Helicopter rescue
Just as the routine part of the equine stud season was starting to gain momentum and the equine vets were beginning to recognise the mares by their rear ends, Totally Vets received a phone call one Thursday late in September which added a new dynamic to the day.
Lucy and I (Katie) were greeted by the ever-chirpy receptionist Anna who informed us that a client's unbroken horse, Willie, was trapped down a very steep bush-clad gully, Helipro were on standby for an airlift rescue and TVL were asked to assist with the veterinary side of the operation!
Willie had gone missing on the Tuesday and was discovered on Wednesday night. Willie's owners had already climbed down to see him and taken him hay and water.
The gully was steep, about 20m deep and had a significant tree canopy with power lines overhead ... was an airlift even possible? Our initial assessment of Willie revealed no obvious injury, mud across his back and rump - suggesting he may have fallen into the gully - and naturally, he was scared. We successfully head-collared Willie and waited for the Helipro ground crew to arrive. After extensive Helipro safety checks and a joint TVL/Helipro hazard analysis had been performed, the OK was given by the pilot for an airlift rescue to proceed, using Helipro's twin engine (Kawasaki BK117) helicopter. We made our way down on foot to Willie, with the ground crew, having not managed to persuade the boys to winch us down ...
Willie was given a general anaesthetic to achieve recumbency. Naturally, horses never go down on the side you want them to when it counts so with mud over our ankles we manoeuvred Willie onto the cargo net. Time was critical, with 20 minutes to safely get him out before he began to wake, which could potentially have made him a dangerous unbalanced load. The chopper's engines started, the bush began to sway, rustle and crack, and communication between us and Helipro ground crew was limited to hand signals due to the noise. A hook was winched down from overhead with superb accuracy and attached, and final vet and Helipro checks were completed. Willie was lifted with ease, smoothly negotiated through the tree canopy and onto his paddock in less than 12 minutes. Lucy met Willie up the top and released him from the net and checked vitals - all was well. Willie began to wake within 10 minutes after the landing and recovered uneventfully, completing what had been a four-hour rescue mission! A memorable afternoon.
