Panni
Intermediate Poster
Posts: 102
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Post by Panni on Jan 12, 2012 23:36:24 GMT 1
Hey there! I've not been on this forum for absolutely ages but I just felt I had to share this with you all. Yesterday I brought my mare in using my dually halter that I have used since having an RA visit us. This halter has been an absolutely valued piece of my kit as I have been classified a para rider and really cannot take being dragged around. As I normally do, I tether her outside her closed stable door to pick feet and change rugs. I am completely annal about swapping from a schooling ring to the tethering ring under the chin when I do this. It all happend so quickly I'm still not sure how she managed it but the next thing I know is my mare is trying to pull back and struggling to breathe!!! One of the schooling rings had got caught down in the small gap between the stable door and door frame. because of the nature of the halter it was pulling so tight around my poor mares nose she couldn't breathe and was making horrible snorting sounds! I couldn't undo the head strap to get the halter off as she was pulling so hard it wouldn't budge! I really panicked as I didn't have a knife to hand and didn't want to leave her to get help but thankfully with lots and lots of coaxing she made the one step forward it needed to loosen everything up. Thankfully she recovered from the ordeal with only a small bald patch and slight swelling over the nose. The halter also survived, now with just a very oval looking schooling ring to show for it. I hope to god it dosnt happen to anyone else but I just wanted to make everyone aware that it dosnt matter how vigilant you are accidents do happen.
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Post by kizi on Jan 13, 2012 0:23:21 GMT 1
Oh how scary for both of you... I once saw someone tack her horse and leave in stable 20 seconds to go get hat... Horse had a coppery type 3 ring bit, lowest ring got caught on the door bolt.... To finish the bit ring(s) was stretched to twice the length before the cheek piece finally snapped. It happened so fast no one could have stopped him panic, she was more annoyed about her bridle, but it made me make sure that couldn't happen in my stables with safety bolts! Hope your horse is better now and forgets and it doesn't make her upset about dually..
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Post by Furiey on Jan 13, 2012 8:59:13 GMT 1
Accidents certaily do happen, even when we try hard to be safe, it only takes one moment. When I had a child we had a pony ridden in a pelham. We were tacked up ready to go leading pony by the reins as we opened the field gate, went out and closed the field gate prior to getting on and riding off. As we were doing this the pony turned his head towards the fence and managed to hook the hook for his curd chain onto the wire of the fence. He pulled back and broke of 3 fence posts before we managed to stop him and release the hook. Believe it or not there was no damage to pony, bridle or bit, but the fence was a mess. Parents were not pleased at the repairs needed but luckily the pony seemed completely unbothered afterwards. I do hope your's is similarly unaffected, but it so frightening at the time.
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Post by wabuska on Jan 13, 2012 9:20:14 GMT 1
Very scary and so unexpected. I think honest accidents do happen as in all the above, but there's also the danger of over familiar, sloppy habits (done it myself) that lead to stupid accidents too. I think the only way to be is totally paranoid at all times. My husband parked the quad making a small corner between the fence and the bike the other day and couldn't understand why I was moving it. We know don't we.
A neighbour of mine was opening a wrought iron gate from her horse, when he decided to rub his face on it, catching the bridle. The next thing she knew she was galloping down the road with just a set of reins. Both unhurt, but just an honest accident again.
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Deleted
Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2012 12:10:12 GMT 1
I'm another who's horse had a lucky escape due to me not paying attention, I used to share a gelding who wore a fulmer bit and when I got back from a ride and started taking his saddle off in the stable he put his nose over the door and got the point of the bit caught on the anti-weave grills on his stable door, he panicked and pulled back bending the bit and snapping the cheekpiece in the process. I was very sheepish when telling his owner as I knew I should have been paying more attention, but thankfully he seemed to escape unscathed.
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Post by Lulu on Jan 13, 2012 12:31:20 GMT 1
This is one reason why I refuse to let my horses rub their bridles against their legs after riding, or against the post and rail fence of their yard, till I've removed their bridles then, they can rub. One horse has turned his bit inside out just from rubbing against his legs after a ride, which his owners LET him do, but I don't. Much safer for them to wait an extra minute or two to have bridle removed first.
But yes I have had the reins got caught over a gate as I was opening it from said horse. Horse panicked and pulled back after rein caught on gate hook and snapped one rein, so I had to dismount and walk home with only one rein !
