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Elements and Performance Criteria

1. Assess the situation and horse condition.
   • Recognise symptoms of illness or injury, use safe practices to calm and restrain horse and assess severity of condition.
   • Identify hazards promptly, and manage to avoid injury to self, others and horses.
   • Access available first aid equipment and determine suitability to treat illness or injury.
   • Ascertain need for and availability of veterinary advice.
   • Determine ability of veterinarian to attend site or ability to return horse to base.
2. Treat illness or injury.
   • Make contact with base and veterinarian as required.
   • Relay accurate factual information about horse illness or injury.
   • Improvise use of available first aid and other resources according to needs of sick or injured horse.
   • Use infection control practices to prevent infection from horse.
   • Administer emergency treatments independently or according to veterinarian instructions.
   • Nurse horse to reduce impact of shock, distress and pain.
   • Isolate horse if contagious or zoonotic disease is suspected and alert base of need to report.
3. Monitor horse condition.
   • Monitor and record horse vital signs at regular intervals.
   • Monitor horse condition and response to treatment; record observations and treatments.
   • Report ongoing horse condition to base and seek ongoing input of veterinarian, as required.
   • Continue with treatments, adjusting as required to ensure health and safety of horse.
   • Assess need to evacuate or euthanise horse and alert base to implement procedures if required.
4. Debrief and complete reports.
   • Participate in incident management de-brief and identify future response improvements.
   • Complete required incident and treatment reports according to organisational procedures.