Leo Walker
Well-Known Member
I was very lucky. I managed to haul him off balance enough to get him onto someones drive and he got stuck on 2 huge concrete gate posts. He snapped a shaft clean off and bent the other one out of shape. Thanks to quick release harness we got him out even when he was going mental.
If I hadnt managed to stop him doing a complete 180 he would have flipped the carriage and gone back through the village which is lots of narrow roads with cars parked, so god knows how much damage would have been done. If there had been a person on the path or a car in the road when he did it he would have gone over the top of them.
Even though the carriage is sitting damaged in someones garden I feel very, very, very lucky that things went the way they did. I dont know why he did it, the more I think about it the more concerned I get. He was completely fine, trotting along and then just flipped. Once we had him out he was clearly expecting a beating, once he knew that wasnt happening he walked home like a donkey.
I'm getting the vet out and having him scoped/worked up as appropriate but unless something comes up thats a clear cause and fixable he wont ever drive again. Its one thing putting myself at risk, but another completely putting other people at risk.
I'm devastated. I love the bones of him. He owes me nothing and if he doesnt want to or cant do it anymore I am more than happy to retire him. But hes a complete idiot. If he works hard hes lovely. If he doesnt he jumps out for the hell of it and is a complete pain. Hes always refused to live out, which is fine when hes working. I'm going to try and find him turnout in a settled herd where they all live out and see if he settles. The alternative doesnt bear thinking about
If I hadnt managed to stop him doing a complete 180 he would have flipped the carriage and gone back through the village which is lots of narrow roads with cars parked, so god knows how much damage would have been done. If there had been a person on the path or a car in the road when he did it he would have gone over the top of them.
Even though the carriage is sitting damaged in someones garden I feel very, very, very lucky that things went the way they did. I dont know why he did it, the more I think about it the more concerned I get. He was completely fine, trotting along and then just flipped. Once we had him out he was clearly expecting a beating, once he knew that wasnt happening he walked home like a donkey.
I'm getting the vet out and having him scoped/worked up as appropriate but unless something comes up thats a clear cause and fixable he wont ever drive again. Its one thing putting myself at risk, but another completely putting other people at risk.
I'm devastated. I love the bones of him. He owes me nothing and if he doesnt want to or cant do it anymore I am more than happy to retire him. But hes a complete idiot. If he works hard hes lovely. If he doesnt he jumps out for the hell of it and is a complete pain. Hes always refused to live out, which is fine when hes working. I'm going to try and find him turnout in a settled herd where they all live out and see if he settles. The alternative doesnt bear thinking about