What is your worst Horsey Accident????

[billiethekid40]

I haven't had any accidents where i got "hurt". I've had a couple that left me pretty sore though, and could honestly have turned out a lot worse!

The first was the first time I fell (coincided with the first day I rode at a canter) I just went up over his head and he went over top of me, I had a muddy hoof print on my pantleg where he just missed stepping on me. He of course stopped, turned around and stood over me concerned. He was a great little school pony and taught many kinds to ride. I'm darn sure many a kid has looked up from the ground to see him standing over them looking concerned too LOL

Another that was painful but not really overly scary or dangerous was when i tripped while leading my mini at a canter... and forgot to let go. He pulled me a long for a few steps on hard packed gravel before he finally figured he better stop and let me get up, cause i was too heavy to keep dragging when he knew I could walk

: I was picking gravel out of my arms and legs for days after that one.

And probably the most momentarily scary accident was in the cart. We were trotting along on a nice secluded, level, trail on our way home so I knew the footing already. I let him pick up quite a bit of speed trying to get him a little tired and get a good workout in. He was trotting along, ears up, relaxed tail flowing just really nice collected responsive. I was on cloud 9! All of a sudden with NO warning he put the brakes on and dodged to one side fast. I went up out of the cart through the side and got my foot caught between the wheel and the cart. I could feel my ankle twisting, and when I said WHOA I was lucky he stopped instantly because i think one more step would have broken the bone. I checked him out, checked all around. Best i can figure was a rock in his hoof, though he never showed any tenderness or lameness and quite happily pulled me home (thank goodness I didn't have to walk, or like when riding home mount... thats the nice thing about the cart, its not so hard to get into) By the time I had checked his hooves and harness he acted like it had never happened, so I decided I should too.

 

[hairicane]

All I can say is ouch!!!!!! Especially Tracys and Nikkis, Marty and some of the other real bad ones geez u are all lucky to be alive.

My worst was riding a relatives rescued abused horse that sane people would not ride. But I was a teenager so I was invincible, or so I thought. This horse had come along great and really improved so Im not sure why, he might of had a horsefly bite him or a bee. Whatever it was, a friend and I were trail riding and cantering some figure 8s around some pine trees. Suddenly he took off at a dead run and there was no stopping him and we were heading for a paved road. Soon as he hit the pavement he fell and with my leg under him and my foot in the english stirrup we slid across the road. Just my luck we are heading for a giant mailbox post. I did have my helmet on but back then they only had elastic straps so as my helmet was coming off my head we hit the post. Caused the helmet to slam back on only the front edge caught me in the eyes. Really not sure how much it helped. The horse was scraped up and sore but able to walk. I knew the people that bought him and he never did that again, guess it wasnt much fun for him either.

A week later I started high school with 2 huge big black eyes, road rash and bruises all over my face and body and a broken leg but worse with lots of muscle and tendon damage in that leg that never improved. I was too swollen for a cast and its real hard to not move your leg if u can even if its broken, OUCH! So horrors I was in a wheelchair, not the way I planned to start HS. Right away I met a girl that looked about like me, road rash, broken legs and she was in a motorcycle wreck. We got to be friends and an older senior girl saw me and said "horse wreck?" and soon we were freinds and doing horsy things together. Now I am happy to have the minis and drive.

 

[Pepipony]

Knock wood I have never had an accident, bailed off but never taken off. Hubby, new to horses, male and a Texan, thus much smarter than his Yankee wife decided it would be fun to teach his horse to rear.

: Wouldnt have bene so bad if this horse wasnt being 'retrained' from being trainde by a yahoo. Anyhow, horse was in a 'tude and to be a butt, reared up and went over. Hubby was able to shove off enough so the horn missed him, but his 1100 lb horse smushed him anyhow. Nothing broken, but his pride

:

 

[FoRebel]

I, thankfully, haven't had any major injuries.... yet! I have a yearling arab filly that might just be a handful!!!

I started out with a shetland pony that I was taking lessons on when I was 4 or 5 years old. He put his head down one day, while I was in a lesson in the outdoor arena, to eat the grass at the edge of the arena. Needless to say I went over his head and bonked my helmeted head. My head, rear end, and feelings were hurt to say the least.

