Has your horse ever saved you?

[Shantara]

I was watching Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron last night and I love the bit where Spirit (horse) saves Little Creak (man).

Has your horse ever saved you?
eg. from being kicked, from another horse, from falling off? etc..

I was once mucking out one of the pens which had 2 horses in (it's big enough and they go out in a bigger grass field after being worked), Ziggy and Ned. Ziggy was only 3 at the time and very very friendly.
He was getting annoyingly friendly and I was trying to work, so I threw my hands up and shouted "Ziggy!!! Leave me alone!!" He threw his head, but kept annoying me. Ned heard and I saw him sauntering over. He pinned his ears back and gave Ziggy a nip and herded him away. For the rest of the time I was mucking out, Ned stood dutifully between me and Ziggy Good boy!

Lets here your stories!

 

[MrsMozart]

Well done Ziggy


My last horse, Tiggy, was very popular with two geldings in her field (big mixed herd).

I went to get her in one day, managed to keep out of the way of one particular gelding who wasn't best pleased that I was taking her out.

Tigs and I got to the gate pretty much in one piece, when one of the geldings flew at me. I had no-where to go, with a high five bar gate, fencing starting on any upwards slope, huge wood gate post, other horses, open drive to the road, plus I had Tigs on a head collar and lead rope and couldn't let her go amongst that lot!

Tigs saw the attack coming and shot between the gelding and me, shielding me with her body, which she arced around me otherwise I'd have been pulp against the gatepost when the gelding hit her.

She may well have saved my life. She certainly saved me from serious injury.

 

[QueenOfCadence]

My horse has saved me loads of times (also sacrificed me before aswell to a peacock which he freaked at. He threw me on the ground in front of said peacock hoping that it will eat me and not bother to go after him . Silly horse).

But jumping he has saved me loads of times when I've misjudged a stride and he has to either take off far away from the jump or very very close to it. I remember at a show once we were in a 1m jump off (mind you we don't jump higher than a meter because I suck ) and we came in to this beeeeeg yellow oxer (it was wide, I think I have photos somewhere of Goldie standing inbetween it's poles after the show when we went to pose there ). I completely misjudged the stride and he had to take off waaay to early (maybe half a stride earlier than he should have). But he did it for me, didn't refuse or blink an eye - he just did his best and rapped a pole, but managed to clear it

I also remember once I was leading him to his paddock and at one point he just refused to follow me, it was a patch of dry grass and he just absolutely wouldn't go over it - he planted his hooves firmly into the soil and pulled his best donkey face and just wouldn't budge. So I decided 'stupid horse. If you don't want to go out - fine' - I took him back to his stable and he walked with me completely sane and undonkey like. It turns out their was a snake in the grass (literally), one of the other riders, who was also taking her horse down a few minutes later than I had taken Goldie down, stepped on it and it bit her. She survived but had to have a chunk of her flesh removed from her leg to stop the venom from spreading. Ponio probably didn't want to go through the grass to save his own skin (I'm under no illusion ) but he saved mine in the process

 

[MiCsarah]

Yes he has saved me from myself. He has made me happy when I was so low and felt like I had nobody. Hes always there to talk to and can always put a smile back on my face

 

[soulfull]

My last horse Beacon did indeed save me in no small way

We were out hacking and basically ended up past his saddle in a bog. I had to keep smacking his butt with a whip to make him get out. He got so far out and wouldn't move any more until I dragged myself to his side (he wouldn't leave me deep in the bog) he then scrambled out and I was still stuck and sinking and totally exhausted, instead of running off he turned and lowered his head down to me so I grabbed the reins and he pulled me out

He stayed by my side as I crawled on all fours away from the bog and onto a patch of grass. Once I had recovered I got back on and he took me back to the lorry as though nothing had happened.

Another time I was leading him back through a field of other horses when one charged at me and he stood between me and the charging horse. This was no mean feat for him as normally he was a wimp as far as other horses were concerned

He really was a special boy even though he would think nothing of stopping dead at a jump and me ending up on the deck Although he would try and keep me on by bracing himself so I didn't fly over his head

 

[MrsMozart]

What a brilliant lad Soulfull!

 

[tallyho!]

Plenty of stories of saving me but I remember when he saved his fieldmate from the other fieldmate...

