Most horrible experience of my life!

[caitlin95uk]

Today I saw something I hope I'll never have to see again in my lifetime.

Going for a hack with a range of people from age 11 - 23, we headed down a hack we usually call the water hack, I've made a thread before about heading down that hack with a friend and a horse that had escaped and we called the rspca who seemed to get the horse back into its paddock or it jumped. Either way we headed down this hack which is an official bridle path and comes under a T.R.O.T route. The field which the mare had escaped from same time last week now had the stallion on the outside along with his mare. My friend and I who always take this route told everyone to turn back, going past a stallion with 4 geldings and 2 mares would be too dangerous, but before we had chance to turn around, the stallion came for us, it went straight past the first mare and lunged at the first gelding (G1), or so we thought but he'd actually managed to lock his teeth around the riders leg and throw her through the air and let go once she hit the floor, G1 then trotted towards us.

All of us jumped off in a panic, I let go off my horse as she trotted away with G1 and another pony, the stallion then lunged for another gelding(G2), and another gelding (G3) then tried to defend his pal by kicking the stallion, he then turned on G3 leaving G2 enough time to follow his friends, he locked his teeth into G3's lower neck as the rider screamed and hit the stallion to let go, which failed and G3 only just managed to escape once the stallion loosened his grip, G3 then galloped off and his rider followed.

The stallion then turned his attention to the first mare who was now in the distance, he galloped at her but the rider who was the oldest out of us all got her whip screamed and shouted and waved her hands to get him away, which then made him run back to the gate and his mare.

I got the rider who was up now and walked her to where all the horses had stopped and were eating and where the two youngest riders were sat crying at the blood and the shock of the whole situation.

We got the rider who had been bitten sent off to the hospital and made our way back towards the yard where the horses could be treated.

But the most shocking thing out of all of this is, no one will listen to us and make the fence in which the stallions herd are in safer so they stop getting out. We called the police who refused to do anything, we then called a few charities such as RSPCA and WHW who said its just trying to protect its mare we can't do anything either, even though the horse had escaped and was not far from a main road!

Many riders take this bridle path and the next group of riders who take it may not be as lucky as we were, does it really take someone to be killed before people listen?!

 

[justjoules]

That sounds terrifying, I am impressed at how calm you stayed under that pressure and panic - doubt I would have managed it. Hope all horses and riders who were involved are ok. Will take a while for the shock and upset of that to surpass I imagine.

 

[Marydoll]

Ask to speak to the senior police officer or take to the police complaints commission. I would then turn my attention to the owner of the stallion who has been put into a place where he has attacked both horse and human on a public path, he may not know the bridle way boundries the stallions field. If he chooses to do nothing, speak to an equine lawer about taking out a private prosecution, if my dog bit someone who was walking in a public place id be held liable, i cant see how this is any different

 

[lilaclomax]

Call up your local council and if they do not act responsibly then contact the local papers.

 

[tazzle]

that is utterly shocking....

have you tried to contact the councils rights of way officer as well as the local bhs bridleways officer. The council will probably do more about it than the others can as they have more power in this instance. They will know who the landowner is and can speak directly to them and point out the legal ramifications of this stallion geting out and doing such damage / causing injury. Their offices may be shut now but the bhs bridleways office might be contactable in the evening, Even if (s)he cant do anything tonight it will get reported on and followed up for sure !!!!

I hope that everyone, rider and horses alike are ok after all that trauma ... whilst the stallion was indeed only doing what comes natural one does not expect that sort of stuff on a bridleway.

I am in herefordshire and we had similar where the hedging / fencing was all broken between the bridleaay and the field ...... although in our case it was just the mares and foals but it was onto a very very rutted bridleway and we were afraid for their safety too.

 

[caitlin95uk]

That sounds terrifying, I am impressed at how calm you stayed under that pressure and panic - doubt I would have managed it. Hope all horses and riders who were involved are ok. Will take a while for the shock and upset of that to surpass I imagine.

It really was terrifying and as I'm only 15 and some of them were only 11, panicking would only make the situation worse, so I tried as hard as I could to keep things calm. Thank you very much and yes we are all in a lot of shock there was a lot of tears!

