Day out at Keysoe ODE and horrific horsebox accident!

Mongoose11

Well-Known Member
Joined
13 March 2012
Messages
5,837
Visit site
I wish I had remembered to post that I was going as I bet there were more of you there today! Had a wonderful day out supporting my yard friend at the BE100, she came 10th and the pictures and sun were glorious. We are lucky to have the facilities just down the road!

The event that overshadowed the day was an awful incident involving a mare left in a horsebox.... We were walking past, following my friend to go and watch her in the dressage warm up when we realised that a box was taking an almighty kicking. It stopped and we carried on walking and then it started again and it didn't stop, it got worse. We got round to the back of the box and could see a horse thrashing and rearing. It was awful, she was bringing her front legs up into her Haynet and catching them over and over on the window ledge. She was rodeo'ing, bucking, she got loose and then could go up higher. Each time she went up and up further and broke the roof in several places with her poll. Suddenly there were several people there but understandably nobody wanted to go in. A call went out and she calmed while she was talked to and shushed and calmed, then suddenly she would go again.

At one point I grabbed husband's arm and said 'she's going to kill herself, she won't survive this'. Suddenly a lady was there, I think she may have been the Mum of the young man who owned her. She went in and brought her straight off and she was very calm. Lots of blood splashed around the box and several large lacerations on her legs. I should imagine she needed a fair few stitches but I couldn't believe just how lucky she was. Unless there is something more sinister going on that wasn't immediately visible she is one very lucky mare.

It was awful to watch. Please don't leave them unattended :(
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Oh that sounds horrible to witness. Poor mare, I hope she is ok.

Well done to your friend, Keysoe is a lovely place.
 
Well done to your friend.

I always leave my phone number in the windscreen of my cab as there will be times where you have no choice but to leave a horse unattended. Hope this horse recovers quickly :(

Years ago when HOYS was at Wembley, my friend qualified for the BN finals and we parked next to very well known SJ. One of his horses had a paddy and put a hoof through a window. The guy riding my friends horse said "you watch, he'll check the lorry first when he comes back". He did and then belted the horse for damaging the lorry. What a knob, I've never liked him since :mad:
 
Well done to your friend but what a horrid thing to witness. You wonder if a wasp/bee or something had got in and stung her maybe? Seems strange and extreme behaviour if it wasn't just because her lorry buddy had left her?
 
Why do people leave their horses and ponies in horseboxes and trailers walk off and think they are going to be ok.:mad::mad:

Well I do because I know they will be ok. What else can you do if you have more than one horse and are there by yourself? I have very good travellers who will stand quietly in the box no problems. I practice this regularly to ensure they see it as their stable on wheels. Now if you'd said why do people take manic horses who can't stand in boxes to shows and then walk off and leave them, I'd agree with you...
 
I agree, there are times when horses are left and are fine! Thing that bothers me though is that the mare was with a fair crowd of people who weren't all competing so no real reason why someone couldn't have been there. I doubt they would have left her if she was an unsettled traveller, the idea about the wasp may have been right, BUT they didn't HAVE to leave her.
 
Top