I would just like to apologise to all the drivers in Croxley Green

Snowysadude

Snowysadude

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If you were out this morning on your way to work when a fat bloody great big grey poncy horse broke free and was galloping/extended floaty trotting up and down the bloody main roads. Although the scariest experience of my life (especially him going round the corners on the wrong side of the road with cars coming at 60mph towards him, him jumping up 3ft hight and 1ft wide banks to avoid the cars etc and people bibbing.... helpful!!) I do understand that I inconvenienced you, although the rude signs you were giving me out of the windows were not entirely necessary and should have been aimed at the horse. But trying to drive past the horse was stupid so no I will not replace your wing mirror you took off on the wall, I hope you managed to get to work in time.

So on a serious note please make sure that you ALWAYS shut your gates behind you, that you check the field fencing even if the horses go in that field every day and double check the stable door is properly closed, even with the most docile of horses that have been known to stay in their stables with the door left wide open all night (the state of the bed shows they havnt left). I really thought he was going to end up causing a serious accident/having a serious accident or killing someone/himself. Something was in the air today, all the horses were crazy and I lost my other one twice on the yard so he can be led in a chiffney from now on!

Also thank you to the police car with two people in it who managed to come up behind the horse (what great timing) and pick me up, then turn around 3X to follow the stupid animal - as I was failing at trying to run as fast as he was. Scariest morning of my life!
 
Oh my god, how absolutely terrifying!! Glad everything was ok and there were no accidents or injuries. Some drivers really don;t have a clue do they?

Horses - idiots aren't they??
 
Not a nice experience, I know. Been there too, albeit on a country lane.
I hope you can recover your emotions. What a naughty horsie! Glad no-one was hurt.
And agree, hand guestures from other drivers are never welcome at that time.
 
I lost my lad twice on a recent 'fun' ride (I was leading cos he had scared the living cr*p out of me!) and that was terrifying enough and we were in big open fields!! I can't imagine how scared you were..and then once caught how bloody angry!!! Glad it all went ok and hope the pillocks who were being impatient have flat tyres tonight and have to walk home. :D
 
Some of the drivers were purely stupid and panicing him more! But one did stop to help and blocked the road for me (risking her car) so big thanks to her as well. Horses are idiots when they want to be.

He is a horse who never ever leaves his stable (had him almost 2 years now and in that time he has never once tried to escape), so I was just doing my morning routine picking out his feet, door pulled shut but not bolted and something must have startled him and he ran into the door so it opened, took off out the yard, down the lane and onto the main road! Should have shut the door I know but in two years I never have ever bolted his door when Im in there - will be from now on thats a fact!
 
I know how you feel.
My Oh moved our shire into a field next to the steam railway, so that he could get used to the train, "safely".
He heard the train coming and set off to the gate, jumped it, and headed back to his field along the main road of the village,
The chap in the garage saw him, cantering up the road behind a quarry lorry, looking past it as if he wanted to overtake.
By the time OH caught up with him he was waiting to be let back in his original field.
 
How scary glad noone and him wasnt seriously hurt. I always do my boy with stable door unshut. Although since riding new horse i am much better at shutting doors/gates and actually leading rather than just letting him wander to the field!!
Glad all is ok and hope you didnt shout at him too much when caught!
 
Glad he is OK. It must have been terrifying for you both. I do the same thing ie pick out feet etc with my doors open. However, I am fanatical about all my gates always being kept closed and latched shut.
 
Scary isnt it!
I lost a pony on the A38 - the main road to Bristol airport.

Like you say, cars ignored the fact i was clearly legging it after him, and proceeded to 'point' in the direction he had gone - helpful, as i could clearly see him 600m in front, going frigging faster Usain Bolt could dream of!

A nice man, in the nicest car by far to go past, a Porshe, stopped - and let me put my muddy, wet trousers and equally skanky, grabbed last minute feed bowl into the front seat of his immaculate, much loved car, and drove after said satan pony.

He was grounded for weeks - no mobile phone, no facebook and no going out with his mates was allowed!
 
When Beau was a baby she legged it down a slip road to the A1. I had her in 1 hand, owned less than a month and beloved Lottie in the other as neither would stay out alone. Lottie's fault but I was being dragged both ways and simply could not stay on my feet. Everyone does just drive past beeping which doesn't help. Only 1 stopped to help, little older chap with a limp. I thought hmm great, he held Lottie though while I went to see how dead pony was just as she came hairing back to the relative safety of Lottie!!

Terrifying. Soooo glad you're both ok.
 
OMG how terrifying.

Can you get some gates on the yard entrance so if horses escape from their stables at least they can't get out the yard. Mine wouldn't be able to get onto the road even if they got loose in the yard and its saved us a couple of times with spooky youngsters.

Am so glad no-one or Snowy was injured. Very scary.

x
 
OMG!!! Has your heart stopped beating outside of your chest yet??
I lost a friends horse whilst trying to box Melly when I first got her - he is trailer shy and I suppose thought I wanted him in there too!
He took out a 5 bar gate and chuffed off down an unlit country lane in the half light (Hes liver chestnut too) - when I heard tyres screech and a horn blare I thought the worst, luckily it was an old guy who gave the horses carrots who had turned his car and spooked the ruddy thing back up the lane. not fun.

I have never understood why people try and get past lose horses, the last time I found gypsy ponies on the road they were being driven along by a 'twerp' beeping her horn and screaming out of the window at them....handy!!

