Horse lover bitten on chest for first time in 40 years

Moshav Kfar Warburg encountered an ungrateful stallion who bit the man who fed him.

By JUDY SIEGEL-ITZKOVICH
horse 311 (photo credit: Courtesy)
horse 311
(photo credit: Courtesy)
After 40 years of raising horses at his riding academy in Moshav Kfar Warburg, Kiryat Malachi, Shlomo Ya’acobi encountered an ungrateful stallion who bit the man who fed him.
In fact, the horse bit him in the chest, sending him to the emergency room at Rehovot’s Kaplan Medical Center. He was treated in the surgical department for several days and discharged.
Ya’acobi, who has taught many people to ride on and take care of horses in the past four decades, said it was the first time in his life that he was bitten by one of the animals.
“I came to the stable on Shabbat morning to make sure that the horses had enough hay and water. Suddenly, a customer’s horse cared for at the moshav came close to me and without any warning, bit me and ran away.”
He gave instructions that the horse be immediately returned to its owners so it would not endanger any of the children riding at the ranch.
The bite caused an internal hemorrhage that couldn’t be stanched because he takes blood thinners to prevent clots in his coronary arteries. Kaplan doctors said the hemorrhage was spreading as blood vessels had been torn. “I found it was hard even to raise my hand, which was swollen like a ball,” Ya’acobi said.
Dr. Victor Korkin, an expert in general surgery, said Ya’acobi was fortunate that his lung has not been injured.
After the wound was treated, infusions of antibiotics were given to make sure he would not get infected.
After his discharge, Ya’acobi hurried home to visit the stable and make sure everything was in order.
“We teach all our students on their first visit that safety is the most important thing.
They all learn how to deal with horses. At the same time, it must be remembered that even if the horse is calm and well trained, one must always be careful because you never know what goes through their minds,” he said.