Faced with two bolting, riderless horses...

[Liath]

WWYD?!

Walking up a local bridleway with my dogs this morning, heard thundering hooves, and was suddenly faced with two horses, a big grey and a smaller bay, both riderless, galloping full pelt and obviously running scared.

It takes longer to tell than it did to happen, but having thought 'OH ****, what the HELL do I do?' I acted instinctively, stood 'big' calling 'whoa' and as the grey tried to dodge past me, grabbed his reins and as best I could, ran with him as I turned him to stop him- the bay pulled herself up when the grey stopped, meaning I was able to get hold of both of them.

Luckily, though obviously shaken and scared for their horses, both riders were OK and within a very few minutes (though it felt like a lifetime!) horses and riders were reunited.

Afterwards I felt REALLY guilty that I had probably jabbed the grey in the mouth quite hard as I stopped him... and had all the 'OMG!' and 'WHAT IF....?' thoughts about me getting bowled over, one of my dogs getting trampled, not having caught them and them hitting the road at a gallop etc etc....oh, and 'what if' the riders had been badly injured and unable to retake control of the horses?

So, faced with the same situation, what is the best/worst thing to do in your opinion? Am I likely to have injured the grey by grabbing him? and what on earth do you do with two horses (or one, or five!) if you discover the riders are injured???!!

First aid for the riders I could have managed- I'm a nurse, it would have come naturally, and obviously calling ambulance/air ambulance etc is a given if needed... but then what to do with the horses once the riders are taken care of?!

Anyone got any tips or ideas if I'm ever faced with a similar situation in future?

 

[wildwest]

i think you did great :} much rather a jab in the mouth than getting out onto road that doesnt bear thinking of . hope riders were grateful. well done

 

[Moggy in Manolos]

OMG, I think you did very well and I would not be concerned if the horse had a little sore mouth, you did the right thing, it would have been far worse had the horses carried on running scared potentially then causing themselves or others far greater harm, well done you

 

[Fools Motto]

you're braver than me! I don't think, I could have grabbed them if they were really bolting towards/past me. I know, actually imagine it hurts, and with the best will in the world am no Usain Bolt to keep up with them while 'we' slow down!
Saying that, to catch a lose horse is instinct, so in the situation, split second thinking, I may have tried.

If I was walking dog and kids, I would have been terrified they were going to get squished. In that situation, I would have hoped and prayed that the horses would have gone home, avoiding all roads, and I carried on walking to find 'hopefully' non injured riders.

 

[DragonSlayer]

You did the right thing, I'm sure the riders are over the moon you managed to get them! Well done!

What caused them to bolt, did the riders tell you? Were they dismounted?

 

[maisie06]

This happened to me - out with dogs on a track in the middle of nowhere. I grabbed both dogs, one a small pup at the time, and legged it out of the way, I didn't fancy being mown down by a out of control hunter type. There were no roads around. I do feel a little ashamed but I couldn't afford to be injured/off work and no way could I have stopped the thing as it was heading down the hill towards me full tilt.

 

[gingerarab]

Well done - I am sure the riders were relieved that you had caught the horses before any serious injury happened.

In answer to your question, you would cope better than most, riders health always comes first, so call an ambulance and the police and dont panic. They would then take over the situation regarding the horses. Most police would be out of their depth and would call on the services of any local equestrian facility to look after the horses if they could not be led home.

My very first pony had a nasty habit of ******ing off home if I ever fell off. I once had to stop a car to give me a lift to chase her up the road !!! I soon learnt to either not fall off or not let go !!!!

 

[jenbleep]

It really depends on the situation in hand as to what I would have done - how fast they were going, how much space around me etc. I can catch a loose horse at a showground (depending on the state of it!!) but if I was walking down a lane and heard galloping horses toward me I probably would have moved out of the way!! Self preservation!

Well done, you are a hero! It was lucky no one was seriously injured (horses included!)

Edited to add - please don't worry about hurting the horses mouth, I'm sure that's the least of everyone's worries!! I expect the riders are just happy that they aren't dead!!

 

[Alec Swan]

I never have, but should I ever own a horse, which "Genuinely" bolts, then assuming that it survives, upon capture, it will go to the kennels.

History will tell us that a horse which bolts once, will do so again. Once a horse has bolted, shoot it.

Faced with the question of the OP, I'd step aside and leave them to it. I consider that my life is of greater value than that of a horse!

Alec.

 

[BWa]

Wow, well done, if I was one of the riders I would be forever grateful for your actions. If it was me I'm not sure what I would do and maybe I should think about it as a there is a bridleway through our farm with a very straight, grassy track which encourages you to go fast. I would certainly do what you did to start but I'm not sure I would be brave enough to grab for the reins. In the grand scheme of things a cut to the mouth or being a bit sore for a few days is nothing compared to what could have happened.

