Lost my horse due to stable door accident - stable doors?

M

MagicMelon

Well-Known Member
Joined
6 November 2004
Messages
16,386
Location
North East Scotland
Visit site
So the local landowner decided to log lots of trees opposite my horses field. I'd brought one of my horses in as he had a slightly swollen leg and I didnt want him galloping about with all the noisy huge machinery. He'd been in 2 days as the chainsaws worked their way up the wood towards us, then one evening I heard a crash and found him outside having burst through his stable door smashing it to pieces - this is a decent traditional stable door, solid thick layers of wood with big metal strip along the top with bolts and kick bolt etc. that was only 2 years old. So I put him in my other stable for the night. Found him in the morning in a very bad way having broken the top bolt and bent the door out (with the kick bolt still solidly in place) with his knee wedged firmly through the gap in the door. Blood everywhere. Long story short, he'd gashed in 3 places down to the bone. We were dealing with that but he lost a lot of weight over the past week and box rest would have been at least 2 months, he had also clearly done something to a hind leg/hip probably from his first stable door destruction. I had to make the decision to PTS which was truly horrific but he was an old boy and was already mechanically lame so I felt the best choice for him :(

Anyway, my joiner who did the doors originally has said he can redo the doors but is there any type of design which are possibly safer somehow? I hated that the kick bolt didnt give way once the bolt had for example, I then couldnt release him as all his weight was on it (took a strong make neighbour to kick it free) - are there any quick release bolts and kick-bolts available these days? Or any advice as to how to make the new ones safer somehow? I will be getting anti-weave grills so no horse can be encouraged to jump out, does this sound enough?
 
That sounds horrific MM, loads of hugs x x

The only thing I can think of is to put two bolts (one top and one middle) and a kick bolt at the bottom.

They might stop the door pivoting and leaving a gap if either top or bottom opened..

So sorry for your loss :(

Fiona
 
Wow I am so sorry to hear that!! I'm really not sure on advice as it's not something i've considered before but I didn't want to read and run as that sounds like such a horrible ordeal for you and your horse :(

I hope you're coping ok! I would think a grill would discourage a horse from trying to jump out. On our stable doors we just have the one bolt on half way down. Unless you have a very large or very long necked horse they can't reach the bolt to let themselves out but I imagine it would break if one tried to climb over.
 
That sounds horrible - I am so sorry.

I think you have to console yourself with the fact that it was a pretty safe door and you cannot predict everything that a horse will do. He was not even a youngster that you might anticipate being a problem.

The old saying 'where there is livestock there is dead stock' has never been truer.
 
horrible situation to face, but not much that could of been done differently. We can try our best to stop injuries, but cant stop them all. I personally do find mine are safer out when there is 'scary' stuff happening- we have a pheasant shoot at our yard. However, it is true that when they are lame you were trying to protect them.
I know someone whose new horse reared by their stable door, hit his head on the beam above and died. only had him a week. freak accidents
 
So sorry to read this. I don't have kick bolts at all. If your stables are such that an escaping horse wouldn't be dangerous I'd just screw the bolt on the top and one at the bottom, knowing they'll give way if needed.
 
meleeka said:
So sorry to read this. I don't have kick bolts at all. If your stables are such that an escaping horse wouldn't be dangerous I'd just screw the bolt on the top and one at the bottom, knowing they'll give way if needed.
Click to expand...

My kick bolts and ordinary bolts are both screwed on with the same length screws, so surely one is as likely to give way as the other??

Fiona
 
What a terrible thing to happen. As others have said, I don't think there was much wrong with your doors, it's just bad luck that the kick bolt didn't give way and he got his leg trapped. Sliding doors might be safer as long as they pop out of the runners if they're put under a big strain? If you have room for them to slide, it might be work looking at them to see what in-built safety mechanisms they have?
 
Fiona said:
My kick bolts and ordinary bolts are both screwed on with the same length screws, so surely one is as likely to give way as the other??

Fiona
Click to expand...
if the door is pushed outward the bolt bit should pop out of the keeper. I don't bother doing up the bottom but I realise that could end up the same way, with a leg stuck in it. I dont have kick bolts because I've been stick in a stable too many times when they've closed accidentally. Perhaps shorter screws will be a short term fix?
 
So sorry for you.

I was only thinking about this today having read about a couple of horses who managed to escape a fire by bursting through their doors, another horse that didn't died. I was looking at my stable doors and wondering if we make them too strong nowadays. Somewhere there is probably a middle ground but it's difficult to decide what that is.
 
What an awful accident OP, so sorry to hear you lost your old boy in that way.

It really does sound like a tragic accident, I am not sure what could be done to prevent reocurrance. Maybe having a couple of additional normal bolts on the door might help? So you would have one at the top where it would be normally, then a couple more underneath it (maybe 4-5 inches apart) and then the normal kick bolt at the bottom.
 
Rather than having a stronger door, would it be viable to have a taller door, maybe with a bar across the gap at the top? We have an odd arrangement, with three stables that interconnect, the doors are the same height as the inner walls, with a top bar to stop horses biting each other. The outside door is also the height of the inner wall and we have two who we wouldn't trust in the other stable, with a normal height door, as their default reaction is up with the front end, the higher doors prevent them being able to push the door with their chests.
 
