# Thrown from the cart



## Miss Gracie (Jun 25, 2010)

Today Miss Gracie bucked in the cart and got her hind-leg over the shaft. I got thrown from the cart and Gracie took off. Luckily she came to her senses, she stopped and waited for me to put her leg back where it belonged. Other than a few scratches on Gracie's right leg and burn marks between her legs she seems fine. I did some driving from the ground afterwards and she did okay. I attached a picture, other than the over-check being loose does everything look as it should?

Thanks,

Carol


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## Ferrah (Jun 25, 2010)

It's hard from the picture to tell if the harnessing is done alright, maybe others will have better luck, I have a pretty small monitor! Anyway, you might want to look into using a kicking strap. I used one on all my green horses initially. Basically it prevents them from lifting their hind end enough to get a leg over the shaft, and it usually is pretty effective.


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## Marsha Cassada (Jun 26, 2010)

Wow, that is one scary happening! Thank goodness you are both all right and you both seemed to handle the aftermath well. I've known drivers who walked away from that and never got in the cart again.


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## Miss Gracie (Jun 26, 2010)

Thanks for the replys!

Although I don't think Miss Gracie will buck in the cart again I'm not taking any chances, I'll check into the kicking straps.

The scariest part was watching Gracie running off with the cart and not knowing how it all would end. I thought for sure she'd break her hind leg since it was over the shaft the entire time, she was running on three legs. Had I not got thrown from the cart I believe I would have gotten her under control. I'll get back in the cart after she's healed and ground driven a few times. I had my share of falls off of the big horses over the past 30+ years and have always gotten back on.

If you don't wear a riding helmet while driving or riding I encourage you to do so.

Thanks,

Carol


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## CZP1 (Jun 26, 2010)

I have had that happen a couple of times with a seasoned horse. So can happen! You might want to start slow and just ground drive for a while and have someone help you when you hitch her up again. I don't know your backround or if the horse is green. JMO, I would take it slow, ALWAYS wear a helmet when driving even if it is just for a few minutes.

It is very frightening to see the horse galloping away with the cart attached. I had a horse that bucked while we were driving, he balled up and I bailed - he ran towards a tree and a power pole the cart lost and we found him about 1/2 mile away at the neighbors wrecked a brand new harness. The cart wheels, axle were bent. It is a EE cart so hubby just fixed it we bought new wheels. The horse was traumatized and hasn't been driven since. Seems he had some issues in harness - he would lay down when you had him hitched if he didn't feel like working. Was funny at first but dangerous the more I thought about it. He went back to his breeder.

It can be scary but makes us forget that we really can't get too comfortable since they are small they are still horses.

Good luck! Your turnout looks very nice BTW


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## Shadows Fire (Jun 27, 2010)

Would a bucking strap have prevented this? Its a strap that goes from shaft to shaft over their rear end so they can't get height to throw a leg up over the shafts or buck/kick.

sorry this happened and I hope its a one time thing.


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## RhineStone (Jun 29, 2010)

I'm sorry this happened to you, but if you drive long enough, wrecks aren't an "if" but a "when".



It's good that everyone came out of this one OK. I know of a navigator that possibly broke her arm at a CDE this weekend when the driver took a corner and the vehicle rolled.

Every horse has a "stressor reaction". My show horse is (was) a bolter, this one is a bucker. It doesn't necessarily mean that the harnessing is incorrect, she could have been stung by a bee, or decided that what she was doing was too mentally challenging, or she is indignant, etc. The trick is to catch the "pre-stressor reaction" before it gets full blown. This takes practice and horsemanship.

It's hard to tell from the photo, but the front hip strap seems a bit low. With the breeching more level, the slack would be taken up in the breeching and the potential for getting a leg over the shaft would be minimized. Yes, a kicking strap would help, too.

On this vehicle, I also wouldn't mind seeing the singletree lowered so the line of draft was more horizontal. See how the trace goes "uphill"? I doubt that contributed to this wreck, but it would help the vehicle pull easier. We have mounted the cross bar and the circle bar under the shafts upside-down and put the singletree on top. I do know of other vehicles that have mounted the whole assembly upside-down with the singletree on the bottom, too.

This is another challenge with "Easy Entry" carts. They are also Easy EXIT, and not always by your wishes. A bit of tufting on the vinyl seats, or cloth seats would have helped you stay with the cart. Some people also use "rubber" shelf liner under their butts to help hold them in place. NEVER bail from the cart!!! It's one thing to be thrown from it, but to jump off is not only dangerous for the driver, but that horse is dragging a weapon behind it. If you are in the cart, you at least might have SOME chance of slowing and stopping the vehicle! YOU put that vehicle to that horse, it is YOUR responsibility to see that OTHERS don't get hurt. If you aren't in the cart, you are still liable for whatever that horse runs into or wrecks, and you can't possibly stop it from the ground. STAY WITH THE CART if at all possible. (Written for the masses reading. I know the OP was thrown.)

