How to help a horse that is cast

In this video I show you exactly step by step how to uncast a horse and show you a video of us using the technique I teach you.
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[@bspencer6356]

We had a huge registered mare and she did that in the stall. I was home alone (think 5’6”, 140 lb woman) so I grabbed a couple leads, looped it around the two far back and front legs. Luckily this particular mare was very gentle. Anyway, I just hauled away until I pulled her over. She immediately got up, shook the sawdust off, and was fine.

[@sheriharader2566]

I've never had to deal with a cast horse. It's sure great to know what to do if it ever occurs. Thanks for adding to my equine education! 😊

[@daniel_moretti]

Tim, do you wrap the lead around both legs or just one? If it's one, do you wrap it around the leg farthest from the ground or closest? Thanks!

[@astriddevries3008]

Sorry, it's unclear to see on my phone but do you loop the rope around the pastern? If so, isn't it hard to pull that way as it'll slip off over fetlock? Or am I overthinking?

[@timandersonhorsetraining]

You want it around the pastern. That way when you start to pull the legs will fold up and come free if they are sticking through a fence.

[@beabarber4300]

Spot on advice, Tim. This sort of thing should DEFINITELY be part of basic education for new riders and horse handlers. Yes, its true, most horses will relax when you come to help them. This has only happened to me once, but it was while on a 5 day trek in the Australian Alps, and my horse got himself wedged against a pile of boulders while rolling. Only had one lead rope, so improvised with the reins of the bridle for the other set of legs. I've never seen such an embarrassed look on a horse's face after he got up. He was fine, but I took a while to calm down after. He was the only horse I've ever had that could and did roll when tied on a picket line. Most of the time he managed just fine and had no problems rolling when tied up, but must have done a one-off miscalculation of the space available just this once.

[@vicki1141]

Thanks Tim for educating us. I only recall dealing with a cast horse once . Your instuction means I will be better prepared in the future.

[@DonnaVarno]

Thank you for the great information . It's good to know what to do in advance.

[@Deanna-k4i]

Wonderful outcome, thanks for showing this

[@dojocho1894]

as a Equine vet tech we used this same technique when we get older horses that go down in fields with lots of mud...they thrash alot and get exhausted they get very weak if they have been thrashing as well so keep in mind it may take some time for them to rest ..I remember one farm it was pouring rain took us about 1 hour to get the horse finally up for he dug a pit in the mud One was so old we had to put it down. we used a equine hospital sling which is a large slige that transports sedated horses on a ceiling rack belt off the ground we rigged it to a tractor and dragged the horse then got him up

[@lindachicette8354]

It helps to bank walls in stall if the horse has done it before. I had 1 get stuck in blanket on hill and cast so i had to unbuckle the front and then he got free, another time i had to help him with front legs away from under the fence in paddock, had no help but God but i can pray!

[@crowznest438]

Thank you for bringing up this point about banking. We did this for all the stalls as a preventative.

[@lindaflynn7790]

Great video. I turned my horse loose in the field and watched him go over to the barb wire fence and roll. He missed the fence with his back legs by inches. A few days later he had a large cut on his back leg. I’m sure he did the same thing again.

[@abbykoop5363]

I've only had a cast horse once and at around 120 lbs I just couldn't seem to pull that horse back over. Watching this now, I'm honestly not sure where his head was though. In the end, I did a very dangerous thing, but I did get him back upright. I crawled over him to his belly and grabbed those legs and heaved while envisioning a mother lifting a car off her baby. I have no idea how I didn't get a hernia. It was about the hardest thing I've ever done, but I did do it.

