Another horse injury question...Can only get up from one side

Tazlima · May 29, 2014

I seem to recall hearing about an equine injury that would keep a horse from getting to its feet if it were laying on one side (possibly a leg injury). In order to get the horse up, you have to roll it to its other side, which permits the horse to rise using its opposite (uninjured) side.

1) Is this a real thing?

2) What kind of injury could cause this?

3) Would the injured horse be able to figure out itself that it had to roll over in order to get up?

4) Would this injury be treatable (assuming the horse is extraordinarily well-behaved)?

5) What treatment would be used and how long would it take to heal?

sheadakota · May 29, 2014

I think what you are referring to is something called casting- this is not an injury, it happens when a horse lays down in a stall and is too close to the wall and no mobility to get back up. you have to roll the horse away from the wall so it has the room to move and get itself upright. or pull him away from the wall by his tail. The horse can panic when this happens and thrash about- then it can injure itself, but it has nothing to do with the casting itself.

There is no injury. it's simply a weird thing that happens.

jeseymour · May 29, 2014

Well, I've been working with horses for 43 years and you've got me confuzzled. I've had horses get cast in a stall, lying up against the wall in such a way that they couldn't get up without human intervention to roll them over away from the wall. But that's not an injury. It's possible the horse could injure itself while cast.

If a horse had a leg injury and went down, it's doubtful they'd be getting back up. Horses are prey animals. They're very heavy and not designed to lie down for long periods. See Barbaro for what happens with a catastrophic injury to a horse's leg. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barbaro

I can't imagine how a horse could get to its feet without using all four feet. Maybe an injured hind leg. There are horses who have had legs amputated who get along okay, but they must take some time to get used to it.

Hope this helps.

jclarkdawe · May 29, 2014

I think you're thinking about a horse being cast, as has been described.

If a horse has an injury in its leg, it will not lie down. It's way too dangerous.

Best of luck,

Jim Clark-Dawe

Tazlima · May 30, 2014

That must be what I was thinking of. I heard about it years and years ago, I was maybe 11 or 12, and all I could remember was that they had to roll the horse over to get it on its feet. I bet I heard or read the word "cast" and assumed they meant a plaster cast, hence the incorrect mental association with a leg injury.

Thanks!

Another horse injury question...Can only get up from one side

Tazlima

sheadakota

part of the human equation

jeseymour

jclarkdawe

Feeling lucky, Query?

Tazlima