Near tragedy - complacency to blame :(

diamonddogs

diamonddogs

Active Member
Apr 14, 2008
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Badiddlyboing, Odawidaho
Horrendous experience on the yard this morning.

I'd lunged Sham in the school and she'd been really good, and as I led her out of the school some people were returning from a hack down the drive. She didn't stop walking, but turned her head to have a nose who it was, and somehow managed to get caught up in the lunge line, which I was stupidly holding loosely, which meant the loops dropped to the floor. She panicked and started to run backwards, and to my horror my friend was walking straight towards Sham's back end, with her three year old granddaughter at her side.

I started screaming at her to get them both out of the way, as Sham had the line round her hocks, but what I didn't realise, mainly because the sun was in my eyes, blinding me, the line had completely tangled round Sham's front legs. :(. Everyone was yelling at me to let the line go, but all I could think of was I had to stop her running back into the little girl, which naturally upset her even more, and she started rearing. My sharer's OH ran out of my stable, and without missing a beat, scooped the little girl up and got her to safety.

Eventually I let Sham go and somehow managed to calm her - you can imagine I was nearly hysterical.

If anything had happened to the little girl I would never have been able to forgive myself, because I'd led Sham back with a loose line. She's such a good girl to lead, I'd let my guard down, which as we all know, is something you NEVER do with horses.
 
(((Hugs))), we all make mistakes & that's one you'll never make again. To be fair your friend should also have been more aware, grabbed her granddaughter & moved to a safer place - you weren't the only one who made a mistake here.
 
That sounds very frightening diamonddogs, as you say, could have been such a tragedy.

Thank heavens it was averted and that nobody was hurt. I do agree, we all tend to get a little complacent sometimes, and a reminder like this isnt a bad thing if it makes us all a little more careful.

Hope you are OK now?:frown:
 
Scary!! We do tend to let our guards down with horses that we know well. Do not beat yourself up too much, thankfully no one was hurt.

Quick thinking from your sharer's OH! :D
 
I have had that happen when lunging, the line has got round the front or the back end. I taught her to unstep off the line if she steps on it stationery and if gets tangled to stand.
Quite often-more often than it should, my line goes between the front legs, so being able to shout stand and back up is useful to get her to stop and reversed back so i can undo it.

The first thing i do with any line is cut the end off that loop. I have been dragged 6 times round the school when my foot went through it. I only got free by pulling my boot off and pulling my foot out, pony did another few laps. Not the cob-but i refuse to use any line with a loop.

Ea we have lots of children on our yard but with adults. I do wonder about leaving mine tied sometimes as i do know one spook and she is free.
 
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Complacency happens when nothing ever pushes you out of your comfortzone... You've had a stark reminder of not giving your horse too much rope, and you know it won't happen again because you won't let it.
Sham, don't beat yourself up about it, these things can happen so quickly you're just not prepared. Next time? There won't be a next time, because you won't let it.. always be on your guard..
I would never dream of leaving my horse with his leadrope attached to his bit.. why? Because just how much damage is that going to cause if the horse takes fright and pulls back? Yet, I know several people who are daft enough to do this, they have been warned, but choose not to listen.
I would never leave my horse's headcollar on in the stable.. why? having watched a horse narrowly avoid serious injury after getting her headcollar caught up on the top door in a stable and nearly lynch herself.. shudders to think what would have happened if they'd not cut her free in time..Yet people still do it.. until it happens to them, they're oblivious to the dangers..
 
Oh dear what a nightmare, I agree with you that children should not really be allowed to walk around a yard unless holding hands with an adult and to be honest if you screamed at them they should of looked up and saw the problem and moved horses do move around. But I understand how upsetting it can be.
 
These things happen from time to time. We all try to have eyes in the back of our heads but at the end of the day we are not frogs.

I am a terrible 'what if?' type person as I have got older. I take safety very seriously so much so that sometimes it paralyses my progress these days.

Just put it down to experience and be thankful all has turned out well.

Have a few drinks, or whatever calms you down, and then give a huge sigh of relief.

I have been around horses all my life, by now I should be dead and buried, I have had more near misses than most people I encounter but all has turned out well, so deep breath and give thanks, then carry on:smile:

Hope you feel better soon
 
Oh lovely what a terrible shock and I know that sick out of control feeling all too well- but disaster was averted and no one or animal was hurt, thank god, still leaves you feeling shaken and terribly upset - sending hugs x
 
Oh how awful. I would be feeling awfully shaken too. But please don't beat yourself up. Keep repeating that no one got hurt. They could have, yes, but they didn't.

Sending you a great big virtual hug!
 
You're so lovely! Thank you for all your kind, sensible replies. It means a lot.

Some people just can't or won't to see danger when it's staring them in the face!

You're all right, of course - it'll never happen again because I won't let it. Unbelievable that this could have happened to someone who won't even let her horse walk within ten feet of the cars parked just outside the yard in case of an unscheduled spook! And who won't let her horse walk behind her even if it's pouring with rain and said horse wants to shelter. All you get is "Awww poor Sham's trying to get out of the rain"! Sorry, it's not cute, it's bloody dangerous.

Duallys are very popular on our yard, and everyone ties their horses up wearing them. I don't know much about Duallys, but I do know you never, ever tie up with one.

Newforest, I've done the same with Sham when she treads on her leadrope (you know, that thing that I'll be using in future to lead her out of the school with after a lungeing session!). I had to do that after she nearly brained herself with her headcollar when she was chased away from the gate by a great big nasty piece of work when I was getting her out of the field one day. Also, I always tie up the rope like the tack shops do so if she has to escape from a bully after I've caught her she can't tread on it). Trouble was, I was in a panic and forgot everything I know and have taught!
 
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Duallys are very popular on our yard, and everyone ties their horses up wearing them. I don't know much about Duallys, but I do know you never, ever tie up with one.
Click to expand...

Actually you can, but never on the training ring :wink:
 
You poor thing, sounds really scary, glad you are all ok.

Don't be hard on yourself, I am sure we all have made mistakes.

Glad your sharers oh was on hand with quick thinking to get the little girl but if someone is going to bring a young child to a yard they need to supervise them so well and make sure they keep out of the way of the horses while still getting to see them in a safe way.

Have a drink and do something relaxing this evening.

You have actually taught me something as not owning my own horse yet I have only lunged a friends horse once before and they brought them back to stable and I stayed in arena to watch some others ride, so I would not have been so aware of how to lead a horse back after lunging.

Hugs for you and Sham :smile:
 
I took my 2 year old to the yard today, and his hand stayed glued to mine the whole time. I know too well how horses can spook and be unpredictable and I would hate to have someone feel responsible if something happened to him.

Don't beat yourself up. These things happen.
 
carthorse said:
Actually you can, but never on the training ring :wink:
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Do you mean the ring on the corded part, as opposed to the webbing? If so, that's the one they tie up on.

There are several people who bring their children on to the yard, and it scares the life out of me at times. There are two little girls who are supposed to stay in the car, or sit quietly in the tearoom while their mum does the horses, but they soon get bored, and start to run around. There used to be a girl who brought her son up, and all hell would break loose when all three children got together. They'd be running around squealing and not looking where they were going. An accident waiting to happen.

I appreciate that not everyone can leave the kids at home when they come to the yard, but like everyone's said, they need very close supervision till they're old enough to see the danger. I don't know many horses that will tolerate children running around them squealing.
 
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The training rings are the ones on the cord, if they want to tie up they should move the rope to the ring that's under the jaw where a normal headcollar ring is.
 
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