Why can horses be so stupid?!

[sam72431]

After a pretty much year from hell with ops and lameness and a totally unsuitable yard move we got given go ahead to ride about two months ago after two months of long reining now in our lovely new yard we have been gently riding a couple of times a week plus long reining and up to about 20 mins hacking on a small route with a sensible hacking buddy. All going well and she's felt so chilled and pretty much ready to go alone as she knows the route.

Today she felt very calm and enjoying herself. Until there was some metal being moved, then cars went past, then a gun went off and she got pretty worked up now I would normally just trot when her back is up but can't with her leg so managed to calm her down. We then headed up the drive and her friends came over by no means charging and she decided she needed to step up on the small bank I would say slightly higher than a curb. She was getting pretty wound up by this point but pretty much home well with that she swung her back end and well long story short she fell over backwards off of the bank I hit my head on the gravel but managed to roll out of the way. She then struggled to get up as legs up the bank and then rein over her leg I managed to get it off and she was up. Luckily I think we have got away with just a lot of superficial cuts and I feel a bit achey. But seriously how do horses manage to turn a little hack into an episode of EastEnders please tell me I'm not the only one with a horse who is pretty much perfect 99% of time but that 1% of nsughty/sillyness is off the chart dramatic ? obviously wouldn't have her any other way and love her to bits but jeeze maybe I should just get a hamster ??

 

[doodle]

Robin is having a 1% dramatic day today. No getting through to him unless I stood with hand on neck beside his haynet. I can’t do that all night so I’m afraid I left him to it and came home. I haven’t had a “your horse is going nuts” call so presuming he has settled. So yep I get the dramatic horse frustrations!

 

[sam72431]

Oh yep I know that feeling don't really get that with this mare but my other one uses to do that all the time for mo reason

 

[Pedantic]

They do your head in, but we still luv em

 

[windand rain]

The two young highlands needed a bit more grass I opened the field gate and both kept bumping into the fence absolutely oblivious to the open gate. Had to put headcollars on and lead them through cue much prancing and dancing through the gate

 

[Archangel]

It happens so quickly doesn't it? Hope your head is OK after hitting the gravel.

 

[MrsMozartleto]

Ouch! Hope no repercussions after the head bash. Very well done on getting out of the way.

I hope there's no lasting damage to either of you. And may I suggest bubblewrap...

 

[sam72431]

I think bubble wrap is a good idea ? I've not been using boots as with her tendon injury and fact we are only walking I didn't want to heat leg at all but after today's escapades I think we will be putting boots on ? her most recent fun thing to do is to bash open hock in stable despite having super thick bed and matting I had just got it to heal and now of course she bashed open said hock currently looking for hock boots she ripped through last ones in about a week ? need thick ones that stay up I've been using old fashioned travel pad Gamgee but she likes ripping through that as well of course

 

[Flicker]

Brain the size of a potato ?

 

[dorsetladette]

Our hacking route has a small stretch of road which is a bus route. We bumped into a bus while out walking my younger Cob out in hand. He panicked, slipped and fell over. But then just lay there in the middle of the road (busy Country Lane). Apparently playing dead is the best way to deal with double decker buses. Lol

 

[Widgeon]

The two young highlands needed a bit more grass

I've never heard anyone say this before

 

[windand rain]

In typical highland fashion they have to have grass or they lean on the fences. They are still growing so for now they are allowed a year or two they will need bull fencing round them

 

[Pearlsacarolsinger]

Our hacking route has a small stretch of road which is a bus route. We bumped into a bus while out walking my younger Cob out in hand. He panicked, slipped and fell over. But then just lay there in the middle of the road (busy Country Lane). Apparently playing dead is the best way to deal with double decker buses. Lol

Has he been started with driving training before you got him? Driving horses really need to stay down if they fall while in harness, or the cart will be matchwood and serious injury could be sustained. We had a r & d cob who slipped once on a steep hill and stayed down, with sister's leg trapped under him, she had to struggle out in order to be able to tell him to get up. She thought he must be at least seriously injured but just had a graze or two.

 

[tristar]

only way is to switch off your brain and deal with it

 

[dorsetladette]

Has he been started with driving training before you got him? Driving horses really need to stay down if they fall while in harness, or the cart will be matchwood and serious injury could be sustained. We had a r & d cob who slipped once on a steep hill and stayed down, with sister's leg trapped under him, she had to struggle out in order to be able to tell him to get up. She thought he must be at least seriously injured but just had a graze or two.

That's interesting. Someone somewhere started something with him, but I have no idea what, what ever it was was done very badly. I have the most beautiful mentally damaged pony you could ever meet ?‍ I'd love to know what happened to him.

 

[HazuraJane]

only way is to switch off your brain and deal with it

100% this is what works best for many people.

 

[sam72431]

She is luckily fine all just superficial grazes but of course doesn't like having them have cream etc on it's very traumatic and ouch looking very forlorn and sorry for herself ?

 

[MagicMelon]

Had similar once, riding along perfectly happily on my young anglo arab at the time, there was a big bank/drop off to one side of the road with a barbed wire fence at the bottom. Pheasant flew out right from under us, she just seemed to step sideways but that was it - off we fell sideways off the bank (which was pretty far down!) landing on our sides on the barbed wire fence below. All tangled up in it. Finally got her free, both us covered in barbed wire scrapes and her with a bloody nose. Thankfully she was pretty relaxed (shocked!) about it all so we just walked home and I got the vet out to check her over but crazy how quickly things can change.

 

[oldie48]

Fatty, the Welsh C, is normally silly about everything unless bribed with food. OH noticed him kicking the stable wall so I had a good check round his fetlocks and he is quite sore and scabby. I honestly thought he'd be a twit but he stood like a lamb whilst I bathed, dried and treated him, totally ignored the haynet and was clearly very uncomfortable. He got a gold star for being a good boy and he went up in my estimation. He's clearly as bright as a button and knew he needed to let me help him. I think this warm wet weather is to blame or possible mites!

 

[sam72431]

I turned her out today with filtabac and silver spray on everything as I drove off it was all over her face she looked like a panda ?

 

[Equi]

Eeeel hope your head is okay! Hat shopping for you methinks.

Horses really are so silly. I remember a little supercob driving pony i looked after at boarding kennels (not in my job description but hey ho) would get turned out in the exact same fashion every single day, and every single day he would get to the gate of the field and promptly jump it rather that just walk through the empty space in front of him...learned fast when to have a longer rope ready lol

 

[criso]

Brain the size of a potato ?

I read somewhere that the cerebellum of a horse's brain is the size of a walnut and I think of Tigger's rattling around in his wide forehead on its own.

 

[Flicker]

I read somewhere that the cerebellum of a horse's brain is the size of a walnut and I think of Tigger's rattling around in his wide forehead on its own.

? to be fair, some of the horse’s I’ve known, walnut is probably being generous ?