No one stops for loose horse??!!

[katie_southwest]

Just driving home from the yard and out the corner of my eye I see a horse galloping around riderless
So I pull in and see it go running off down a road - cars driving right past it, dog walkers walking about, people sat in cars eating lunch ! (dartmoor)
Anyway it stopped by a cattle grid eventually and I caught him and managed to find rider - both ok but shaken.
I would *like* to think that if I had a tumble or somehow lost my horse that someone , anyone would stop and try and at least find me, if not try to catch the horse!!
Not a single person tried to help, just sat and watched
I know if people arent horsey they probably dont want to approach a horse, but no one seemed to care that she may of been injured somewhere
Anyways, they are both ok Thats my good deed done for the day

 

[Hovis_and_SidsMum]

Good for you for helping.
i find no one wants to stop to help for anything these days. I've also caught a horse and the number of loose dogs hubby and I have caught is silly. I would always like to think if it were me or one of my animals someone would help.
But sadly i think the number who do is in the decline

 

[katie_southwest]

Well Im afraid when it comes to horses especially I just go into remote control , and dont really think of any danger! He could of kicked or reared he was so worked up and frightened, but tbh if it was me I would hope someone would do the same
Never mind the fact if I fall off my pony just stands eating grass next to me

 

[Hovis_and_SidsMum]

Like you say its just automatic.
The last time we found a dog was in the middle of a busy A road. It was clearly terrified, cars whizzing past on either side and it was growling and snarling with fear. It was only after I'd got hold of it by the scruff of its neck (after bending down to its level so as not to frigthen it further) i thought how dumb I'd just been. i would, and will, do it again in a heart beat though.

 

[nikCscott]

Good job

It is my biggest fear - i always leave the yard gates open so horse could come home if i come off. I've caught a horse whilst out riding once and retraced his hoof prints to find a riding steaming at the ears where the horse had spooked at his own shadow! They were both fine but always chuckle to myself when i get to that spot x

 

[Supertrooper]

Well done for helping, glad that both ok although shaken.

Two winters ago I went up to sort my best friends horse out. As I pulled into yard and got out I heard horses galloping and three horses came bombing up a field opposite us (they were turned out in field) one of them jumped out straight into road. I don't know how it didn't hit any cars, I ran across road and grabbed it's rug whilst trying to phone for help. Poor horse was so freaked out but I kept trying to calm it down. Eventually someone came and got it but in fifteen minutes NOT one car slowed down or stopped and helped me!!

 

[Supertrooper]

Oh and I've also had a situation where a guy was punching his daughter in the street. I called the police but at least five people were stood watching and not one of them had rung them! Amazes me xx

 

[Sprout]

Well done for doing the right thing.

I have caught a horse and reunited it with its owner, who luckily was unhurt and was relieved to see her horse was safe.

My daughter has come off a couple of times on the Forest - the first time I was watched by loads of people as I attempted to catch the pony, and not one person offered to help. The second time as I was racing after the pony on my bike, as he headed towards a road, a jogger offered to help, and she tore off faster than I could pedal and caught the pony, I was unbelievably grateful to her.

I guess if you are not "horsey" it might either not occur to you, or seem to frightening .... maybe.

 

[Kenzo]

I think it's easier for horsey folk like us to stop as it's second nature and think nothing in to trying to catch a loose horse as well wondering where the poor rider has been dumped.

Don't think it's just situation with horses though, some people just let other people take over, not everyone is good at dealing with emergency situations and won't always put themselves in risk if they they someone else can do a better job, but yes some people are just....useless

I've wrestled a gypsy cob down that was loose on the road (again trucks and cars still passing it when it's trotting down the main road) some how managed to keep it contained with Mackenzie bridle that was in my car and chased a Shire back into a field of a main road that nearly collided with our car, again people just drove on.

Well done for helping out

 

[brighthair]

I will always stop. Once stood for 90 mins holding a mare and petrified foal. Foal was that filthy it had dreadlocks on belly and was so nervy. Owner turned up and told me he didn't handle it so nobody could steal it?!
Wasn't happy, had found them loose on a 60mph road, luckily mare was easy to catch and I always have a spare headcollar and rope in car

 

[*hic*]

I did get a call recently from someone who had stopped for a loose horse and got it penned in a driveway. She was fine with the horse, she was ok with it's "friend sheep" but what was getting her hot under the collar was the ostrich that was out with them.

Apparently it was the ostrich's fault they had all escaped.

 

[HarlequinSeren]

Well done for helping, so few people do lately.
This isnt horsey but its the same principal: I spun my car off the road a couple of weeks ago, at rush hour time in the morning. Didn't do any damage or anything but was very shaken up. Of all the cars that saw it happen (and there was quite a lot) only one stopped to see if I was ok! It just seems to be that lately people don't care about others as much as they used to, which is a shame.
HS x

 

[katie_southwest]

Thanks everyone , I dont know its just strange...I see loose horse , reins flapping, galloping around and I immediately think,
1. Wheres the rider, are they ok.
2. Catch the horse before it gets run over or causes an accident.

