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Horse emergencies are often sudden. A late-night colic call. A horse cast in a stall. A pasture injury discovered at morning feed. In those moments, decisions pile up quickly—often faster than owners feel ready to make them.
According to Dr. Erin Trawick-Smith, many of the hardest emergencies she responds to aren’t made harder by the horse’s condition alone, but by the absence of prior planning.
“When things go wrong, people are forced to make decisions they’ve never thought about before,” she explains.
Emergencies Don’t Leave Room for First-Time Decisions
In theory, most owners know emergencies are possible. In practice, many hope they’ll never have to confront the details. Dr. Trawick-Smith regularly arrives at calls where owners are encountering foundational questions for the very first time under intense emotional pressure.
“What do you want to do if this horse colics?” she asks. “Do you want surgery? Do you not want surgery? Is there a financial limit? Is there a hard stop?”
Those questions feel abstract when a horse is healthy. They feel overwhelming when a veterinarian is standing in front of you waiting for an answer. In Dr. Trawick-Smith’s experience, many owners underestimate how difficult it is to make those decisions in the moment, especially when emotions are already running high.
Planning Protects Your Horse
One of the misconceptions Dr. Trawick-Smith gently challenges is the idea that planning for emergencies somehow invites them. In reality, planning helps protect everyone involved: the horse, the owner, the barn staff, and the veterinarian.
“It’s not pessimistic to talk about this,” she explains. “It’s kind.”
Having conversations in advance reduces confusion. It gives owners a clearer sense of their own boundaries before stress and urgency take over. And it allows veterinarians to do their jobs more effectively. “When I know what someone’s boundaries are,” she says, “I can help them better.”
The Decisions That Matter Most
While no plan can cover every scenario, Dr. Trawick-Smith highlights a few areas that consistently create distress when they’re left undecided.
Colic is one of the most common. Owners may have strong feelings about surgery until they’re asked to decide at 2 a.m., with limited information and a ticking clock.
Financial limits are another. “It’s okay to have a line,” she says. “But it’s really hard to find that line for the first time when you’re already in crisis.”
Logistics matter too. Does the horse have access to a trailer? Who can haul? Does the barn allow emergency hauling without prior approval? If euthanasia becomes necessary, what are the options for removal or aftercare?
“These are not decisions you want to be sorting out in the moment,” she says.
Writing Plans Down Can Make a Significant Difference
One of the simplest and most underutilized tools Trawick-Smith supports is clearly communicating wishes ahead of time, including putting them in writing.
“If you’ve written it down,” she explains, “you don’t have to rely on memory or emotion.”
Written plans help owners communicate with spouses, barn managers, trainers, and veterinarians. They reduce the risk of conflicting instructions. And they provide emotional grounding when shock sets in. They also matter when the owner isn’t present.
“There are times when someone can’t get there fast enough,” she says. “If we know what their wishes are, that matters.”
Planning for Euthanasia Is Part of Planning for Care
Euthanasia is often treated as a separate, unmentionable category. “It’s part of horse ownership,” she says plainly. “And pretending it’s not doesn’t help anyone.”
That includes thinking about when euthanasia might be appropriate—not just medically, but practically. Is there a safe, quiet place at the barn? Are there rules about who must be notified? Does the owner want to be present? Does the horse have specific handling needs?
When those questions are unanswered, euthanasia can become rushed or chaotic in ways that add unnecessary distress for everyone involved. “Those moments stick with people,” she says. “For a long time.”
Planning Reduces Regret
Throughout the conversation, Dr. Trawick-Smith returns to one theme: regret is more likely when owners feel unprepared. Owners who have discussed possibilities ahead of time still grieve deeply, but they’re less likely to replay decisions endlessly or question whether they failed their horse.
“They know they did what they said they would do,” she explains.
Planning doesn’t mean controlling every outcome. Horses are animals. Emergencies are unpredictable. Dr. Trawick-Smith is clear about that. But planning restores a sense of agency in moments when owners feel powerless.
“You can’t control what happens,” she says. “But you can control how prepared you are.”
Emergencies will always be hard. But they don’t have to be chaotic, confusing, or isolating. A few honest conversations, held well before they’re needed, can make the difference between a crisis that feels overwhelming and one that feels manageable.
Want more insight from Dr. Erin Trawick-Smith? Listen to this episode of The Plaidcast and subscribe on your favorite podcast platform for conversations with the most influential voices in the equestrian world.