My next experience was when I was 18. My TB gelding hadn't been worked in 12 years. I had just recently took over ownership of him. I had ridden him for about a month and one day riding him in the indoor arena, he decided that I no longer belonged on his back. He bucked hard enough that my arse was sore..... VERY SORE. After I lunged him for 15 minutes total, he didn't EVER do that again!

I've also had shoulder and other injuries from my uncle's mare! She's not the nicest horse but she loves my uncle so it's all good!!!!!!

Now... I'm sure that there are going to be storys coming since my arab yearling has some snort and blow to her. She's sweet but I think that there's a volcano waiting to explode with her. I, like rabbitsfizz, have a little bit of a suicidal attitude when it comes to getting on horses. Especially ones that I trust on the ground, like my arab. I was a bit more cautious with my appendix gelding when I got on him the first few times... He was, what I consider, green broke and had been abused by the trainer. So I am still guarded while riding him....

Look for more injuries to come!!! :new_shocked: :lol:

 

[anoki]

well *TOUCH WOOD* I have only had 2 somewhat serious horse accidents.

#1 was about 5 years ago.....I was riding a mare that I was part boarding, and she used to love to rub you into the kickboards. Well Easter Sunday I decide to just go for a quick ride....and she was being her usual ignorant self and rubbed me into the kickboards....except amazingly enough there was a splinter of wood where she rubbed me into, and I got a nice splinter (read twig there) that went in the front side of my knee and poked all the way through the back side (wrecked my good breeches too)! Thankfully it didn't 'hit' anything....my knees have a lot of fat on the sides of them LOL

: Went to emerg and spent the next 6 weeks packing it daily until it healed (I kept the splinter of wood too, it was 6 inches long....I'd post pictures of the wound, but it would definitely gross people out).

#2 happened almost 2 years ago....my quiet, faithful Anoki had picked up spooking (and man, he's fast). We will be riding along and all of a sudden he is going 90 sideways. A gate wasn't closed properly and rattled in the wind (and we were in the indoor arena), and he spooked. I couldn't get a hold of anything to get myself back in the saddle, and the more I scrambled to grab something the faster he went sideways. Anyhow, somehow I managed to land flat foot on one leg.....that hurt. No fracture or anything....just jammed my bone into some tendons & ligaments in my knee...and it just so happened to be the same leg with my beautiful scar on it as well!

~kathryn

 

[Lewella]

The worst would be -------- when I broke my back....

September 16, 1989. I was a Junior in High School. Had a friend over that day after school and we went for a ride in the pasture. She was on my 8 year old Arab mare and I was on my just started under saddle 2 year old Arab mare. I told the friend specifically to keep it to a walk - that was all I was doing with Raj at her age. This friend didn't listen and a few minutes into our trip around the rather small pasture kicked Boomer into a canter. Of course Raj followed and bucked like crazy. It was so quick I didn't have time to brace myself and went flying. Landed on the only rock on the farm with my right hip and exploded my T-12 vertebra. It was in bits and pieces one of which was pressing on my spinal column. I somehow managed to walk to the house and somehow survived the car ride to the hospital.

Three weeks later I was released from the hospital a few pieces of bone chip lighter with temporary steel rods in my back and in a body cast. They took bone graft from my hip and fused the T-10 thru L-2 together. Since I was just 16 the Dr. decided to go with the temporary rods instead of the permenant thinking I was going to grow some more (Yeah, right - LOL). So 18 months later after the bone graft had filled in like they wanted it to I had to have the rods removed. I still sometimes have back pain but it is more from the scar tissue than the injury itself.

 

[Casnos Minis]

[SIZE=18pt]Mine happened when I was 16. I had gotten a wonderful lepard appy mare for my 16th birthday. 2weeks later while I was riding her she got stung by some bees under her saddle. I stayed on until she stopped, went to adjust myself as I didn't know at the time there were bees under her saddle, she bucked again and I fell off. My mom said I was falling fine until I tucked my right arm under me. I shaddered my radial head (elbow) and couldn't ride for 10 months. I was terrified, I still am. I only ride in the ring and I won't go any faster than a trot. I could bring myself to ride my sweet mare again, I sold her. I have ridden plenty of school horses since then, but I'm still affraid. I won't get on a horse unless there is someone there with me.[/SIZE]

Christy

 

[Shimfessel5]

As I have been around horses all of my life and been riding since I was

18 months old. I have had numerous "problems"

First being a kid about 5 at the time and NOT knowing any better I went to chase

the horses out of a field they should not have been in and got kicked in the

face. The hoof covered my right eye. I had to have stitches on the bone that

runs under my eye, but no damage to my eye. Thankfully..

