CASTING IN EQUINES....NOT GOOD!

A couple of nights ago, I heard the corral panels, being banged around, just as it was getting dark. After a couple of minutes I went to check, & found poor old Snowy, cast in the corner of her pen. If an equine lays down they have to get back up in a certain way. If they get too close to a wall, or in her case, have their head in the corner, with her hind feet under the corral panel, they are "cast'. John was in Tucson, & there aren't any neighbors real close to help. Usually corral panels come apart rather easily, but when you have 3 panels intersecting, they don't, as I found out. Everytime she fought to get up, she was banging her mouth & both eyes on the metal pipe, & getting bloodier each time. I tried putting a rope around her chest & dragging her. Yep, that's going to work...........she is old & weak, but still weighs around 600 pounds, & with her back legs trapped, one of which doesn't work very well anyway, we definately had a problem.

I got a rhythm of her fighting to get up, & me pulling on the rope around her chest. Finally got her head out of the corner, & between her pulling along on her front legs & me pulling on the rope, she got out into the corral away from the side. She had to rest for about an hour before she finally managed to shakily get on her feet, but she made it. She was moving pretty slow, & so was I, that was quite a fight for two old gals.

It's a couple of days later, & she is doing really well. Her eyes have scabs around them, we are "trying" to doctor. Doctoring her is always a challenge, she may be old & crippled, can't hear very well, or see very good.............but........... if you think she is going to give up without a fight, you better think again. We could tie her up so she couldn't move around, but we usually put a halter on her, John attempts to hold her, & I follow them around the corral, doctoring on the move, as best I can. When we take the halter off, she goes to the farthest corner of the pen, stands facing us, & gives us a dirty look. I guess that is to let us know, next time it will be another fight.