terrifying hack - loose colt

i hope the colts owner is going to pay out for better fencing/castration and your vets fees if needed.

why would someone keep a colt with that temperment!!!!!!. i myself have a colt and he acts like a gelding even with other horses around.
 
SusieT said:
Why didn't you move away and get out of the situation by going towards the road or use your schooling whip to keep it away in the first place? Rather than ringing the police who as you discovered where a bit useless. Riding away/scaring it away at that point might have stopped the situation escalating.
In future, keep calm, make it unpleasant for the horse to come near you and ring someone who you know has some horse knowledge and so can help. As a hint if you have a schooling whip, most horss won't come near it if its making swishy whip noises.
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Have you ever been in this position ? Making swishy noises won't stop a colt. My lad fathered his first foal at 2 years, they aren't babies.

I had the same thing happen to me when I was riding my mare through some fields. A colt had broken through the fencing and came up to us and tried to mount my girl. I spun her round and tried to fend the colt off with my whip. It made no difference, so we galloped across the field to the gate with the colt chasing. While I was undoing the gate and trying to fend him off, my mare was an absolute star. She kept still as I undid the gate and we dived through.
It was a lucky escape. If you've experienced it, you'll know that instinct overides everything else. If a mare kicking a colt doesn't put him off, a whip sure as hell won't, he'll keep coming.

Well done to Taz, he was a good lad. Hope he's not too sore today.
 
Well done but next time phone SusieT as she obviously is much better at dealing with these situations than you are or I are!;)

Hope you are both feeling better today and Taz deserves a HUGE cuddle and treats for being such a brave boy. I'm pretty sure if it had been me on my lad he'd have dumped me and ran home!!!
 
I have never been in this position but take my hat off to you. Well done for trying to do something even if the police were not helpful.

Why are people being so critical:confused: The OP obviously had a horrendous time and could have been badly injured as could her horse. She was trying to do the right thing by the other horse as well as herself and other people.

I am very pleased you are in one piece. I am sure those who think they could have done better have not acutally had this happen to them:(
 
How terrifying for you - so glad you are OK and your horse isnt too badly injured.

SuzieT - you are really just making yourself look totally inept and ridiculous putting a post like that in response to OP's very dangerous experience.:rolleyes: Many years ago an extremely experienced lady I knew was killed by a marauding colt in an almost identical situation as the Op is describing. :(

But then I am sure you are such an accomplished and macho horsewoman their isn't a colt out there that you couldn't deal with safely and efficiently in a similar situation eh?:rolleyes:
 
thank you everyone taz is sound today :) bit sore to touch the swellings but happily trotted and messed about in the field this morning back to his normal self :) he had a big feed and lots of carrots last night so he was a very content boy :). i have never had him kick another horse hes not a fighter he will just walk away so he really must have been frightened and could feel that i was too. if it had been in a field i would have cantered his away but we were on a public foot path and bridle way 50 yard from a busy main road so i couldnt just turn around and do nothing :o im not really sure what i was thinking calling the police they really didnt help but as far as i care is that it happened to no one else and the horse was put back in its field with no one seriously injured and the horse uninjured too
 
tbh i think id have trotted/cantered off after giving th little sod a good crack with my schooling whip to chase it off....

stuck my horse away and called for help (or if needby find a field and put myself on the other side)

glad you both "ok" though would have definately been scary :(
 
We once had a loose colt trying to get into our mare's field and that was terrifying enough with 3 of us there on foot, we had 2 lunge whips to make all the noise in heaven, we tried catching him by his tether, none of it did a thing and as a result of him charging around winding ours up my friend's mare was injured. We were lucky to get them to the safety of the yard when he went back to check on his own "herd" I'm glad you and your horse are ok xx
 
Good God :o Glad you and Taz are ok!
Having dealt with colts on the friskier side of things (thankfully smaller and younger then the one you encountered).. I know full well that some are so cocky they will not back off from a whip! :eek:
You did the right thing notifying the police. Shame they are useless, I would have done the same to ensure that a member of the public didn't get cornered by it! :eek:
*Big hugs to you and Taz! He sounds like such a brave boy!*
 
Oh my goodness, how terrifying! Glad you and Taz are OK. It's scary stuff dealing with colts, sometimes they are worse and they remind me very much of teenage boys!
 