About 10 or 11 I was cantering my horse on some damp grass and she

slipped. I only remember waking up with her (best Horse I ever owned

I had her for 23 years) standing over me looking like what is wrong with you. I 'm not sure how long it had been. Slight headache.

About 23 Married did not know I was pregnant. My husband and I went trail riding. I was riding a very

green 2 year old, ended up getting dumped in a dry rocky creek bed and broke a rib. No problems with

the pregnancy though. My son is now 12.

Even though these may be the worst of times, there are much more that I would not trade for anything.

Something I read once upon a time that I will never forget. A young girl died while jumping her horse in a

competition at the KY Horse Park and the interview with her father went like this. He was asked if he would

have done anything different with his daughter and he said, "NO, she died doing what she loved. How many

people can say that?"

Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away.

Or as my sons would say "Scars are just like tattoos they just have better stories"

 

[twister]

Well there have been a few as I used to work with horses in England and Ireland, the main 2 that I remember are:

1. in England I was working for a showjumper (John Greenwood) and I was riding a 17.2 hh Trakhener mare from Russia in the front field, I noticed a car drive into the yard and rode her back to see what they wanted. They were looking for directions, boy did they get more than they bargained for, when I asked the mare to move on she reared and came over backwards, I remember being suspended in mid air with her huge body coming down over me and thinking I am going to die but I'm too young. Anyway I landed on the roof of the car and Prima caved in the side of it. I slid down to my feet called her a B**** and then passed out. I guess people panicked and in putting me into the car to take me to the hospital they slammed the door on both of my hands ouch! That is what hurt the most when I came to but I did injure my back and my left knee and ankle have both been weak since then.

2. I was working on a horse farm in Limerick, Ireland and had been working a nice, pony mare and as I walked her back to her box a mare that was being shipped to Florida the next day lunged over her door intending to get the pony but instead got a big chunk of my back in her mouth, she lifted me off my feet and shook me like a rat. That was so painful, I still have a scar on my shoulder t this day but I bet if a horse were to try it now they sure wouldn't be able to lift me :bgrin

Now while we are on this topic I must tell you a funny story that happened to me at Tralee Races, it wasn't funny to me at the time but looking back I laugh everytime I think about it. I was walking a thoroughbred

stallion around the parade ring at Tralee racecourse and he was very excited, he wanted to catch up with the horse in front of him and was pulling like a train. Now Tralee races are a big meet and get televised and there were big crowds around the ring watching us. All of a sudden Angus reared up and leaped through the air, I didn't let go of him but the zipper on my pants bust and my pants came down around my knees, I thought I was going to die. Of course the tv cameras had to be looking my way too, here I am with a very excited stallion, trying to hang on to him and pull my pants up with one hand. I'll never forget that day or that horse.

Yvonne

 

[Ferrah]

My Arab/QH mares Ferrah without warning, sumersaulted on top of me when we were cantering. I was thrown into the arena wall, my helmet cracked in two and I had a cuncussion.

When jumping 3'6 Ferrah caught a leg over a rail, and fell on me. I wasn't badly hurt, but I sure was shook up and both mine and my horses confidence was really affected.

I have gotton 9 stitches, 5 cuncussions, 3 cracked ribs all from horses. I have been kicked, dragged, stepped on, bucked off/thrown off, more times than I care to count.

Most of the time I am just scared more than anything. But I keep getting back on!

:

 

[lilhorseladie]

I broke many horses to lead and ride between the ages of 12 and 20, but when I was 17 I invited a friend out to ride my mare and I was going to ride a little filly that was green broke. The problem was, I didn't have enough equiptment. So I cobbled together a bridle for the little filly I was riding. We got out into the meadow and that bridle broke! The filly was scared and started running and bucking and I had nothing but the saddle to hold on to. We took off across the hay meadow, jumped an irrigation pipe and she started bucking. I flew up, then down to land on my shoulder, head then hip. I ended up with a locked jaw and some darn big bruises to wear to prom the very next week. My green arms clashed with that blue spaghetti strap dress! I am guessing that one accident is probably the start to my fibro myalgia today! See kids, the past does catch up to you!