[@catherinedemick1103]

Horses find all kinds of ways to get stuck, many years ago, like mid 90s, I had a horse who had trailers on the back shoes to help with traveling wider behind and he got one of the trailers stuck in the hollow bottom of the trailer divider pole , when we got to where we were going, could not unload him, luckily the place had some injectable tranquilizer and we gave him that, called a local farrier who came and pulled the shoe, on the trailer, to get him off. He knew we were there to help. Took the trailers off and duct taped the pole! Then bought a new trailer.😂

[@GrainneDhub-ll6vw]

Great instructions, very clear. I worked in a boarding barn as a teenager (about 10 minutes after the earth cooled LOL) and until you see it, it's hard to believe but you are absolutely correct--the overwhelmingly vast majority of horses that have had some handling just relax and let you help them out. I remember one old retired gelding who routinely (3 to 4 times a week) cast himself. Looking back, I wonder if maybe there was something about the position that eased his arthritis--there wasn't much that could be done beyond liniment for horses with arthritis back then. He didn't bother thrashing, he'd just give a particular nicker when he heard someone walk into the barn. Yeah, Barney was cast again. He was an old roping horse, not real big and one teen age girl who knew what she was doing could give him the little initial roll to help him get rolled over so he could get up again. Being teen aged girls, of course we had to give him a handful of sweet feed after his "ordeal" which I'm sure did nothing to deter him from avoiding casting himself.

[@dorisguthrie9831]

Great job! ❤

[@andreak.5647]

Great Video. Now, I‘m prepared 👌.

[@Wendy-bd9zu]

Haha that was confusing, since whem do you stand on the red ❌ i thought huh dont stand there?? But it was the right place, ✅

[@timandersonhorsetraining]

X marks the spot to stand! LOL.

[@gayjarrett]

😂

[@ShadeIsLikely]

Excellent tutorial. I’ve only had this happen once, and I believe it scared me more than my horse. He was struggling, but stopped immediately when he heard me coming. I had never seen anyone do this and only barely remembered my granddad describing how to do this when I was a kid. I particularly remembered him saying stay away from those hooves. But somehow I channeled him and grabbed the two leads. I swear I could hear him say “No Knots!”. My stallion had undoubtedly slipped in some mud, was covered in it, and slung a good bit on me too when I was pulling him over. But, I think it being soft kept him from hurting himself. And yes he stood there and looked at me as if to say “not sure how that happened, but you need to wash me now!”. He loves the wash stall and heat lamp…and peppermints when we’re finished. 😂

[@emerwatchorn6971]

Great video. Thanks for sharing! Ive had to do this once it worked out well.

[@Cwgrlup]

Great instructions! Thank you 🙏🏻 ❤

[@dr.b865]

My mare was cast, I was unable to get her up by myself after many attempts. I ended up shaking a pan of feed and she got up! Great vid for all horse owners to see.

[@carolynstewart8465]

Great info, Tim! You're❤❤❤ so kind. Horses love your voice!❤

[@rivert3dove254]

Back in 2002 while driving np in Montana i saw a horse caught in a fence barbwire i called on my CB foe help I had a rope. 5he horse was wild her herd was near by all excited. As you discribed pretty. By the time the state hwy patrol arrived I had freed the horze with wire vutter and rope. I only would add is a fenceing tool you can cut any wire away rescue the horse then repare the fence😢

[@qhride1]

That’s such a good tip , I had that with a mare rolled in the stable and cast I was by myself I could only get her legs upright just couldn’t quiet have the strength to manoeuvre them for the other side to follow , luckily while I stood back to rest she worked it out herself while lying on her back legs in the air 😅

[@Sine-gl9ly]

Good advice, Tim, and I think the second most important point, after NO KNOTS!, is DON'T PANIC! I've only ever, in all my years of horses - and I'm much closer to 80 than 70, now! - had three cast. Two of them were ponies - one very small who, I think, overestimated his own agility at rolling under a fence to escape! - which knew me _really_ well, and no harm was done. The third was my Arab mare, who was only a 2yo when I brought her home, and unused to smaller spaces. The fact that I was the one who released her very easily and simply (again, no lasting harm done) only increased her trust in me as her leader.

[@timandersonhorsetraining]

I had a stallion that belonged to me that gave me lots of practice doing this. Lol. It's like he looked for a wall to roll down against.

[@Sine-gl9ly]

@@timandersonhorsetraining Yes, I've had friends with horses which apparently got cast on a fairly regular basis!

[@neonice]

The more I learn about horses, the more I realize that they're designed to poop out at any given chance. Eat a singular food that's not perfectly formulated? ded. Walk around a little? tendons: pulled. Stay near a fence? stuck in air.

