LARGE ANIMAL RESCUE SKULL SESSION
August 5

HOW THE INCIDENT WAS RESOLVED

HORSE IN A BIND

This problem is based on a real scenario and is presented for a "Skull Session" discussion in the Technical Large Animal Emergency Rescue Facebook Group. Location The incident has occurred in a remote area of the range at a cattle sorting station. Date and Time Early summer, mid afternoon with the day getting hot. Incident Details You receive a call that a wild (feral) stallion has gotten a leg caught in the panels of a cattle sorting corral in a remote area of the range, and appears to have been there for at least several hours, but there is no telling how long. The location is accessible via horseback or high clearance 4-wheel drive. There is no equipment available on-scene except what is used on-site at the cattle sorting corral. There is no veterinarian available to respond to this location. Your team is limited to four people, two ropes and a beach towel. Upon arrival you find the horse on its side with one leg wedged between two panels. (Please assume that the towel has not been placed over the horse's head prior to arrival. Getting a trapped wild horse quiet with humans approaching trumped getting a raw "before" photograph.) The scene on your arrival. Skull Session Questions What are your priorities? What are the safety issues? What resources do you need? Describe your action plan. Group Feedback. Please note that at the actual incident we had very limited resources. The group was invited to either address the incident as it actually played out, or address the problem in the context of the participants' locally available resources. A host of good concepts were posted and are summarized below. Recurrent Responses Safety first. Keep people away until the horse can be secured. Protect the horse's eyes in the event he flailed his head. Control the horse's head. Get a veterinarian and specialized tools enroute (if available.) Before taking action, develop a plan to release the stallion that doesn't cause further injury. Identify "kill zones." Control the horse's legs using ropes or straps if available and coordinate leg control with the disassembly of the panels. Dismantle the panels using methods that don't place the rescuers at risk of getting struck by the panels or horse hooves and that minimize the chance of the horse getting entangled further. Use ropes if available to control the panels when the chains are disconnected and during the extrication process. If a veterinarian is available, make extrication preparations but keep the horse quiet until he can be sedated, then dismantle the corral panels. Observe the horse during and after the rescue to determine if he has any serious, life-threatening conditions. One often understated comment was since this was a feral horse, be prepared to euthanize him if he suffered serious injuries and was unlikely to be able to survive on his own. Also on this unpleasant subject, the person euthanizing the horse (if needed) should be skilled or trained in proper gunshot euthanasia and have a weapon of sufficient caliber. I've seen horses down with broken legs get up and run a mile or more after a relatively accurate shot to the head by an experienced officer. You can't always get a proper shooting angle so experience and training is important in avoiding a gut-wrenching outcome. It's not a pleasant topic but I can't overemphasize it.   ACTUAL RESCUE ACTIVITIES In this response we had an employee of the Nevada Department of Agriculture with appropriate feral horse experience, an on-scene helper with general livestock experience, and three response team volunteers. Mike, the Ag employee, retrieved a beach towel, made a visual assessment of the horse, determined that the horse was alive and responsive, and managed to wrap the beach towel around the horse's head to protect his eyes and help keep him calm. We did not have a veterinarian or specialized equipment available to this remote location within the time required. We next assessed in closer detail how the horse was trapped and how the corral panels were configured and secured. We did not touch or disturb the corral panels as we did not want to disturb the horse and cause him to struggle. Because of personal activities when the call came in, we weren't in a location to go get our equipment or helmets so while we were still efficient, we were more deliberate and safety conscious. (I now usually carry a spare helmet in my pickup.) Mike was in charge of this incident. One team member was "Safety Officer" and also took the photos. The horse's head was controlled. The helper with livestock experience managed the head. Methodically controlling the head. The volunteer who had a helmet worked close to the horse's legs, using what we had available to restrain and keep the horse's other front leg free of the panel. She later controlled the front leg. (The braided bailing twine shown was rigged around the leg loop in order to more easily remove the rope once the horse was freed.) Securing the untrapped front leg. Discussing what would take place next before taking action. We removed additional panels that were attached to the panel that we had to separate in order to free the horse's trapped leg. Then using a rock and a Leatherman Tool we were able to tap the chains free that held the panel sections together at the point of entrapment. We released the bottom chain first, then the top. Mike (out of view) helped balance the panel and helped keep the panels from binding the chains as the chains were being removed. I worked the horse's trapped leg from outside the panels. From the way the horse was positioned, we had to first lean the panel inward, then slide it free from the horse's hind legs in order not to put additional pressure against the horse's trapped leg. This maneuver was done carefully with one person at each end of the panel being moved so as to minimize a kick response from the horse. Removing the panel. Next the other nearby panels were relocated a safe distance away, the restraints were removed from the horse's front leg and the beach towel was folded back so that the horse could see. Everyone moved a safe distance away. The horse made several attempts to stand and would fall over each time. Then he rested for a few minutes, stretched his formerly trapped leg a couple of times, and once he could control that leg, he got to his feet, regained his composure, then walked off onto the range. A bit sore and stiff legged, the horse was able to travel on his own. Go to Skull Session Index Return to the Strike Team LRTC Page

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