 

[Voodoo]

Well now this is the kind of thing I can put my 2 cents worth in :bgrin . Lets see start say at 5 riding a horse that was probably too green for me to be on, but after begging Dad for hours he let me ride her around the arena at the rodeo before it started. All was well until some kids playing tag horseback came running and yelling behind her, scared her to death and she started bucking. Well my means of hanging on consisted of tucking my legs up and back which stuck my spurs under the saddle blanket. Not the best way of getting her to stop LOL. I rode her for what felt like ever (hey the judges behind the chutes said I won the rodeo that night

: ) when I finally came off she kicked me in the side of the head. Pretty much just left a hoofprint and needed about three stiches in my chin.

Second one was when I was 15 shoeing one of my pretty nice rope horses, but he was sure enough a bronc on the ground. I was home alone and almost done shoeing him. Had his front foot out in front on the stand taking a little flare off. Well I pulled a dumb one and was standing with one leg on each side of his front one so when he slipped off the stand and pulled his leg under him he scooped me up with him and drug me back. Now mind you he was cross tied on concrete so he had no traction and no where to go. I was trying like mad to crawl out from under him, but the harder I tried the more he just kept pulling me under him. I finally got out and thought man my head hurts. Put my hand up and it was soaked with blood, along with the whole back of my shirt. I'm still not sure if he kicked me or I hit the concrete, but either way I was sore all over. I didn't know what to do, I didn't dare to drive so I called my mom and told her to come home and get me. I didn't tell her what was wrong or she would have driven way too fast getting there. As it turned out it got four stitches and I must have a hard head cause nothing else was wrong. Best part of the whole deal was that my brother had to finish shoeing him for me :lol: .

Next bad one was when I was 17 putting the first ride on a 3 year old. He was working nice in the round corral so I called Dad over and asked him to flag the colt around while I was riding him for the first time. I rode him about 15 minutes and all was well. Then I guess he just decided he was done working for today took a run at one of the fences (5 1/2' panels not a good round corral choice) decided to jump it, but pretty much just managed to hit my ankle on the top rail and slide it down the fence far enough to catch my toe on an upright twist it around and break it in alot of places. I did the dumb thing and got off him right there onto the fence, then stepped onto the ground. I remember looking down and seeing that my foot was at a 90 to my leg. Then Dad's yelling get out, and here comes this sorrel POS again so I go to duck through the fence so he doesn't run me over and accidentally step on the foot in the process (can we say ouch). Good thing though it was facing forward again after that. Went to the doctor and had it pinned. Really doesn't give me much trouble and that was a long time ago.

Latest one was actually posted on here some time ago, I was riding my sorrel mare (we have a love hate relationship, I love her and she hates me

: ). Any way I didn't warm her up good enough and as I stood up to rope a steer she came uncorked on me. I usually don't fall off a bucking horse, but she got me that day, I was out of the middle of her to begin with and just never got settled on her. As she bucked she also spun so when I finally fell off she stepped on my back with both feet and then kicked me in the back of the head as she jumped away. Once again I have a hard head because all I got was a small scar right next to the other one, and lots of bruses everywhere else.

That was a year ago and here we are six months later

so far we are getting along great since then.

And the latest was last week, heeling steers on Dads colt, he missed the corner and tried to make it back. Very successfully managed to slide down the arena about 10 feet on his side with my leg under him. The only good thing was that Dad has always preached to ride one up, no matter what ride him up incase your foot is stuck in the stirrup. I rode him up and he was fine, but my foot was numb. I got off and tested it out and after about ten minutes it was working and just sore. So we finished roping on all the horses before coming in that evening, I ended up with some nice bruses, but nothing else, it's fine now.

I think I'm too darn dumb to be scared, because I just keep getting on :bgrin I could go on forever with the little accidents, broken fingers, toes, feet, brused things (mostly pride I think

: ) but I've already gone on forever so I'll go before I bore you all to death.

