By Victoria Cummings

It was pouring rain at 7 am when I slogged out to the barn to serve breakfast to my two horses.

In order to feed Silk, my 18-year old mare, I had to unlatch the bottom half of the Dutch door and step inside to reach the bucket. As I yanked it open, my horse fell out on top of me, stiff as a board. I thought she was dead. I tried to support her, but realized she was going to crush me. I jumped out of the way, and she went crashing down into a mud puddle. I screamed, and she struggled to her feet and fell again.

As I ran to the gate of the corral to get help, she got up again and began stumbling around in the downpour. It was like a scene from a horror movie.

It took four agonizing minutes to run to the house, find my cell phone and call my veterinarians at Fairfield Equine Hospital. When I got the emergency operator, I could hardly tell her what was happening. She said the vet on duty would call back. My husband threw on his clothes, and we ran back to the barn.

Silk was standing outside in the rain next to Siete’s stall. The two horses, mother and daughter, had their heads together, nose-to-nose. I was relieved to see my mare still on her feet and wondered if she might be colicking. My heart still pounding, I approached Silk. She let me put on a halter and lead rope, and I began walking her in circles in the corral even though we were both soaking wet.

Colic is one of a horse owner’s greatest fears. The horse’s gut becomes impacted, and its intestines can twist up. Sometimes, expensive surgery is recommended, and more times than I like to think about it, the horse can’t be saved and dies. I knew that walking the horse can often help.

My cell phone rang, and my vet, Dr Whitney Will, asked me what happened. When I explained, she told me that she was on her way to help.

While my husband held Silk on her lead rope in her stall and comforted her, I grabbed the equine rectal thermometer from the emergency kit. I realized that I had never attached a string and a clip to the end of it to prevent losing the thermometer inside the horse. Frantically, I searched for something to tie on to the end of the thermometer. I ended up cutting the strings off the Australian oilskin hat I was wearing. Silk did not want me to take her temperature, and the thermometer kept popping out. Then, we couldn’t read it. I tried to take her pulse, which I had practiced doing on other occasions. No luck, I was too nervous. Silk was having muscle tremors on her chest and her back haunches. I tried to take deep breaths and reassure her that everything was going to be okay. I called some of my neighbors who own horses for advice and moral support, but no one was home.

I was so relieved when Dr Will drove up to the barn. She took out her stethoscope and listened to Silk’s stomach, lungs and heart. She found it difficult to hear the horse’s heartbeat. It was muffled and irregular. Silk was still having the muscle tremors on her chest and back legs. I mentioned that I had been giving the horses a supplement in their food that was supposed to prevent them from chewing wood.

I felt foolish since I know it’s not a good idea to give my horses any supplements without first consulting the vet. I showed her the ingredients, and she pointed out that it was mostly electrolytes. I know that it is dangerous to throw off a horse’s electrolyte balance. We discussed what we should do next, since the cause of Silk’s distress wasn’t clear. Dr Will was concerned that there might be fluid or a tumor, so we decided that I should bring Silk into the hospital for ultrasound and an echocardiagram.

The vet took some of my horse’s blood to run some tests, and we agreed that Silk and I would see her in a couple of hours at Fairfield Equine.

I have no horse trailer, so I called my neighbor, Pat Gregory, at Fox Ridge Farms, and made arrangements for her barn manager, George Colinan, to take Silk to the hospital. I felt so fortunate to have experienced horse people nearby and to live only ten minutes from one of the finest equine hospitals in the country. Although I was still feeling panicked about what was wrong with Silk, I tried not to let myself get upset while I stayed in her stall to keep her calm. She stood with her head against my shoulder, and I think we both took comfort in each other’s presence.

I remembered all the times during the nine years that I’ve owned this animal that she’s had painful injuries. I know that Silk trusts me more than anyone. We’ve been through a lot together, but nothing as scary as this.

George couldn’t pull into our driveway with the trailer because it was too muddy. I walked Silk out to the road while her daughter, Siete, whinnied and cried like a baby. Silk answered her, but didn’t hesitate to follow me onto the trailer. She came off the trailer and followed me into the hospital without balking. Dr Will and Dr. Ryland Edwards examined her with the ultra-sound machine. Her heartbeat was still irregular, but they didn’t find any fluid or tumors. Her muscles were still trembling, so they decided to check her electrolytes. They also wondered if she might have cut off her circulation by leaning on her carotid arteries when she stuck her head out over the Dutch door. It might have caused her to pass out and fall down.

There was no definite diagnosis, so I took her home.

It took all my courage to go out to the barn the next morning to feed the horses. I had nightmares for a week. Once again, my horse was teaching me how to face my deepest fears. By forcing myself to continue our normal routine, I eventually stopped dreading going out to the barn. Dr Will is going to vaccinate the horses next month, and she will check Silk’s heart again. Until that time, we’re taking it easy and I’m not riding her.

I try not to dwell on what will happen if there’s still a problem. I worry about what I can do to be ready if something goes wrong with my horses in the future.

“Nobody’s ever really prepared for an emergency when it happens,” Dr Will says, “There’s always panic and always fear. So, as in any emergency that happens with people, maintain a calm head, try to actually look at your horse and determine what is happening. Whenever there’s an emergency phone call, we always call the owner back before we get in the truck and go there. We need to find out what is going on, ask the appropriate questions so we can give them the best advice about what to do until we arrive.”