Ask to speak to the senior police officer or take to the police complaints commission. I would then turn my attention to the owner of the stallion who has been put into a place where he has attacked both horse and human on a public path, he may not know the bridle way boundries the stallions field. If he chooses to do nothing, speak to an equine lawer about taking out a private prosecution, if my dog bit someone who was walking in a public place id be held liable, i cant see how this is any different

We think that the horses are travellers that don't travel they may have been dumped as far as we know, never seen a owner grounds covered in ragwort, barbwire fence and a padlocked gate. Some of our parents went round and searched for a local farm or the farmers to find out who owns it but couldn't find any information.

 

[JingleTingle]

That sounds horrendous and just hope all involved are now feeling a little better. This is a very dangerous situation. Many years ago my friend was hacking out on her mare, a stallion jumped out of his field and tried to mount the mare, the mare slipped over and my friend fell off. She was killed by the ensuing scuffle between the stallion and the mare.

I think the stallions owner is totally irresponsible putting the stallion in a field that is alongside a known bridleway - and even if it isn't a known bridleway it should still have stallion proof fencing all around its field - clearly this field doesn't have even vaguely suitable horse fencing.

I would approach the owner and be pretty damn blunt about just how irresponsible and dangerous this is.

 

[Damnation]

If they do nothing, threaten to go to the papers.

That is bloody dangerous What if someone non horsey walked along with their dog etc. Someone could be killed by a loose stallion. Surely the landowner has a duty of care to ensure his stallion is fenced accordingly, especially when its a bridlepath?!

ETA: Having handled stallions I know how reckless they can be at this time of year with mares etc..
And well done to you for staying calm!

 

[caitlin95uk]

Call up your local council and if they do not act responsibly then contact the local papers.

We will look into this! Thank you.

that is utterly shocking....

have you tried to contact the councils rights of way officer as well as the local bhs bridleways officer. The council will probably do more about it than the others can as they have more power in this instance. They will know who the landowner is and can speak directly to them and point out the legal ramifications of this stallion geting out and doing such damage / causing injury. Their offices may be shut now but the bhs bridleways office might be contactable in the evening, Even if (s)he cant do anything tonight it will get reported on and followed up for sure !!!!

I hope that everyone, rider and horses alike are ok after all that trauma ... whilst the stallion was indeed only doing what comes natural one does not expect that sort of stuff on a bridleway.

I am in herefordshire and we had similar where the hedging / fencing was all broken between the bridleaay and the field ...... although in our case it was just the mares and foals but it was onto a very very rutted bridleway and we were afraid for their safety too.

Yes mum is home tomorrow so will get her to call up more people as something really needs to be done! Its so dangerous! Thank you very much!

That sounds horrendous and just hope all involved are now feeling a little better. This is a very dangerous situation. Many years ago my friend was hacking out on her mare, a stallion jumped out of his field and tried to mount the mare, the mare slipped over and my friend fell off. She was killed by the ensuing scuffle between the stallion and the mare.

I think the stallions owner is totally irresponsible putting the stallion in a field that is alongside a known bridleway - and even if it isn't a known bridleway it should still have stallion proof fencing all around its field - clearly this field doesn't have even vaguely suitable horse fencing.

I would approach the owner and be pretty damn blunt about just how irresponsible and dangerous this is.

I was on a mare and my first thought was that he would come after the mares as mine was in season, but he went straight for the geldings so was more likely protecting his mare! And as I've said they are travellers, so it would be just as dangerous to approach the owner if we were to ever find out who owns him, horses are in bad condition anyway so RSPCA could do something!

 

[wellsat]

Thats awful, I certainly wouldn't let that go. I'd be making a complaint about the police if they said there was nothing they could do, the stallion should be classed as a dangerous animal if its attacking people.

I thought horses were covered by strict liability i.e. it is our responsibility as owners to make sure they don't escape and that any damage they do cause when escaped is automatically our fault?

Are any of your BHS members? You may also find you get free legal advise through your horse insurance.

 

[joeanne]

Find the owner and tell him/her you would like the details of his 3rd party insurance for the rider who was attacked by his/her stallion.
Post a note on the fence/gate if needed.
That might wake them up a bit!

 

[MissMincePie&Brandy]

This is a police matter. Did you make it clear how dangerous the situation was? When you are on a legal, public route and you are attacked, suffering injuries, and your safety (even lives) have been put into danger, then it is a Police matter.

I'm guessing that with all the trouble with the riots at the moment, the Police are all exhaused and being stretched to their limits, so I suspect if they didn't quite realise how dangerous the incident was, then they are trying to avoid having to spend time dealing with minor, non-urgent issues at the moment.