[@MoonStar-fq6oy]

I'll be showing this to my Granddaughter✌️❤️

[@pjk1714]

Great video Tim 👍

[@kayBTR]

Good info!

[@Alex-horsman]

Normally horses put themselves in such situations, when they have small space to be in.

[@betsysmall3576]

Not really...I've had horses in large fields lay down right next to a fence and cast!!

[@timandersonhorsetraining]

Not true

[@cattymajiv]

@@betsysmall3576 They can become cast anywhere! But there are things you can do to prevent it, like preventing potholes or low areas by fences, and adding a wooden peice to the barn wall for leverage, as is told in a video on Brandi's channel, at Versatile Horsemanship.

[@Trapezius8oblique]

Great video thanks Tim.

[@dianeboross6978]

Thank you, Tim! This is very useful information for a hopefully, uncommon possibility with your horse.

[@shashakeeleh5468]

This was a very unexpected video, and very valuable! Confirming: The ropes go below the fetlocks on BOTH LEGS, correct? Thank you so much for this information!

[@timandersonhorsetraining]

Yes that is correct

[@shashakeeleh5468]

@@timandersonhorsetraining Thank you.

[@cattymajiv]

@@timandersonhorsetraining Is that the area which is below the fetlocks while the horse is standing? Or the area which is below the fetlocks while they are down? Sorry if the question seems dumb, but I want to be sure I understand you correctly. Also, I know of a tiny pony who died of colic the same day he was cast, and I believe being cast caused it. Does that seem correct to you? I believe his intestines became twisted long enough to cause a stoppage, and they may have remained twisted even after he was raised, because there was virtually no time between the raising of the pony and the start of colic symptoms. The owners are very knowledgable people who did everything right. They couldn't get a vet to come, but they had 2 of them on the phone, and they both prescribed a gastric lavage, so it was done. I forget what substance was used. It mayhave started with a B. He had done them before, and did it right as far as I know (which is zero), but to no avail. The poor little guy passed in the night, despite constant attention and walking, and possibly other treatments which I don't remember. They did have a video on it, but I don't know if it is still there, at the channel called Homestead Horsemanship. Have you heard of casting leading to colic?

[@coyotech55]

I don't even have a horse now (I used to), but I have friends with horses, and I was glad to know how to handle this problem if it ever comes up. I would have been trying to push the stuck leg(s) back out of the fence, and wouldn't have thought of doing it this way... I did help a horse once who had gotten her leg wound through some barbed wire fencing. The wires were a little loose, which got her stuck, but also made it easier to get her out. In that case I pulled the wires far enough apart that she could pull her leg out on her own. She wasn't in the barbs, thank goodness.

[@KerryDior]

Great educational resource thanks Tim

[@peterneilsen6249]

Good morning all. Great job Tim and Robert.. Thank you for video Tim & Melinda..😀😇

[@Loralarify]

Smart video to make!

[@Dubstequtie]

I don't own horses, and sadly probably realstically never will be able to. But now that I live in Arizona, and I have a place I go to a lot that has an equestrian center... I am happy to know if I happen to be the only other person there and a horse ends up cast position (or "turtled" I'd say lol) I can help guide them and help them if they need me to, to help the horse back up. I love animals, I am happy to learn the knowledge of helping them, even species exclusive, so thanks!

[@kajinsautumn9833]

Thanks, Tim! Great information. I was wondering if a person could add another low board along the stall walls so the horse could push against?

[@cattymajiv]

Brandi at the channel called Versatile Horsemanship has a video on cast horses where she discusses that exact thing. You should check it out. Just search KZbin for the channel's name, then look in her playlists for the video on cast horses. I don't know what the exact name of it is, but it must be in a playlist about various different horse problems. I like her a lot, and her attitude about horses and their training. She is knowledgable, and she does describe exactly what you are asking about.

[@lauralauren6432]

Its easily PREVENTABLE. Put 5cm wooden beams horisontaly on the walls every 30 cm. Then the horse get traction instead of slipping and can get up by itself.

