FionaM12
Well-Known Member
Okay, tonight was a reminder how easily an accident can happen when you don't think things through or aren't assertive enough. 
There's a huge friesan mare on Mollie's yard, and her owner is abroad for a month, leaving a teenage friend to look after her mare. The mare is lovely, but spirited and a kicker around other horses.
I was lungeing Moll in the school, and the teenager came to the gate on the friesan mare, and asked if it was okay to ride in the school while I lunge. This often happens at this yard, and I know lungeing and riding in the same school is a big no-no but usually the rider keeps their horse down at the other end and all's well.
So, I said yes, as long as you stay at the other end, I'm nearly finished anyway...
I know now that was the wrong thing to say, especially as I'd never seen the girl ride and assumed she was going to be in control of the mare.
In the few minutes we shared the school disaster nearly happened. The friesan mare decided she wasn't staying at the far end, and tanked off to our end. She ploughed past us only just avoiding coming between Mollie and me, ditched her young rider and for an awful moment myself, teenage girl (lying on the ground) Mollie and loose excited friesan were all in the same corner of the arena, both horses moving at speed...
Thank goodness, for once Moll was sensible. She came to an abrupt halt, allowing the other mare the charge past, without hitting the lungeline and I was able to quickly gather up the slack as the teenager got to her feet unhurt and went to catch her mount.
Needless to say, I left the arena. But in those few seconds I saw exactly how stupid I'd been and what could have happened. If the mares had fought, if Mollie had taken off in panic, if either had got tangled or tripped on the lunge line, if the girl had got trampled.....
Next time someone asks "May we join you?" (or tries to come in without asking, which does happen
) when I'm lungeing, I'll make myself unpopular by saying no. Lesson learnt.
There's a huge friesan mare on Mollie's yard, and her owner is abroad for a month, leaving a teenage friend to look after her mare. The mare is lovely, but spirited and a kicker around other horses.
I was lungeing Moll in the school, and the teenager came to the gate on the friesan mare, and asked if it was okay to ride in the school while I lunge. This often happens at this yard, and I know lungeing and riding in the same school is a big no-no but usually the rider keeps their horse down at the other end and all's well.
So, I said yes, as long as you stay at the other end, I'm nearly finished anyway...
I know now that was the wrong thing to say, especially as I'd never seen the girl ride and assumed she was going to be in control of the mare.
In the few minutes we shared the school disaster nearly happened. The friesan mare decided she wasn't staying at the far end, and tanked off to our end. She ploughed past us only just avoiding coming between Mollie and me, ditched her young rider and for an awful moment myself, teenage girl (lying on the ground) Mollie and loose excited friesan were all in the same corner of the arena, both horses moving at speed...
Thank goodness, for once Moll was sensible. She came to an abrupt halt, allowing the other mare the charge past, without hitting the lungeline and I was able to quickly gather up the slack as the teenager got to her feet unhurt and went to catch her mount.
Needless to say, I left the arena. But in those few seconds I saw exactly how stupid I'd been and what could have happened. If the mares had fought, if Mollie had taken off in panic, if either had got tangled or tripped on the lunge line, if the girl had got trampled.....
Next time someone asks "May we join you?" (or tries to come in without asking, which does happen
) when I'm lungeing, I'll make myself unpopular by saying no. Lesson learnt. 
