It happens in the paddock or in the stall: Your horse gets injured and might be bleeding? Is it just a small scratch, some swelling, or even a huge, gaping wound? What should you do now? Should you call your veterinarian, or can you treat it yourself? But how? And how can you minimize the risk of injury in the future?
Kicks, bites, falls, or foreign objects can cause cuts, puncture wounds, abrasions, bruises, contusions, or burns on your horse. Depending on the severity, these injuries may require veterinary treatment. The severity of an injury always depends on its location and the involvement of surrounding structures, such as muscles, tendons, or joints.
Just as with humans, a distinction is made between closed and open injuries in horses. In closed injuries, the horse’s skin remains intact, which is why they are not always easy to detect. For example, a kick may have caused a bruise that you might not notice until grooming your horse or when it suddenly begins to limp. When the skin is damaged, these are referred to as open injuries or wounds. This results in bleeding of varying severity. However, even minor wounds can be overlooked due to the coat.
Call a veterinarian immediately if you notice any of the following signs:
If you are unsure about the severity of the wound, always call your veterinarian. They can examine and treat the injury thoroughly.
For major emergencies, always keep the number of your equine clinic and a means of transport ready.
Until your veterinarian arrives, here’s what you should do in the meantime:
The specific treatment recommended by your veterinarian will always depend on the location, type, and severity of the injury. The very first step is to check your horse’s vaccination status for tetanus (see related article). If your horse has not been vaccinated regularly, your veterinarian must administer passive immunization, as the pathogen is present everywhere in the environment and its toxin can easily enter open wounds.
Minor scrapes or cuts can be treated with a wound dressing after cleaning. For larger wounds, your veterinarian may need to close the wound either with stitches or skin staples. They will ensure that any wound fluid that forms can drain away. Your veterinarian will decide on a case-by-case basis whether to use anti-inflammatory or antibiotic medications.
If it cannot be ruled out that deeper structures, such as muscles, tendons, or bones, have been affected, your horse should be taken to an equine clinic immediately so that further examinations or any necessary surgeries can be performed.
Horses generally have excellent wound-healing capabilities, which begin just a few minutes after an injury occurs. The wound-healing process can be divided into several phases, although these phases are not strictly separated in time; rather, they sometimes occur in parallel across different sections of the wound:
This process can take a very long time for large wounds and require a great deal of care from owners.
Since open wounds are always an entry point for bacteria, small, undetected injuries in particular can easily become infected. The bacteria penetrate the subcutaneous tissue through the wound and lead to widespread inflammation of the connective tissue and lymphatic vessels, known as phlegmon. This occurs particularly frequently on horses’ legs and is better known among riders as “Einschuss.” As a result, the horse’s leg can swell severely from one day to the next. However, not every horse develops “Einschuss” following a wound, as each horse’s immune system functions differently at the time of injury and varies in sensitivity.
During warm summer months, the risk of infestation with fly maggots must always be considered for large, open wounds that are difficult to bandage. Therefore, maintain the strictest hygiene during wound care and also clean the area around the injury that has been soiled by wound secretions.
The newly formed connective tissue, known as granulation tissue (granulum = granule), is permeated by a multitude of small blood vessels and therefore has a granular surface. Another complication in wound healing is so-called hypergranulation, the formation of excess replacement tissue on the wound. Because the excess, deep-red tissue protrudes above the skin level, it is colloquially referred to as "wild flesh." This disrupts the final phase of wound healing, as the wound can no longer close starting from the wound edges. This can be caused by local bruising or infections, but also by metabolic disorders such as vitamin deficiency or a weakened immune system. Such a wound must always be treated by a veterinarian. Since the granulation tissue contains only blood vessels and no nerves, your veterinarian can easily remove it.
Of course, you can’t wrap your horse in cotton wool if you want it to lead a natural, species-appropriate life. However, the following precautions can at least reduce your horse’s risk of injury:
This article is for informational purposes only and does not replace veterinary advice. Please contact your veterinary practice directly.
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