How to Treat a Leg Wound on Your Horse When No Vet Is Available
- Talk to him calmly in a soft voice so that he calms down.
- Throw a blanket over him to keep him from losing his body heat as he cools down from the shock.
- If he has any severe injuries that you are not able to fix (like broken bones), try to move him around so that he does not have to put weight on them.
If your horse is not in shock and you are able to work with him, the first thing to do is to figure out the type of wound you are dealing with and how it needs to be treated. If it is a cut on the neck, body, or a wound on one of the legs, get some help and take care of it right away. If there is major damage, like a branch through his gut or his intestine hanging out after a fall, you can try antibiotics, but there is not much you can do without surgery.
Get Some Help When Working With an Injured Horse
Most wound treatments are going to require some help. If no vet is available to sedate the horse for treatment, at least have someone hold his head while you are working with the injury. You might need to twitch him, or some horses will do okay if you distract them by tapping the center of the forehead over and over. It is annoying, and they tend to focus on the tapping more than on what is happening to their wound.
Ask a companion to help before getting started. If you upset the horse and cause him to thrash around, it is going to be even more difficult to work with him after you find someone to hold.
