Learn from my mistake! Daft alert...

now_loves_mares

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One of the best things about HHO is how reading about accidents/near accidents others have, reminds you to be careful yourself. So in that spirit, I will share how me being lazy and a bit daft nearly went badly wrong!

Went down to the field to feed my two this evening. I tie them up to eat as they have different supplements and tend to swap feeds if I don't. Both were tied and turned my back to get the feeds. However, I had tied them up on long ropes so they could eat their tea. In the seconds I had my back turned, one of my girls lifted her foot to paw for her tea, of course put it over the rope, realised she was stuck and started to panic. Cue some rearing and struggling. I tried to untie the rope but as the string loop was a bit small it wasn't easy to do, and it was actually the clip of my leadrope that broke. The string was tied round the fence, which was "giving" as she was struggling, so the clip ended up being the only solid thing that would snap
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Horse seems ok. She was a bit stressed but soon calmed down for her tea. There was no broken skin, though a mild rope burn behind her fetlock - just snapped hair though, no skin damage. She may well have tweaked a muscle while her leg was stretched out over the rope, but she seemed sound and is off for a couple more weeks anyway with a foot injury, so I'll just keep an eye on her till then.

Poor girl - stupid mother
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. From now on I promise to be good and not leave them with trailing leadropes for a second
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now_loves_mares

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I know, funny how quickly she "overcame her fear" when the bucket was put in front of her
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Bless, she was very good really! It's just so frustrating how horses can do such unbelievably daft things in the blink of an eye
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Ezme

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I'm totally parioid with ropes. There was a storm at arlington one morning so me and rich rushed out to get neds in (in two different fields so he went one, i went another) and one of the headcollers he had had a tight knot in it (from something else) so he wacked it on the (then) 19yr old who's as safe as houses as he was "only 50yards from the yard" and then of course man fixing storm drain dropped the metal bit into the trench making an unholy noise, the "safe old sod" pulled back pulling the rope through rich's hand breaking two of his fingers..... londitudinal fractures too, took 8 weeks to heal and were still weak for a while after that.

Lesson learnt, NEVER have knots in lead ropes!
 

kimky

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i am lazy , trailer ties, on thin bale twine
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there great elasticated for a bit of give and have a quick release thingy incase :p he he
 

ironhorse

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Mare that my friend has in for schooling managed to break the snap on a trailer tie - sheared it right thru, so beware of them with real thugs!

I also have a 'stupid' to confess - fetching mare in from electric fenced pen at our old yard, put three strands of the electric 'gate' on the ground to avoid getting a zap as we slither thru the mud towards the gateway. Turn mare round in gateway, slacken rope to let her graze the grass path as I fiddle with the first strand of the 'gate'. She puts her nose on the second strand, gets a massive zap, pulls back. Think I'm going to be able to hold her so hang on to nylon rope until it starts to remove skin, then have to let her go and she gallops up the grass track. Manage to catch her, but not before she's got a couple of nice rope burns on her fetlock. GAHHHH!
Moral of the story - keep horse's noses away from electric tape, wear gloves and don't use nylon ropes for turning out!
 
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