HappyNeds
Well-Known Member
No real reason for this post - other than still feeling very shook up and needing to tell someone who would understand.
Hubby and I went for a lovely hack today, beautiful sunshine here. We had been for a gentle ride (only in walk) for about an hour, and were on our way home, our boys were relaxed and happy mooching along. We could see ahead of us in a steep field adjacent to the road we were riding about a dozen cars and motor-cross bikes (is that what they call the scrambling bikes they use to ride in the woods and on dirt jumps?). The men and lads were just stood around with their bikes chatting
We were only about half way along the side of the field, when one of them started up his bike, (seriously loud noise) and revved it up the field and over several jumps.
Our horses seriously spooked, spinning and getting agitated. The chap on the bike saw, and slowed down, and was coming along the bottom of the field just a few meters away from us the other side of the fence.
I lifted my hand, smiled and thanked him for slowing, but he didn't wait, and we were literally adjacent to him (him in the field, us on the road), and he went off again over the mud in the field, revving up.
The boys went nuts, my husbands horse spun and bolted, mine followed, my husbands saddle started to slip, I saw my husband fall but I didn't see him hit the ground as I was already past him at full gallop.
Hubbys horse was out in front, full gallop (I never seen him go so fast) up the wrong side of the road, I can't believe I stayed on my horse, but it was like pulling on iron. I was trying to turn him into the hedge to slow him down, but no chance. We must have galloped flat out for well over a mile, around 4 blind bends and all on the wrong side of the road. I was praying that a car wouldn't come, I could just see in my mind the carnage that would guaranteed happen if a car came, we wouldn't have had a chance.
Finally after calling out 'wooaaa' a lot (in a very shaky voice!) I slowed them both into a canter, then a trot and slid off my boy as soon as he was in trot, then managed to grab my husbands horse. Both the boys were sweated up to their ears, and so agitated, turning and fretting. My husband horse had his saddle half way down his side, my horse had part pulled-off one of his hoof boots, I had to take that off so he could walk properly and rush back the way we had come, leading them both jiggling along to see if my poor huband was ok.
I met someone coming to meet me, she said a car had stopped to help my husband and had called the ambulance, as he wasn't conscious. She said she had horses herself, so took one of the boys for me (good job she was horse-confident as they were still so upset).
The ambulance passed us on it's way to my husband, so they got there just before I did. There was also a very lovely lady who had stopped to help my husband, she was so kind. Hubby was concious then and talking, he had landed on his head though, and hurt his back. They paramedic told me to secure the horses somewhere then come back, as they would be a while, so the very kind person who helped me walked one of them back with me the couple of miles to the field.
I just shoved them in their field, they were all sweaty and I was just thankful it was a warm day so they could dry off, and I rushed back in the car to the ambulance. They were just loading him, so I was in time, and followed them to the hospital.
Fortunately - we were both wearing body protectors (we always do, even just on gentle hacks), so after full spinal x-rays for hubby they said nothing was broken, but he has concussion and sever musckelito trauma (sorry about the spelling) and brusing. I've got to keep a close eye on him for the next 24 hours becuase of his head injury. They've given him some strong painkillers, my poor husband is shuffling around like a 100 year old man.
We got back a couple of hours ago, and I'm feeling really shaky. I would like to believe it was ignorance on the part of the bike-riders rather than deliberate melcious behaviour, but I'm not sure what to think - all the time the ambulance was treating my husband on the road they carried on riding round on their bikes, riding some jumps within a few meters of him led on the road - so that doesn't strike me as too concerned with what they'd done.
I know the worst thing is to imagine all the 'what ifs', but I keep just imagining what would have happened on the road if a car had been coming, and I can feel the panic in me, we would have died, I would have seen my husbands horse hit first then we would have been on top of it. I know that didn't happen, so I shouldn't think like that, but I can't block it out. I'm just so thankful that my husband should be ok, I can't bear the thought of anything happening to him.
I've checked on the horses in the dark after we got back from the hosptial, and they seem ok, but still very jumpy. I hope they will settle back down (although we won't be riding for a few weeks at least with poor hubby in the state he's in), and not get upset about that part of road as we need to ride that road to get to anywhere.
We were in full high-vis (us and the horses), we wear properly fitted hat and body-protection, we are always polite and friendly to all road/off-road users, we just out hack gently, our boys are great in traffic, will pass bin-truck/lorry/tractor/bikes no problem, but this was just rediculous.
