Accidents DO happen....

[PoniesRock]

I have just got back from riding. I was riding with a friend as we went for a canter across the common as we have many times before. And her horse spooked - she was thrown and her horse legged it. I pulled Dee up (so proud of her at this point!) and jumped off and started shouting to my friend as I couldn't see her anywhere. I called her horse who came trotting back up to me so I was stood there with two horses shouting for my friend as I still couldn't see her.

I would like to point out there were 3 family/groups all on the common within my sight so they could deffo hear me and guess how many came to help me??? NONE I began shouting for help as I still couldn't see my friend and she wasn't responding to me! and guess what NOBODY came over to me!! Couldn't believe it!

But anyway I found my friend lying in the grass - un conscience at this point!!! So began chatting to her to try to get a response. But nope - no response so I rang for an ambulance. Possibly the most scary phone call I have ever made! So anyway the ambulance is on its way by this time and my friend is coming round - she's now very dazed and has no idea where we are or what has happened.

Then my brain kicks in...I'm stood here with 2 ponies and my friend is on the floor injured......Trying really hard not to go into panic mode at this point! So I ring my mum and sister who come out to the common. My friend is taken away in the ambulance and my sister rides Dee home and I'm left with riding her slightly loopy tbx! But seen as its an hour and half ride home I decide to ride! The ponies behaved like gems all the way home. Even though I've never ridden her horse and my sister hasn't ridden for months! So proud of my pony for pulling up from a very fast canter when my friend fell and very proud of them on the way home.

I guess I just wrote this post to highlight what can and does happen - I thought this kinda stuff happened to other people...So from this I have learnt that:
1) High vis is sooooooo soooooo important! The ambulance crew thanked me for wearing it as it enabled them to find us so much quicker out on the common.
2) Mobile phones are sooo important - we would still be there stranded if it wasn't for them!!
3) Accidents do happen.....
4) You should know where you are! I knew we were on the common but thats just the name we give for it, I wouldn't have of been able to direct a car there and was lucky I could remember the farm name down the road and that I knew I could see the woods on the next hill. But I should take more notice of the surroundings when I'm not 100% where I am.

So I don't want to scare people but I just wanted to high light the dangers and the precautions that we as riders need to take. My friend is still in hospital (with her mum and dad) and is being observed! which is worrying me slightly tbh....

 

[monkeybum13]

Vibes for a speedy recovery to your friend.
I'm shocked that not a single person came to help you

 

[caitlin95uk]

:O i hope she is okay! sounded like a terrifying moment and yes i always ride with my mobile phone in my pocket, some say well if you fall off you could break it and i alwasy reply with well if you fall off at least i could call an ambulance!
best wishes for your friend!
and well done you and your pony for being the heroes of the day!!

 

[Kenzo]

oh gosh, how scary for you, hope you friend recovers well, some good points made there.

 

[Letslip]

Hope that your friend is ok.

Agree a mobile is a must for hacking however I do remember as a child disappearing for hours with a friend on our ponies with no mobiles, as the old adage goes how did we cope without them before!!!!!

But what struck me the most was how absolutely utterly unhelpful the people that were around you were, I think that is disgusting and thank goodness you had well behaved ponies and were able to keep calm enough to deal with the situation yourself. Well done you!

 

[tinkandlily]

Hope shes well soon. I rode a horse for my bf who was nervous of her because she reared, so i ofered to ride her. She wasn't a bad rearer just did little ones. However my bf decided to try another bit on her an she didn't like it one bit, she when straight up and fell backwards but luckly i managed to pull her slightly to the side and avoided her falling on my chest. As i was going down i noticed my bf walk straight past me with my friend!!. They walked right next to me so it was couldn't have missed it. It was only after i put the horse out they asked if i was ok, needless to say i finished him on the spot.

 

[CBFan]

Isn't it just sickening that NOT ONE person came to your help when you clearly needed it! SHOCKING! what is the world coming to???

Well done for keeping your cool and getting your friend attended to safely and the ponies home.

We all used to ride without mobile phones but I do think they are so important as people are that much more reluctant to let strangers into their homes to use landlines to call for help etc and they get the help as soon as possible.

 

[Crackajack]

OMG - shocked that nobody came to help....!!
Agree with all the points you have said been in a similar situation myself and learnt the hard way that hi-vis and knowing your surroundings are vital!
Keep us updated on your friend - hope she recovers ok!
Well done u!!

