Emergency Vet Protocols for Equestrian Facilities

Every barn, regardless of size, needs a documented emergency veterinary protocol. When a horse is in crisis, the last thing you want is to be making decisions about who to call, what authorization you have, and what steps to take in sequence. The protocol should answer all of those questions before the emergency happens.

Core Elements of an Emergency Vet Protocol

Primary and Emergency Veterinary Contacts

Your protocol should list:

• Your primary veterinary practice with main number and emergency line
• A backup veterinary contact if your primary practice is unavailable
• The nearest veterinary hospital with large animal capability and its after-hours number

Keep these numbers posted in the barn office, in the tack room, and accessible in your barn management software so any staff member can find them instantly.

Who Has Authority to Call the Veterinarian

Define clearly which staff members are authorized to call the veterinarian without first reaching the barn manager or owner. At most facilities, any staff member who observes a true emergency should have the authority and the obligation to call. Waiting to reach a manager while a horse colics is not appropriate.

Treatment Authorization

Your boarding agreements should specify the level of emergency treatment you are authorized to pursue without explicit owner consent. Standard clauses authorize emergency treatment necessary to preserve the horse's life or prevent serious suffering when the owner cannot be reached promptly.

Know what your agreement says and make sure your protocol reflects it.

Emergency Recognition: What Triggers the Protocol

Staff need to know what constitutes an emergency requiring immediate veterinary contact versus a situation that warrants monitoring and a call to the owner.

Call the Veterinarian Immediately

• Colic: pawing, rolling, flank-watching, elevated pulse, absent or abnormal gut sounds
• Severe lameness or non-weight bearing
• Wounds that are deep, heavily bleeding, or near joints and tendons
• Eye injuries
• Difficulty breathing or respiratory distress
• Temperature above 104°F or below 98°F
• Neurological signs: stumbling, head pressing, circling, loss of coordination
• Suspected choke (horse repeatedly extending neck, distressed, with feed material from nose)
• Foaling complications

Monitor Closely and Contact Owner

• Mild lameness that developed gradually
• Minor cuts and abrasions
• Small areas of swelling without heat
• Behavior changes without physical signs of illness

The Emergency Response Sequence

1. Assess and secure the horse: Remove from turnout if applicable, secure in a safe location
2. Call the veterinarian: Describe what you observe, not what you think is wrong
3. Notify the owner: Call immediately after or simultaneously with the vet call, depending on staff available
4. Follow veterinary instructions: Do exactly what the vet directs while waiting for arrival or emergency transport
5. Document everything: Record what you observed, when, what was done, and by whom

Document all of this in the horse's horse health logs with precise timestamps. This record is valuable for the treating veterinarian and for your own facility documentation.

First Aid While Waiting for the Veterinarian

Your staff should be trained in basic equine first aid and know what they should and should not do while waiting for the vet.

Generally Appropriate While Waiting

• Keep the horse calm and prevent self-injury
• For colic: keep the horse walking if directed by the vet
• For lacerations: apply gentle pressure to control bleeding with clean material
• Monitor and record vital signs: pulse, respiration, temperature, gut sounds

What to Avoid

• Do not administer medications unless specifically directed by the veterinarian
• Do not force-walk a horse with a suspected tendon or bone injury
• Do not apply tourniquets
• Do not give anything by mouth to a horse with suspected choke

Colic Protocol Specifics

Colic is the most common equine emergency and the one your staff is most likely to encounter. A specific colic protocol within your broader emergency vet protocol is worth the extra detail.

Basic colic protocol:

1. Remove feed immediately
2. Check vital signs and record: pulse, respiration, temperature, gut sounds
3. Call the veterinarian with your findings
4. Follow veterinary instructions regarding walking, monitoring, or waiting
5. Keep the horse away from feed until the vet clears it
6. Notify the owner immediately

Training Your Staff

A written emergency protocol is only effective if your staff has read it, understood it, and practiced it. Walk through the protocol with all new staff during onboarding. Review it annually with existing staff. A brief tabletop exercise where you walk through a hypothetical emergency helps staff internalize the sequence before they face a real situation.

Pair your emergency vet protocols with your emergency owner notifications procedure so staff have a complete picture of how to respond when a crisis occurs.