Any horse that is recumbent and cannot rise unassisted is an emergency. If it is safe, the horse can be repositioned to assist with rising. Horses can go down for many reasons, some of which are very serious. A few examples of these potentially serious causes include the following:
-Colic
-Laminitis
-Foot abscess
-Broken leg
-Neurologic abnormalities
-A slip and fall
In addition, time is of the essence when it comes to recovery so having these horses seen early on is important. Like a horse with colic, a down horse can thrash so it is important to keep yourself safe and remove hazards from around your horse as well to keep him/her safe too.