Edited to fix picture (hopefully)

 

[NyborFarm]

For me I like falling off horses. Its one of those Im riding a horse and the next minuet Im on the ground wondering just how I had gotten there. Ive fallen off to many times to count. :lol:

My worst horse related "accident" actuall happened with my mini! :lol: I was line driving him about 3 years ago in the autum. There were leaves on the ground and what not. We were going along, my toe caught on a rock that was hiding under some leaves, I tripped a bit but would have been just fine. BUT my lil guy heard me trip and well off he went dead run. I know most people would have let go of the reins... but not me! I held on for dear life and got dragged about 10feet or so. Luckly my sister was there when I finally let go of the reins to catch my horse. I managed to get up but I couldnt walk. I was able to hang on to my sister's horse (gotta love a 15.3hand sweetheart). And while holding onto her I managed to walk up to the house. Lets say its a little over the length of a football field from where I fell to the house. All up hill. Only once I got into the house did I start crying because I was in so much pain. Went to the ER (man I HATE that place!) Sat for about a hour just waiting for someone to come in and take xrays. The joy that no one could read them untill a week later. THey put me in an imobilizer to brace my entire left leg. Also to note, there was NO ONE in the ER while I was there. So about a week later I went to see an orthopedic surgern about my leg. Turned out that I dislocated AND jamed my knee all at once. The orthopedic surgen was able to unjam it and relocate it correctly. Put me in physical therapy for a few months. Now my patella is constantly dislocated when Im at zero degress (straight out). But I love my horse!

: I still laugh about this everytime I think of it! :bgrin

 

[Lauralee]

Oh dear mine's not nearly as bad as some of your injuries!!!!

I had a beautiful quarter horse gelding when I was a teen. He was a dark bay (registered as "brown) with four white socks, white on his face, and a salt/pepper colored mane with a nearly all white tail. GORGEOUS and very unusual coloring....(I wonder now if he was not silver!!)

Unfortunately he had been raised from weaning to maturity inside a chicken house (long domed structure for housing thousands of chickens, but empty)

This made him psychotically afraid of anything that had wheels or rolled, especially cars.

He was great in the arena.

I took him on a trail ride and every time a car went by he would spin on his rear, really fast.

Finally we were on top of a ledge, car went by, he spun, and I fell all the way to the bottom of the ledge, right on my butt.

I rode in the truck the rest of the trail ride. My tailbone was sore for weeks.

 

[Laura]

I loved it and really wasn't scared. Now that I have one child and one on the way you start thinking more about what happens if I get hurt. Plus, Mom and Dad don't pay the insurance anymore.

Kim

Isn't that the truth. After I found my "dream" horse (big black GORGEOUS percheron/TB mare who evented, show jumped and had fox hunted), I thought "I'll ride all the time". She was in foal to a spectacular Freisian...then *I* was in foal.

:

: By the time she foaled, I still had not been on her. I sold she and her filly a few months later, although I LOVED that baby.

 

[The Dynamic Duo]

I had a bad accident 4 years ago when I was 9. Left me blind and deaf on my left side

: I dont go into details since it scares me half to death in the middle of the night and the next day I won't go near a horse but I was riding and the horse spooked and bolted into some woods and my foot got stuck in a stirrup......I'll still ride but not without LOTS of talking too and even then I check my saddle about 1 million times.

 

[The Dynamic Duo]

BUMP

Now, reading all these stories, mine isn't too bad.

 

[Vicky Texas]

Wow, you guys have had some scary Horsey Accidents.

My first one is not mine, but my sisters. I was with her when it happen. She was 6 yrs old at the

time, and I was 10 yrs old. I had a POA mare, and she had a Shetland Pony. My brother, 2 cousins

and I all learned to ride of this pony. It was past down through each of us.

My sister Carla and I had gone for a ride in a huge pasture next to our house. We had just begun,

and was cantering along. I was ahead of her, and then in few seconds the pony ran past me. I knew

she had been buck off. I went back to get her, so we could catch the pony. Only to get to her, she

was covered in blood. Her face was so ripped open. I knew it was bad. I tried to put her on my horse,

but she could not sit up there, I finally carried her to the dirt road. Leaving her, and running as fast

as I could to get help. My parents and I rushed her to the hospital. My older brother stayed behind to

catch the pony and put the horses.

