The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Pets & Working Animals => Horses, ponies, donkeys & mules => Topic started by: pikilily on December 05, 2010, 08:06:14 pm
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......nearly lost our mare Shelbie today!! Happened to look out into field and saw her lying totally still with her legs in the air. Ran to field calling her - no response. Got to her and thought she had already gone. But having thumped her on her head and neck she struggled to open her eyes. She was completely exhausted and ready to give up, and kept drifting off. She had got cast rolling in the deep snow.
Luckily, Susan, Marcus and I managed to drag her over and onto her feet. She is fine now!!
Please keep an eye out for your ponies in the deep snow!!
Cheers
Emma T
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gosh that was so lucky, i bet your heart sank. so glad she is ok :horse: :hshoe: :bouquet: :wave:
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Wow that was close, well done. :)
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Really close... poor thing. It must have been v v scary...
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I'd never have thought of that being a problem. Give Shelbie a carrot from me, Smokey and Bugsy.
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Oh dear god that must have been so scary, so pleased that she is ok, thanks for the warning
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same as rosemary - i would never have considered that as being a problem at all! omg! thank you so much for alerting us and i am soooo glad oyur pony is ok. :)
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I keep wondering how it happened. I think it was a freak combination of factors. the very deep snow, and She had a full neck rug on - I do have to concider whether that restricted her abilities to shift and get up by herself. Her legs were up at ten past two position so she couldnt get a purchace with her feet. The field is completely flat so it wasnt that she got stuck with her feet up the hill.
I have no idea exactly how long she had been like that, but it cant have been more than an hour cos I had looked at them earlier. The thing i,s with the position she was in, I think she was restricting her breathing, I think she was suffocating.....urgh,,,,horrible!! As an anaesthetic nurse i know how to recognise conciousness slipping away...that was happening before my eyes...Also she could have twisted her gut in her struggles, but luckily she hasnt.
I managed to unbuckle her rug before the others came to help get her up...once she was up it only took a few minutes and she was completely OK....well seems that way.
she is fine this morning....and she got plenty of carrots too!!
...the other thing to monitor is how much water your horses are drinking. Shelbie had a touch of colicy-ness last weekend, just too much dry hay and not enough water..(plenty available but just too cold) She had never had colic before, luckily again I noticed her odd behaviour beofre I went to full blown colic. Lots of sloppy feeds and warm water to drink and she was fine!! Phew that pony is doing me in
Emma T
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You are both lucky. Poor thing I bet she was panicking a bit waiting for you to help. You are right about the drinking water some wont drink if too cold, my thoroughbred horse wouldnt but the Shetlands that used to graze on my moor would.
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Thats the thing Hermit...she had given up, you know that calm before death!!! she was lying still as a rock...eyes shut, barely breathing. when i say I had to thump her head and neck to get a response I mean..... with all my might. I am black belt karate so so she probably has a few bruises. I was shouting at her and wacking her to keep her awake. i wonder how long it will be before the SSPCA arive!!
Emma T
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My thoroughbred was always poorly and accident prone, his nickname in the area was Bambi! Once he had a horrific over reach accident which looked like someone had axed his leg. After a long recovery which included Tetanus(even though he was jabbed, and a cover at time of accident) he developed full blown blood poisoning, at around 11.00 at night he went calm and I covered him with straw waiting for him to die. Then the vet appeared!!!! and said get him up so we struggled slapping him shaking his tail etc. he did get up and recovered but never to be ridden again. It is a horrible sight to see the death wish in an animal.
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oh hermit that is such a tragic story. and yes i have seen that calmness as well. one of the horses at a livery yard i used to be at had a very bad fall in the field and broke her leg really really badly (it was just hanging like a sock hanging off!) and she just stood there. was the calmest she had ever been in all the time i'd known her. and quite a few of the others horses stood around her as well. it was strangely beautiful to see all these other majestic creatures just standing in silent support for her.
there was no hope at all of recovery and she had to be PTS in the field. her very best friend just stood in that same spot for days and days afterwards.
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My ponies are enjoying the snow but as they are only out for a for a few hours a day they are back in when they have had enough. Its hard work trying to cope with all this snow and the problems it brings but it will pass and life will get back to normal. I hope !!!!
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(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y190/jinglejoys/hawfrostmulesdec10172.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y190/jinglejoys/hawfrostmulesdec10169.jpg)
(http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y190/jinglejoys/hawfrostmulesdec10168.jpg)
My gang are liking it too ;D
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What beautiful pictures
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and no snow
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agree, completely AMAZING pictures, lovely, I stared at them for ages!! thankyou for posting them!