Why oh why couldn't they have just waited another 30 seconds for us to pass??
Hubby and I went for a lovely hack today, beautiful sunshine here. We had been for a gentle ride (only in walk) for about an hour, and were on our way home, our boys were relaxed and happy mooching along. We could see ahead of us in a steep field adjacent to the road we were riding about a dozen cars and motor-cross bikes (is that what they call the scrambling bikes they use to ride in the woods and on dirt jumps?). The men and lads were just stood around with their bikes chatting
We were only about half way along the side of the field, when one of them started up his bike, (seriously loud noise) and revved it up the field and over several jumps.
Our horses seriously spooked, spinning and getting agitated. The chap on the bike saw, and slowed down, and was coming along the bottom of the field just a few meters away from us the other side of the fence.
I lifted my hand, smiled and thanked him for slowing, but he didn't wait, and we were literally adjacent to him (him in the field, us on the road), and he went off again over the mud in the field, revving up.
The boys went nuts, my husbands horse spun and bolted, mine followed, my husbands saddle started to slip, I saw my husband fall but I didn't see him hit the ground as I was already past him at full gallop.
Hubbys horse was out in front, full gallop (I never seen him go so fast) up the wrong side of the road, I can't believe I stayed on my horse, but it was like pulling on iron. I was trying to turn him into the hedge to slow him down, but no chance. We must have galloped flat out for well over a mile, around 4 blind bends and all on the wrong side of the road. I was praying that a car wouldn't come, I could just see in my mind the carnage that would guaranteed happen if a car came, we wouldn't have had a chance.
Finally after calling out 'wooaaa' a lot (in a very shaky voice!) I slowed them both into a canter, then a trot and slid off my boy as soon as he was in trot, then managed to grab my husbands horse. Both the boys were sweated up to their ears, and so agitated, turning and fretting. My husband horse had his saddle half way down his side, my horse had part pulled-off one of his hoof boots, I had to take that off so he could walk properly and rush back the way we had come, leading them both jiggling along to see if my poor huband was ok.
I met someone coming to meet me, she said a car had stopped to help my husband and had called the ambulance, as he wasn't conscious. She said she had horses herself, so took one of the boys for me (good job she was horse-confident as they were still so upset).
The ambulance passed us on it's way to my husband, so they got there just before I did. There was also a very lovely lady who had stopped to help my husband, she was so kind. Hubby was concious then and talking, he had landed on his head though, and hurt his back. They paramedic told me to secure the horses somewhere then come back, as they would be a while, so the very kind person who helped me walked one of them back with me the couple of miles to the field.
I just shoved them in their field, they were all sweaty and I was just thankful it was a warm day so they could dry off, and I rushed back in the car to the ambulance. They were just loading him, so I was in time, and followed them to the hospital.
Fortunately - we were both wearing body protectors (we always do, even just on gentle hacks), so after full spinal x-rays for hubby they said nothing was broken, but he has concussion and sever musckelito trauma (sorry about the spelling) and brusing. I've got to keep a close eye on him for the next 24 hours becuase of his head injury. They've given him some strong painkillers, my poor husband is shuffling around like a 100 year old man.
We got back a couple of hours ago, and I'm feeling really shaky. I would like to believe it was ignorance on the part of the bike-riders rather than deliberate melcious behaviour, but I'm not sure what to think - all the time the ambulance was treating my husband on the road they carried on riding round on their bikes, riding some jumps within a few meters of him led on the road - so that doesn't strike me as too concerned with what they'd done.
I know the worst thing is to imagine all the 'what ifs', but I keep just imagining what would have happened on the road if a car had been coming, and I can feel the panic in me, we would have died, I would have seen my husbands horse hit first then we would have been on top of it. I know that didn't happen, so I shouldn't think like that, but I can't block it out. I'm just so thankful that my husband should be ok, I can't bear the thought of anything happening to him.
I've checked on the horses in the dark after we got back from the hosptial, and they seem ok, but still very jumpy. I hope they will settle back down (although we won't be riding for a few weeks at least with poor hubby in the state he's in), and not get upset about that part of road as we need to ride that road to get to anywhere.
We were in full high-vis (us and the horses), we wear properly fitted hat and body-protection, we are always polite and friendly to all road/off-road users, we just out hack gently, our boys are great in traffic, will pass bin-truck/lorry/tractor/bikes no problem, but this was just rediculous.
Why oh why couldn't they have just waited another 30 seconds for us to pass??
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