Horses should actually be safe in the box. But that can be deceptive: In Styria, a horse box became a trap. A mare was trapped in the bars – and the fire brigade had to free the horse.
The call came early on Sunday morning: a horse had gotten stuck in the box in a riding stable in the Graz area. The Deutschfeistritz volunteer fire brigade deployed with 29 helpers. When they arrived, the situation was clear: “An Arabian mare was lying on her back on the ground, her hind leg was caught in the bars of the horse box and she couldn’t free herself from the unfortunate situation,” write the rescuers.
Fire brigade saves horse in a few minutes
What to do? The firefighters used a hydraulic spreader to spread the bars wide enough to carefully free the hoof. Shortly thereafter, the mare was able to get up on her own.
And she was lucky in misfortune: she survived the accident with minor abrasions. The rescuers were also happy, as the operation had only lasted 30 minutes.
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Feeders can also become a trap
The incident in Styria is not an isolated case. Horses keep getting stuck in the bars of the boxes. In St. Pölten-Wagram, a horse had also slipped one leg in its box between the bars and got stuck with its hoof. Here, too, the fire brigade was able to free the horse unharmed. The rescuers then gave her a few carrots as a consolation.
Not only boxes can become a trap for horses: In Chemnitz, a horse had both front legs trapped in a paddock in a feed lattice box. Here, too, the fire brigade was able to free the horse.
Accidents can have dire consequences
But why do such accidents happen? One of the reasons: The distance between the bars is often not changed for years while the horses change in the boxes. And what was safe with one horse may no longer fit with the next horse, for example because horse hooves are different sizes.
An accident can have fatal consequences if the hoof gets wedged between the bars and the horse tries to break free. This can result in broken bones or serious joint injuries.
If the distances are so large that even a horse’s head can fit through, this can also be dangerous: if a horse sticks its head through the bars and is startled by a noise, for example, its head can get caught when it jumps away. This can also lead to serious injuries, in the worst case even to a broken neck.
It is therefore important that the distances are chosen so that neither the head nor the hoof fit between the bars. Or the distances should be directly so large that there is no risk of getting stuck.
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