Little hacking accident - feeling guilty.

Birker2020

Birker2020

Well-Known Member
Joined
29 October 2008
Messages
23,591
Visit site
I had the day off work yesterday so went for a hack with my boy down a route we often go on which involved six gates in fairly short succession. Most of the gates are fine but this one is a wooden one and doesn't hang very well. Attached to the opening end of the gate is a bit of string. We came to the gate and I held the string and swung the gate in front of us as hard and wide as I could. Unfortunately the string slipped through my hand so it didn't swing open as much as I had planned and Bailey went to go so I told him to wait but by this time he was half way through and I wasn't quick enough to stop so the gate swung on him trapping him and me. My leg was rammed against the post and he leapt backwards and forwards and somehow managed to get through the gap. I lost a stirrup leather (thankfully it came off) and bruised my leg but we were very lucky. The next gate after this is a gate which is next to a cattle grid. Had I have fallen off I dread thinking that Bailey may have bolted and run over the grid.

We were only 1/4 mile from the yard so after checking him over we carried on to the yard and I started untacking him in his stable (as I always do). Bails decided to stick his head in the manger and somehow (and I cannot replicate this with his bit no matter how many times I try) got his bit stuck under the lip of the manger inside, panicked and pulled and snapped his headpiece of his bridle (thank goodness). By this time I was despairing.

So now I am limping around with a bruised ankle bone and Bailey is waiting to see the physio in case he has sustained any damage to his poll from pulling.

I feel really guilty about the gate but after going through it about 30 times before yesterday and never having any problems with opening it I am guessing it is just one of those things - a freak accident.

As for the manger thing, I cannot quite believe that it happened. Its a Loddon manger so is a proper manger - the design with the lip is to prevent them pulling food out. There was no sharp edges on it, just a smooth rounded lip and everyone tacks up in their horses in their stable as there is no tie up facility. Whenever I leave him tacked up in their (for seconds usually) I always thread his reins through his leathers/irons or put his headcollar on but as I was untacking him didn't do this as I was there with him.

It just goes to show that no matter how careful you horses always seem have a knack of getting into trouble.
 
Poor you and poor Bailey. Hope both ok. You know what? S**t happens. You weren't to know string was weak or manger is of the horse eating variety :-)

Someone will probably come along all hoity toity and say "I would never blah blah blah" but hey, you're both ok and we all do things we regret. Hindsight is such a wonderful thing isn't it?
 
Yeah hindsight is a wonderful thing, could have been worse. I tend to hold onto the horse in the stable before the bridle comes off cause I'm usually using one with blinkers on. Even if the saddle or harness stays on for a few mins, bridle always comes off first.
 
Oh I feel for you, I had a really nasty accident with a bridle gate on my old horse and it affected us both, 6 years on my knee caps still haven't recovered. :(

Going forwards - those wooden weighted gates are a bit outdated and they can be a pain to open, could you contact your local access officer and suggest that they might replace it with a more accessible aluminium bridle gate? Most council's budget year runs Jan-Dec and I find that this is usually the time where they are panicing they haven't spent their budget yet!
 
Oh dear, sounds like a very unlucky day for you and Bailey. I wouldn't beat yourself up about it though, like you said, they were really just freak accidents and neither of you were badly hurt.
 
Honestly don't feel guilty at all. I had a similar incident with a gate about a month ago. Was out hacking with one of the other girls from the yard who insisted on going through the gate first. Now usually if I go first I'll hold the gate open for the next person, but she let go as we were half way through, H leapt sideways hooking my stirrup on the gate latch and the gate by this point had effectively sandwiched us between the post and the gate. To top it off whilst I was trying to free myself she let her horse wander out of sight cue H barging through leaving my stirrup neatly hanging on the latch. Aside from some hefty bruising to my leg there was no permanent damage and H has had no issues with the gate since, but it was rather scary to think what could have been.
 
Nicnac said:
Someone will probably come along all hoity toity and say "I would never blah blah blah"
Click to expand...