[@ratherbwithhorses]

I like to bank stalls up with bedding and hope it helps prevent casting.

[@AdmiralStoicRum]

I only have one criticism, you had a lovely shot of cast horse that would show perfect way to to roll a horse or we can see where your your lines are being tied or you know slipped whatever and all that and you gave us a video of you flipping a horse that's way out of sight and we can't see what you did

[@sarahdjinn593]

Can anyone explain to me, why can’t the horses just roll over onto the other side themselves? They do that in the field.

[@lazygardens]

The ones you see "cast" are the ones that couldn't roll 180 degrees ... they can't all do it and it takes a lot of room.

[@sarahdjinn593]

@@lazygardens ah thank you! I didn't realize not all horses can go 180. Makes much more sense now.

[@sarahdjinn593]

@@lazygardens ah thank you! I didn't realize not all horses can go 180. Makes much more sense now.

[@cattymajiv]

@@sarahdjinn593 Every horse can go all the way in both directions, as long as they are not seriously hurt or injured badly, in which case they normally don't even try to roll. The reason they can't go all the way when cast is because they are stuck up against a fence or a wall. This applies 100% of the time. The term "cast" is short for "cast up against a wall." They kneel, then lie down down to roll, which is normal, but they don't realize that the nearby wall or fence will A) Prevent them from rolling all the way over. AND B) Prevent them from getting the momentum to roll back again. There can often also be a low spot near the wall underneath them. They can become cast without a wall or fence, but ONLY if they are right inside of a hole. Unless the hole is deep, it's easier to uncast them when there is no wall, or for them to uncast themselves. If it happens in a barn inside a stall, that's the hardest place for many reasons, including the fact that inside a barn you can't even get a tractor in there to help. It can really mess up their insides if they are lying there for a long time, and especially if they struggle a lot. So remaining calm and being fast are both super important, even though it's hard to do both at once. For that reason, owners should get their horses used to having ropes around their legs, and for the ropes to be played around with a lot. It should be done on a regular basis to familiarize them. Also, having a group of people right there, talking all at once, should be something they are used to. Familiarity with those things will help to prevent the horse from panicking.

[@mustangmare]

Thank you!!!

[@silky2204]

Hi! My horse cast herself in a large stall. I am not an expert. I pulled her away from the wall and rolled her over. She had colic and was trying to get out of it. Thanks for the rope demo.

[@JohnAmidon-c6r]

👍🏻👍🏻

[@janetcarbone4213]

Thanks. How bout gloves in case of rope burn?

[@AuthenticMage]

Larger stalls and deep bedding also help… there is barely any bedding in that small stall

[@fargus5000model]

I read “Step bro I’m stuck.”

[@conniewolf7300]

I've seen this happen! It IS very scary!

[@lindahinson8468]

Ty very much..

[@JuliaJulia007]

😕

[@tinamaidment]

Needs more diagrams

[@meycoe]

aww! Phantom! fare well, been very educational with regards to training Arabians.

[@TheSilverlady1980]

Great video!! Sheep, goats, cows can all become cast too. Sheep due fast if not up on feet. I can understand the towel to protect the eyes.

[@lydiagould3090]

Thankyou, this is very helpful. I’ve only had to do it once at the riding school and I had someone helping. It took us a bit longer as we hadn’t got the rope far enough down his legs

[@TheresaO1]

I had to roll my TWH out of a cast a couple of months ago by myself. I was one week out of surgery for a meniscus tear. Did it almost exactly like this and neither of us were injured. Thankful I was there almost immediately after he did it

[@elinorb100]

Valuable lesson! Thanks!

[@yessabell1707]

❤❤❤

[@lisarmahan]

Thank you Tim

[@sallypenno164]

Back legs fetlocks front legs knees

[@timandersonhorsetraining]

No fetlocks front and back. That folds the front and back legs against the horse's stomach to pull them out from through a fence. You can see how that was necessary in this video when rolling over Phantom.

[@sallypenno164]

@@timandersonhorsetraining I find fhe knees in front keeps fronts together better and me more leverage for a cleaner turn. The fronts naturally bend into the horse at the knee also