In case of an emergency, have our number displayed on the stall door for easy access. Also have insurance information available if your horse is insured. A first aid kit is a great idea to keep on hand at the barn. Items to include in your emergency medical kit can be seen here.

Assess the situation and evaluate your horse for explanations for the unusual behavior. Look for possible injuries, signs of illness or other explanations for his behavior, such as bleeding, an injured or broken leg, laceration, colic, sweating, not moving, etc. If appropriate and possible, move the horse to a safe location (barn, indoor arena or stall).

Perform the appropriate first aid care if possible – TPR, bandage, cold hose, etc.

Call your veterinarian. If your veterinarian does not cover emergencies, you need to have an established relationship (routine vaccines, dental care, maintenance visits) with one who does.

Stay off the phone number given to the answering service so that the veterinarian can call you back.

If you do not hear back from the veterinarian within 15-20 minutes, call again.  It is possible the answering service wrote down the wrong number, or the message did not go through the first time due to technical difficulties.