Not all hoity toity and it wouldn't stop all accidents but a hunting whip can be amazingly useful in such circumstances if you are half way through a gate and it starts swinging back on you......as well as for those gates that need 'lifting' in order to open or close. :) If I am hacking and doing a route that I know involves gates I always carry one - it has saved my skin on more than one occasion and also enables me to tackle gates that otherwise I would need to get off for. (The getting off isn't the problem, it's the getting back on!)

Anyway, glad you are both okay.
 
gunnergundog said:
Not all hoity toity and it wouldn't stop all accidents but a hunting whip can be amazingly useful in such circumstances
Click to expand...

That Gunnergundog is a really good idea! Have never thought of using it hacking DOH. I usually take a really long dressage whip hacking that I hold out at right angles to keep cars away but a hunting whip would be far more useful with gates. Thanks :-)
 
Glad u r ok. I've been caught on gates too (about 4 weeks ago) and broken bridle headpieces by various accidental means while they were on the horse's head. Throw in falling off while mounting because I'd forgotten to tighten girth so saddle slipped round, etc. Glad u r both ok.
 
I have had a horrible gate incident. My lovely mare was always really helpful with gates and we used to go through one of those ones that dragged on the floor so I would lift and she would walk forward and together the gate would open. One day I did not lift enough, she walked forward and stepped between the bottom two bars of the metal 5 bar gate, realized what she had done and shot backwards taking the gate off the hinges on her leg. I shouted STAND STILL and bless her she did, I jumped off and lifted the gate from her leg and was amazed to see not a stratch on her. How she didn't break something I will never know. Lesson learnt though. Nowadays get off to do awkward gates.😃
 
MandyinIndia said:
I have had a horrible gate incident. My lovely mare was always really helpful with gates and we used to go through one of those ones that dragged on the floor so I would lift and she would walk forward and together the gate would open. One day I did not lift enough, she walked forward and stepped between the bottom two bars of the metal 5 bar gate, realized what she had done and shot backwards taking the gate off the hinges on her leg. I shouted STAND STILL and bless her she did, I jumped off and lifted the gate from her leg and was amazed to see not a stratch on her. How she didn't break something I will never know. Lesson learnt though. Nowadays get off to do awkward gates.��
Click to expand...

Gosh you were lucky! Amazing how strong they can be
 
Having recently come off worse in an argument with a gate you have my sympathy and I know just where you are coming from. If it is any comfort my mare is still ok with gates.
 
Thanks for your replies and suggestions folks. Sounds like some of you have had some terrible accidents of your own.

After feeling Bails neck and poll all over last night and getting no reaction I schooled Bails last night for 20 mins but only in his dually in case he has hurt his mouth. I am going to hack the short block tonight in it as I feel I have a lot of control in it.

Hopefully my friend has managed to get hold of the physio for next week so she can take a look at him. Horses are never simple and Bailey is certainly one that isn't!
 
Update

Have ridden Bailey the last few days in his dually in case his mouth is still bruised after being caught up by his bit in his manger and been on a couple of short hacks. I went back to the 'nasty gate' and did the line of gates again and this time without problem, I felt it was better to tackle them again before I lost my confidence and he lost his confidence too. I'm going to walk up later and tie a longer length of twine onto the gate so it can be pulled further back using the string and hopefully won't slip out of my hands again.

Had my first ever canter across an open field in the dually on the 'nasty gate' hack, decided to play it safe and just canter quarter of the field instead of the whole length in case I lost control but he came back to me better than he does in his bridle. My friend got hold of the physio, sadly she can't make the time suggested and I am working and can't get anymore time off and she only has an hour to spare anyway, so I will have to book her in another time. I've felt all his head, neck and poll area, and he is still able to do his neck stretches so I think he has probably got away with it thank goodness.

I will give his mouth another day's rest by riding in the dually, this afternoon I plan to do grid work in it :) I am assuming I can stop at the other end :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top