Safety for young horses
© Sally White
When I first brought my little chestnut filly home as a six-month old foal, I wasn't entirely aware of this self-destructive tendency, and Abbie went into a field with three other horses, with a stable geared to the sort of safety requirements an adult horse would need. I learnt very quickly that this wasn't good enough.
There were various little incidents, but the one which came closest to a suicide attempt was when she found something in the field and decided to play with it. We're still not entirely sure what it was - probably, we think, a rock with a sharp edge which was half-embedded in the soil, and which any normal horse would have left well alone.
The first we knew of it was when the horses were called in for their supper, and Abbie was nowhere to be seen. We went down into the field in the gathering dusk, and our hearts sank when we noticed she was standing in a corner, her head hanging listlessly. When we got to her, we saw to our horror that she had blood pumping horizontally from a deep gash in her near hind pastern. She was badly weakened, and I believe would have died within the hour.
Well, the other trait that young horses tend to share is that they heal quickly, and Abbie recovered her spirits after a few anxious hours of intensive care. Her wound closed over in time, and she was back to her normal, boisterous self. She now has nothing but a slightly proud scar to remind me of the time we nearly lost her. It's enough, though, to make sure that I've always taken extreme precautions to safety-check her environment, stable and field, wherever she lives. Here are the main things I keep a very close eye on.
Fencing
There are only one or two types of fencing suitable for young stock.
One is wooden post-and-rail - checked regularly for broken spars or posts, and clear of any splintered areas or nails. This is a solid fence, which horses respect, and if it is well-maintained it is one of the safest fences available.