 

[Dave282B]

Well done Liath
I would have tried the same as I would have done it in instinct. Better a sore mouth than a broken leg or worse if they ran into traffic

 

[starryeyed]

Please don't worry about jabbing the grey in the mouth!! Better a jab and two stopped horses than a horrible accident which could have killed them both. You prevented a potentially horrible situation and you deserve a massive pat on the back (if not more!!) - I bet the riders were so relieved to see you with their horses. Do you know what happened?
A similar thing happened to me once, I'd just got off my horse and heard galloping footsteps, and turned to see a huge panicked chestnut charging at us with wild eyes, no rider and dangling reins - it came from nowhere!! - I managed to grab hold of the reins as it charged past and ran with it dragging my poor horse behind us - the huge tug on the reins brought it back to earth a bit and it turned sharply and pulled up quickly once I'd got hold of it. I think when you're horsey, in some situations instinct just kicks in and you act without worrying about yourself. x

 

[Spotsrock]

I would love you if you jabbed one of mine in the gob in same situation. Better than the alternative. well done.

 

[Equilibrium Ireland]

Well done OP.

For me, no, I will never stand big and try and rein in anyone loose horses. I do know a trainer that did this back in the 90's he was knocked flat. Lost everything he had and was never the same again. TBI. I mean a completely different person.

You are very lucky.

Terri

 

[cbmcts]

Well done you! What you did isn't easy

Similar stuff has happened to me over the years (I'm a loose animal magnet) and I know the OH S*** moment after you've sorted the emergency and the adrenalin rush wears off.

The practicalities first - ring the police and look for ID on the horse so they can put out the word for patrols to look out for the riders. In horsey areas they will usually have contact details of the YO who will look after 'loose' horses and start ringing around yards to start tracking down their owners...I used to be on a yard that did just that, it was a finely honed machine and often the owners were waiting on the yard before the horses got there. BTW, apart from always having a dog tag with yard contact details on the saddle (on the saddle because bridles come off easier ) if you lose your horse the first thing you should do is ring the police because it's also the first thing that a non horsey person will do if they find a horse!

Don't worry about the fact you jabbed the grey - they'd be much worse off if they'd collided with a car or gone through a fence or slipped on tarmac or any of the millions of other ways they could have damaged themselves while tanking home, let alone the members of the public hurt.

I was lucky the time I did find the injured rider, I knew what yard they were from so was able to call them after calling 999 and they started looking for the horse plus sent someone to travel in the ambulance ( I don't think I would have been allowed with a rottie and 2 JRTs ) but again that's when you call the police and push for them to assist.

My dogs were well trained they knew to get out of the way of horses so I didn't worry about them, they were also happy to join the convoy and follow as we went to find the rider/head back to the yard. That was useful as I often had to use a dog lead or two as a halter...

 

[tankgirl1]

Wow! Well done OP! TBH I would probably be too concerned with getting child & dog out of the way to even think about trying to grab the horses! Not sure which way I would go after they had passed - towards the riders I think, ready to call 999

 

[Polos Mum]

Very brave, I'd have been too scared of being flattened!

Not the same situation but when some d*%k wrote off my lorry, my friend and I climbed out the trashed cab and immediately unloaded the 2 horses in the middle of the road, once it was obvious they were OK, I had a crying meltdown and my friend started being sick. We had firebrigade (spiled diesel), ambulance (us) and police (we'd blocked the whole road) ! Some lovely lovely kind person came and took the two horses to her stables and gave them hay and water while we were being treated.

I've never been so grateful, they were there a long time as YO was out competing so had to take his horses home before coming to collect them.

So long story, I'd call police and get riders found, if they were too ill to tell me where horses came from i'd take them home and look after them til their proper home could be located by the police.

 

[Orls]

Wow! Well done you!

I came across a similar situation years ago driving in the car there was a loose horse galloping down the road. No-one else was stopping, saw several cars swerve to avoid horse but kept driving I pulled over as I saw the horse coming towards me and somehow (don't ask me how!) managed to grab him. No sign of a rider, poor horse was dripping sweat obviously terrified. I walked for miles down the road with this horse came across the rider eventually who was very shaken, in tears, very frightened for her horses safety. I've never seen anyone so grateful. It was a very lucky escape for both seemingly unhurt. But I had to walk for a long time to locate her, don't know what I would have done if I couldn't have found a rider. I reckon if she was hurt would have called emergency services and given first aid naturally but good question regarding what do you do with the horse in that situation. I guess look for identification on the rider and try to contact someone. Just goes to show the value of always carrying a mobile phone!

 

[Polos Mum]

I found a rider once, teenager with collar bone almost poking through skin! quite in the middle of no where and pre mobile phones! I got her up on my saint of a boy and then got on behind her so we could get back to my yard asap.

He was really the ultimate schoolmaster as he didn't bat an eyelid to having two of us ride him home!

 

[tankgirl1]

I always have a dog tag with rider/owner contact details on one of the D rings on the saddle

 

[ladyt25]

I think I'd have done the same - most horses running scared seem quite grateful that someone finally stops them as most horse are really not confident belting about the countryside alone!

Also, having known someone's horse get killed when it bolted and collided with a car, I would try anything to stop that happening. The horse itself was known for running off if scared and, whilst at least the death was quick for the horse, the elderly couple whose car it hit had to be cut out by the fire brigade. Can't imagine having to have to live with that memory - must have been horrific.