Many people who live in Newtown are not aware that tucked away behind Exit 9, just off of Route 84, is one of the most renowned equine care facilities in the world. Fairfield Equine is one of the largest, state-of-the-art veterinary hospitals in the country. They have served the United States Equestrian Team at Olympic games and international events for over 14 years. Eight vets and a large staff provide emergency care, surgical procedures and routine vet services 24 hours a day, seven days a week. With a caseload that extends across Connecticut and parts of New York and Massachusetts, they care for a lot of horses in distress.

Dr Will points out that the most common emergencies throughout the year are colic, lacerations and eye problems. In winter, there are certain precautions that horse owners should take to keep their horses healthy.

“You want to monitor their intake of water,” she said. “It’s really important if buckets are freezing, and they don’t have access to water to break the ice and bring them warm water. If they don’t have access to water, that’s when you run into trouble. You need to make sure that when you turn them out and when they are in their stalls, they have water that’s drinkable.”

My horses each drink about eight to ten gallons per day. I installed heated water buckets in the barn and keep them filled night and day. I was surprised by how much they prefer drinking water that is warm in winter.

Turning out the horses when there’s ice and the ground is frozen in the pasture is another hazard at this time of year. Recently, my three-year-old horse, Siete, slipped and fell while running in the pasture. Luckily, she was not hurt, but I let her out now with great trepidation.

“It’s a choice you have to make. Unfortunately, horses will have accidents. They’re kind of like children in that way.” Dr Will advised. “We can be as protective as we can be, and things can still go wrong. You have to just assess the situation and think rationally. You have to know the temperament of your horse. If they are sensible, it might not be such a risk. If they’re more ‘up’ and you have a place to lunge them a little before they go out or hand walk them, it’s probably a good idea.”

Eye problems also regarded very seriously by the vets at Fairfield Equine Hospital.

“I think that people need to be more aware of the seriousness of eye issues in a horse. Squinting, tearing or any signs of being uncomfortable are always considered an emergency in our minds.”

I knew that giving my horses nutritional supplements might potentially be harmful. In the feed stores and catalogs, there are many products to improve hoof quality, reduce joint pain, and prevent horses from chewing wood. It’s tempting to try to add something to improve your horse’s health. When I gave them a supplement from a well-known, reputable manufacturer, I thought about calling Dr Will but didn’t want to bother her with something so minor.

After Silk’s emergency, I regretted my decision.

“If there’s ever a question about anything, make the phone call,” Dr Will advises. “There is an opportunity to talk to a vet here 24 hours a day, and we’re always available for consultation. It’s not hard to have a chat on the phone. Some people are embarrassed that it’s a silly question, but none of them truly are.”

Dr Will cautions horse owners about things to watch out for as the seasons change.

“My biggest advice is that horses are very much creatures of habit,” she said, “so you don’t want to do big feeding changes or management changes. Everything that you alter should be done incrementally over a period of time. Spring grass is very lush and horses will sometimes gorge themselves and colic. You don’t want to take horses that have been inside all winter and just throw them out there with all that nice green grass and let them have at it all day long. So I would suggest turning them out for short periods and work up to the full day.”

As the weather gets warmer, people will want to get out and ride more.

“I think when you’re dealing with your horse and its exercise level, you need to think how you would feel,” said Dr Will. “If you hadn’t had a good workout for months, and you went out and ran eight miles one day, you’d be sore. You need to use common sense. If you’re walking the horse, that’s one thing, but when you’re trotting and cantering, and those muscles haven’t been used that much, they will be sore. How fair is it?”

She recommends that horse owners have their emergency kits fully prepared and located in a place that is easy to reach if something goes wrong. The emergency number for the vet can be written on the kit, as well as posted near the horses’ stalls. I carry my cell phone with me every time I go to the barn now.

Dr Will points out that some people don’t have cell service in range of where they keep their horses. If this is the case, she advises that the person who leaves the injured horse to make the call should know the details of what happened and be able to describe the horse’s condition to the vet on the phone.

“Even if you don’t want your vet to come out, at least call and discuss what’s going on,” she said. “In this area of Connecticut, luckily for all the horse owners, there are some great local vets, single practitioners or two vet services. I think most of the local vets have the same feelings about having an open dialogue with their clients. We are available to hospitalize any case any other vet has. We have twelve stalls in the barn and put up a temporary tent in the spring and summer. If a horse needs to be hospitalized, we can usually find a spot for him.”

Faced with a real life emergency with Silk, I was reminded of how fragile these powerful, thousand pound animals really are. Their digestive systems are delicate. Their legs need to be protected. Some days, I look at them and think that they are accidents waiting to happen.

Then, I remind myself that horses have existed in the wild for centuries, honing their survival skills. As long as I take care of Silk and Siete as best I can, I have to trust that they really do have “horse sense.”

Normal Vital Signs of the Adult Horse

Temperature – 100.5 °F

Pulse 36 – 40 beats per minute

Respiration 12 – 16 breaths per minute

Capillary Refill Time – less than 2 seconds

Mucous Membranes – pale pink

Equine Emergency Kit

per the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP)

Cotton roll

Cling wrap

Gauze pads in assorted sizes

Sharp scissors

Cup or container

Rectal thermometer with string and clip attached

Surgical scrub and antiseptic solution

Latex gloves

Saline solution

Stethoscope

Clippers