I need a stiff drink - Eventful hack

Shantara

Shantara

Well-Known Member
Joined
29 August 2009
Messages
7,428
Location
Milton Keynes
Visit site
Since mother is on the mend, I decided to meet her and my Dad at the local park (where we had the swan scare) for a walk with Neddy, to hopefully get him used to it with familiar faces :)
(For those who didn't read - I thought I was going to lose Mum a couple of months back. It was awful!! Thankfully she is almost back to normal!)

I tacked up and set off. We had a lovely steady canter, he was really well behaved!
Then, my heart sank. I saw two horses being ridden in the distance and they were headed my way! Ned has never met another ridden horse out on a hack, when he's been heading away from home anyway. I pretended I hadn't seen anything, but it was too late, Ned had spotted them too.
He stopped and made a sound I had never heard before, it sounded like he was breathing all the air in his lungs out at once! Very odd.
He totally froze, I couldn't move his head and kicking him on did nothing. They got closer and I said to the two riders "Sorry, he's never seen another horse out hacking before" and they were so nice and said "Are you ok? Will you be alright with him?" and I replied that I would...hopefully! I really meant to thank them for asking, but I was concentrating too much on getting him forwards - so thanks ladies!
Anyway, I resorted to pony-kicking him forwards, which worked! He didn't try and follow like I thought he would, I'm thoroughly impressed with him :)

We reached the lane where I asked my parents to meet me and there they were! I could feel him instantly relax - he loves my parents :)
On the way down to the park, we met some more horses in a field and he was really good with them too!

When we finally got to the park, it was full of spooky things.
Geese, swans, ducks, fishermen, kids, dogs etc... and he was "looky" but very good :D
I left my parents and headed back home.


Then it happened...


He is normally very good with gates and will stand while they're opened and closed and to be fair to him today, he did stand nicely until...

He got his bridle caught on the gate and panicked :(
I have NO idea what happened, I just leant forward to open the gate and then he shot backwards. It all happened so quickly! I heard a snap and he stopped. I then realised I was sitting on a bridle-less horse :O :O
I jumped off and was ready to wrestle with him to get him bridle back on before he ran off, but he just stood there looking at me!
I retrieved his bridle from the gate (a Zilco one, where there's a headcollar part and the bridle/bit part) and put the headcollar part on. Turns out it was my reins that had snapped, which makes it even more odd, I didn't exactly have loose reins! I do hate doing gates and now I hate it even more so!

He was so good, he stood and waited and didn't seem worried by the accident. Thankfully we were only about a mile from home and one side of the reins were still alright, so I used that to walk him home.

I thank my lucky stars it was the reins that broke and not the gate, or worse, his neck!!
I don't think I'll ever know what happened, but I know I will be a LOT more careful around gates.


Anyway - Pictures!!!

Had a sneaky jump, I've always wanted to jump those on a REAL horse, even since I was a small child. Finally done it!
Jump_zps9ff3781e.jpg


Not bothered by ponies
P1150585_zps225385c6.jpg


Posing with Mum
P1150587_zpsc315bb57.jpg


He was not impressed about being made to wait while Mum applied plasters to her toes!
P1150591_zps294abb84.jpg


Heading home
P1150603_zps02c7613d.jpg
 
Arrh you look like your having a fab time. I'd get the picture of your mum framed its lovely. Its funny how horses react (or don't) when something like the reins snapping happens. I caught my stirrup on a gate when we went through it. He just froze, let me get off and untangle it. When i think of what could have happened :eek::eek:. They do tend to do the right thing in those situations thankfully.
 
WOW, what a hack !! What shines out is how fab Ned behaved !! Even one of those things would upset a lot of horses, and the bridle on the gate - OMG ! Even Shy would have been shocked by that one, maybe hesitating for a split second before grazing. WELL DONE NED AND WELL DONE YOU !!! :D

i have moved from a yard where the riding had a LOT of gates, to one where there are none - I am much happier not doing gates I can tell you. x

Edit - I am sorry, i didn't know about your mum, so glad she is looking so well.
 
Lovely pics! Espically the face one

I hate doing gates, almost died when my very hot headed tb got his girth caught, he went though a closing gate to get to his mate on the other side as the other rider had to let go of it. There was nothing left of the gate, he bronced on top of me a few times, fell over twice, impaled himself on a tree, threw himself over back wards, then run up the road at full pelt for 5miles, with his saddle between his back legs.

