Thankfully, my mom was with me at the time and ran up to the house to call Pilchuck Veterinary Hospital. I was left with my horse, and I could hardly stand to look at her for fear of seeing that gnarly mess. I turned my head in the other direction, haltered her, and brought her up to the trailer to load her up.

It was late at night, about 11pm , so we had to wait at the Hospital before a vet arrived. The vet weighed her, and then we brought her into one of the rooms where our vet could clean her up. Joanne Fehr, an intern at Pilchuck Veterinary Hospital, was the one that attended to Chrome.   She did a great job of washing the injury out, clipping the area, and giving her 15 sutures.

The injury is really not that bad compared to what could have happened. All that was affected was skin and muscle tissue. Instead of screaming my head off and crying, I could have been a little bit more proactive to help the situation. When something goes wrong with your equine, you need to be proactive.

Calm vs. Freaking Out-

You want to stay calm. When you calm down, your horse calms down. When you are calm, you can think and speak clearly. If you are by yourself when an injury happens, you need to be able to think straight and talk clearly to your vet when you call him or her. Freaking out makes your horse stress out too. Believe me, I know it’s hard to stay calm, especially when one of your most treasured friends is hurt. But, it really does no good to cry and hyperventilate, so do your best to calm yourself down.

Treating the Injury vs. Waiting for the Vet-

This can range from giving meds like bute to hosing to wrapping an injury. On most occasions, it’s best to hose something off to remove hair and dirt or to reduce swelling. It may not always be best to give meds or to wrap something. You should become familiar with all types of injuries to know what’s best to do. You should also talk to your vet, because some prefer that you do not give any meds or mess with an injury at all. Be proactive and talk to your vet to get the best advice possible.

Vaccinations vs. “Letting Nature Take Its Course”-

Your horse can’t choose for itself to have vaccinations or not. Your horse relies on you to take care of him or her to the best of your ability. Sure, horses do not see vets in the wild, but our horses are not wild, they are domesticated, and they will appreciate it if you go to all lengths to protect them from diseases and illnesses! Vaccinations can save your horse’s life. Be proactive and vaccinate your horses. It will eat you alive knowing that an illness or death could have been prevented from just a simple rabies shot, or a tetanus shot in Chrome’s case. Chrome would have been in trouble had she not had her tetanus shot, since Tulsa, the horse that kicked her, has shoes.

Be proactive, talk to your vet, and educate yourself.   Being proactive can and will save pain, regret, time, money, and even lives.