MagicMelon said:
So the local landowner decided to log lots of trees opposite my horses field. I'd brought one of my horses in as he had a slightly swollen leg and I didnt want him galloping about with all the noisy huge machinery. He'd been in 2 days as the chainsaws worked their way up the wood towards us, then one evening I heard a crash and found him outside having burst through his stable door smashing it to pieces - this is a decent traditional stable door, solid thick layers of wood with big metal strip along the top with bolts and kick bolt etc. that was only 2 years old. So I put him in my other stable for the night. Found him in the morning in a very bad way having broken the top bolt and bent the door out (with the kick bolt still solidly in place) with his knee wedged firmly through the gap in the door. Blood everywhere. Long story short, he'd gashed in 3 places down to the bone. We were dealing with that but he lost a lot of weight over the past week and box rest would have been at least 2 months, he had also clearly done something to a hind leg/hip probably from his first stable door destruction. I had to make the decision to PTS which was truly horrific but he was an old boy and was already mechanically lame so I felt the best choice for him :(

Anyway, my joiner who did the doors originally has said he can redo the doors but is there any type of design which are possibly safer somehow? I hated that the kick bolt didnt give way once the bolt had for example, I then couldnt release him as all his weight was on it (took a strong make neighbour to kick it free) - are there any quick release bolts and kick-bolts available these days? Or any advice as to how to make the new ones safer somehow? I will be getting anti-weave grills so no horse can be encouraged to jump out, does this sound enough?
Click to expand...
Sorry to hear this MM tragic accident and loosing your sweet boy.
 
I am so sorry to hear this MM, and have no idea I'm afraid of how you make a door that "gives" at the bolts when generally speaking we want the opposite. What a horrid thing to experience, you have my deepest sympathy.
 
Thanks everyone for your thoughts, it was horrific with a very sad ending. I noticed something the other day when I was at a local livery yard - their stable doors had a metal/steel frame all the way round (down the sides as well so one big square). Im assuming this would give it stability and stop it bending like mine did? Mine only have metal strips top and bottom, nothing at the side (just wood). Perhaps this would help? Along with anti-weave grills which I will add, my horses have always been pretty chilled out and my stables are very big so Id never thought one would try to jump out (especially something of his size - 17.1hh WB).

Ive been told by the landowner opposite who chainsawed the first lot of trees that they've decided to bring down the rest any day as well which means the machinery will be right beside my horses fence (with a small road in between). Now I dont know if they're safer in or out :(
 
Rowreach said:
Do they know what happened to your horse MM? Is there anywhere you can move them away for a few days or even hours while they are working?
Click to expand...

One of the landowners workers called me just after it happened but about another matter so I did tell her what had happened and to inform her boss, I hinted I would be considering sending him my vets bill at the time. She said it would need to be argued out with the company doing the logging so I might send them a letter once I get hit by the huge vets bill I'm waiting for (which is just the final kick in the teeth really), they don't know the end result. I totally understand that they have every right to cut down those woods, but I firmly believe they caused my horse to react the way he did so I feel its brutally unfair that I ended up destroying one of my horses and now have a huge vets bill to find money for (which I dont have as my house works finishing any day now, have gone over budget).

Meantime, a huge piece of machinery went into the wood right opposite my house today to start loading up logs and the horses didnt seem concerned. They live out and are generally pretty sensible but I did tell the landowners worker that I demand to be informed when they begin chainsawing the remaining trees right beside us so I can stay outside watching the horses during it.
 
I think you should let them know now, in writing, that as a result of the accident your horse had to be pts and state that you need to know, in advance, of future work being carried out. Whether you then send them the vet's bill is another matter.

I've recently had an issue with the new owner of my farm where I am still keeping my horses, who has demolished buildings right next to where mine are stabled/turned out in small all weather areas. At first they were good about letting me know but recently I've come home from work to find whole barns have disappeared within feet of my horses. The inconsideration and lack of any vision as to what could happen astounds me, but these people clearly need to have it spelled out to them, so do it.

I am so sorry you lost your horse, I've been thinking of you a lot.
 
It is crazy that other people don't understand how their actions can affect other peoples animals, I think many consider horses as the same as sheep/cows. They dont realise that horses are way more flighty (and therefore accident prone) by nature. So selfish :( The vets bill isnt a massive issue (it is a pain from a practical money point of view) and obviously the worst bit is losing my horse, but Im considering sending it to them so it sinks in exactly what damage they've done and might consider being more careful around horses in future and learn to inform owners better.

Thanks Rowreach for your thoughts. Still can't believe he's gone to be honest, Im sure Im reading too much into it but the horses keep hanging around where he's buried in their field :( They were all lying down on the earth the day after and one keeps digging there, I have to keep leveling it :(
 
Yes I think it would do no harm to let them see the bill, but I suspect they will dispute it being anything to do with their actions. And anyway as you say the worst bit is losing your horse.
 
how awful sorry to hear of your loss. I would have a traditional bottom door with a bolt and kickover bolt and have a mesh top door which is fixed top the bottom door so they close together. that way air is let in but the horse cannot get its head and neck out of the stable and therefore cannot break out.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top