Shetty kept getting chased by Welshy for fun and Big Cob ignored them both mostly. Then one day, Welshy decided to get nasty and Shetty hid behind Big Cob. Big Cob decided enough was enough and gave Welshy the biggest, evil "I'll eat you" face ever stopping Welshy dead in his tracks, backing up with his tail between his legs! From then on, Shetty grazed under Big Cobs legs and Welshy grazed alone forever more....

 

[Montyforever]

When i first got Hon i went into the field to catch her and one of the other horses turned around to try to kick me and Honey moved to stand between me and the other horse and took the kick. Can't ever thank her enough for that

 

[Chavhorse]

Not in a Physical way but;

When I had a nervous breakdown last year I had to hand over all care of Vardi to my YO for a couple of months however my OH used to take me down to visit him a couple of times a week.

Whenever I used to appear at the top of the fields Vardi would break away from the other horses and walk the fence line until he reached me then he would walk alongside me until I got to the gate and entered the field.

At first he would simply wrap his neck around me and just stand still (he was at the time in a field of youngsters who were normally nosy little so and so's but during this period they never came up to us) sometimes we would just stand like that for 30 minutes or so and after about 5 minutes Vardi would start to yawn continually.

When I was ready to leave he would walk the fence line with me up to the top of the fields and then just stand and watch until I had exited the gate into the yard at which point he would gallop off and re-join his friends.

After a while as I got a bit stronger he started to pull off my hat and gloves and used to spend a lot of time nuzzling and licking my hands and head again yawning continually the meeting me at the fence line and walking me back continued.

I knew I was recovering the day he stayed with the herd and went back to "oh hi but I am playing with my mates".

Now he is living in the UK and I only see him every 8 weeks or so he carries out this meeting and neck hug on the day I arrive and the day I leave the other days it is "you want to catch me oh ok sigh"

The Strange thing is when he was injured and I basically moved into the field with him he used to rest his head on my shoulder for hours and I would start to yawn uncontrollably my dear friend who is a healer and a Homeopath put it simply as "you helped him and he helped you simpatico"

Can you tell I love my horse

 

[piebaldsparkle]

Sparks was attacked by a GSD whilst out hacking in woods. Instead of dropping me and bolting, she stayed fairly still meaning she was bitten several times and ended up with 7 puncture wounds to her stomach and legs. Owner eventually got dog just about under control. I then dismounted and led home, with my poor mare dripping blood. I had just one bite mark to the heel of my boot, but no idea how I would have fared if I had ended up on the floor with the dog.

 

[littlescallywag]

My big lad "protected" me from a low flying light aircraft in the summer.
I was poo picking the field and he was walking around with me, there was this loud noise and my boy started circling me keeping me tight to his shoulder until the aircraft had flown by then he straightened up and walked beside me as normal after. Never done it before or since

 

[Rose Folly]

When I was a child, hunting in Northumberland on the fells and in Kielder Forest, it was quite easy to get left behind and get lost. For this reason my parents made me carry a whistle, as it takes less energy to blow a whistle than to shout, and it carries further!

On a couple of occasions I did get lost. My other instruction had always been 'find water and follow it downstream'. But on both occasions my Connemara x TB pony led me unerringly to tracks and ultimately to houses, although on the second occsion he had never been in that area at all.

I was amazed at his instinct, as the forest tracks are on a grid system and frankly one looks exactly like another. He also knew all about bogs, of which there are some terrifying ones thereabouts.

It probably helped that we had a very close bond, and I always trusted him completely - and he never let me down.

 

[benson21]

benson saved me many times when we were jumping! But I have said before, if it wasnt for Benson, I would of died. If I had been walking on the road, the car would of hit me, not him, so I feel in a way, he saved my life.
And mentally, Donovan! Between Benson dying and us getting Donovan, I had no reason to carry on. I would lay in my bed, day after day, in so much pain, mentally and physically, really feeling there was no reason to go on.
And then we met Donovan. He has helped heal my heart and my soul, and he gives me a reason to get up in the morning.

 

[Firewell]

My horse has saved me loads of times jumping, no matter what he will always jump but no matter what he will be careful so I don't fall off (e.g once he tripped in a middle of the double and fell flat on his face but he still jumped the 2nd part even though he had to bang his legs on the pole and he kept his head up so I stayed on - star!!)
Also out hacking the other day we met an oil tanker on a narrow country lane flying round a blind bend. My mums horse is nervous in traffic so she was behind me. The oil tanker couldn't stop in time so J shielded my mums horse and stood like a rock as it flew past an inch from his nose. If he had panicked or moved we would have been squished! He stood up really tall as it came towards us with his shoulders squared as well and facing it, so brave, nearly broke my heart!

