Wherein Izzy Tries to Kill Himself

Again.

​This is at least the sixth time. While he might not always be going for death, I think dismemberment might be one of his goals as well.
Let me recap:

• He tried to debone his own leg last January.
• He tried to hang himself from a swinging Jolly Ball (barn owner saved him).
• He tried to dislocate a leg by getting hung up in a rubber feed bucket (another barn owner save).
• The farrier rescued him from a Freedom Feeder hay net when his first two attempts at ripping off his leg failed. 
• I found him with his shoe (still attached to his foot) hung up on the neighbor's fence.

And then last week he tried to break all four legs at once by getting cast in the wash rack. To tell you the complete truth, I do not know what happened other than it was pretty terrifying.

Essentially, I hosed him off, walked away for minute, and heard grunting and scrambling. I turned around and ran back to the wash rack (20 feet) where I saw Izzy lying on his side with one of his front legs on one side of the wash rack's front leg and the rest of his legs on the other side. The cross ties had snapped free like they are supposed to do, thankfully. ​

Photo from January

I realized that with the leg of the wash rack between his two front legs, he couldn't get up. I tried to pull his other leg forward, but he was too close to the post. He tried once or twice to get up, but I patted his neck and told him to wait. Izzy is brilliant in a jam as he never struggles but waits for help. He laid there patiently as I puzzled out how to get him up. If he wasn't as level headed as he is, things would not have turned out well.

I tried sliding him over, but I quickly realized there was no way I could move him myself. Believe it or not, I didn't panic ... I never do, but I was deeply concerned. I realized that this had the makings for a real disaster.

I finally dragged the rear mat out from under his butt and wedged it under his hind feet. He let me lift his hind legs without offering to struggle. When his toes had something to push on, I went back to his head and asked him to sit up. He gave a few big swings, but he couldn't quite get free of the bar between his front legs.

I shimmied his hind legs and then his fronts, and with one final effort, he managed to free his front leg enough to use it to stand. Once he was on all four legs, he staggered out into the grass and hung his head. I quickly reattached his lead rope and looked for damage.

Miraculously, all he had were a few minor scrapes on his legs and one nasty divot next to his eye. I hand walked him for the better part of a half an hour until his breathing was quiet and he was munching on the grass happily. I called the chiropractor before I left for home.

Izzy loves the chiropractor.

Izzy got cast on Friday night, the evening before I left for Horse Expo. I gave him some Bute that evening and was pleased that he looked no worse for wear the next morning when I arrived to load up Speedy. Even so, I knew he was going to be sore.

The chiropractor came on Monday, and I was right, Izzy was sore from nose to tail. It took more than hour to get him feeling better, but after some body work, Izzy was good to go.

This one took a lot longer than usual.

To my relief, the chiropractor didn't find anything other than some muscle soreness. There was no heat or filling anywhere, and he trotted off sound. I rode him on Thursday and then again this past weekend. Other than being a jerk, he's as sound as can be. Not bad for a horse who keeps trying to break his own legs.