Country Pleasure Driving Class Gone Wrong!

[PucciNPoni]

To be fair, in most of the single driving I've seen every entry has had a groom either in the ring or at the gate and they run to hold the horses in the line up or if there is a problem. I always assumed it's a rule.

Yes, a show groom (header) is always called in during the line up. Not sure why they didn't all come in - unless they too were in shock at ring side. I honestly don't know WHAT I'd have done if I'd been either driving or heading.

 

[Super_Kat]

LOVED the guy who stood in front of the first horse and got run over.
Clever americans.

 

[TarrSteps]

Okay, I'll bite . . . I'm from a county that traditionally hates Americans and even I don't think they have a monopoly on making bad decisions or putting themselves in harms way. I've stopped horses like that in the past, when I thought the potential reward outweighed the risk.

I'm actually quite curious now . . .what would people do to stop a completely panicking, out of control horse? I was in that situation not long ago, totally unforeseen by myself or the experienced people I was with. We tried all the usuals, nothing worked. Luckily the horse was in an enclosed area it could not even attempt to jump out of or crash through but I've seen other situations where people have not been so lucky.

I think that's my and Goldenstar's point - this CAN happen and even if you're not the one to cause it, you might be the one in the middle of it. It pays to have a plan.

Wasn't there someone killed here last summer when a horse in a cart bolted in a park? Not to mention the horse that ran through the Royal Wedding procession.

 

[SpruceRI]

That was terrifying to watch and very upsetting - more so of the two bystanders horses who got 'taken out' by the original loose horse.

 

[Goldenstar]

Ok I was told the way to attempt to stop a bolting driving driving horse from the ground is to attempt to grab the rien near the bit and pull the horse sharp round but you do from the side never the front . There's a great clip of this somewhere on YouTube ( another from that before I start to teach you I am going to show you some you tube clips day) where an extremely fit athletic brave young man stopped Boyd excels team which are bolting into a crowd having lost the driver and grooms in an accident .
However being now 51 with a smashed up leg back and hip under my belt I'll be leaving that to others.

 

[AmyMay]

I think that's my and Goldenstar's point - this CAN happen and even if you're not the one to cause it, you might be the one in the middle of it. It pays to have a plan.

To be fair, what can you do? Not much I'd say.

In this posts example, however, uncoupling the remaining horses would have been a start. Two people at the head of each horse - and get them out if you can......

Actually, I wonder if attempting to ride upsides it may have helped. Or is that even more of a disaster waiting to happen??

 

[ester]

yes, urasio (horse) bolted + carriage at a country fair type affair and killed someone.

I don't know plan wise, I don't think I would ever be athletic enough to try and stop one so just let it run itself out I would guess. I have had mine blind galloping round the perimeter of my field (my fault, bad situ scared himself silly) (isn't the sort to jump). No chance of stopping him on the first two laps, by the third he had started to slow and look like he might need some help to sort this situation out and was caught.

 

[Orangehorse]

How old is this footage? I watched it open-mouthed. I think it is too easy to say they should have done x,y, z because it is easy from this side of the camera. I didn't have a soundtrack so I don't know if there was a lot of noise.

I have seen the odd mishap with these classes, where it is a single driver in a light buggy - those horses looked pretty young too. But in those cases the problem was swifty resolved. Either the horse was removed from the ring, or order was restored and the class continued.

I think this should be required viewing for anyone learning to drive. Trouble is once a driving horse gets away there is going to be a wreck to a greater or lesser degree. And once a driving horse has had something like that happen it might never be able to return to driving.

 

[Super_Kat]

There was a lady killed at a county show not too long ago when the horse bolted (the one that caused uproar when it was sold as suitable to drive).
I don't honestly know what I'd do, if it's on an arena like that unhitch the horses, try and remove them if it's safe to do so but I'd just leave the bolting horse, you ain't going to stop it and it can't keep running forever, you just make everything as safe as you can I guess, easier said then done I know!

 

[ester]

footage is a couple of years old, noise.. well they woop the horses when they were showing before any of the antics started so it definitely wan't quiet!

 

[AmyMay]

There was a lady killed at a county show not too long ago when the horse bolted (the one that caused uproar when it was sold as suitable to drive).

Which has now been destroyed, btw.

 

[Super_Kat]

Worm damage or something?

 

[AmyMay]

Worm damage or something?

I think so - not 100% sure if I'm honest. Just know he's gone.

 

[Goldenstar]

footage is a couple of years old, noise.. well they woop the horses when they were showing before any of the antics started so it definitely wan't quiet!

It's older than that I learnt to drive five years ago and was shown it then.