My Horse Fell On The Ice.......HUGE Warning

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Marty

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I have had two horses in the past get injured from slipping on the ice. I was new in this State and not used to knowing about horses + ice+ snow beings from Florida. After all, you see plenty of TV commercials with people are riding and galloping through the snow, right?

So I learned my lesson well.

Two days ago the snow was melting enough where you could see the ground through what was left of the snow. No ice in sight and the temps were in the high 30's so I let my horses out for a good run. Mistake. One of the minis slipped on a left over patch of ice behind the barn that I didn't spot in time and another one who followed behind did also. They were ok and didn't fall or anything but that was a broken leg or a stifle wreck looking for a place to happen so that was my cue to get everyone back inside which I did.

Sonny my big quarter horse didn't want to go out in the first place. I practically had to drag him out. He has a great sense of self preservation and that white stuff on the ground doesn't appeal to him. He would live in a stall 24-7 if I let him. I forced him out thinking he needed to exercise and get his old bones moving about. So it was time to get Sonny in. He comes in last. I called him and he came trotting to me and then picked up that slow lope of his and then went into a full gallop. I got out of his way in a hurry and as I opened the gate really wide I slipped on another patch of ice that I didn't notice was even there when I put him out. As Sonny came storming in there was no way to stop him it happened so fast as he went through the gateway, he skidded on the ice and went down and fell on his side hitting hard. Half of his body was outside the gate and the other half was inside. His back leg went through the cattle panel there up above his hock and his foot and ankle through another square and his body all stretched out. He lifted his head struggling to get up and I held it down talking to him for fear he would bring down the entire panel and tear his leg off at the same time. It was a miracle that he managed to calm himself and as he got up, his legs somehow slipped out of that cattle panel without one scratch on it. I only had to help guide his other hoof through for him which was still hung up. I have said before those panels are no good because in a case like this, there is no give to those squares like there is in field fencing where you could move them with your bare hands if you had to. If I had to leave him alone and run for bolt cutters this could have gone south in a hurry. He was also wearing his winter blanket which kept him from tearing up his body on the ground.

Sonny got to his feet on his own, very shaken but picked up his slow jog and went right into the barn without a hitch in his step. He stuck his head in his feeder and proceed to eat his dinner while I went over him with a fine tooth comb. Again, not a scratch to be found but I knew he would be sore for a couple of days. He turned to me with a mouth full of food as if to ask "What the heck just happened to me out there".....I tell you I was shaking myself for a good 45 minutes and drank about 3 cups of hot tea when I came in.

Everyone here lets their horses out to play in the snow right? Ok I don't know how you do it but these little left over patches of ice that are left overs are near impossible to see without going over every last inch of ground.

My big old man is sore today as I expected but it looks like I'm going to end up having to hand walk a lot of horses till winter is over. I'd rather do that and clean stalls ten times a day than ever see a horse fall on the ice again.

This has been a public service announcement.
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My gelding pulled a Bambi on the ice last year and ever since then I have been really careful when I let him out. I have never had a problem with any of the big ones they seem to stomp right through whatever ice we do get down here. But it didnt occur to me that the mini was a lot lighter than my 1100 lb paint horse and that he might not quite be able to break through(I was having trouble breaking through, it had snowed then rained and then frozen). He let out a good buck and all four legs went out from under him and he slid on his belly/side across the pasture. He didnt get hurt thank God! I think back on it now and it's kinda funny cause it makes me think of Bambi when he first walked on ice!
 
Well, I have found that when horses are outside all of the time, they are more sensible about ice & such. They get more regular exercise & don't have the pent up energy. They know where the ice is and they remember it, so don't get kiting around and charge onto the ice. This fall one of our paddocks had a big puddle in it (too much rain, ground was saturated so we had this "lake" out there) at time of freeze up. There are two weanling colts in that paddock & we were concerned that they might venture onto the ice & get into trouble. But, they knew--even after we had a pretty good snow cover they stayed off that ice. Apparently they realized that they would still go through the snow & slip on the ice--there were tracks all over that paddock, except where the ice started. The snow covering the ice was pristine for the longest time. Now that the snow has settled some and there is even more of it (a couple feet on the level) they do go all over the corral, even on the icy part, but with that much settled snow on it the footing is as good there as anywhere. Had they been kept stalled a lot and then got turned out for a run in the snow, yes, I'm quite sure that they would have charged across the ice, not realizing that it was there under the snow cover, and they would have surely fallen.
 
