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[RC] traiul hazards................. - sehredt

I was riding my gelding, Draco today on a trail we have ridden a hundred times 
when the strangest thing happened...............

We were at a walk through a narrow wash that has been trashed by the recent 
heavy rains and high winds - lots of tumble weeds and trash, etc.  All of a 
sudden he hesitated.  Took one more faltering step, and stopped.  I looked down 
to see the oddest sight.  He had caught his back leg in a length of red 
surveyors string which was, somewhere, obviously well anchored.  He was holding 
his back leg up in the air and the string was taut and I could feel a panic 
coming on - from both of us!  I tried to get him to move back, but he wasn't 
going for it.  I lept off his back, whipped my trusty knife from the top of my 
half chaps (I always wondered why I always carry it there) and cut the string.  
A cursory examination didn't seem so bad.  It looked like a fairly minor 
abrasion and he was walking fine.  I got back on and rode home.

Once home I realized it was much worse than I first thought.  He was not lame 
at all until he had stood for untacking and it started to stiffen up.  I got 
under him and took a close look - at a VERY deep cut.

To make a long story a little shorter, after a $400 emergency vet call, he will 
make a full recovery.  BUT...the cut was very deep and had actually nicked a 
tendon which runs along the front of his hind leg!  A *&^%$#@ PIECE OF STRING 
DID THIS!!!!!  A PIECE OF STRING!!!!

I'm not sure what the moral of this story is, except be careful out there!  We 
will miss the Twenty Mule team later this month for sure....and probably the 
Angeles Ridge ride next month, though the Vet seems to think he will be fully 
recovered by then, I am not so sure.  DAMMIT!  The poor guy was just walking 
along minding his own business!

Does anyone have experience with a similar injury/accident?  I am bummed.  

:o(
Scott

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