Please, don't be complacent!

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E_Lister

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I know that many of us on here have gorgeous, calm, sensible horses. But PLEASE, after what happened to me today, don't assume that they wont have a few seconds on the wild side...

I share a lovely, calm and sensible mare. I have been doing for about 8 months now. I have never had any major problems with the pony, she has always listened to (although at times not respected) me and I was thinking I was truly getting somewhere with her in terms of respect.

Our summer grazing fields are about 1/4 of a mile from our yard down a VERY QUIET road, and today, in the 3 seconds between the bit leaving the ponys mouth, and her headcollar going on, she knocked me over and cantered off the yard, down the road and to the field gate. She is absolutely fine and the only car on the road at the time was stopped by me as I sprinted down the road after her.

I know what the mistakes I made were; I had had my hand round her poll when chaanging from bridle to headcollar, thinking that this was enough as she is such a sane type, apart from this she had been tied the entire time. The gate leading out of the yard was not fully shut behind the last girl in, when I glanced over it looked fully shut, but I should have checked properly, otherwise she wouldn't have got onto the road.

I rung the horses owner immediately after the incident and she said that it wasn't the first time, but as it hadn't happened for 4 years she thought the pony was "over" it as it were... apparently not!

We are now taking all precautions as she will probably try and do it again, this time round she won't get anywhere! The gate to the yard will now be properly shut every time we use it and we will be careful when tacking up or untacking.

May I stress THE PONY IS FINE, I AM FINE, I am posting as a warning because it is so easy to forget with ponies like this that they are still an unpredictable animal.

Think of this as a cautionary tale, I don't really want to be criticised about it as I am torturing myself enough.
 
I am glad you are both ok .Yes I agree we all can get complacent but as you say all horses/ponies are living beings and can suddenly do something out of character,
There was an incident locally to me where a horse was being untacked after hunting who managed to spook and to get away while the bridle was being swopped for a headcollar .It was still wearing a saddle and disappeared into the distance and was missing for SEVERAL DAYS!! .Luckly she was found in a field some days later still wearing the saddle and not seriously injured.
I must admit I am paranoid about shuting gates and always being careful about horses geting loose.
 
I think this is more about using common sense rather than being complacent. I was always tought to put the headcollar rope or reins around the horse's neck when either putting a headcollar or bridle on or changing over. I even do it in the stabe. I can not understand why anyone wouuldn't make sure they had a secure hold on their horses at all times.
 
magicgirl said:
I think this is more about using common sense rather than being complacent. I was always tought to put the headcollar rope or reins around the horse's neck when either putting a headcollar or bridle on or changing over. I even do it in the stabe. I can not understand why anyone wouuldn't make sure they had a secure hold on their horses at all times.
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I agree . ;)

I rarely put a bridle on outside of a stable/lorry/horsebox .



I don't understand bringing horses/ponies out of their stable to tack up :confused:

Col x
 
I'm glad you are both ok and I think you make a very good point. It is so easy to be lulled into a false sense of security with a nice, well behaved horse. You've made me think, for sure, so, thank you!
 
I am glad all ended ok for you both...I had a similar incident some years back...although my lad just broke loose around his field thankfully. But in response I bought an endurance combination bridle which acts as a headcollar and bridle...you can tie you horse up with it as it has a tieing loop under the chin and then clip on the bit and reins without un-doing anything or untieing your horse at all...brilliant invention and I have not looked back since.
 
Colleen_Miss_Tom said:
I agree . ;)

I rarely put a bridle on outside of a stable/lorry/horsebox .


I don't understand bringing horses/ponies out of their stable to tack up :confused:

Col x
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Unfortunately she is very snappy when in the stable (she has a murky past so we think something bad may have happened in a stable), it makes her incredibly stressed if we do anything with her in her stable, therefore I was tacking up on the yard. As I thought I had said, generally the yard is secure and the gates are shut, so even if a horse is loose they can't get onto the road, this was just a string of small errors leading to something larger.

I posted this in this manner because I was being complacent and wanted to remind people why you shouldn't be around horses, not to demonstrate I have no horse sense whatsoever, I explained why it happened and will not be doing something so foolish again.

Common sense is great in hindsight but as it was lacking in those 3 seconds I thought I would try remind others why it is important... ;)
I am not the only one who has had a thoughtless moment around horses where they take advantage, and I won't be the last. If the post places me in a bad light so be it, but if it prevents someone else from being in the same situation, it was worth it!
 
Glad you're both OK but bet it was a very hairy heartstopping moment. And it hasn't put you in a bad light - these things happen. Horses react in a split second and just go, I think as humans our reactions take a while to kick in! When I hadn't had my horse very long, and was getting him out the field, another gelding charged him from behind, my pony leapt to the side so the other horse was able to barge past us and another person and their horse. The horse took off and trotted straight across the road to the yard. I have never been so shaken in my life as it's such a busy road to cross through the village and someone was looking out for that horse that day as no cars were coming in either direction. Since then we have had an extra gate put in so there is an "air lock" area so the field gate gets shut and then you walk towards and open the 2nd gate to get to the road so if that kind of thing happens again any escaped horses are contained in the big bit between the 2 gates.

Keeping yard gates shut is the thing I've found is just so important though. People are dreadful at our yard for going "leave the gate" when you're heading out of it as they are almost going to leave themselves but not quite (ie, putting their headcollar back, changing their boots at back of their car, etc) and like yours ours is out onto a road, ours a busy one through a village. As I was leaving 2 nights ago, someone said leave the gate and I said no there's 2 horses tied up at the front of the stable block being tacked up so I shut it - it takes 1 min if that to pull up at the gate, open it, drive through, shut it behind you. I'd rather be dealing with a loose horse on a yard than a loose horse on a road. We had several mares loose on the yard 2-3 times this winter when their gate wasn't secured properly but thankfully each time the gate from the yard onto the road was shut, luck more than anything where some of our other liveries are concerned.. And being a working farm the gate are sometimes open for some time as machinery's going in and out for ages. I think people think I worry too much but I also alert people who have horses tied up on the yard when the gates are open like that for long - just in case.

Anyway, you can breathe a sigh of relief and chill out for the rest of the day now the drama is past!
 
I wouldn't beat yourself up too much about it, I have done it too and am sure we are not the only ones on here, reading the few comments you have had we are definitely not alone. Thing is, to learn from your mistakes, which you have, I have and am sure it won't happen again.

We ALL can drop our guard at some point, whatever the situation, whether ridden, tieing up or whatever, absolutely no one is perfect, even though some people think they are and are very quick to make you feel absolutely cr*p, so you are definitely not alone.

Chin up, put this behind you and move on x
 
horselib said:
There was an incident locally to me where a horse was being untacked after hunting who managed to spook and to get away while the bridle was being swopped for a headcollar .It was still wearing a saddle and disappeared into the distance and was missing for SEVERAL DAYS!! .Luckly she was found in a field some days later still wearing the saddle and not seriously injured.
I must admit I am paranoid about shuting gates and always being careful about horses geting loose.
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Was it in hants?
That happened around here too if it wasn't. Scary for both horse and rider, and was nobody's fault as far as I've heard :o luckily nobody hurt though
 
Yes it was Hants and yes it was nobodies fault BUT a horse got loose at it could have had a very sad ending .We must all take care when untacking and tacking up horses!!!
 
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