All photos courtesy of Pine Nut Wild Horse Advocates

Aunt Lilly and the others come up to talk to him and stay until the trucks arrived.

The first team meeting where the team leaders gives instruction, job descriptions and safety reminders.

Comments from Willis Lamm “Veterinarian Bruce Hartzell and Cindy, his wife / assistant assess the horse’s motor function (or lack thereof.) Everyone else remains clear of the hot zone at this point.”

Team leader Willis Lamm joins in to put together a plan as the colt lies quietly.
from Willis Lamm “We are still carefully managing the energy around the horse and also letting the horse get used to our presence. His “reactivity bubble” is starting to decrease, although he still is protective of his personal space.”

A sedative is applied to keep him quiet and stop him from hurting himself or the volunteers.
From Willis Lamm “the wild ones often need follow-up sedation before packaging as their adrenaline drive is pretty strong.”

Cindy holds his head as he is prepared to be loaded in the trailer.
From Willis Lamm “Head management is important, even while sedated, and can sometimes be challenging, hard work.”

The young stallions band stands back and watches the activity as the emergency team prepares him for transport. We know this band and were comfortable with their presence. But the rescue team were unsure of Blue and what to expect. We were asked to keep an eye on him. One of these mares is the Mother.

Blue watches… anxious why his son is down.

From Willis Lamm: A good one showing the process of hobbling the horse. Note the tethering of the responder (me in this case) reaching over the horse. This guy was uncoordinated but he could still strike so we use long tools and make sure the “horse person” can’t slip over the horse into the “kill zone” if the horse makes a sudden move.

From Willis Lamm Rolling the horse over onto the Rescue Glide. There is actually webbing attached to the hobble set so those pulling are out of reach of the hooves. The head was managed by Bruce the vet, and while difficult to see, is controlled via the recovery strap. Once rolled over the head was again held down.”
The horse has been down for several hours. Rolling takes pressure off the internal organs and helps circulation.

From Willis Lamm On the Rescue Glide, Z-rig haul line attached and making a final check. We should have moved the slip sheet farther away since we didn’t end up using it and those things are slippery. (Note: The Horse and Man Group donated the slide previously.)

From Willis Lamm “Readjusting hobble position in preparation for drawing the legs onto the glide. (Bruce should have been tethered but I do “have his back” from a low, buttressed position.)”

Loading him up to transport
From Willis Lamm “Use of the lightweight aluminum folding ramps. These things make loading so much easier. 3 people on the haul line were able to easily pull the horse inside.”

Loaded and nearly ready to go. The volunteers put away the equipment.
from Willis Lamm “Final check before starting down a pretty rough dirt road – glorified Jeep trail actually. This is a good illustration as to how the ramps fold up for compact storage.”

The straps are being removed.
from Willis Lamm ” Carefully removing restraints in a logical order so the horse wouldn’t try to get free while still partially secured.”

Rescued and awaiting a diagnosis and treatment.  It is suspected West Nile Virus.