I have also found myself horseless on a road before when horse shied, I came over his head and the bridle came with me! Horse did an about turn and headed off along not-so-safe country lanes back home! i would have been very grateful for someone stopping him but instead i had to flag down a car to follow him and possibly face actually seeing him collide with a car! It is something i would not want to relive. Thankfully he survived to tell the tale!

 

[slumdog]

Well done you! I probably would have done the same, providing my children were not there or safely out of the way. If I couldn't catch them I would have gone to look for the riders.

My mum was bucked off my old pony over the fields at the back of our yard while she was by herself, she remembers him starting to bronc and then looking up at him b*ggering off into the distance, she then remembers trying to get up and call my dad but she couldn't remember how to work her phone. She had no idea where she was or how to get back from the yard (it was a route we had ridden for years) she eventually managed to dial our home number and my dad found her wandering aimlessly round a field about 1/2 a mile from the yard. Pony had headed home with his bridle round his legs and was stood by the gate of the yard eating! Luckily it was all off road!
Mums hat was cracked in half but other than a bad concussion she was ok, she's not ridden properly since though and never rode the pony again.

 

[Liath]

Thanks all for your reassurance about the grey's mouth... you are of course right, far rather a sore mouth than a broken leg, but I just felt awful that I might have caused him pain!

AFAIK, the grey's rider got off to open and close a really awkward gate, the horses having been a little spooked by cattle and sheep on the bridleway before it.... as he tried to get back on the other side the horse had a bronking fit, and he came off.

Second rider's horse took off, in front I assume, as she said she didn't realise her friend wasn't on board for a while, and she couldn't pull up- then her horse started bronking and she came off- by the time they reached me the grey was in front and they were going proper full pelt- stirrups flying at their sides and sweat dripping/flying off them :O

Luckily both my dogs are great with horses- Spangle grew up with mine and isn't scared at all, but knows to keep out the way, Jack-tzu (we usually call her a Jack S**T!) is terrified of horses having been born in a stable and trampled/kicked regularly before we rescued her, but is exceptionally well behaved, so she retreated into the woods and laid down until I called her... I was VERY proud of my puppies!

Other than a bloody nose and being a bit stiff, both riders were OK, I caught up with them at the bottom of the bridleway a little later, where they were taking a breather and letting the horses calm before getting back on- I offered them tea and toilet (both of which I needed by then! LOL!) but they declined- they had a long way to go to get home, so I hope they both managed to pluck up the courage to get back on, and that both of them and their horses aren't too stiff tomorrow.

 

[cellie]

I do hope they took your address you deserve a rather large bouquet of flowers
Someone let my horse go by mistake and she ran all the way home, police came round corner just as I had just started running behind her and we followed her all the way home. She kept to left side of road and dodged all traffic .It was frightening exp but she was so clever with traffic it was unbelievable

 

[shannonandtay]

A similar thing happened to me driving home from the yard last year, I couldn't believe my eyes at first when I saw this big bay galloping towards me riderless. I don't suppose I thought really just jumped out the car and he ran straight to me poor lad was foaming with sweat and very stressed. I grabbed him fully expecting to see rider come running down after him but no sign of the rider or anyone else. Anyway ended up phoning the nearest livery yard and luckily that's where he came from, it turns out the rider had lost consciousness somehow and had fallen off. Forest wardens and people from her yard eventually found her and she was ok after being checked out in hospital. Horse was a sweetheart and just pleased to find someone. As for the jab in the mouth if it had been mine I'd rather that than him flying out into the road.

 

[MiCsarah]

If on a narrow path is of been scared my dogs would of turned and ran from the bolting horses. One of my poor spaniels isn't too good with horses moving quicker than a walk!!! One of my old bosses told me that once her and her previous groom were out hacking when the next thing they knew they had 5 loose horses coming down the road towards them!!!! That I would of panicked about!!

 

[Cinnamontoast]

Omg, well done, Liath, think I would have flung myself into the bushes! Brilliant presence of mind! Hope the riders were properly grateful!

 

[HardySoul1]

I hope if I ever part company with my pony out hacking that it is you they run towards. So glad this story had a happy ending.
It does highlight how important it is to make sure rider and horse both wear ID tags. So useful ton be able to quickly phone someone who knows the horse or rider.

 

[FfionWinnie]

I think you did brilliantly and you acted on your instincts so you couldn't have changed it anyway!

I was once driving home (with a trailer so not very fast) on a fast road when I saw two westies charge out of a driveway and a guy come after them. I thought for gods sake what's he doing, then realised they were running away. I stopped and intended to try and chase them back the way they came but they had passed me as I got out. I said "hello wee doggies" one stopped to say hello and the second stopped to sniff the sheep trailer and I managed to catch them both. The guy thought I was some kind of dog whisperer (I am a dog trainer but it was just luck and timing!).

Like those dogs you probably saved those horses from an accident so you should be very proud!

 

[Fjord]

Wow, what an adventure! Well done Liath, your quick thinking saved the day I think. Never mind a quick sock in the mouth, the alternative could have been far worse. Thank goodness the riders were both ok and I hope you are having a big glass of wine as your reward tonight.