The question is? Is the field sufficiently well fenced and if not then ask the owners to fence it properly to avoid causing any more accidents. Remind them (the owners of the horse) that under current case law they need to have third party insurance on each of their horses of no less than £10.000,000 (Ten million pounds). Not all insurance companies insure to this level.
 
Glad to hear you and Taz are both okay.

About four years ago I had 4 colts gallop up to me and a friend (we were both on horseback). We were both pretty worried as to us or our horses getting kicked and injured.

Like the colt you met, they were intent on mounting and getting the upper hand. Both my friend and I carried whips and our response was to growl and shout at the colts in really deep voices, wave our whips at them and when one got too close, yes it did get hit with the whip, whilst riding our horses forwards (two geldings) and in effect, driving them off to one side of us. Like your Taz, our neds were brilliantly-behaved dobbins.

The colts backed down enough that we were able to ride away and put a bridleway gate inbetween them and us eventually. If it had happened on a road, we'd have took them into the nearest field/garden/yard with a gate, or put the nearest bridleway gate inbetween them and us, and put them inside it and ourselves outside, shut the gate, call the police and leave them to deal with both the horse(s) and the landowner and the horseowner.
 
Dear lord what a terrifying experience!
Have you been in contact with the colt's owner yet?
Glad you are both alright and not too shaken up!
 
the colts owner isnt interested in talking to me or anyone tbh, she is a gypsy and she has about 15 horses in 1 acre with barbed wire holding the fence posts up and we have complained before.

we have complained to the RSPCA (i know they are useless) and they are sending an inspector down (not the first time) i just hope no other horses get out! :o
 
I'm glad you and Taz are ok. That is horrifying. But since you know this now, don't call the police at the time of the incidence. I appreciate you worrying about everyone else but first get you and Taz to safety. It really is ok in a situation like this to think of yourself and your horse first.

Honestly though why call police muppets
 
Stupid phone!!!!!!!!

I know police get called muppets for not getting to you ASAP but they don't understand the seriousness of the situation. Not really their fault. Get yourself safe then see what you and some horse people can do to get horse in any field. It's quicker and can save an accident. And by any field I mean one without horses!

But always think of you and Taz first. Very glad you're ok.

Terri
 
What a dreadful situation. It is so easy to say what one would have done in the same situation but, if caught completely unawares (as you were) how does anyone know how they would handle the situation.

Good on you, I would have been absolutely terrified and not coped as well as you I am sure. Glad to hear your boy is OK and no real damage done.

Jane
 
I do agree with SusieT though perhaps a little less strongly put. Your efforts to keep the horse away from the road were a good idea but you should have put your own safety and that of your horse first. That is always the first rule because if you had been injured, then there would have been even more chaos to deal with. Once you were safely away then you could start to make calls. Sadly I found, when a friend called to say there was a loose horse on a busy road, that the police were COMPLETELY uninterested. It then seemed to fall to me to sort it out and my faith in the local livery yards was shot. Not one yard would help - it was all "its not one of ours" well it was nothing to do with me either but I couldn't leave a horse out wandering. Thankfully some friends from my own yard (some 8 miles + from where the horse was) gave up their free time and midnight saw us trekking around Headley with said horse, trying to find somewhere to put it.

I am glad you only shaken but you must always always think of your own safety first and then try to help afterwards. As for liability, being very cheeky - why not put a call into one of these legal firms "no win no fee". Granted it will probably come to nothing but might give the owner a nasty scare. I would also contact the police and ask what they have done in respect of warning the owner as it sounds like this is simply going to happen again - in the very near future.
 
Glad you and your horse are ok.

The police are not generally animal people and although they could have been more helpful - they admitted there weren't any people useful to the situation available. They could have always had someone turn up and shoot it, but I guess that wouldn't be right to some people either.

I feel its wrong to say the police are useless, they just aren't very useful in this situation. They are unlikely to have headcollars/leadropes or anything else useful in this situation.

I would advocate in the same situation that people ring someone horsey, they are likely to be useful AND prepared in this situation. Local vet/yard owner/farmer/hunt - all of the above are likely to be much more helpful in this situation.

The police aren't horse people, they probably aren't trained to deal with horses or indeed any livestock. Unless you are lucky and happen to have someone who has dealt with them on your local force. They have a duty to protect life and limb, but I'm pretty sure in this case, the only way they'd be likely to do it is to shoot the animal, if they felt it neccessary to do so. That's my understanding anyway.
 
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