My sister recover, after a long hospital stay, many surgeries. The pony had kick her on the left side

of her face, one hair over and he would have killed her. Her face was crushed, the surgereon's had

to use wire mash to rebuild her face. She has several scar's on face, but she recovered. She does

not care for horses now. Which I understand. The doctors did such a beautiful job rebuilding her

face, and she is so beautiful.

For me, my biggest one, came from a mare named Sugar's Gold Angel. She was a beautiful Palomino

Mare, I had purchased her. Unfortuntly Angel had no Sugar in her and she was no Angel. That was a

huge saying at our house. We sent her to a trainer's for breaking. They called she was ready. Haha.

I went over, and got her, in a open pasture. We were riding along, all great. She spotted a cow, and

took off in dead run, She was running right towards a barb wire fence. I knew she was going through it

or over it, but I was not. But as we got closer, she turned fast, sending me into a metal gate, knee first.

Well, we brought her home. While I recouped, she was a terror, she ate the boat cover off Dad's boat.

Jump more fences. While we were trying to put a blanket on her, big mistake, mom had wrapped the

lead around the post holding up the patio cover, then wrapped it around her arm. I told her not to.

But next thing we knew Angel went running, the post went flying, with mom attached, dumping her

in the mud. Dad had to rebuild the patio roof. He was not happy with her. Angel, I decided was going to be my jumping horse, even took a few lessons. Angel had her way to let you know when she was mad, she would snort like a bull, her eye's turn blood red, and you better watch out. She was going to get you.

Then it happened. Mom and Dad were out of town. I had a trainer out, I got on her, but next thing,

she was bucking, her bucks were straight up and down, and so hard. The trainer said she could see

under her belly over the 5 foot fence. I believed her. Next thing I knew I was on the ground.

She had buck me off, I went off head first, wearing a riding helmet. I hit head first, and broke

my right arm. I injured my neck in the fall. I still have troubles with my neck and wrist. I have

had several surgeries on the wrist. The doctors said they are permant injuries.

Dad came home, and he traded her in on a new horse. I got my Skuter. And they got Angel. And they

got the terror with her. She dump that cowboy more times. I be there riding Skuter, and the owner come

over, Angel dump me, will you take me to the hospital. Off we go. Later he sold her for a bucking horse

to the rodeo. I did see her at the rodeo's. They said she was unridden, haha.. I did ride her several times.

But the funny thing they say was, she was no sugar and she was sure no angel. what we always said

about her. We lost Skuter to Cancer, and I sure miss riding. Dressage has always been big dream,

to ride Dressage and to do Stadium Jumping.

Vicky

 

[Mercysmom]

You'd think doing the hunter/jumper and equitation stuff, clearing 4 ft at my peak a few years ago, that I'd have some broken bones over the years but it was Freedom's dam Hope who almost killed me in a driving accident.

Hope was a hottie and needed time to go to the ring to "work herself down". We were headed to the ring and she was hesitating so I urged her forward and she spooked at a large green t-shirt blowing on a vendor's truck. My foot fell out of the stirrup... hit and scraped the ground and Hope was in a wild gallop to escape. She dumped the cart, dragging me along until I let go of the reins. She ran into the ring into a halter class and I had road rash under my sleeves and a mild concussion from my helmeted head hitting pavement and rocks and being dragged.

I did manage to drive her again at home... ran her nose right into the electric fence when she decided to take off.

Still have yet to get back into the driving ring but Mercy is ready to take it on...

Stupidest horsie accident - trying to swat my Modern Shetland mare away from her foal's dinner. She threw her head up, making contact with my chin. Front teeth came through my lip... swore I would be "spitting my teeth out like Chiclets" but I was lucky. Dogs were sitting under me, licking the flying blood. Now I know what a prey animal feels like! Knew I needed the ER when Ben said "Hey, the water's leaking out the hole in your face." I had a lip like Angelina Jolie for a bit and three stitches to close a nickel sized hole. My fault... lesson learned the hard way. Docs were joking with me and asked can a horse accident be considered domestic violence?

Denise

Silversong Farm