He can be a bit of a sharp Ginger TB knobber at times and I've very nearly hit the the deck once or twice but he always seems to stop whatever acrobatics he's doing and stands still when I start to come unseated so I don't fall off?! Very odd!! It's like he knows. Strange creature .

 

[tasteofchristmaschaos]

My dog tried to help me bless his heart. I was walking in from the garden, and we were having some work done, so there was scaffolding around. I ducked to avoid a pole, but when I bought my head up hit another. I went really sick and dizzy, I managed to stagger the couple of foot inside and then I passed out. When I woke up the dog was barking like crazy and running frantically in and out of the room, trying to get help. Unfortunatly there was nobody in the house to hear him, but he did try his hardest!

 

[traceyann]

My cob has saved loads but my most recent was from my spanish horse who tried to stamp on me as laying on the floor where he put me. And a man tried to grab me of my horse hacking alone in the woods miles from anywhere and my horse grab his shoulder and shook him and then swung his bum at him to kick he soon ran. I learnt later there at been reports of rape in the woods Im so gratefull to my horse.

 

[brighteyes]

I had a little mare whose refusal to panic saved me one day. We were riding along a bridleway which took us through a field - it turned out to be full of continental cows and their youngsters. They looked almost to be yearling age, not babies, and were very curious about us (I was with a friend on her horse) and followed us skittishly with their mothers bellowing anxiously some way off. A blue and white one decided enough was enough and charged very purposefully at me. She stopped just short of us - and I mean just, maybe a foot short, and I felt its breath on my leg. Erin never flinched - not even a twitch and nor did she when the cow turned and ran at us for a second time, before charging off back to the rest of the herd. We made it to the gate at the top and I dismounted to open it whereupon my legs completely gave way having turned to jelly! Had the cow picked my friend's horse to charge at - we'd have been in SERIOUS trouble. I'm certain Erin's bravery got us through that field in one piece.

 

[Shantara]

These are all so lovely Just goes to show the real bond we can get with them ^^

 

[cobmum]

Shedding a few tears here i must admit!!

 

[Meowy Catkin]

Yes, while hacking once, my chestnut mare leapt sideways, out of the way of a lorry coming round a blind bend too fast and on the wrong side of the road. I held on for dear life.

ETA. If I'd been driving or cycling (which I often did on that road) I'd have been in a head-on collision or flattened.

 

[wyrdsister]

Yes, several of my horses have. Like Traceyann, my little skewbald (who had been badly treated in a previous home and on several occasions landed me in hospital himself), circled me with his body and lashed out at a man who was stalking us on a bike until he fled - the guy later turned out to have committed a series of rapes in the area.

Most recent was a combined effort of my new two year old and my loan mare. I'd walked up through their field with my mum and dogs to check on them, which I'd done dozens of times before, and one of their field mates suddenly flew at mum and my old dog. Mum grabbed her off the ground, because T's too old to cope with being chased and I dived between them, making myself big and trying to send the companion off. Unbelievably (since she's not normally like this), she kept coming, teeth bared, striking out. My baby mare shot across the field and skidded in front of me, mum and dogs, and kept the companion from getting near us, until my loan mare (who was further away and field boss), could hurtle over and properly see the companion off. The baby then escorted us all the way out of the field, while my loan mare stood guard, making sure the companion didn't come back. Very grateful for them both that day - and that it's never happened again!

 

[angrybird]

Vince kicked my ex bf once, think he knew he was bad news and wanted me saved

 

[Dottie]

A bit of a different story, but when my mare was at stud to foal a few years ago, she was turned out with a few other mares who were due too. The field they were in was very hilly so you couldn't see across it. I went to catch her one evening and she was standing by the gate ready to come in, but when I opened the gate she turned round and very calmly walked off. I followed her across the field over all the hills muttering to myself because she was always easy to catch and then she stopped at the top of one of these hills, and at the bottom was a mare having her foal! She had lead me across the field as there was no way anyone could have seen it happen otherwise. The very sad thing is, that she lost her foal s few days after, and I know she would have been a wonderful mum. :-(

 

[Mahoganybay]

My old girl i feel sure saved me from fracturing my hip, about a year prior to retiring her we were out hacking alone (as we often did). We proceeded to go down quite a steep & winding path when she stumbled on something and we fell. As we came down my right side was under her with my hip wedged on a hard grass verge and my mobile phone was in my right pocket (which meant i could not get to it).

