen some horses kick the stable off its foundations when cast, no joke. He didn't hurt himself but he nearly killed the folk trying to help him.

Mind you I have never really found that banks in the bed actually stop them getting cast. I worked at a BHS approved place for ages and we banked beds and every now and again a horse got cast.

Icelandics and Shetlands are brill if cast, they just lie there and look a bit embarrassed and wait for you to roll them over again.

:D :D no thrashing, you can get in among the legs and take a hold and roll them over.