Also, unless you intend on showing in mini breed shows, I would dump the overcheck. The mare is built very level and needs the ability to lower her head to move the cart. The overcheck entirely prevents this and actually pulls the horse's nose up. A loose overcheck is a danger, as those loose straps can get under the shaft if the horse puts it's head down, and then tighten enough to make the horse rear. A sidecheck can be more beneficial, but in actuality you don't need it. Obviously, it didn't help keep her head up to prevent bucking. Most people use it only because it came with the harness, but really don't understand it's purpose. In the big scheme of things, I doubt that some of the Amish that build harnesses know what the purpose for a check is!



That is just the "way it is done". That is not a good enough reason for me to use a piece of equipment.

Keep Driving!

Myrna


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## hobbyhorse23 (Jun 29, 2010)

First of all, I'm sorry that happened to you and am glad you're both okay! If the horse is unhurt I think I would have made her pull the cart back to the barn just to keep the last experience she had from being the scary one. I wouldn't want it to grow bigger in her mind as you appear to avoid the cart for the next few sessions. ("Mom's scared of that mean cart, guess I should be too!")



RhineStone said:


> Every horse has a "stressor reaction". My show horse is (was) a bolter, this one is a bucker. It doesn't necessarily mean that the harnessing is incorrect, she could have been stung by a bee, or decided that what she was doing was too mentally challenging, or she is indignant, etc. The trick is to catch the "pre-stressor reaction" before it gets full blown. This takes practice and horsemanship.


Very true! Kody is so willing and natural in harness I've never found his breaking point reaction but I'd have to say it's probably a mix of rearing and bolting. He does a lot of bucking and leaping but it's always from eagerness and high spirits; it's very easy to prevent any sort of blowup if I simply watch him for signs he's getting frustrated and deescalate the situation. Turbo, on the other hand, is a kicker. No question!! Anything that scared him, made him nervous, or even moved funny near him occasioned a double-barreled kick as a yearling. I've worked really hard to build his confidence and restraint and it's working- I was very proud at the show this last weekend as he stopped and thought when kids ran up behind him instead of reacting. Phew! He will not be put to cart however until he's more solid on the appropriate "stop and stare" reaction and he will wear a bucking strap when he does. He's too good a horse to ruin by forcing him into a stressful situation where he will feel he has to defend himself and then watching the inevitable happen.



Each step for him must be completely understood and accepted before moving on and I will be watching him like a hawk for any signs of tension or reluctance so I can prevent problems.

The point of that paragraph is just to agree with Rhinestone that you must know your horse's stress reaction and do whatever is necessary to avoid triggering it.







RhineStone said:


> A loose overcheck is a danger, as those loose straps can get under the shaft if the horse puts it's head down, and then tighten enough to make the horse rear.


I agree with most everything Rhinestone says but just wanted to mention I have not seen many overchecks where this would be an issue. Sidechecks, yes, but not overchecks.



Miss Gracie said:


> I attached a picture, other than the over-check being loose does everything look as it should?


It looks pretty good. I'd raise the front hip strap of the breeching and probably tighten your holdbacks a little bit, and maybe place the saddle further back if you can, but overall it looks pretty good and I don't see anything that would have caused the accident unless maybe the breeching slipped up under her tail somehow. Add a kicking strap, lose the overcheck, and keep driving!





Leia


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## Miss Gracie (Aug 5, 2010)

Thanks so much for the driving advice and compliments.

I finally was able to get to Homes County (Amish country) yesterday to buy a kicking strap. Since the weather was extremely hot I wasn't in a hurry.

I moved my round-pen close to the barn so that I could continue working Gracie at night when it's cooler. I only ground drive (without the cart), desensitize, and play Parelli games with her in the round pen.

Fortunately my yard is completely fenced in so Gracie wasn't able to run down the road when I got thrown from the cart.

Thanks again!

Carol


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## Miss Gracie (Aug 8, 2010)

I hooked Grace up to the cart and ground drove her, it went very well. I still need to get a rubber pad to sit on and get the seat guard fixed. Thanks again for the driving advice!

Carol


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## RhineStone (Aug 8, 2010)

Good for you! Keep it up.

Myrna


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