Post by tammy68 on Dec 28, 2007 11:19:25 GMT 1
The welsh cob kept at our place is ride and drive. The man who owns her (someone else shares her for riding) hasn't really had a lot of time to drive her of late although he has been up and put her to harness and gone around the menage with her a few times. He is a member of the driving club and seems very safety conscious, however it all went pear shaped yesterday.
He drove her in the menage without the cart, then she was put into it and went around the menage for a good 10 minutes in the cart. Her rider helped and he went through quick release and other safety procedures before we went out. I rode my mare in the menage with them for 10 minutes before we went to make sure she was OK with a cart behind her. Anyway, he told me I was to stay 50 - 100 m in front as this meant any car overtaking had space to get in behind us if more traffic was oncoming and in case they hadn't seen us until they overtook. We went down the drive and at the bottom I had to wait until a couple of cars went by. I normally start off walking but soon came the cries of "Trot on" behind me. I though he was talking to the pony but then realised he wanted me to trot on, so I did. The road was fairly busy and the house I was approaching had some plastic blowing in the wind. My mare was tense and head high and I called behind to say I was going to walk. He shouted me to do hand signals as he couldn't hear. This was hard as busy and mare spooky due to flapping plastic but I put my left hand out to show him we were turning left into the lanes. I asked him if he wanted me to trot on again and he said yes so I did. The next thing I heard was "Whoa Polly. Steady. Whoa". I looked around and saw the mare doing half rears and the cart (a Bennington buggy) bouncing around and then the wheel went up the bank and the cart tipped right over. The mare seemed to panic and the cart was dragging behind on its side. My horse was freaking and trying to run on and it was all I could do to keep her under control. This lane was so narrow and with high banks and hedge on one side and a medium bank with deep ditch and then hedge on the other. I wondered whether to go onto the verge with the ditch but because of the lack of space I had visions of this mare and the cart coming and taking her legs out. I thought we'd both had it. I didn't want to rush on and make the mare bolt towards us but decided to get up the lane to a gateway about 20m on.
Fortunately the bolting mare went into a driveway to her left. I couldn't see anything or hear anything and was wary of going back down towards them in case the mare was going around the garden and then came back out and up the lane into us. A lady was just up the road and very kindly went down to see if they were OK. It turned out that the gate to this driveway was closed and the mare had stopped, the wheel of the cart over a small post and the shafts between the mare's legs. The mare stood very still and was super really. Nobody was hurt and the cart has just lost a little paint. I can't believe how lucky we all were. It just makes you realise how dangerous it can be.
Annoyingly though, I get the distinct impression (and so does my friend) that this man is blaming me saying I didn't stay 100m in front. How am I supposed to do that when he keeps on catching me up, plus, I think that by me going ahead it incited the mare to want to catch up. The rider who was in the cart said she though he wasn't able to control the mare at all and said it felt very unsafe. I will certainly not go out with him again. I think me and my horse were really at risk as if the mare hadn't turned into the gateway then she would have probably smashed my horse's legs with the cart! It just doesn't bear thinking about!
He drove her in the menage without the cart, then she was put into it and went around the menage for a good 10 minutes in the cart. Her rider helped and he went through quick release and other safety procedures before we went out. I rode my mare in the menage with them for 10 minutes before we went to make sure she was OK with a cart behind her. Anyway, he told me I was to stay 50 - 100 m in front as this meant any car overtaking had space to get in behind us if more traffic was oncoming and in case they hadn't seen us until they overtook. We went down the drive and at the bottom I had to wait until a couple of cars went by. I normally start off walking but soon came the cries of "Trot on" behind me. I though he was talking to the pony but then realised he wanted me to trot on, so I did. The road was fairly busy and the house I was approaching had some plastic blowing in the wind. My mare was tense and head high and I called behind to say I was going to walk. He shouted me to do hand signals as he couldn't hear. This was hard as busy and mare spooky due to flapping plastic but I put my left hand out to show him we were turning left into the lanes. I asked him if he wanted me to trot on again and he said yes so I did. The next thing I heard was "Whoa Polly. Steady. Whoa". I looked around and saw the mare doing half rears and the cart (a Bennington buggy) bouncing around and then the wheel went up the bank and the cart tipped right over. The mare seemed to panic and the cart was dragging behind on its side. My horse was freaking and trying to run on and it was all I could do to keep her under control. This lane was so narrow and with high banks and hedge on one side and a medium bank with deep ditch and then hedge on the other. I wondered whether to go onto the verge with the ditch but because of the lack of space I had visions of this mare and the cart coming and taking her legs out. I thought we'd both had it. I didn't want to rush on and make the mare bolt towards us but decided to get up the lane to a gateway about 20m on.
Fortunately the bolting mare went into a driveway to her left. I couldn't see anything or hear anything and was wary of going back down towards them in case the mare was going around the garden and then came back out and up the lane into us. A lady was just up the road and very kindly went down to see if they were OK. It turned out that the gate to this driveway was closed and the mare had stopped, the wheel of the cart over a small post and the shafts between the mare's legs. The mare stood very still and was super really. Nobody was hurt and the cart has just lost a little paint. I can't believe how lucky we all were. It just makes you realise how dangerous it can be.
Annoyingly though, I get the distinct impression (and so does my friend) that this man is blaming me saying I didn't stay 100m in front. How am I supposed to do that when he keeps on catching me up, plus, I think that by me going ahead it incited the mare to want to catch up. The rider who was in the cart said she though he wasn't able to control the mare at all and said it felt very unsafe. I will certainly not go out with him again. I think me and my horse were really at risk as if the mare hadn't turned into the gateway then she would have probably smashed my horse's legs with the cart! It just doesn't bear thinking about!