I guess to some people , or non horsey people, perhaps they dont see the danger of seeing the horse like that, but to me it just seems common sense

 

[ArabianGold]

I fell off my old Arab a few years back and normally he stands and waits for me to pick myself up dust myself off and get back on, however on this particular day when I landed face first in the dirt and caused a nose bleed he decided to take off.. God bless him.

I walked after him watching him cantering off in front of me a little dazed and blood dripping down me... I got to the end of the field to find the rather good looking guy who I pass quite often when riding and totally have the hots for holding my boy by the forelock (gently) feeding him polo's and stroking his neck trying to calm him down looking quite shocked that a ginger horse had gone galloping straight to him.

Before I had chance to open my mouth he said to me, if you wanted a drink you only had to ask no need to throw your horse at me. Needless to say he made sure I got back to my yard in one piece and was safe. Now when we pass (on my new TB bucking and bronking) he keeps saying I'm waiting to catch that nutter of yours so we can have that drink.

It's nice to think that people who are none horsey try to help so thumbs up to them.

 

[katie_southwest]

ArabianGold - Why havent you been for the drink?!?! It reminds me a bit - where we are we often pass marines out marching past on dartmoor and secretly I wouldnt mind falling off then

 

[ArabianGold]

I just never get the time, always busy lol.

Besides I wouldn't know how to engage conversation to get the stage of yes I want to go with my mare she won't stand still for 2 seconds as soon as your leg goes over the saddle she is off.

I think I would chuck myself off in front of a man in uniform lol...

 

[katie_southwest]

I have thought of doing that I will fall off one day because my mare freaks out at their rucksacks and the fact theyre shouting as they march - one day shel do a fabulous spin and Ill fall off Then - theyll keep marching past and probably not even help!!!

 

[stencilface]

I have got in my car before to go and hunt down one of the racehorses near us after I saw it going hell for leather down the main road. I never caught it though, think either someone got there first, or it got home!

My sisters pony slipped its bridle once when she fell off out hacking, luckily she was able to flag someone down, they managed to overtake eek: ) the pony down a long straight stretch of road, and she got out to stop him, which she did - he was almost home though! She put his bridle back round and restarted the ride - didn't want him learning that as a way out!

 

[tabithakat64]

I would stop for a loose horse and have done, also stopped for loose dogs, to get horses legs out of fencing etc.

When I was younger I can remember a lady stopping to help me when my pony was misbehaving.

A couple of years ago a friend of mines pony fell on her on a pretty busy road after being scared by kids throwing fireworks, not one person stopped to help her, I was pretty disgusted by this.

 

[5horses2dogsandacat]

I have to say whenever I've fallen off and a member of the public has been there to help they always have. Maybe its the area Im in, I dont know. I've known people cycle around a ploughed field trying to find the unknown rider of the generally ginger tornado that has come whizzing past them (he has a fantastic inbuilt homing device! )

If I ever see a lost dog I will stop and try and find their owner, I've never come across a horse yet but would do exactly the same thing as I would do for a dog.

I do like to make a particular effort to hold doors open, stand aside for people, remember my pleases and thank you's and anybody I see who maybe in need of I will stop to help. Thing that gets me though is when there's a child standing crying in a shop you stop and ask them if they are ok and where they're mummy is; the mother turns up 5 minutes later and gives you the dirtiest look ever for talking to her child and not even a thank you.

 

[Queenbee87]

I've reunited several people with their lost dogs but yet to come across a loose horse. I wouldn't hesitate to stop though, likewise if someone looked like they were having 'issues'.

Re: RTAs etc I would stop if there was no-one there helping but wouldn't if someone else was assisting and things looked to be OK and under control.

 

[Shantara]

Me and my family have caught a silly amount of lost dogs too! One that we SO wanted to keep (I still look for him, I know he was rehomed)

Only come across a horse once, but there was nothing we could do, but we heard it all turned out alright. A carriage horse had thrown it's driver and come galloping down our road. Not easy! We can't even fit 2 cars down here. I was too young to help and my mum didn't know what to do! We did have a look, but we couldn't find anything or anyone.

 

[jsr]

I personally would always stop for a horse or dog loose, and am eternally grateful to the lady who caught my cob who threw me and bolted towards a main road once!!! BUT I totally understand why the majority of people wouldn't stop to try and catch a horse, alot of people are scared of them and one gallopping is certainly something to be wary of.