So glad your boy is alright Marty! That must have been horrifying!
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I am a nervous wreck when I put mine out even if there is just a little patch of ice. My first Mini (Josh) his breeder had a beautiful little mare a couple years ago who went out, slipped on the ice. and hurt herself and had to be put down.
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I am always so worried something like that is going to happen to mine.
 
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So glad you and the horses are okay! I know exactly what you mean. We have the same way here. We get a warmup and then a re-freeze in this area and major ice. My 21 year old mare went down hard a few weeks ago and I was like you,--- major heart attack time. She got up and went on but I am sure she was sore for a few days. My 31 year old Quarter horse has more sense than me-he stays in his outside stall and walks gingerly outside when he does go out. The donkeys say "forget it"-donkeys are not dumb.

We have a lot of older horses here and me and my husband are no spring chickens either. I have a broken hip, broken wrist and bum knee to prove I don't have enough sense to stay off the ice and snow, so I don't push my horses outside either. I am always amazed at the more northern people with their horses outside, but perhaps it we got snow and stayed snowy, it would be different. Here we get snow, it melts and we get ice and that icy ground here is like concrete-I can say from personal experience.

Everyone stay safe this winter. Looks like a long one from my point of view.
 
Most of my guys will stay in the run in sheds if the ground is too ice covered, but I do put my older arabs in the barn. Several years ago all the local farmers had to go help the cattle farmer down the road get a cow & calf off of a frozen pond. The cow went down and broke her pelvis. They think she went down close to the edge and slid out further into the middle, and the calf followed. She had to be put down. That is why I put my old arabs in their stalls when we have alot of ice, and we fenced off our little pond.
 
Ice is really scary to me and we get plenty of it in Connecticut between snow storms. I use a combination of gates/fencing to keep the minis off the ice, turning them out most of the time so they don't store up energy, and spreading wet bedding over the worst of the ice. We are expecting 10-20" of snow tonight so they should be able to run around plenty tomorrow!

My big horse has studded shoes so he does pretty well, but he gets confined to a small area too if the ice is bad.

What we humans use is those rubber grippers with the red "cleats" that pull over our boots so that we can walk on the ice.
 
{{{ Marty & Sonny }}}

Glad to hear things worked out okay in the end. That had to be so hard to witness!
 
Thanks for the update, yes every year I have at least one slip on the ice and are sore for a day or two.. try so hard not to have this happen, but they get to playing and someone ends up hurt.. Some days I just hold my breath, when I see them run and buck, here in Ontario is hard to keep them in all winter, we have snow and ice all winter long. We put the old bedding stuff out over the ice spots but as you say do not see it all. Keeping my fingers crossed no one has slipped on ice so far..

So glad your Sonny is OK.
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Glad he is ok!!

If I did not let my horses out in show/ice we would not ever have horses out ok well not for weeks at a time. Now we do not usually get ice like you guys have now inches thick although w hen snow gets packed and starts to melt it does turn to ice.

The horses seem to be pretty careful and do not go running thru it in fact they all seem to test the ground as they come out of the barn every morning

Here the only one who seems to fall on it ALL THE TIME is Raven who for whatever reason needs to test a patch of ice- fall on her but and then get up and do the exact same thing the next day.. teenagers
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LOL
 
Just like humans who figure it out after a while, horses do, too.
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Can't do the Indy 500 on snow and ice. Northerners (both horse and human) know that.

You can make it a little easier for them a few ways. Spread barn lime or arena dirt on the slippery patches.

If our horses are really pent up, we can work them in the indoor, or even trot up and down the barn aisle.
 
We are ice central here. I almost wipe out daily myself. I dont lock my horses in. They have free run of there full pasture which is almost 10 acreas. They occasionally get worked up but seldom. I prefer to do it this way. IF they are out all the time the less excited they get. I have never had an issue yet.
 
