Lost one of my horses yesterday

[Kodidog763]

I haven’t been on the forums in quite a while. I lost my job to Covid, and started a business which kept me busy.

Yesterday morning we got up and took our dogs outside. When I came back in my phone was ringing, but I missed it. The neighbor left a voicemail saying the horses were out and over by his shed. I ran outside, and I saw one horse in the paddock, and one horse over by his shed. As I walked down towards the paddock, I could see the fence was down. And then I realized one of the horses was laying in the paddock. I called out to her and she didn’t move. My husband caught up to me by that time, and he looked at her and said she’s dead.

I caught the other horse, and got her back in the paddock, and my husband got the fence back up.

Daisy was just laying there. There was a small amount of blood coming out of her nostrils. I don’t know what happened. I’m so devastated.

We lost two of our dogs earlier this year, and now this. I feel so broken.

[Gesaffelstein]

I’m so very sorry for your losses. I hope your heart heals soon. Sending lots of love to you.

[aregard]

Oh, that’s terribly sad news. I’m sorry.

Animals make our hearts bigger, and their sudden lost is so difficult.

[eightpondfarm]

a nightmare come true.
i’m so sorry you lost your mare. I hope it was very sudden and she suffered none.

[Lunabear1988]

I’m so sorry.

[Jackie_Cochran]

I am so sorry you lost your mare.

[Bluey]

What a shock, maybe she fell into the fence if she was having some kind of seizure, why it was broken?

So sorry you lost her, so sad.

[glitterless]

Hugs to you. So sorry that you lost her so unexpectedly

[Zu_Zu]

RIP ~ Beloved Daisy ~ knowing you will always be loved and remembered ~

((Hugs)) laced with strength and comfort during this heartbreaking time ~.

[Gardenhorse]

Oh no. I’m so sorry.

[SuzieQNutter]

@Bluey

What a shock, maybe she fell into the fence if she was having some kind of seizure, why it was broken?

So sorry you lost her, so sad.

I am so sorry for your loss OP and I will answer this question, so you do not have to, out of our love for all horses and hope it does not cause you too much pain.

When horses suffer from colic the other name for it is a stomach ache. The horse does not know it is a stomach ache they only know the pain.

Some horses will try and negate this pain by walking into things to rub this away. This can mean sheds, bushes, trees, fences, etc. They are trying to rub their sides on it to take the pain away. Of course they are big creatures and this causes damage.

What we do not know is why the colic started. In my case it had been a hot dry day and the vet said, just because there is a water trough full of water does not mean she drank, meaning he did not know either.

The blood on the nose could have been a snake bite. It doesn’t really matter if it is something that will not affect the other horses, which it usually is not with them being there one day and not the next. So do not dwell on the why.

OP the sudden loss of a horse like this is shocking and extremely painful. I could not believe you could lose a horse so quickly. I cried for 3 days and then afterwards I seemed to cry when I got in the car to drive, maybe because I was truly alone. I stopped riding.

Yes grieve, but please do not do what I did and keep riding.

With our horses, enjoy every second you have with them, especially when they are happy and sound and it is a lovely day to ride. Every second could be your last. Revere in every second you have.

Suzie Q

[moonlitoaksranch]

I’m so sorry for your Daisy. If you need to know, a vet could do a necropsy. With a down fence and blood from the nose, it sounds like it may have been an instantaneous thing with no suffering. A sudden wrong move and a bad landing.

I wish you the best over the coming weeks. It’s so hard when something happens like this. I’ve lost a few unexpectedly and it takes awhile to adjust to them not being there. Take your time to grieve. Perhaps you can spend extra time with your other horse(s). They’ll be grieving, too.

[Kodidog763]

Thank you everyone for your kind words. My DH called the vet right after we found her, and asked about a necropsy, but they indicated it can often be hard to get answers.

She wasn’t near the fence that was down, so it’s unclear if it’s related. It was a section of fence next to the driveway, so not the typical area for the horses to challenge to get to “better” grass. It’s more of an area that a deer would take out.

None of it makes any sense to me.

[beowulf]

So sorry OP. I’ve also lost a few unexpectedly, it never gets any easier. Big hugs to you and DH.

[quietann]

So sad to hear this. It’s a tough time, take it easy on yourself. Whatever happened, she is at peace now.

[PaddockWood]

I’m so sorry. That is a lot - your dogs and now your horse.

[TheDBYC]

Oh, my! I’m so, so sorry!

[StormyDay]

@Kodidog763

Thank you everyone for your kind words. My DH called the vet right after we found her, and asked about a necropsy, but they indicated it can often be hard to get answers.

She wasn’t near the fence that was down, so it’s unclear if it’s related. It was a section of fence next to the driveway, so not the typical area for the horses to challenge to get to “better” grass. It’s more of an area that a deer would take out.

None of it makes any sense to me.

It can be hard to get answers. My one of my mares died last year and luckily my BO is a vet so she did a necropsy. Hers was one of the special ones where it was clear what had killed her. But many times it’s not clear unless the horse had a internal defect. Even a colic torsion can be hard to find as cause of death because a lot of the time the torsion will relax after death. And a necropsy can involve blood testing for possible poison/venom reasons, but you have to know what you are testing for.

Sadly sometimes it’s just their time. I’m sorry for your loss. It sounds like it was a quick death, which is all we can hope for with our animals.

[shiloh]

I’m so sorry . It’s different when you something’s wrong, but unexpected - that’s a punch in the gut.
(((hugs))))

[Alex_and_Bodie_s_Mom]

So sorry. Sometimes we just can’t know what happened.

I would venture to guess perhaps a stroke or aneurysm - they occur without warning. I lost a mare to what I suspect was one or the other - one night she was fine, the next morning she was gone.

Jingles and hugs to you.