Equine Emergency Rescue

“This book could save your horse’s life!”

Every horse, no matter how quiet or well educated, has the potential to become involved in an emergency incident and need to be rescued.
If this were to happen to you and your horse, how confident are you that you could contribute to his rescue without further injuring him or putting your own life and the lives of others at risk?

Equine Emergency Rescue is written for:

• horse owners,
• emergency responders, 
• equine vets, 
• stock inspectors, 
• race course vets and barrier staff and anyone else who works with horses because, if emergency responders who attend an incident involving a horse do not understand horses or are unfamiliar with Large Animal Rescue techniques, this book shows them step-by-step instructions and reassures them that using these steps will increase their own safety and that of the horse.

Equine Emergency Rescue is a guide to the methods and tools necessary to successfully extricate a horse or other large animal from entrapment using low-tech, low-risk options that are easier, quicker and safer than extreme techniques using helicopters, cranes or 4WD vehicles that are sometimes seen on YouTube.

Chapters: 

For the Incident Controller: in this book you will find on-scene aid written for those who are not trained in Large Animal Rescue techniques. The format is simple and efficient and each chapter is fully contained.
Rescuer Safety:  Treat a trapped horse as you would a Hazardous Material – a dangerous object that will explode without warning – and conduct the rescue accordingly.
For the Veterinarian:  Because vet students are not routinely trained in Large Animal Rescue, disaster triage or advanced handling of horses, your first exposure to an emergency horse rescue may be when you are thrown in at the deep end following a call from emergency services.
For the Horse Owner: For your own safety and that of the emergency responders who are trying to save your horse’s life, please…
Calling for Help: When you call 000 or 112 (111 in New Zealand), remember, the more information you are able to give the operator, the better prepared the responders will be and the quicker the incident will be resolved.
Extrication from a Horse Trailer or Float: This chapter contains step-by-step instructions for trained emergency responders on how to remove a horse that has gone down in a trailer or float or from one that has overturned; how to right an overturned trailer or float; information on the configuration and construction of horse trailers and floats and the disadvantages of using power tools to extricate a horse from a trailer or float.
Vertical Extraction: Step-by-step instructions on how to extricate a horse from mud, a hole, swimming pool, septic tank or steep gully, using an appropriate harness or slings attached to a crane, A-frame, backhoe or tractor.

• Diagonal Extrication
• Other Rescues
• Horses and Fires
• How to be Safe around a Horse
• Horse First Aid
• Safe Towing for Horse Owners
• Knots
• Tips for Emergency Responders on Handling Livestock other than Horses