I would call your council, and then the police again. Did anyone have to go into hospital?

 

[comet&joe]

thats horribly discusting! I cant believe something like that would happen. Is everyone ok and the ponies too? I really wish people would start to listen before someone gets killed! Just think about it, Imagine if someone who was a teenager was hacking out on their own , they would be prob be seriously injured! Some people :/

 

[caitlin95uk]

We will definitely be calling the police again.
And contacting the owners is more or less impossible, for all we know they may have been dumped in that field and never seen again as its ragwort covered and barbwire and padlocked fence.
None of us are BHS members I'm afraid and yes a 18 year old girl was taken to hospital with a massive bite mark in her leg.
Thanks all!

 

[tinap]

My word, that is horrendous. I hope you are all ok & to hear you are only 15 I must say it sounds like you coped extremely well. Well done on staying so calm!!
I myself would go to the papers or even better, local tv station if no-one will listen. Someone could very easily have been killed. xx

 

[siennamum]

The police didn't do anything!! How disgraceful.

I would get your mum & the other parents to protest strongly to the police and take the issue to the local press, if it was a dog attacking and injuring a child there would be a hue and cry.

It's partly because the police never do anything that we have rampant lawlessness, makes my blood boil.

 

[darkhorse123]

Are you or any of your friends on facebook? If so add horsewatch - preferably one for your local area - if not the nearest.
These are policemen who specialise in equine crime - ask their advice.

I would also telephone or email BHS wether you are a member or not and ask their advice - im no expert but this is what i would do if i didnt get joy anywhere else after such a horrendous incident - good luck x

 

[Syrah]

Have a look at this http://www.tracingequines.co.uk/horsewatch.htm

It lists the police contacts for all areas.

 

[caitlin95uk]

Thank you very much all of you, I dread to think what may have happened if any other riders had gone down there. Were so lucky there was so many of us today as usually its just me and an 11 year old with her gelding and my mare. We would have no chance.

ETS: This cob was a 15hh heavy weight cob, he was pure muscle and the ponies he attacked were only 14.2hh and another only 13.2hh, you can imagine the damage caused.

 

[furball]

I was going to suggest legal action but if its travellers theres probably nothing you can do, they wont have insurance and would probably just laugh at you or get nasty. All you can do is try the police again, have you thought about going to a local news paper?

 

[gingerarab]

Caitlin, can you say where this bridlepath is ?

Can you get your local bhs officer involved, see if they can help ?

Have you contacted TROT to make them aware of the situation, they may have details of the landowner and be able to make a complaint on your behalf ?

 

[Kenzo]

How awful for you.

If your local police station won't do anything, go higher up, log a complaint, you will be pleasantly suprised how things are dealt with if you speak to the right people and the council etc, also you could go to local papers about it as well.

Hope this gets sorted out before it happens again.

 

[touchstone]

I don't know if this will be helpful? From the info on here:-

Horse & Hound explores what can be done about a stallion in a field containing a public bridleway
Q: We live in Wales and have access to many bridleways across stunning countryside and open common land. A Welsh Cob stallion has recently been put in a field which a bridleway runs through.

I have heard of many incidents involving stallions on bridleways chasing people and horses, and fear that if we try and cross the field on horses we will be at risk of serious injury.

I contacted the BHS and local authorities to be told that unless the stallion was a danger, he was allowed to be there and if he injured someone the owner of the stallion would be liable.

Even if he was moved to a neighbouring field, I would worry about him jumping out or escaping as we rode past.

PE, Wales

THIS sounds like an accident waiting to happen so we voiced your concerns to Elizabeth Simpson, a senior solicitor at law firm Andrew M Jackson.

"As you correctly suggest, there is nothing legally to prevent the owner of a stallion from putting him in a paddock containing, or adjacent to, a public bridleway — the horse needs grazing and exercise like any other," she says.

"A horse owner may, however, be liable for damage caused by an escaped horse (stallion or otherwise), if its field was not properly fenced.

"Similarly, a landowner has a duty to prevent horses (whether his own or someone else's) escaping from his land and to prevent horses straying onto his land. Where liability rests can depend on a number of different factors.

"Claims are likely to be brought under the Animals Act 1971," explains Elizabeth.

"Issues likely to be considered by the court might include whether the fencing was adequate, whether the owner was reasonable to graze the stallion in that field on that day and whether the stallion had 'form' for escaping.

