My Horse Has a cut on the back of his leg.....?

Question

I have a awsome horse! he is a white and grey appy. He has a big gash on his leg and i think it's because he is fight ing with other horses. I don't really know what to do, should i move him to a better pasture? Should i be worried? Should I freak out and call 911? I've never had to deal with the horses fighting and i don't know who is picking on him so what should i do?

Answer 1

well obviously hes low horse on the totam Poll (or weakest horsein the heard) Move him to another pasture get him away from those horse that are more agrssive then him~
ALSO call the VET! get his leg checked...

Answer 2

how bad is the cut? A cut on the back leg is usually from a fence/sharp rock etc moreso than a herdmate. Those injuries are usually upper leg/back or neck.
How bad is it? A little strip of skin off? slight bleeding? Use wound-kote spray (in a yellow spray bottle, blue top). If he is limping, bleeding profusely, call the vet.
Horses play rough. If he was recently added to the herd- he may get beat up a lot before he gets accepted.
He will let you know how he feels- does he try to make contact with the other horses? If so, let him stay in there and work out his differences. He may be the one starting the fights if you have not actually seen it- another horse could have retaliated and scratched him.
Is he sitting in the corner, as far away as possible, and cowering if another horse looks at him? Then by all means, move him. If he is inching up and interested in the other horses (but they are ignoring him or just little gestures) leave him there- he is on his way to getting accepted.

I am a firm believer in keeping horses together in pastures. I have had only one instance where an introduction did not work in the end-- and that is because the mare was introduced with 3 mares who have been together, by themselves, for the past 7 years. They did not like a newcomer. The mare was cowering in fear in the corner. I moved the mare in with the yearlings- they beat her up as well- but she was happy and would occasionally nip them back as well.

Answer 3

How deep is the cut? If it's deep, then you'd need to call the vet and get it stiched, but if it's a lighter cleaner cut you can doctor it yourself. If your horse will let you, hose it out really good and wash it with an iodine scrub. You can buy that at most pet stores or tack stores...I think it's also advertised as a sergical scrub. Make sure you clean all the scab off and can see the cut really well. Then you can evaluate how it really looks.

You should always know what the order of horses are in the pasture. Take some time to watch the horses. If another horse caused the cut, then I would watch your horse, to see what's going on. To treat his cut, keep him in a more confined pen, so he is at less of a risk for getting hurt, and he doesn't make his cut worse. Usually, when horses fight it's a one time thing, sort of an "I'm challenging you" fight, but once it's over the winner is higher than the loser and life moves on.

Also, take into account that he could've hurt himself on something else. Take a walk around his pasture and look out for any wire he could've hurt himself on, or anything else that looks like it could be harmful.

To treat the cut, you should clean it out daily, and make sure that you use several sprays. I use Allushield, Grainulex, and Furazone. The most important thing to watch for it proudflesh.

Hope all goes well!

Answer 4

Horses get into squabbles all the time. You horse is going to get kicked and scratched so I would either get use to it or move him to another pasture if you're that worried about him. Also assess the gash- is is a deep cut where you can see the meat(these types of wounds won't bleed a lot but will puss)? is the gash to the bone? or is it a scratch that just took off the surface layer of hair and skin?
First you should never cover the wound- even if its to the bone. Covering it will greater the chances of infection and flies to lay eggs inside. If the gash is to the bone load your horse if you can and take him to the vet..other wise call the vet out. You'll want to wash the wound with cool water thoroughly. Your horse may jump at first to this, but it'll start to feel good because it will alleviate the itch. NEVER WASH WITH WARM WATER!!!! Warm water stimulates blood flow to the wound and you want blood flow to stop as to allow the wound to heal.
If its a cut that doesn' t need vet attention, wash the gash with Iodine wash. This will keep the cut from being infected and speed the healing process. You may have to do this twice a day if it's a cut where you can see the meat and it's a warmer day outside. Next you'll want to get a wound spray that's not only a wound coat but also a fly repellent. Never spray regular horse fly spray on a wound- this stings and easily runs off with sweat. A good spray that I always use and give my clients is Catron spray- this is a multi animal spray that can be used with cattle, swine, and goats along with horses. If its a meat wound you may also want to go to your vets and ask for penicilin in powder form. Meat wound's greaten your horses chance of infection that penicilin can help. The reason you'll want powder form rather than the injection form is because you may have to give an injection several times- and your horse can get infections from being injected to many times with a needle.
If it's just a surface or cosmetic wound just rinse it off daily with iodine and spray with a wound spray- I love Wound Kote. Not only does it stay on for a long time but you can see how much you've sprayed on because it comes out looking blue-ish or purple.
If you don't know what type of wound it is or are extremely worried- then call your vet. He will give you the essurance you need to feel that your equine is safe.

