nasty accident in the paper

[Cahill]

http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/...ers_after_pony_attack__say_horrified_parents/

oh dear not nice-
but foot in loop of stirrup leather?
pony `attack`?

 

[Pedantic]

Wants to enable cookies, so can't read it..

 

[sarahann1]

Hmm, pony got a fright, reared up (to what extent isn't described), young lass fell off, pony got further fright at the lass dangling by its side so did what can horses do by nature and lashed out, lass got the brunt.

Awful accident, the family are baying for blood from someone, I hope the people running the pony rides are well insured.

 

[poiuytrewq]

Gosh how scary that must have been,
At the end of the day these things happen. They are animals and however bombproof a pony no one can be 100% sure how it will react to say- being hit in the face with flying plastic.
No mention of a hat or not. I assume she had one on but not sure on the stirrup leather bit?!

Hope she recovers well.

 

[SpringArising]

That's awful. Poor little thing. I've seen people put the children's feet in the leather loop before if they can't reach the actual stirrup and it's terrifying.

 

[fatpiggy]

It wouldn't surprise me if the "bit of plastic" that apparently flew past the pony's face was an empty crisp packet or similar. It would help no end if people used waste bins or better still, took their rubbish home with them. A very nasty incident which could have been fatal, but an accident. Given that it was quite a big event I would imagine there will be insurance. But that probably also explains why there hasn't been any "friendly" contact with the family. Perhaps someone local will be able to show the poor little girl that ponies can be nice too.

 

[Goldenstar]

Poor child but it could have been much worse .

 

[3OldPonies]

Poor little girl, I should think everyone was absolutely terrified at the time. I do wish her all the best for a speedy recovery and hope very much this won't put her off ponies for life and if she wants to ride that her parents let her at a proper riding school where the shortcut of putting feet through the stirrup leather rather than not shortening the leather is something that just wouldn't be done. I suspect this is why the silence from the organisers and pony ride operator - they may not be covered by insurance as the tack wasn't adjusted correctly - so possibly aren't covered? I've always hated seeing this sort of thing at shows, the last time I saw it a few weeks ago, tbh anyone with an ounce of sense wouldn't have let their children ride; bored dirty ponies, scruffy handlers, scruffy bashed looking hats to hire, dirty tack, dirty lorry the list goes on . . . but it was really popular with the masses who though they were getting a bargain at £2.50 for a plod up and down. This was at a local steam fair so the potential for disaster was huge with steam engines letting off steam and whistling. There were also heavy horses on the showground, and when not displaying they were in a separate field away from the engines and when they came down to display so did an awful lot of grooms and helpers to keep people at a safe distance; it just showed the pony people up even more as being less than professional.

 

[Archangel]

Looking at the photo - 'Babe' doesn't look too chuffed about the sudden arrival of a floaty skirt. My Arab is very quiet (Babe looks like an Arab in the photo I think) but unexpected things like floaty skirts need to be introduced with care. Also there is no way I would let anyone let along a child put a shoe without a heel in a stirrup. Poor girl it must have been terrifying.