SCARY DAY........!!!

GENERAL CUSTER & HIS MEN 1874

 

We had something happen today that absolutely scared the "bejeepers" out of both of us.  I was making some fudge & John hits the door yelling, "I need some help".  I had the good sense to set the pan off the fire, & ran out the door asking what was happening.  He said Hanna was hanging from a corral panel.  Good grief ...........we got to her & she was hanging from the top rail of the 5 foot panel with her left rear leg over the top of the rail, & the hoof caught behind the 2nd rail.  Her head & shoulders were laying on the ground.  I dropped down to her head & she was willing to lay, her eyes were quiet.  John said he was going to get the hack saw & pipe cutters to cut the pipe.  I stayed with her & she laid quietly until right before he got back, which was  probably less than 2 minutes although it seemed like forever.  When she started thrashing, I tried to hold down her neck, but she's very strong, even in such a grotesque position.

Once John got back it took him just a few seconds to cut thru the pipe on one end & twist it enough to release the hoof & she slid to the ground & just laid there.  Her hindquarters were up on the panel & John grabbed a hind leg & dragged her enough, so she could get her feet under her & up she jumped.  She was a little gimpy on that hind leg for awhile, but by feeding time, she wasn't even favoring it.

She had a wet slobbery place on her ear, & although we don't know for sure, John's guess is, Paladin got her cornered in the pen, & she climbed the panel & when she went over, her hoof got caught.  Sounds pausible to me, so we rounded him up & in the pen he went.  And we will probably stop trying to have them out together, he'll be in when they are out & visa versa since obviously they aren't always noisy when he's being a bad boy.  The dogs started barking their "something is wrong" bark, which is why John came to see what was going on.

John was suppose to have jury duty today, but they cancelled it.  Afterwards I started wondering if I had been here by myself, or even if John was by himself, how would we have handled it.  I honestly don't know what I would have done, I doubt if I would have thought of a hack saw.  And I'm sure she was calmer having someone with her, so it was really a 2 person operation.  And what if we hadn't been here?  The way her leg & foot were caught, I'm sure it could have broke if she had been there very long, thrashing around. 

It brought to mind how much responsibility it is to take care of these animals.  They rely on us to keep them safe.  I sat in the house afterwards & tried to think of what I would have done if I was here by myself, & still have not come up with a good answer.