Promotion, intensive nursing and broken legs

Read KBIS blogging competition, BGA member and trainee vet nurse Lucy Fletcher's latest instalment.

Lucy works at Peasebrook Equine Clinic and this is her third blog. 

I loved the build up to Christmas but in this environment I always hope there are no dramas with beloved equines over this festive period. This time of year is even harder for owners to be able to digest problems with their horses and ponies; when everyone is feeling joyful about Christmas and planning for the New Year.

This month I was lucky enough to be promoted to Head Nurse at Peasebrook Equine Clinic! [Well done Lucy from the BGA]. I’m so happy about this as I can truly take control of the yard and show my full commitment to the job.

We had a colic in last week that was borderline surgical. I do love intensive nursing so the following night was taken up with hourly checks of heart, respiratory rate, gut sounds, temperature, membrane colour and behaviour along with administering constant fluids and 15 minutes of lunging after each observation. My adrenalin always carries me through the night along with plenty of chocolate and coffee! Thankfully the colic opened its bowels during the early hours and has made a good recovery.

There was an interesting surgery last week where a cob was brought in for castration. Sadly, it looked as if somebody unqualified had previously attempted to castrate the horse themselves. Luckily there were no bad repercussions but this could have been a life-threatening mistake. Why anyone would attempt this kind of surgery without knowledge is beyond disgraceful, but it’s one of the many things you see in this industry.

Over the Christmas break we shared the rota to make it fair and made sure that we all got to spent time with our families. We have a horse in to use the cold spa at the moment so work carries on in the clinic regardless of the time of year, but the boss Tim and his wife Claire are always there to help out with morning stables.

We had a fabulous staff Christmas party earlier in December which was nice to relax with colleagues out of work time. Being part of a nice team is really important.

I have to say the one thing I love about this time of year is in the cold, winter evenings seeing the horses and ponies all safe and warm in their cosy beds munching away. However, I cannot stress enough the risks involved with leading and riding in ice and snow, so please think twice before risking yours and your horse’s lives. We had three broken legs to deal with last year just from horses playing out in the snow, cute as they look, it’s extremely dangerous.

I hope your stocking was filled with many horsey gifts and your New Year is full of plans and goals!

Lucy x

BGA MEMBERSHIP OPTIONS

Read Lucy's previous blog here.