Horse adventure almost killed me
First I would like to thank all who responded to my story of my mare who would go no further and then layed down with me. I appreciated all your comments. I did try many of the ideas put forth to no avail. A crop, a kick,circling etc. I did not try backing though I don't think. I had a backing issue with her once which I will explain. I don't have her anymore. She died about 12 yrs ago. I was boarding her at a farm which milked cows.She had her daughter whom I have now with her.She was 9 months old. The guy who hauled the milk for this farm left the gate down after picking up the milk. That night there was a big storm. Someone hit her in the road as she had got out through the open gate.They stopped and told the farmer they had hit a horse and couldn't find it. The heartless farmer never even went out to see or gave me a call to let me know.This happened at 11pm.they never even went to look for her until noon the next day and found her dead by the water trough with the filly standing by her side. Apparantly after being hit she had enough life still to get back into teh field with her daughter. I was absolutely devastated. She was born with me. I had her mother for 14yrs. I had had the mare for 18 yrs when she was hit. I still have her daughter who is an exact duplicate of her and she is now 12.These bastard never even said they were sorry to this day. Never offered any compensation either although there is nothing they could have done that would have been enough.So she had an attitude at times but I would have loved to be still dealing with it.
She certainly did have her quirks. She was a very quick thinker. Once while training her to drive I got pretty injured. I have done all the usual ground work in preparation for driving. Ground driven for months,dragged things behind her etc. So one day I hooked her up to this little training cart I had. I walked behind it down our long drive and then up the road toward the cattle barn and my inlaws house. I got down by their garage and was on the lawn. She turned around and looked at me seeing the garage behind us apparantly. She then started backing up on her own.She would not stop. I kept trying to get her to go forward but before Iknew it she had me backed up against the wall of that garage and then still proceeded to push against the garage with me betweeen the cart and building.Needless to say I had massive bruising from this and it hurt real bad.When ready she just walked forward like nothing happened. This was in no way a mean mare.She just did stupid stuff once in a while. She was the sweetest horse ever really.She'd follow me around all day with her head on my shoulder. Would insist on kissing me at every greeting.
Another story.I did the stupid thing this time to begin with. I wanted to go riding. I had to either walk way around the property to get her out as my garden was between the pasture and where I needed her to go. I decided it would be okay(gotta remember I was still only 18 at the time,although I still should have known better) to cut through the garden.Well, this entailed stepping down on the hot wire I had encircling the garden to keep out the 4 rabbits I had which escaped and turned into 64. So I stepped down on top of this four inch from ground wire and asked her to follow stepping over it. Well all was fine until she got across the first two feet and then the last hind foot got caught on the wire which was hot.Next was rather frightening.She ran around me in a circle twice dragging the hot wire with her which wrapped it around my legs between my thighs and knees.Then she took off dragging me with her, all the time the wires getting tighter around my legs. I truly thought my life was over. I could feel the wire cutting into me while I was getting dragged down the drive.She then turned up the road and headed toward the cattle barn and inlaws. I was absolutely screaming.Thank teh gods my inlaws heard the commotion and came running out and stopped her at the bottom of her drive. I was never so happy to see them for sure. As you can imagine the wire did quite a job on my legs and my head was kind of battered from bouncing on hte ground but I lived.
I think maybe there was some kind of inbred quirk in these beasts. I have never had one bad incident with her daughter whom I have now but sure did with the mares mother.Now if you recall I've mentioned before that she was my first horse(had pony)and neither myself or my parent really knew too much about horses.I hadd the pony who was very mean and liked to buck anyone off whom he could but that was the extent of my experience although he sure taught me to ride and stay on.The horse had had her pelvis broken by a draft horse when she was 3 months old.A very old vet in the area at the time(1957)who treated teh mare.He kept her in a sling for three month.She did have white hairs on her underside when she came to us but we were told by the "horsedealer" that she had been in a trailer accident yrs before.We knew no better.We didn't even know enough to notice how deformed her hind legs and hoofs were.When I can someday figure out how to post pics you will be amazed to see how this mare was. Her left hind leg in the thigh muscle had a sharp feelign bone which protruded out into the muscle which could be easily felt.When she walked her left hind swung out around clockwise with each step before placing it down.Her hoof was much higher on the inside because of this tahn on theoutside cause it was worn down from the circling action.But she was mine and I loved her and she would do anything for me but anyone else beware.If you were riding down the road and she saw a mailbox coming up you better beware as she would do her best to swipe you off.Once I had a friend who very well kneew how she could be on her when she decided to just leave the road and bolt right into the thickest of woods to try to get her off but to no avail.If she noticed a clothesline in a backyard you knew you'd soon be flying under it and you had better duck.But the second she got you off she'd be rihgt back to nuzzle your neck and look sorry.Yah, sorry, yup.The worse thing she ever did I think was this. I had had her for 7 or 8 yrs. Out of the blue for no reason when giving her a kiss as always she grabbed my neck with her teeth and picked me right off my feet.This was the most incredible pain I have ever felt and I have had 4 c-section,gall bladder surgery,appendix,tonsils,all out and nothing hurt that bad. I was helpless it hurt so much.Finally I reached up and cuffed her side of the head and she let go. I ahve never hit a horse for any reason but this was justified. My neck was bleeding and oh it hurt so much.For three months there were visible bruises.
Okay, sorry so long. I will yet figure out the cut thingy.As you can see I have never took lessons but have learned a lot on my own. It may well be a wonder I'm still alive. Oh, and I have so many more of these horror stories. I guess you could say I have learned the hard way. And now do you wonder why I want to buy a new horse since I am now not supposed to ride at all. My mare as said still needs much trianing and how after all I have experienced with her mom and grandmom could I feel okay about starting out this forbidden by doctor new riding venture with her. I love her to all hell but will this quirkiness show up in her as well I wonder. I think I will just wonder as far as myself due to my spine disease but once I do get another bombproof well trained one for myself another family member will go along with me on her and we will see I guess.