[chika1235]

well i busted up some ice for the horses to get a drink early this morning.then i cam eback after lunch and p.k was soaking wet! then i saw the big cirle of crushed ice and i freaked out!i got a towel and towel dried him in his stall.then i brushed the hair the wrong way to let it dry more.then after he was only damp i put a blanket on him.he had a scrape where he was trying to get out so i wrapped that up.i fed him some anti imflamitory stuff and i fed him some hay. did i do it right? ive never had a horse stupid enough that they thought the ice would hold up about 1000 pounds so he could go ice skating!there was a place where he could get water right next to the edge but he wanted what was in the middle i guess!

 

[farmpony84]

It sounds like you did ok. Now just watch and see if he has any issues. A friend of mine had one fall through the ice a few years ago. She ended up with a broken cannon bone (healed after surgery). Consider yourself lucky... and join the club of "why do they do those things????"

 

[Marrissa]

There's a saying that horses are always either homicidal or suicidal.

Glad he okay!

 

[churumbeque]

wet horse under a balnket will make a cold horse and make it worse than no blanket. Get him dry asap. Blow dry him if needed.

 

[chika1235]

he is now dry.i just turned him loose again with his blanket on.he seemed glad to get out of the stall hes been in for about the whole day.

 

[Klassic Superstar]

I gree, blow dry him id say when he is all dry feel for any heat on his legs, maybe call a vet and just explain what happend and see if there is anything else you can do before needing them to come out. I did that when my mare hada nasty fall and wound up i did everything right and they were very glad to hear this and I had still set up an apt incase things when down hill but everything is good now. Good luck.

 

[FlyinSoLow]

My old trainer/instructor had horses all her life, the same barn, the same pastures... one had a HUGE pond that they all loved to swim in the summer, in the winter it didnt competely freeze over and no horse dared walk across it... for 40 + years it seemed ok to turn them out in that pasture, they never went on the ice.

Enter my ex stupid paint Scout: Scout arrived during the summer to stay with my trainer/instructor while I continued to learn and grow with him... the VERY first winter he was there he walked across the ice... right across dead center... he came back, and did it again! Lucky for me he didnt fall through and all was well... however they don't turn horses out during the winter there anymore! :lol:

 

[SmoothTrails]

All the people I know with horses or cattle chop the ice al the way around the pond as far out as they can reach to prevent animals from attempting to walk across. It sounds like this might be a good idea even if it is painstaking. If you start as soon as it begins icing its not so bad, but you have to do it twice a day most of the time. Good luck. I really hope your horse isn't injured in any ways.

 

[chika1235]

he has a small scrape and i did think there was heat in one of his front legs.ill get a vet out asap!

 

[snoggle]

I recently read a great quote that so applies here:

“A horse is just an animal spending its day trying to kill itself.”

 

[G and K's Mom]

I recently read a great quote that so applies here:

“A horse is just an animal spending its day trying to kill itself.”

:lol:

Glad you guy is okay.

 

[RiosDad]

Do you honstly expect the horse to be able to judge the ice and know if it is safe or not?? Just chopping a hole in the edge and expecting them to just drink from the safety of the shore is asking too much. Sure horses will wander out on the ice and if they don't break through they can certainly fall down.
I would water them at a trough and not by some hole chopped in the ice.

 

[sillybunny11486]

^^ For once I agree with you.

Fence off the pond. Its your job as an owner to preven injury as much as you can. I would never put my horse out in a pasture with a pond, even if it wasnt frozen. Horses should have access to fresh water.

 

[Honeysuga]

Agreed^^. Ice is just tooo dangerous.