OMG, remember the woman who was anti - horse sharing ?

Noels_Star_Chaser said:
At the end of the day she lost her life, why pick over the bones? None of us were there, we were not on the horse and as there are a lack of witnesses everything is guess work. Its a sad day for anyone to lose their life in such tragic circumstances. The fact that she warned about the potential cost of sharing is more tragic as that is how she lost her life, sharing someone elses horse.

I hope she rests in peace.
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Couldnt have put it better myself.
 
mcnaughty said:
In fact they are saying it was the horse's past race training that could have made this happen. The rider tensed up, tightened up the reins and lent forward. The inquest has put this as the reason for the horse "bolting" - basically it thought the rider was asking it to go faster!
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This isn't a racehorse thing, alot of beginners when they get tense or lose balance slightly lean forward and grip with their legs. Alot of horses would take this as a sign to go forward, I've seen the same thing happen with forward going horses many times including one time at a riding school where the horse got faster and faster till it couldn't make a corner and slipped over. That was a heavy hunter type.
 
I had an experience like this - completely my own fault - I was riding an ex-racehorse that we had on loan for my daughter - a lovely gentle kind horse. I was excercising it with a friend around the fields where we were at livery. We decided to go for a brief trot - I then decided to go for a short canter - now me being old school, always cantered off the horses back leaning forward. The horse took this as 'go faster' which he promtly did - I pulled back on the reins - yes I know the last thing I should have done - and he took off like a rocket. I made the decision to go for the 'inelegant flying dismount'.

I felt a right prat - lying there in a patch of mud - whilst my friend stood over me white as a sheet. The horse calmly walked back to me and looked at me as if to say 'What you doing down there' - I got back on and continued with our ride.

A lesson learned -I was lucky in that I made the decision to dismount - I should have remembered that he was an ex-racehorse - I should not have been such a prat!!

Sad that the lady lost her life, I think it was made clear at the inquest that she was considered to be inexperienced. Still sad all the same.
 
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criso said:
This isn't a racehorse thing, alot of beginners when they get tense or lose balance slightly lean forward and grip with their legs. Alot of horses would take this as a sign to go forward, I've seen the same thing happen with forward going horses many times including one time at a riding school where the horse got faster and faster till it couldn't make a corner and slipped over. That was a heavy hunter type.
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It is also exactly what happened in "When Nicki Met Carl" Nicki Chapman was riding one of Carl Hester's horses, she got a bit more "forward" than she had bargained for and reacted by tensing, and gripping thus sending the horse forward even more, and she took a tumble.

If that can happen to an average rider whilst under tuition from one of the nations top trainers on a horse trained by one of the nations top trainers then it can happen to pretty much anyone.

It takes quite a lot of experience and confidence not to react that way when things start going wrong, and many horses react in the same way, even safe and steady riding school types can do. It is one of the many risks of the sport, that your self preservation instinct acts against you.

Happens in other sports too, many people instinctively react in a counter productive way when a car or motorbike skids for example.
 
How terribly sad for her and her family. However, I fail to see the point of it, apart from the inquest being reported. All horses are unpredictable, its the risk we run as riders. I am not a fan of ex racers, not my cup of tea, but to tar them with this brush is unfair. My bombproof old cob can pull some stunts if he chooses to - no horse is immune.
 
It is a very sad story for all concerned, but I agree with some others here that she probably wasn't experienced enough for the horse; she may have been an experienced rider but not with ex-racehorses. I do think that ex-racers have to be managed quite sensitively with regards to their previous training, but then they are generally fantastic, safe horses; the ones I have known are anyway.

I would be interested to read her previous article on sharing horses if anyone could let me know where it is?
 
It is quite clear to me actually that the article is not blaming the horse, ex racers or horses at all and says quite a lot about it probably being her lack of experience, poor love. I suppose it does highlight that an ex racer is trained to react that way if you do the things a lot of nervous riders might do, which is just a thing you should bare in mind when riding one really.

Considering it is from the daily mail and they couldn't even get the colour of the horse right, I don't think it was as insensitive to horse or rider as you might expect and seems to have a few fair points raised in the inquest.

I actually don't think this 'could happen to anyone' either, if all horses were that widely unpredictable no one would ride them!
 
Sounds like the wrong rider on the wrong horse. Very sad. :(

Ex-racers are lovely, but they aren't all novice rides. I wouldn't feel capable of having one, personally. People need to be honest with themselves about their abilities.
 
Having only just seen the article in the paper I have a funny feeling the horse is at our yard!

It is on loan, owner at uni and refusing to take it back, I could be wrong but, name, colour and location are correct.

Will check it out tomorrow
 
More bad press for ex racers which they do not deserve as i know many who are as calm as anything hacking and i even hack out a 17hh national hunt racehorse who is in training who you could hack lying backwards she is that calm i feel more safe on her than on an old cob i used to ride who was prone to getting too excited!!!

ANY horse, racehorse, show jumper, eventer, happy hacker etc could do this while hacking or even in the school the fact it is en ex racer is irrelevant to the situation.
 
*Headdesk* I really do think the ex racer aspect was included as a means of just helping explain a likely contributory factor to the accident.

People seem to be getting hung up on a perceived 'ex racer bashing' that as others have said, really wasn't apparent.
 
Think his racing history has only been brought up as it could have contributed to the accident, not because he was a fruitloop who bolted for no reason, so don't think it is bad ex-racer press.

One of the ladies speaking at the inquest who heard the commotion said what she thinks is likely to have happened was the horse spooked and trotted forwards a bit, rider reacted by leaning forward and pulling back and horse thought he was off.

If anything I think the article does well in higlighting that not every joe-bloggs novice should go out and buy an ex-racer because they're currently 'fashionable', that you need to know how to deal with situations such as the one the lady got herself into.

Sad situation :( xx
 
Ah, so glad the horse is ok ! Most definitely not his fault I would say.

I sometimes ride out with a novice, and as soon as something "happens", she leans forward into "faster mode", grits her teeth and grabs the reins. . You can see it all happening very quickly, and her lovely lad thinks it's speed up time - all in the rider's body language. . BUT you can also see how vulnerable she has made herself by leaning forward without the knowledge of using your thighs, and balance, and I fear she will go over one day.

Lessons, lessons, lessons, I guess.
 
Twinkle Shy said:
Ah, so glad the horse is ok ! Most definitely not his fault I would say.

I sometimes ride out with a novice, and as soon as something "happens", she leans forward into "faster mode", grits her teeth and grabs the reins. . You can see it all happening very quickly, and her lovely lad thinks it's speed up time - all in the rider's body language. . BUT you can also see how vulnerable she has made herself by leaning forward without the knowledge of using your thighs, and balance, and I fear she will go over one day.

Lessons, lessons, lessons, I guess.
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We were all novices once, and I hope that you can give your friend the benefit of your experience when you ride with her. RIP the poor girl that died.
 
^^^I try really hard, but the basics just are not there. I do find it hard to ride out with novices to be honest - Shy is a baby, after all.

In fact, i've just had to totally give up riding with one girl I'd been "nursing along" for a year as there was nothing I, or the YO could do. It's caused a lot of tension between me and this girl, but I have tried (and failed), and did not enjoy riding with her. At all. So maybe I'm not the right person to hack out with novices anymore .

In fact, I loathe going down on sundays (the only day she goes to the yard) because of the atmosphere. Such a shame.
 
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