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Post by KimT on Jan 13, 2012 12:39:52 GMT 1
I agree Lulu. Partly for the horses safety and partly so they don't damage the bridle, I don't let horses rub with it on but I have had occasions where the horse has tried to rub on a gate and gotten a bridle caught.
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Post by wabuska on Jan 13, 2012 12:44:14 GMT 1
Just wanted to add.... everywhere I see headcollars on in the field and in the box. They really are not safe, especially the nylon variety. With a shoe on, the back foot can get hung up on the headcollar when they go for a scratch. Lethal.
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Post by marsayy on Jan 13, 2012 13:06:07 GMT 1
I used to leave a head collar on because I worked away and my hubby couldn't catch my horse for the farrier (in fact he can't catch any horse) after finding the head collar broken one day I spoke to both the farrier and vet who agreed they would catch my horse if required doing away with the need for a head collar.
Not having the head collar has made my husband adopt IH techniques, a pare of sunglasses and he wears my jacket he has had better success but not every time. He just has unfortunate body language. Poor chap!! He was very embarrassed when he gave up one day and then my 7yr old walked up to the horse and my horse lowered her head for her to put on the head collar, really funny!!
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Post by mrsfields on Jan 13, 2012 13:39:44 GMT 1
these things happen so fast, it's petrifying!
one time, my daughter had literally just led her pony into his stable to untack him after riding - she was right by his head still holding the reins and unfastening the throatlash to take his bridle off, when he got one side of his full-cheek snaffle caught under the rim of his manger! the little monkey always used to go straight to his feed bowl to check if any food was in there and he must've tilted his head slightly while having a lick of the empty manger and got the cheek caught under the rim!
thank god he didn't panic and pull too badly, even though he realised his head was stuck - i was in the stable next door with my horse, but luckily my daughter managed to keep him calm and whip his bridle off before i could go to help! was scary though, imagining the "what-ifs".... we are super careful now, and as a matter of course remove their bridles the second they're in the stable before they can check out their mangers...
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marvin
Grand Prix Poster
Posts: 1,069
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Post by marvin on Jan 13, 2012 14:49:39 GMT 1
scarey events here... I will add my one.
this happened yrs ago..at a yard I was at the summer fields had a hitching post and places to park your car as it was quite away from the yard...I had the boot of my car open and my horse on a rope, he put his head in the boot as he did many times but this time he got the headcollar ring hooked over the boot lock bar on the car, he didnt really panic just pulled and pulled up I swear he nearly lifted the car up...lol Luckily I was eventually able to get him to lower his head so I could un hook it, he threw his head up then and smacked me in the head too, I have a dent in my skull at the front still, saw stars and had an awful headache after that...never let him put his head in the boot again. If something can happen an animal or child will find it.
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Post by penny70 on Jan 13, 2012 15:27:41 GMT 1
Lulu - your one rein incident is one reason I always ride with a neck strap...once I was on a trekking pony, waiting back for a canter, pony pulled hard as he was excited to get going, rein snapped and I ended up being tanked to the back of the ride with one rein. Luckily I knew the pony well, and that he'd definitely stop when he reached the others. He did stop, and I pootled along the rest of the trek with only one rein. Yes, I was about 12 at the time, and the ponies were angels, so it didn't matter. Another time I came off my pony after a particularly quick spin of his (this was about 4 years ago), I dropped the reins, he stepped in them and broke them. So said neck strap became a rein and I rode home (thank goodness, as we were miles from home). Neck straps can also double as stirrup leathers (my neck straps are always old stirrup leathers anyway) and anything else you may need them for.
As far as accidents happening, Mouse too has had an incident where I had tied him outside a stable with a haynet, and the clip of the lead rope became tangled in the haynet. When he went to pull some hay out of the net, he was stuck, gave himself a fright and pulled back very hard, and luckily, being sensible old Mouse, stopped before anything worse happened, allowing me to untangle him. But I did think to myself that had he been slightly more reactive, things would have broken (hopefully only the leadrope clip and not the pony). We just have to be as careful as we can but accidents will happen, and hopefully everyone is ok after them.
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Post by tikkatonks on Jan 13, 2012 19:44:45 GMT 1
Bet that was very scary for you...
I have really benefitted from owning a dually, but I nolonger leave mine out on the yard. They are incredibly dangerous in certain situations especially when horses are left unattended in them by people who have just grabbed the nearest headcollar and not noticed the weird rings!
I use mine to lead/load over the top of a standard headcollar, then take them straight off and clip to the real headcollar to tie up.
I always worry about them untying themselves, putting head down to eat and standing on the schooling rings.
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