Horses Are DANGEROUS!

tinknal · #1 07/30/11, 08:55 PM

Please wr, make this a sticky. I love horses but the first thing that everyone needs to know before they ever come near is that horses are dangerous, and that they can kill you. I have suffered substantial bodily injury from horses and have had numerous close calls, some of these close calls could have proven fatal to people less experienced than I (or I'm just lucky

)

Horses are not pets. They are not pasture ornaments. They are not symbols of a lifestyle, or times gone by. They are useful creatures that can benefit our lives greatly, if we learn how to be good stewards of the specie.

If you love horses, please learn how to control them, not just for your benefit, but for the horse's benefit. If that beautiful horse that you love kills you, your family will most likely kill that horse.

wr · #2 07/30/11, 09:45 PM

tinknal, they are dangerous and while I'm smart enough to know that things can still happen, that's one of the reasons that we do encourage safety (including helmets) and I'm so negative about pairing green riders with green horses.

LisaInN.Idaho · #3 07/30/11, 10:19 PM

I agree with the fact they horses are potentially dangerous but I have two happy and lazy ponies who would probably beg to differ with you about horses not being pasture ornaments.

akane · #4 07/30/11, 10:32 PM

Horses are pets. That does not make them less dangerous. A poorly socialized dog can be a dangerous or even deadly animal but it is still someone's pet until it gets put in a bad situation and reacts wrong. So long as they aren't taught bad habits by children or unknowing adults feeding them treats with no discipline over the fence they also make great pasture ornaments. Just slightly expensive ones. I have a few pasture ornaments that are useful for nothing due to age or health problems and have given laid back pasture ornaments to less knowledgeable people who just like to look at horses to live out their retirement.

DamnearaFarm · #5 07/30/11, 10:34 PM

Not only do horses have the potential to be dangerous animals, the danger is still present out of the saddle as well. My husband had over half of his right ring finger amputated due to a horse incident. No biting, no aggressive behavior, no spook or startle out of the horse caused it. Just a freak accident that could have been prevented by paying closer attention to the situation.

Minelson · #6 07/30/11, 10:35 PM

Almost everything is dangerous. Stuff happens.

bergere · #7 07/30/11, 10:56 PM

People die working with Farm equipment, people die in car accidents, people die falling off the roof. Life is Dangerous.

Knock on wood, I have only been in 1 horse related accident....first one in 35 years of riding at the time. Was a dosey... granted. All because I listen to other people about tack, I knew better... won't be doing that again. Nor will I ride a horse I haven't trained.

I have been in two car accidents, not my fault, one head on with a red car... DH was driving we saw a couple of blond teens come out of no where and hit us head on, luckily we had already stopped. Last one.. DS and I were in the car and the Blond 20 year old women came up over the blind hill doing 100mph driving a red car.. she was only doing 55mph when she hit my Camry wagon. You should of seen the front of her car. What is it with Blonds and red cars?

Lets see.. DH older brother was removing the snow on his roof on his place in AK.. fell two stories and broke his hips.
I could go on and on......

Could I be hurt again. Yes... But should it stop me from driving car or riding a horse? No.

Best way not to get hurt with equines, know how to properly handle horses. Make sure they and you are properly trained.
I expect and get good manners. I am Alpha mare bar none. This will lessen the chance of getting hurt.

After that bad riding accident, I continue to ride with a helmet but because of the damage caused and I have Osteoporosis, I use a ASTM/Beta 3 riding Vest. It does take some time to get used to it and it will mold to your body in time but it allows me to keep riding.
Have friends that fall off all the time and never break anything. But I am not that lucky.

For people new to horses, I highly, highly, recommend taking lessons and or working at a barn on weekends for at least a year before you buy a horse. That way, you will learn in a more safe environment and will learn wither having a horse is something you really want. They are a lot of work.

where I want to · #8 07/30/11, 11:22 PM

As a person who took disability histories for years, motorcycles are first for life changing head injuries and horses are second.

One of my favorite stories is about attending a tack auction- I came in with a pillow as I had broken my tail bone in a fall from a horse- then a person came in with a broken arm, another with a bandaged hand, etc etc. Then the last guy rolled in in a wheelchair, I mentioned to my friend that I just knew this was a horse related activity.

I agree that a thousand pound animal can cause a lot of damage. But I can remember pulling myself upright using a horses leg after a fall as I couldn't get up any other way. Just so I could get back on that horse. It's an addiction.........

Minelson · #9 07/30/11, 11:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by where I want to

But I can remember pulling myself upright using a horses leg after a fall as I couldn't get up any other way. Just so I could get back on that horse. It's an addiction.........