I usually hand walk my mini when it is too icey in the dry lot. He usually isn't one to tear through the ice and snow anyways. there also slick clay underneath it all so I am very careful when he goes out just when it is wet out. It just takes one slip and bam down they go. He is a fairweather mini anyways as he hates the rain, snow any preciptation-he is inside. Spoiled
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I think so!
 
Marty said:
Everyone here lets their horses out to play in the snow right? Ok I don't know how you do it but these little left over patches of ice that are left overs are near impossible to see without going over every last inch of ground.
Minimor said:
Well, I have found that when horses are outside all of the time, they are more sensible about ice & such. They get more regular exercise & don't have the pent up energy. They know where the ice is and they remember it, so don't get kiting around and charge onto the ice.
Exactly. My boys stand in the barn or under a tree and watch the snow fall, then tip-toe through it until they've worn some safe trails and then they'll get to playing once they're sure of the footing. Turbo loves to play in the big puddle in his paddock most of the time but once it freezes he stays off it.

The biggest thing I've found is not to suddenly let them out together when it's really slick as they'll get rough-housing instead of paying attention to their footing and one horse might drive the other into a dangerous area or get him going too fast for the footing. If they're out together when the snow starts they're fine, but if they've been penned up it's not good. For the same reason I can't take them out on the road- they get too excited and don't recognize the danger of the ice and they slip. The ice in their paddocks is mostly shallow stuff that formed over the hoofprints in the mud and it shatters rather than being slippery. We have more trouble with stumbling over the frozen mud ruts.
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Spyder, my elderly Arab, usual spent most snowstorms snug in his stall watching the white stuff fall. He was always very careful how he set his feet down in the snow but loved to go out for a bareback ride in his snug winter blanket. Then again, he had snow pads on his front feet most winters so didn't have to deal with getting it balled up in his hooves. Wish I could figure out something like that for the minis! Our snow itself isn't usually slick but for some strange reason they have trouble keeping their footing when they're walking on 3" snowballs....
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I think if I were you Marty I'd spread some sawdust over the ice, lead the kids outside one at a time past the dangerous parts then turn them loose and let them run off some steam individually. Then spread some hay (the great distractor!) and leave them out as a herd. They'll settle down.

Leia
 
Oh Marty, I felt sick reading your post. It could all have ended so badly. So glad your horses all got back safe and sound to their stable. Thank heavens that's at least one problem I don't have here.
 
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I've heard spraying PAM(non-stick cooking spray) or rubbing the inside of the hoof with grease can prevent snow balls. Has anyone tried that trick?
 
Good suggestions on this thread.

I am a firm believer that horses need daily turn out which mine do, except in dangerous weather, which is what we had. I don't like it when they have that stored up energy and no way to release it. That's a recipe for colic. Even on very bad days, mine get to have a good go at in inside the isleway if the outdoors is not an option.

Today was a good day with no ice involved or slippery conditions. Everyone had a fun day playing in the snow except Sonny of course who is grumpy and got handwalked all over the place looking rather bewildered like "when's this white junk going away already"?. Everytime I tried to turn him loose to mozey around on his own in the paddock he would head right back to his stall. Weenie that he is, couldn't wait to get back inside his condo for orderves and cocktails.

My very grumpy big baby....

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Love his picture and so would I want to go back for orderves and cocktails.

He is not stupid..
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Glad Sonny is okay Marty! Our paddock is on a slight hill, and the bottom where the barn is gets extremely icy at times. I always worry about the horses and when I let them in at night and they come storming down from the top of the paddock I meet them half way so that they'll walk to the barn. They get so excited they forget common sense sometimes. Both of them will pick around the ice but Kassie's just all over the place in general and Rusty slips and slides because he always wants to TROT everywhere!

For snowballs on hooves- Yes PAM works, I've used Crisco or some other brand of shortening as well. And if you make bacon, save the grease, that works too!

Is there any ice melt that can be put in paddocks that is non-toxic? Or something along those lines? Would sand help?

Rebecca
 

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