 

[happyhack]

Sounds so similar to my accident.

Although the dog walkers etc in my area are so bloody nosy that they all surrounded me. I too had passed out but wasnt instantly unconscious. I was able to tell the girl I was riding with who to call and then passed out and came to with a dog licking my ear! lol!

Well done you for keeping it together.

 

[Vixxy]

Wow firstly well done for keeping a cool head and getting everything sorted, I hope your friend make a speedy recovery.

I am shocked that no one came to help...What kind of world are we living in

 

[PeterNatt]

I hope that your friend makes a speedy and full recovery.

Can I remind everyone of ICE (In case of Emergency).

The emergency services are trained to look at the mobile phones of seriously injured/unconscious people and check the address book of their mobile phones first for any listed as ICE.

You could have several ICE telephone numbers listed i.e ICE1 ICE2 etc.

This will make it far easier for emergency services to identify you.

I also have a dog tag with my numbers and that of my vets on it which are attached to the saddle and bridle of my horse so that if the horse gets loose people can identify the owner and vet.

 

[bluelady66]

wow well done you - it must have been a truly scary horrifying experience but you kept yur head and dealt with it excellently - you should be so proud of yourself and - i cant believe people didnt help you but thank god your friend had somone as level headed as yu with her - i really hope your friend is better soon and again - well done you xxxxxxxxx

 

[Cedars]

ICE numbers drive me mad - clearly, they'd ring mum and dad! They wouldnt ONLY ring the number down as ICE, and on many phones you cant make it come up as anything else so when that person rings you have to think who it is based on their ice number!

 

[Sparkles]

Vibes for a speedy recovery to your friend.
I'm shocked that not a single person came to help you

I know,shocking but it happens sadly. I got decked well and truly out on the road, we were going up a narrow road which was extemely steep and had a drop away field one one side and a high bank on the other other. Unbeknown to me and my horse, a herd of bullocks had been put in the drop away field and came charging up from behind us out of nowhere. My horse was a green one but generally always 100% out on the roads and with most things, however needless to say, spooked BIG time. She tried to jump up the bank to the left of us to start with but it was about 8ft high and we got about halfway up and had no footing so she fell back down to the road to her shoulders. I was still on and she'd scrambled back up to her feet on the road. Spun round and she went to charge out the way in panic up the road as the bullocks were all pressing over the fencing and being frisky still. However, a car came speeding down [even though we were in plain view and Hi Viz also], I'll happily admit I had NO control over her at this point as she was just in full panic. Car wasn't slowing down or stopping even though we were bolting up the road slipping everywhere with the bullocks still running along the fence line after us.
Anyway. My horse slammed on the brakes when she saw the car hurtling down and went straight up vertical, but we were facing uphil, she slipped, twisted and went straight backwards on the conrete. I stillremained in the saddle at this point and got pinned between her, the bank and the road. Luckily, I didn't get the full weight of her on me as chance would have it, she landed a littlebit on the bank so it took some of the weight off me directly.

I got up, very shaken and seeing stars as my head had hit the conrete, and couldn't move my left leg at all to start with. She'd stunned herself into quiet, likewise as had I, and I managed to grab round her neck and hop ourselves to a little lay by bit just a few metres in front.

The driver of the car in question...after witnessing all this still...did nothing more than wind down his window, stick his finger up at me, rammed his horn on and drove off at speed past us on way!

Some people lack so much empathy and common sense it's sickening sometimes.


I'm glad everything worked out ok. Got to love the not so great parts of riding hey

 

[Maesfen]

ICE numbers drive me mad - clearly, they'd ring mum and dad! They wouldnt ONLY ring the number down as ICE, and on many phones you cant make it come up as anything else so when that person rings you have to think who it is based on their ice number!

Does that still happen if you put ICE1 - Home or whoever you put after ICE?
I've got 4 ICEs in my phone, home, son's mobile, son's home and my neighbours; I'd hope at least one would answer!

Well done for being so calm and coping so well; do hope your friend makes a quick recovery.
As someone said, what sort of world are we living in if they can't go to help some young person.