I will never do a gate on a horse again!!
 
Thanks everyone!

I honestly can't thank Ned enough, I hope he knows how proud of him I am! I really never thought he would be such a good horse. Of course he still has his moments, but over all, I think he's super!

MoggyinManolos - I think it's from V-bands, but I might be wrong! I actually bought it from a friend :)

I was pooping myself when I suddenly found I was without bridle...it was a big open field and he could have easy bolted!
 
Costypop said:
Lovely pics! Espically the face one

I hate doing gates, almost died when my very hot headed tb got his girth caught, he went though a closing gate to get to his mate on the other side as the other rider had to let go of it. There was nothing left of the gate, he bronced on top of me a few times, fell over twice, impaled himself on a tree, threw himself over back wards, then run up the road at full pelt for 5miles, with his saddle between his back legs.

I will never do a gate on a horse again!!
Click to expand...

Yikes!!! That's seriously scary :O
I remember hearing about a woman who got her ankle caught on a gate and the horse bolted through, injuring both her and the horse. Thankfully both were ok in the end, but just the thought of everything that can happen!
 
Even those gates with the "horse rider lever" on top scare the life out of me - timing the "swing" to within a second before the gate closes, having to lean forward to reach the lever in the first place. And don't get me started on some of the knackered gates I've had to fight my way through on bridle paths. Downright lethal.
 
Shysmum said:
Even those gates with the "horse rider lever" on top scare the life out of me - timing the "swing" to within a second before the gate closes, having to lean forward to reach the lever in the first place. And don't get me started on some of the knackered gates I've had to fight my way through on bridle paths. Downright lethal.
Click to expand...

It was one of those gates I got caught on!
 
Last edited:
Shysmum said:
Even those gates with the "horse rider lever" on top scare the life out of me - timing the "swing" to within a second before the gate closes, having to lean forward to reach the lever in the first place. And don't get me started on some of the knackered gates I've had to fight my way through on bridle paths. Downright lethal.
Click to expand...

Oooh I hate those gates! Anything sticking out anywhere worries me!
I think there should be mounting blocks at both sides of gates :P that would be very handy as I hate getting back on from the floor and he refuses to let me get on from the gate!
 
Those "handle pointing up gates" are the ones I have come close to losing the bridle on. In my humble opinion, all bridleway gates should have an electric button to push either side, eh voila !!
 
Costypop said:
It was one of those gates I got caught on!
Click to expand...
I've been caught on one of those too. Rider friendly they aren't, at least not the ones with the bent over handle. I was lucky that Henry stopped quick when I asked him to. Glad you were okay, Chan. Sounds like he's come on a treat. Hope your mum is in good health, now, too.
 
So pleased to read your mum is better! Ned is a superduper boy (I've always wanted to jump those little fence thingies too)
 
Thanks everyone :)

I do think something needs to be done about gates, but I just don't know what!

I still can't believe how well he's come on, I look back on old posts and wonder if I still actually have the same horse!

We've gone from having to walk around the school several times before I could get on....
Dressage0211_zpsfb61350d.jpg




...to out and about, going where ever we please :D
P1150602_zpsb2e602d8.jpg
 
SatansLittleHelper said:
Love the pics, love the hi-viz and I dont know what was wrong with your Mum but she looks very well :)
Good boy Neddy :)
Click to expand...

Thanks ^^
She had adhesions, which she has had before, but this time they were 100x worse than ever before. Usually they stay for a couple of days, then go away as fast as they came...but this time she was in hospital for 2 weeks and didn't eat a single thing :( she also had emergency surgery, which scared the living daylights out of all of us!
She ended up with a massive open wound on her stomach and it's still a bit open now D: but thankfully on the mend! It's been about 2 months since she got sick and she's only just getting back to normal :O

He's going to get an extra big carrot today :D
 
Love the pictures, especially the one with your mum. I know from your previous posts you’re Milton Keynes area: if that’s Emberton Park, I’d have probably seen the bit you were jumping (or bits like it) as I used to do triathlons around there until I re-discovered horses!
 
Spilletta said:
Love the pictures, especially the one with your mum. I know from your previous posts you’re Milton Keynes area: if that’s Emberton Park, I’d have probably seen the bit you were jumping (or bits like it) as I used to do triathlons around there until I re-discovered horses!
Click to expand...

That is Emberton :D It's a lovely place, if a little spooky hehe ^^
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top