You nailed it

Rogo · #10 07/31/11, 01:31 AM

At 7 years old, my dad took me to a stable. The wrangler put me on a tall drink of water, told me how to make the horse go and how to stop him. The group rode for several hours until we came to the chuck wagon where breakfast was being served. This was out in the desert. Afterwards, there was a fella playing guitar and another playing a fiddle. We all enjoyed singing songs and the folks there. Then we rode back to the stable. That was my only 'lesson.'

Dad and I went on many breakfast and dinner rides at that stable. Some good memories from my childhood.

My first owned mount was a horse. After that, only mules. And I raised a lot of mules out of my Mammoth jack and broodmare band. He also bred outside mares. I never pasture bred, only hand bred. I rode that Mammoth all his life starting when he was 3.

Bought a mule almost a year ago, that I'm enjoying. Love the tough mountain rides.

Crossing my fingers and toes, but at 72 I haven't yet broken any bones or been seriously hurt. As long as I don't have a problem mounting -- I don't have any health problems -- I'll ride until the day I die! Perhaps my common sense has kicked in all these years!

)

akane · #11 07/31/11, 03:55 AM

I grew up with psychotic horses and my one bad fall was actually on a well trained expensive show horse. He was trained to do something not standard and with it not being normal horse behavior my reaction was off leading to injury. Otherwise I have not been injured by a horse where the injury wasn't gone in 2-3 days without a doctor and I spent more time riding than walking as a kid. I was riding before I was walking. Horses are simple to me. I knew by the time I was 8 how to throw a rear off balance side ways so they couldn't get to the point of falling down and how best to bail when riding out some bucks wasn't going to work. How to roll when I fell. How to protect all major parts when being run over or kicked at.... I have been severely injured by a mountain bike, 4wheeler, black ice at night(my only broken bone), and my dog while hiking because I was jumping between rocks and she pulled me making me land several inches off and potentially fracturing the arch in my foot. Never went to a doctor to fully determine the damage and it healed after a few weeks. Never wrecked a car either. The same reflexes and instinct that tell me what to do when a horse is about to do something stupid also help me avoid other drivers about to do something stupid.

Irish Pixie · #12 07/31/11, 06:42 AM

My two out-of-work broodmares are most certainly pasture ornaments, and they love the lifestyle.

I agree, however that horse are not pets, they are livestock. As with any large animal you must be cautious and attentive at all times. Accidents happen but the worse wreck I was ever in involved a dirtbike, not a horse.

offthegrid · #13 07/31/11, 07:10 AM

I think the biggest problem is that we become complacent when our horses *are* well-behaved (pets, livestock, pasture ornament, whatever).

Of course we want our horses to be well-behaved...but when they are we can easily forget the danger they could pose if startled or angry. I think kids are especially likely to forget this -- my kids have never a truly scary horse incident (horse fight, horse freak out, etc.) and I think they really can't imagine it happening.

My young boarded QH almost ran me over yesterday because my paint mare gave him the evil eye. But I walk amongst them daily and rarely does anything happen. It was a good reminder to be careful!

tinknal · #14 07/31/11, 05:36 PM

I spent several years helping my friend Larry rehab track sour TBs. Probably the best education you can get to learning (and learning to avoid) the kind of wrecks that can occur.

Some track trainers teach only two things.

1. Stand in gate (some don't even train this well)

2. Run like hell.

crtreedude · #15 07/31/11, 05:53 PM

We have about 15 horses who work for a living. One thing I think people miss is that each horse has its own personality. It is what makes them so fun! Recently I had family down and they wanted to ride horses. Cool, I have an Appaloosa which I think wouldn't run even if it saw a Jaguar coming at it. A wonderful plodder. They had a wonderful time. I rode Toro, a contrary gelding who is my favorite because he has so much get up and go, but boy does he have a mind of his own till you convince him that you do mean business. (we only use hackamores, so sometimes that takes a bit of doing!)

Riding a horse isn't like riding a motorcycle or a car. They have a personality and history. Another story, we bought one horse for very little even though she was gorgeous and seemed to do everything right. One day I found out what was wrong when I leaned over and grabbed a stick from the ground. (not to hit her, but to clean up). Well, it looked like in the comics when your hat stays in the air and you are at the other end of the field. Come to find out, someone had trained her by beating her with a stick - and she had really learned the lesson.

As someone has said, if you are new to horses, get an experienced horse, it is bad news to have a newbie on a green horse.

I ride a lot in all kinds of terrain and have yet to be hurt, but I have had horses fall down while I was riding. No big deal when there are no rocks, as long as you remember to not come off on the side they are coming down on.