I picked up a staffie on a fairly main road the other day, lots of traffic was going around her and it was obvious she was very scared and lost. One guy rolled down his window and said 'oy becareful those dogs will rip your arm off'.....needless to say as a woman who has 3 staffie crosses in my pack at home and has been working in rescue with them for the last 25 years he got told.

 

[Janah]

Last week while driving to work I saw a lady standing by her horse in the village. I stopped to ask if all was well. She said she was checking his shoes as sounded strange and yes, all well. She thanked me for stopping and asking and acted really surprised.

I like to think there are really nice people out there. The majority would actually be scared of a horse quietly grazing in a field or stable without being confronted with a firebreathing monster on the roads.

Jane

 

[Ibblebibble]

i've never had the occasion to stop for a loose horse but i have been in the situation where i've come off my horse and she hot footed it off along the lane, a very nice lady driving by saw me running down the road and picked me up and took me after the horse
I have picked up loose dogs, one a huge rotty who was wandering along a busy A road, as i had 2 at home at the time i didn't think twice about stopping and getting him in the back seat, my poor passenger nearly had heart attack though lol
Also came across a lone hunt hound causing chaos on a road eating roadkill no one else stopped so i did and got her in the car and dropped her off at the nearest house about a mile up the road, they said they'd keep her in until the heard the hounds go back by on exercise

 

[whiteclover]

I always stop for a loose horse and try to help catch him/her. About a month ago in our village I saw a loose horse. I asked my mum whose car I was in to stop and I tried to catch him but couldnt.

 

[starryeyed]

Well done for doing the right thing, glad it all turned out ok.
I too like to think that if (...when!) one of my horses throws me off on a hack, that someone will at least try and herd it somewhere safe. Unfortunately with mine i don't think anyone would be able to catch either (one is awful to catch, i'd probably never see him again! and the other is terrifying at high speed and unfortunately not the type that someone would want to attempt to stop)

I'd always stop and try to grab a loose horse if I saw one, or try my very best to get it out of a dangerous situation, and i like to think most horsey people would. Saying this - years ago when I was younger & in the pony club, the horse we had with us spooked & broke free from the horsebox and not ONE person helped us as we tried to catch the bugger on 300 acres with NO gates!! Was furious! So many people there, just stood watching and then went home. Not even an offer - it would have only taken a few cars to block gateways but everyone went off as fast as they could! Took about 6 hours (and one very exhausted horse running after him) to try and get him and only then was it on his terms, once he'd had enough and wanted to go home for dinner.

I once caught a horse on a XC course when its rider had come off, somehow managed to grab its reins from my surprised horse as it charged past wide-eyed, and almost ended up getting towed away with it but luckily at that one everyone was very helpful and the horse was reunited with its owner very quickly.
Another time we came across a loose horse was when we were out hacking, just walking down a quiet road and suddenly someone's youngster leapt over the hedge in front of us and bolted off down the road! Terrifying, luckily we herded it into it's yard (handy) and had to go and knock on the door saying "...your horse joined us!"

 

[FionaM12]

I did get a call recently from someone who had stopped for a loose horse and got it penned in a driveway. She was fine with the horse, she was ok with it's "friend sheep" but what was getting her hot under the collar was the ostrich that was out with them.

Apparently it was the ostrich's fault they had all escaped.

That's like the start of a mad joke: "A horse, a sheep and an ostrich were walking down a road...." etc.

(still giggling at the idea of it being the ostrich's fault....)

 

[paddy555]

Thanks everyone , I dont know its just strange...I see loose horse , reins flapping, galloping around and I immediately think,
1. Wheres the rider, are they ok.
2. Catch the horse before it gets run over or causes an accident.

I guess to some people , or non horsey people, perhaps they dont see the danger of seeing the horse like that, but to me it just seems common sense

I too am on Dartmoor and I'm afraid it doesn't suprise me at all. Like you I would go in with all guns blazing to catch the horse and sort out the rider

I broke my ankle long reining on the common and ended up sitting in a deep rut holding a horse whilst OH went to get help. I was there for an hour and I don't think I looked very happy yet lots of walkers came past me and ignored me. Eventually I just couldn't hang onto the horse as he was too excitable and had to let him loose. Again no one helped.
The mountain bikers were horrendous. They were furious that I wouldn't move out of their track yet not one asked if I was OK.

Finally my faith in human nature was restored as 2 girl students came past and offered to help. I said everything was in hand and unless they could handle an arab I was fine. I was in luck. One girl pointed to her friend and said she used to own an arab. She rode him home for me. So there were some good people.

 

[fidleyspromise]

Its amazing the amount of people I talk to and they are scared of horses, so its not surprising that they will just carry on as they are intimidated by horses.
We are used to their size but to some, anything bigger than a dog is VERY MAHOOSIVE.

If your not horsey and are terrified what realistically can you do?

Its our first instinct to go and catch it. Well done you and glad all is ok x