Answer 5

This can happen to any horse. He either got into a fight with the other horses in his herd or cut his leg on a branch or nail. Treat his wound with a topical antibiotic and a bandage and wrap his leg...you can call your vet for more details. Horses must fight to determine social status. Don't be so quick to blame the other horses...haha...he very well may have been the instigator in this situation. I personally don't think you need to move him to a different pasture. This will not solve the problem. You can't moniter any horse's activity 24-7, so unless he gets seriously hurt or you see extreme violence among the herd first-hand, keep him in the same pasture. The longer he is there, the better...he'll be able to establish himself in the herd and learn to defend himself. Also, check the fences in your horse's pasture for loose nails or other dangerous debris. Don't panic; this is a very common occurance in the horse world.
Good luck!

Answer 6

The leg is a horrible place to get an injury. The digital flexor tendon runs right down the back of the leg. If the cut is deep have the vet come out. If the cut is just minor, wash it with warm water, put some ointment on it, and wrap. You'll need to change that at least every 24 hours. You need to find the right balance between moist and dry with flesh wounds though. Keep it wrapped for the first few days then leave it exposed for a day. Make sure to clean it thouroughly between each rewrap. If he is limping have the vet out asap. There are a lot of important tendons and ligements in that region of the leg. Keep in mind that the wound may look nicer on the outside than it really is on the inside. Make sure you inspect every centimeter of the wound.

Answer 7

u should put him in another pasture until his leg is better, because if the horses are fighting then it might make the worse and worse until u have to call the vet. After ur horse is better put him back in with the other horses. If it happens again try and find out why.
Possible reason: They might be fighting over a mare in the area even if they are fixed. ( My neighbors Appy Gelding proved to everybody he was not going to let the "gelding" bring him down and so he had a son)

Answer 8

First of all, take care of his leg. If its not too bad just clean it everyday with water or a damp paper towel and be sure to keep the wound soft and not dry. Visit your local farm store and look for an aloe cream to put on it after you clean it, he won't need much, just enough to lightly cover the wound. Now, depending on how long he has been in this heard matters. If he is new to the group the horses are working out a dominance order, thats normal, and a slight drawback to herd life. If he has been in the group for a long time I would be sure to check the pasture for things they could get cut on, broken posts, metal, et cetra. Don't call 911, he and you will be just fine. If it continues to the point that you are really worried then move him, until then, just give it a little more time. Good Luck.

Answer 9

Hold pressue on the cut until the bleeding stops completely, ro at least for the most part. Hose it off, clean it, and wrap it up, just to protect it. You can also put some medicine such as Betadine on it if you have any, just to protect it from infection. If there's no swelling, limping, etc, then it should be fine, as long as you keep a close eye on it. If it starts to swell, put some ice on it or a cold wrap. If the swelling doesn't go down withing 24 hours, or it starts looking infected or her starts limping, as well as if you can't get the bleeding to stop now, or he's limping now, then I would advise you to call your vet.

And I wouldn't worry, they were probably just playing around, like horses do, or maybe he just scraped it on the fence or something. It's probably nothing much to worry about unless this continues to happen regularly. If it continues to happen, then you could think about switching him to pasture with a different group of horses, or maybe just even one or two other horses that he's comfortable with.

Answer 10

It depends on how bad he is cut,if it's a deep wound I would call the vet,if it is not very deep you can probably put a good antiseptic on it and watch him close for a few days and don't let it get infected before you do something,if the cut is in a place that would be easily infected you might need to give the vet a call and ask what to do....

Answer 11

well, first you need to calm down and assess how your badly your horse is cut. is he now 3-legged, limping, bleeding profusely? if he is, you need to call your vet immediatly. if your horse can walk just fine, you should be able to just put an ointment on it & leave it be.

if you are worried that he is getting in fights, switch his pasture. make sure he has neighbors though, so he doesn't hurt himself by freaking out because he's alone.