Equi-First AID Montana

09/25/2025

Sharing this image on lightning safety that is widely used in the SAR community and often posted by Colorado Search and Rescue Association - CSAR .

Even with snowfall starting in some parts of the state, lightning can still happen. We encourage backcountry enthusiasts to be aware of weather forecasts and be lightning aware. While there is no great place to be in the outdoors when lightning is present there are some areas that can be less dangerous. Your best choice is to avoid outdoor activities if the weather forecast is predicting lightning. Recreate early and get inside before storms approach.

05/21/2025

Cowboy Update! 🙏🐴

***COWBOY UPDATE***
05/20/2025
------------------
HORSE RESCUE
05/16/2025
CNO 25-710701
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I spoke to Cowboy’s owner today and it sounds and looks like he is doing just fine. I have included the up and personal video I took as well (posted in the comments).

Also, just to answer some of the questions that are popping up, here is a short chain of events.

Tuesday evening 5-13, the owner noticed Cowboy was missing from his pasture and seeing where the bank was sluffed away, they suspected he went into the river. They notified our office right away so we could be on the lookout, or would have information if someone should see him.

Thursday evening, our office was called about Cowboy seen standing in the middle of the river between a couple of islands off of Mullowney Lane. As short time later, Jonnie from Angel Horses called me at home to inform me what was going on, as it was showing up on social media. I communicated with my Deputies, but by this time it was getting dark, so in the interest of safety, I made the call to wait on a rescue attempt until morning. We started getting things ready at daylight Friday morning to include a couple of rescue boats and personnel, Gary got the Sheriff’s Office helicopter ready for the lift, one of our deputies made arrangements with a vet and picked up a an oral sedative to relax Cowboy (even before the helicopter was on scene). Shane from US Water Rescue was geared up and walked out to Cowboy with a halter to try to lead him on to the island, but he wasn’t too interested in walking at that point. Given the water wasn’t that deep, Detective Burke, one of our boat operators walked a bucket of senior feed I brought from home out to them. After a couple of bites he wasn’t quite so hard to coax to the island. But now we needed to get him home. The water is fast and deep around the islands, so the next option was to air mail him home.

Enter Air-1 with Gary Blain at the controls. We Strapped Cowboy up, Gary hovered overhead, the hook was secured, and Cowboy was on his way to his owners who were waiting on the south riverbank with a trailer. We used a small dose of sedative so his landing gear worked just fine, and he went right to refueling after touchdown. (the horse that is).

It was a great team effort by all.
Thanks to everyone who played a role in this successful rescue!

Sheriff Mike Linder

04/23/2025

As spring marches on it’s tempting to turn our horses out on all that fresh green grass! But before you do it’s important to understand the risks associated with grazing.

02/28/2025

💯🙏🐴

01/10/2025

Good to know… 🤓

Do you have a plan for your horse’s unexpected medical expenses? (Read, for example: can you afford colic surgery if it comes to it?)

Whether a horse is purchased for personal or business reasons, horse ownership represents a significant investment of time, money and resources. While nothing may easy the emotional burden, wise planning can at least help reduce the economic impacts should something happen to your precious companion.

There are many types of coverage available to the horse owner and the conditions can vary widely between companies. Common types of coverage available for horses are listed (but not limited to what you see) in the graphic. Some equine insurers may require an insurance examination certificate signed by a veterinarian before a policy will be issued for a horse, however that does not mean your veterinarian can attest for the insurability of the animal — your veterinarian can only respond to questions of which he or she has direct knowledge, reporting the medical facts to the best of his or her ability.

Regardless of the circumstances, never ask or expect your veterinarian to report a claim to the insurance company or to be an expert with regards to your insurance policy. This is your responsibility as the owner and if you have questions regarding your policy be sure to ask your insurance agent!

01/10/2025

If you know, you know!😂❄️⛄️🐴

Friday Funny!

01/05/2025

Full-Day Courses
Hands on learning - join a scheduled course or host one at your location! All courses come with a manual and certificate for each student.

Equine Health and Emergency First Aid
$169
This is a one-day hands-on course with horses covering: what your vet needs to know when you call, conditioning a horse to accept treatment, taking proper vital signs, dealing with lacerations, punctures, colic, choke, collapse, casting, shock, hoof issues, recognizing pain in the horse, sources of pain and alleviation, spinal health, injury prevention and much more!

You'll receive a certificate of completion and comprehensive first aid manual.

11/27/2024

PSA! 🐴🦠🚨🏥

As we enter Thanksgiving week in the US, many of your vets will be out of town or spending much needed time with their families.

It’s times like these that horse owners need to practice preventative caregiving.

During this holiday time, as an emergency only vet, I recommend the following:

- Don’t deworm your horse right now.

- Don’t start a new feed right now.

- Don’t get a new round bale of coastal hay right now if you’ve let the last one go to dust (give small amounts at a time or mix with a stemmy hay until they’ve had their fill, then give the round bale).

- Don’t change schedules.

- Don’t vaccinate your horse right now, especially if you have a known reactor.

- Don’t be in a rush and fail to soak your feed for long enough (choke risk) - especially if you’re late to feed due to holiday errands/get togethers.

- If you have visitors, limit treats. Ensure gates are closed. Make sure feed doors and bins locked.

There is already a shortage of equine vets - and the few we do have will likely be out of town or trying to enjoy the holiday.

Let’s all have a very Happy Thanksgiving. And let’s let our vets stay home with family!

Remember: Proper Preparation Prevents Postponed Potlucks! 😂🥴

11/26/2024

The flu… 🐴 🤧

Did you know your horse can catch the flu, too?

While there isn’t a specific time of the year for “flu season” in the equine world, any time is good to learn more about this highly contagious respiratory condition—particularly because it’s one of the most common infectious diseases of the respiratory tract of horses, and recent years have been unusually active for Equine Influenza Virus (EIV) on a global scale.

EIV spreads rapidly through groups of horses in aerosolized droplets dispersed by coughing, and the severity of clinical signs depends on the degree of existing immunity within the affected individual, among other factors (i.e., correctly vaccinated horses are less affected than unvaccinated horses).
Any horse showing signs of respiratory disease (cough, nasal discharge, persistent fever) should be isolated immediately until your veterinarian can determine the exact cause.

To learn more about Equine Influenza Virus (EIV), visit these resources:
https://aaep.org/resource/aaep-infectious-disease-guidelines-equine-influenza-eiv/
&
https://www.equinediseasecc.org/equine-influenza

As always, your horse doctor remains your best source of information. Contact them to learn more about how to prevent this disease through an appropriate vaccination protocol and biosecurity practices.

11/19/2024

Never… 👎🏼 💉