So glad you and ned are ok, Im assuming now you will have padlocks on gates, and the ned cross tied and hobbled at all times!! :D xx
 
Awful! I too have been there although i was chucked off out on a ride and the blooming bridle came off over his head. He momentarily looked at me and considered staying but nope, he turned round and did the most beautiful trot down the hill to the T-junction, took the left turn (he was on the way home) and that joined another road. I managed to jump in a car and did the "follow that horse" bit but it was horrible following this pony doing the most fantastic extended trot up this fairly lethal 60mph windy country road on the wrong side! All I kept thinking was I am going to see him get hit! Thankfully that didn't happen as a car driver saw him running towards her up the hill and stopped the traffic. In my pursuit car we then managed to overtake him on the straight road and I jumped out and managed to grab him.

Jesus the blooming adrenalin and fear that goes through you is unbelievable isn't it!!! I certainly wouldn't want to go through that again!
 
How bloody scarey and heart thumping! Thankfully there are still kind and sensible people in this world! We once trawled woods, lanes and roads for an escapee Black Shetland (Not ours) and I didn't sleep at night for the thought of some poor driver coming round a country lane and not seeing a Black pony in the dark. Little beggar was found the next day quite happily munching in a Farmer's pasture a mile away.
 
Vicki_Krystal said:
Scary isnt it!
I lost a pony on the A38 - the main road to Bristol airport.

Like you say, cars ignored the fact i was clearly legging it after him, and proceeded to 'point' in the direction he had gone - helpful, as i could clearly see him 600m in front, going frigging faster Usain Bolt could dream of!

A nice man, in the nicest car by far to go past, a Porshe, stopped - and let me put my muddy, wet trousers and equally skanky, grabbed last minute feed bowl into the front seat of his immaculate, much loved car, and drove after said satan pony.

He was grounded for weeks - no mobile phone, no facebook and no going out with his mates was allowed!
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OMG that road is sooooooooooooo busy!!! unless its the stretches of speed cameras! At any point did you think OMG I have just got in a strangers car lol! Shouldn't laugh, was a reaction!! xx
 
Pour yourself a large G & T and relax , could have been a disaster but it wasn't your day or snowies day for a disaster - just a reminder of what could happen...glad your're both OK though .
 
Glad you and horse are sound, I have seen horses loose on 2 separate occasions, I always stop and try to help, I usually have headcollars or equipment on board that can be used to secure them if I manage to catch them!
Oz :)
 
Rosehip said:
OMG!!! Has your heart stopped beating outside of your chest yet??
I have never understood why people try and get past lose horses, the last time I found gypsy ponies on the road they were being driven along by a 'twerp' beeping her horn and screaming out of the window at them....handy!!
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I've caught quite a few escapees in my time and have some bad experiences of driver's stupidity and unhelpfulness from virtually all. The boys in blue are next to useless too.

Recently, I found an obvious gypsy mare and yearling calmy grazing on the approach to a motorway bridge on our lane - the mare was still wearing thirty feet of chain which she stepped and pulled herself short every other tread. Parking up I caught her and began walking her back, with the yearling following to the most likely field a mile an a half away - police car roars around the bend blues & twos blarring - ah, so you've caught them eh? Obviously passed out top detective this one! Ah. said I, could you drive slowly in front to warn the traffic? And they disappeared leaving me carrying that chain! Also had my heart in mouth several times when other cars approached just below warp speed; however; we all survived to have big arguement with said gypsies for interferring with their horses.

On another occassion, I rounded a bend on a well used ratrun lane to find a fantastic showjumper standing in the road having obviously popped the fence he was now casually looking over into a highly respected yard. Hello, I called - no one answered - gate locked. Luckily, another gate had the hinges the wrong way round so I could lift it off - brought said wonder horse in and had a nose about - no one there. Turned horse out in empty arena and went to look for life banging on doors - eventually found a guy who looked at me as if I'd just tried to steal his missus and told him what I'd done. Not a word of thanks, in fact he seemed quite narked that I'd interferred again!
 
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Rosehip said:
OMG!!! Has your heart stopped beating outside of your chest yet??
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Haha just about!! Very glad to read Im not the only one whos lost a horse! Hes normally such a saint was a real shock but I have learnt my lesson. As for gates on the yard there is one and its perminantly left open - have asked the yard manager if she could make it a new rule to have it shut at all times and she said yes so an improvement to the yard anway!

But its a very small world - I teach swimming (one of the many jobs at the moment) and at work tonight the police officer who rescued us and helped me catch him walked in with her son for a lesson! She just asked if the horse was ok bless her, how lovely :D
 
The riding school where I learnt as a child had a Shetland. He was only ever turned out firmly attached to a lunge line attached to a fence. Why? He was a master of escape, his big party piece was to lay flat and 'shuffle' under fences. Prior to the riding school owning him he had escaped from his previous owners field and had been found, very happily, grazing on the central reservation of the M1 :o !!!
 
That must have been a very scary experience! Glad your horse is ok.

Forgive me if this is speaking out of turn but it may also be useful to other people reading it. From what you've said it seems like a loose horse on your yard can get straight onto the road. I urge you to think about what would happen in a fire. I had the experience of releasing 40 horses from their stables in October when we had an enormous fire. The first stables I went to were fully alight and falling down at the back, just minutes after the fire started. Thankfully the horses all headed to the nearest field (we always leave gates open) and settled down to graze with their new friends. Don't rely on any evacuation plans about leading mares here and gelding there etc as it's simply not possible to lead them anywhere. We were very lucky and didn't lose any cats/dogs/horses but other people who came onto the yard in the following weeks said it made them think about their own set-up.
 
^^^ very sensible and have never thought of that. luckily none of ours are i 24/7 and a very small yard.

OP - I feel for you and it is the worst feeling ever. I was in the field in the past couple of weeks and my nervous pony took fright, jumped out with leadrope trailing and disappeared down the road. shes never been on road and I cant remember the last time I cried so much. Thankfully she went into a neighbours garden and not as far as the country road.

Hope your both recovered x that was very lovely of the police woman
 
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