For the third time, one of my horses has gotten stuck lying down facing downhill. The first two times I managed to get her up by urging her but last night I needed help from neighbors. Using tow straps we rotated her to a position where she could scramble up.
Is this just an unlucky series of events and what is the best way to get her up? What if I’m not home? And how long can a horse stay with her head lower than the rest of her body? She’s very easy to handle fortunately.
I would watch for neurological problems. My gelding that had EPM started like that - he would lie down somewhere and not be able to get up. There were other subtle signs but this was a red flag that I did not recognize until it got really bad.
Is she aged? This could just be indicative of their inability to stand up (and roll over) easily. My gelding is older (28) and we’ve had to roll him over a few times in the same circumstances, rolling and ending up legs uphill. I’ve done this alone: Two long, cotton lead ropes (I always have a few handy) around his legs, stand down hill and pull. I’ve had to tie leads together to make a soft rope long enough to give me safe space.
As to how long they can be down and down hill? It’s an emergency when a horse is down for prolonged periods. Depending on what condition you find your mare in, you might call the vet if you find her in that situation. Can you find her a turnout/pasture that is not sloped?
The local fire department might be a good resource if you need help rolling her over.
Sometimes you can use a hay bale or two and gradually prop them up so they are lying in a sternal position. And they can get up from there. But remember - it takes strength and coordination for a horse to get up and if either of these are compromised then it is hard for them to get up. It may be that the horse has been lying down on a slope and able to get up for a long time so you did not notice them doing it and now it lacks somehing to right themselves.
And the longer the horse is down, the harder it is for them to get up. After a couple hours I would think she would be in trouble. Horses usually aren’t down that long, especially head down.
Is there somewhere else she could be turned out when you’re not home?
These are all topics I need to address with her. Thank you all so so much.
She is 22. I have a riding mower and trucks I can use to pull her with if I see her in trouble, but the bigger problem is when I’m not here. And of course the reason it keeps happening. I can easily put her in flatter areas when I am gone. Two friends have told me that their horses having a difficult time getting up factored into their decisions to let horses go. Now it’s only that crazy downhill posture with her head lower than her body that she can’t get up from.
Could you use step in posts and hot wire to block off that bottom portion to discourage her from getting in a spot she can’t get out of without risking being stuck?
This! My DH is a volunteer fireman in town, they’ve helped many horses back up or out of sticky situations and they always feel like they’ve done something special, a good deed.
Years ago my pony rolled into a huge snow drift and got stuck. Really stuck. I called the FD and told them the situation. I thought 2-3 guys would show up in the utility truck. Nope! They pulled in with the biggest truck lights blazing (sirens off, I had the foresight to ask them that) with a full engine crew all decked out in turnout gear, each one carrying a shovel 
. They hit the ground running and scared that pony right up and outta that snowbank!
If your town has a good FD (most fireman are good guys) don’t hesitate to ask them for help.
What a great story!
I had to do this w a low spot in my field.
I do not disagree with this at all but I want to add, do not expect them to know anything about horses or how to safely deal with horses.
Very true with any FD or something like that. But, you can always go to them and ask if they’ve had any training, and if not, maybe consider hooking them up with a reputable company that does that sort of thing. 4 Hooves Large Animal Services is excellent, and if they don’t do training in your area, can possibly recommend someone
4hooves sounds wonderful. In retrospect I should have called the vet who undoubtedly would have had suggestions. Our vet does have emergency rescue services and as a matter of fact rescued my horse from a trail accident. On a Sunday. They sledded him out from a single track trail and though he did not recover the vets did everything. Loomis Basin Equine Medical Center.
You’d be surprised if you’re out in the country a lot of them probably have farms horses, cattle etc. my husband is a volunteer and tries to go on any calls involving horses because he knows a little more but some of the fireman certainly have horse experience. Especially if you can get a vet out they can instruct the fireman. They do get calls to help get horses up and are happy to help.
I do live in the country and I know quite a few people who are active with the fire department.
I was not saying disparaging things about members of the fire department or that they can not follow directions.
I was simply stating that horse common sense is not a known thing by everyone and if you are calling the FD for help, be prepared that they might not have horse experience at the ready.
Bonus if you get a department that has emergency response training associated with livestock.
Better for the horse owner to know going in that these wonderful people coming to help might not know all things horse.
Keep in mind that “experience with horses” doesn’t equate to “knowing how to safely for the horse and human extricate a horse from a precarious position”.
From the 4 Hooves page and group and owner’s posts, I’ve seen some “experienced with horses” people putting straps where they don’t belong, working around a stressed downed horse with no helmet or chest protection, and more, putting both horse and human in danger
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