Mounted search and rescue

[Karen Nesbitt <spanishequines@yahoo.com>]

[Fixed headers, deleted HTML duplicate of text, added quotes.  Una]


Responding to:
>  ----- Original Message ----
>From: Una Smith <una.smith@att.net>
>To: msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org
>Sent: Sunday, February 11, 2007 9:20:23 AM
>Subject: [MSAR] Under-hoof dangers
>
>
>An equestrian forum I follow recently has been talking about broken
>glass bottles as a potential cause of punctured hooves and cut
>fetlocks.  This is common roadside trash.
>
>What has been your experience?
>
>Do you refuse search tasks that involve riding in areas with trash
>underfoot?  Do you use hoof boots?  Do you worry (or not) about your
>horse stepping on glass?  What other kinds of trash are a concern?
>
>    Una Smith
  
------>>>>
  Bottom line is NO HOOF----> NO HORSE...So, becareful what you ride or ( 
walk ) on whether it is a search or not.  Puncture wounds can lead to putting 
a horse down due to infections that can take the legs, hence life of a horse 
and puncture wounds on a horse are wounds of the worse kind be it hoof or 
located elsewhere.  A situation like proud flesh can occur and can take 
forever to cure if ever if it is not treated properly.  Wounds to the hoof 
also can lead to founder as well.  No amount of padding will stop a nail from 
going into a horses hoof if the horse steps wrong.  It's a shame we live in 
such a wasteful and wanton world that pollutes and disposes it's trash most 
every where, however, we often have no choice in the terrain we need to 
search in...perhaps if the area is too trashy, leading the horse is a better 
option than that of riding...or sending in foot patrols....which may or 
maynot be an option given the events of the search....Be prepared for 
immediate care of
 wounds of this nature.   Preventative shots - keep shots for especially 
tetanus up to date.  It's all just common sense and part of horseownership.  
In a perfect world, we would not have to worry about things as such, but I 
guess to in a perfect world, we would not have to go out on searches!
   
  Karen Nesbitt
  Iroquios County
  Illinois - unaffiliated