I was knocked unconscious for what must have only been a few minutes and came to with my mare on top of me and laying completely still, i panicked and for an instant thought she had died, i could see she was breathing but she was so still. We were down a very quiet path and we lay like that for about 15 minutes before a guy walking his dog saw us (thank god for hi-viz). The guy was an off-duty paradmedic and he quickly went into action, keeping me calm as by this time i was in shock and very upset about my mare, he gently asked my girl to stand and she did very very carefully. Thank goodness she was fine, i was crying with relief but i couldnt understand why she had been so still. The paramedic said he had seen it before with horses and that she knew if she had moved/thrashed about she would have injured me which made me cry even more.

Thankfully i had no serious damage just bruising and when i came home from hospital went straight to the yard and gave her the biggest hug ever.

So when it came to the end of her life i made sure she went with dignity and held her in my arms until her finql breath. God i loved that mare with all my heart. RIP Impy xx

 

[Kacey88]

I haven't had Milly for very long but when I lose my balance she'll go from being super excited to slowing down and stopping until I'm back up again! My instructor often talked about horses that "look after" their riders, didn't think I'd be so lucky to end up with one!

I hope my balance improves soon, she must think I'm a disaster!

 

[Sparkles]

2 times come to mind.

One was the Hairy cob, we were galloping up a hill and went over a badger set which had no actual hole to it anywhere in sight, but there was a huge tunnel which had been dug out underneathe the ground [that we couldn't see]. Needless to say when we went over it, the ground caved in and Hairy somersaulted down it. He fully flipped and I ended up right between in hind legs. My head was on the inside of his two hocks, with my body between his hind legs/sheathe area and my legs in his tail - properly wedged in between his legs. He went to get up to start with, but as soon as he felt me in between his back legs, he stopped straight away, put his head flat out and lay stock still. I crawled out and out of the way, and he put his head up to look at me, but still didn't move to get up. I started panicing thinking he'd hurt himself badly, took his reins and gave him a click and a tug to get up. He looked back from me to his hind legs and then finally got up. We were both fine. He hadn't hurt himself at all...I think he stayed still as he realised that he'd have hurt me if he got up.

Second time was B out on a hack. We were going to have a good canter up a hill with some friends, one of which was a young horse which was a bit antsy that day. We'd gone about 5 strides, I was in front, when the younger horse exploded and went to overtake us to the side. It then kicked out twice at us, the first missed but the second should have got me straight in the knee....however, B hung back and stopped dead, and got doubble barrelled square in the chest and shoulder instead. So in a way, he took a kick for me. He was ok - though a bit swollen for a couple of days.

 

[tonitot]

Ermm no, I don't think Ethel has ever saved me, maybe stopped me from going insane but she has also driven me up the walls. She is quite defensive over me when I go to catch her so maybe that will save me one day

 

[Spotsrock]

L b and my sadly deceased dog saved me from an actual attempt on my life and the going off the rails that followed my survival. Dog-dog is waiting dog me and l at rainbow bridge, I fear l will join him before me. I will always be grateful to my girls and dog-dog.

 

[sandi_84]

Almost in tears reading these and I don't cry that often!
The horse I rode/ spent time with and gave lots of tlc to every day at a stable I helped out at when I was a teenager saved me twice. The first time was when I was leading her into a gymkhanna game, there was a line of horses and owners and I was in the middle. Some idiot woman tried to squeeze her horse (a known kicker) between Bracken and the horse in front and it instantly lashed out a double barrel kick. Bracken pulled me backwards just in time to save me from getting seriously hurt and I only ended up with a small scar on my pelvic bone. The second time she kind of got me in trouble in the first place she was a notorious spooker and freaked out at my neighbour blackberry picking, cat jumped sideways and then ran into the oncoming lane on a very busy road, there was a massive lorry coming at us at speed but instead of her usuall antics she calmed right down and smartly stepped onto the track again much to my mum's relief as she'd seen it all from out front windows

 

[Shilasdair]

Fortunately I have never been trapped down a well.
If I were, though, I am absolutely sure that my horse would gallop to the nearest house and whinny for help, then lead rescuers to me.
S