 

[PoniesRock]

Well my friend is out of hospital - she has/had concussion and cracked four of her teeth but all in all she will be ok. I was so shocked that nobody came and helped...it was clear that there was a problem as I was stood shouting my friends name walking about with two horses!! And yeh still nobody came! I'm just hoping that her confidence isn't knocked too much.

I don't really believe in ICE numbers as when the ambulance arrives they want to help the casualty - they are not really bothered about who they should ring until they get to the hospital. This comes from my mum who works within the emergency profession.

Binky - that sounds so scary and to be on your own in that situation!!! scary stuff!

 

[Sparkles]

It was indeed I couldn't get back on either and didn't want to as she was all scraped up as well,so hobbled back to the yard together.

Glad she's generally ok [minus the teeth and concussion!], it's always scary stuff when things like happen

 

[brighthair]

ICE numbers drive me mad - clearly, they'd ring mum and dad! They wouldnt ONLY ring the number down as ICE, and on many phones you cant make it come up as anything else so when that person rings you have to think who it is based on their ice number!

I have it as ICE Mum and ICE Dad. I also have a safety24.co.uk wristband which has all my medical info, and contact details

 

[sonjafoers]

Isn't it just sickening that NOT ONE person came to your help when you clearly needed it! SHOCKING! what is the world coming to??

I came off my horse at quite some speed whilst out riding on my own, I hit my head on a rock & knocked myself out for a brief second. Luckily my horse waited with me & when I was able to get up I tried to get back on her but couldn't as I was a little too wobbly. It sounds dramatic but it wasn't really as it was all very quick - however, there was a group of ramblers less than about 100 metres away when it all happened & not one of them asked me if I was ok or if they could do anything. In fact they hardly paid any attention to me at all - it was as if I was totally invisible. I honestly dread to think what would have happened if I was seriously hurt as I don't believe they would have done a thing.

I am so shocked people are like this, and I'm surprised no one came to your help as my first instincts would be to help anyone who needed it. Well done for keeping your cool & dealing with everything sensibly & calmly, it sounds as if you did everything right.

I hope your friend recovers soon.

 

[mycobs=myworld]

its really disqusting that people could see you but didnt come to help im glad she only has minor injurys tell her to rest from me.xxxxx

 

[honeymum]

Glad she's going to be okay.
I fell off once, knocked myself out, pony pi***d off round the field. We were being followed by a group of about 4 adults and 2 small kids.
I came to in time to see the kids pointing at me and being pulled away by the adults, and them leaving the gate to the main A road open so my pony could get out there!
It was a very long and uncomfortable walk back to the yard as I had lost one of my stirrups in the fall and I had to keep stopping to throw up so probably couldn't have ridden anyway.
I saw this same group about an hour later when my mum was driving me home, we stopped and asked why they didn't help, they just shrugged and said that as I moved (only my head to look for pony) when I was on the floor they knew I hadn't broken anything and was okay! Maybe they were x-ray eyed doctors .

 

[Seahorse]

I'm so shocked that not one person came to help you

The last time I fell off there were 3 people on horses further up the track that saw it happen and came back to see if I was ok, and helped me back on bless them.

Hope your friend is ok and she is lucky to have a great mate like you that kept your head and managed to do the right thing xx

 

[Kittykins]

a friend of mine had a very nasty accident years ago - she was out riding with a friend, two abreast down a lane when a car came zooming up behind them and slammed into the back legs of her horse, flipping him over the bonnet. Unfortunately that was the end of his competition career and he had to be loaned out as a happy hacker. Luckily, though, Lucy was thrown clear - but we think she survived unscathed purely because of all the safety equipment she was using - decent helmet, stirrup leathers that broke away, etc. I'm always amazed when i see people hack about the roads, one hand loosly on the reins, chatting on their mobiles, no helmet, wearing trainers... You may know your horse is bomb-proof, but there's no accounting for moronic drivers!

 

[somethingorother]

How awful that must have been, but very well done for keeping your cool and sorting everything out, your friend is lucky to have you. It's so scary to think that people didn't help (in other cases on this thread too) as i hack out alone a lot since i'm on a private yard. What a horrible world, where people clearly know you could be injured but pretend to not notice.

I could laughed at once for going to investigate a lot of screaming coming from the top deck of a bus. It was probably just kids messing (turned out it was) but no one else seemed bothered, and i couldn't live with myself if i didn't check out even the smallest chance of someone being hurt and ignored.