"The reasonableness or otherwise of the claimant's conduct will also be considered — someone walking on a footpath or bridleway and being chased by a 'crazed' escaped stallion is a vastly different situation to that of someone riding their mare through or next to a field where he or she knew a stallion to be grazing.

"Common sense dictates that a stallion is likely to be confrontational and so it is inadvisable to put him in a paddock containing or adjacent to a public bridleway."

The BHS has issued an Advisory Statement on the subject (No7: Stallions on Bridleways), which states: "It is hoped that owners of stallions will appreciate that their entires can cause distress, damage and sometimes lifelong disablement by their behaviour. Moreover, the owner of a stallion must be aware that such behaviour is likely to occur if horses are ridden through a field in which a stallion is kept. It is recommended, therefore, that owners of stallions do not keep their stallions in fields crossed by bridleways.

"It has been noted that action on 'statutory nuisance' has been taken against the owner of a stallion under the Environmental Protection Act 1990. A bridleway had been denied to riders for many years because of the presence of a stallion in a field crossed by the bridleway. The County Council, who felt it had few powers in the matter, passed the case to the relevant District Council who was empowered to take action under the Act. The problem was solved in a week, following a letter threatening action under the Act.

"Careful consideration is called for if unpleasant and costly disputes are to be avoided," Elizabeth adds.

Information

Andrew M Jackson law firm Tel: 01482 601310 www.amj.co.uk

 

[VLHIEASTON]

I think you should all take out a private prosecution on the owners!

 

[indie999]

I am surprised that if someone is injured that the police are not going to contact and visit the stallion owner. I would ask to speak to a proper rural police officer as sometimes the police have civilian staff manning phones and stations that dont always fully understand the situation. Always ask for a report number too ie they should give you a record number of your complaint.

I would have thought stallion owner should have public liability as they are liable. If a dog had attacked you etc whats the difference?? they would have been interested.

Make sure you get any photos and records of any injury etc of your friend and any bite marks on anyone or animal.

This is irresponsible so basically the right of way is being obstructed by an out of control animal that is potentially a killer.
If it was a vicious dog they would be down there..whats the difference?? Local paper agree

 

[PeterNatt]

I would suggest that you write to the access department of your local county council and advise them of the problem (Use Royal Mail Signed For Delivery to ensure that there is no doubt that they have received your letter) . They can use the Enviromental Bill as ammended to force the owner of the horses/property to take action to ensure that the Stallion is kept well away from the public right of way (make sure that it is a public right of way).

Also contact your local BHS Access Officer (I can provide you with their contact details if you E-mail me on peter.natt@btinternet.com).

Please also report on the accident on the http://www.horseaccidents.org.uk web site.

Peter Natt BHS Bridleway Officer Hertfordshire

 

[el_Snowflakes]

sounds terrifying and a wonder no one was killed!!

well done for staying calm and handling the situation. You need to get a parent to go with you to the police station. Whoever is in charge of this animal must be made aware/prosecuted. If it were a dangerous dog it would have been dealt with. Remember- if it happens again it could be worse and someone could be killed or badly injured - u MAY be able to prevent a further incident from occuring if you go to the police. Good luck....and I would warn others not to ride down this path again or at least until the situation is sorted out

 

[lamehorse]

the police know all too well whose horses they are . if that stallion belonged to me mrs average tax payer and that had happened i would have been arrested for sure , charged with as much as possible and had to appear in court . it would have been reported in all the papers and i would have been shamed and everyone pointing the finger ! we have the same situation where we are and after several kids being chased by the stallion on their ponies ( public road no less ) everyone knows they must not go near that road when riding. police dont want to know . shameful britain.

 

[Cuffey]

Dreadful experience and totally agree Police should take notice surely akin to being bitten by dangerous dog in a public place.

Please do contact the Council Access staff asap-- until problem sorted it may be best to temporarily close this route for everyones safety. Ask for contact with the Equestrian representative on the Access Forum when you speak to them.

This needs to be put before the Access Forum at some point in the future

The Countryside Service, Worcestershire County Council, County Hall, Spetchley Road, Worcester WR5 2NP, Tel: 01905 768214

 

[AmyMay]

You must get an adult to phone the police today, and they must insist that they act in a proactive manner about this. This is definately a police matter. Ensure that the girl who went to hospital has her injuries photographed as evidence.

Please also contact the BHS and local council.

Thank goodness you were all ok.