Freak field accident
Eleven months ago, my horse Savannah had the most horrific accident in the field. My mum was bringing the horses in when she noticed that Savannah’s rug was ripped and bloody. Underneath it, a huge portion of skin had been ripped away. It transpired she’d caught herself on a metal bolt sticking into the field Mum immediately called the vet and tried to settle Savannah, who was shaking from head to hoof. I arrived at the yard at the same time as our vet from Field Equine Vets and the decision was made to transport her to the practice for further examination. Once there, Savannah’s rugs were removed and her coat was clipped away around the wound, which took hours to clean, stitch and staple. They also scanned her chest to make sure her lung hadn’t been punctured. Thankfully it wasn’t. Savannah stayed at Field Equine for five days, with round-the-clock care, before being sent home on the condition she stayed on box rest with a daily walk out in hand. Our vet visited on a weekly basis until eventually all of the staples were removed. After months of box rest Savannah was able to go out in a small paddock, but not long after that she suddenly went lame. At first I thought she was footsore but X-rays, nerve blocks and an MRI scan revealed that she had a few small injuries in her foot and a suspensory branch ligament was inflamed. Finally, after 11 months off work, Savannah had recovered from her two major injuries, and I was both excited and nervous to be able to ride her again. I got to do just that on 4 February this year. It was only in walk and for 10 minutes, but I was so happy to be back in the saddle. I’d like to give a big thank you to everyone who has helped Savannah over the past 11 months, including the Field Equine team and, in particular, our vet Alistair, who took such good care of my mare. Natasha Newton, by email