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10 Apr 08 - 02:52 PM (#2312253) Subject: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: Little Hawk Just wondering if anyone has a story to tell along this line? I haven't been, but I gather that it's something one doesn't forget. |
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10 Apr 08 - 02:55 PM (#2312260) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: SINSULL Had one roll over and toss me off. Had another buck but I punched him in the head to get his attention - I hated doing that but we were headed for the barn wall. Both horses were suitably embarrassed later, as was I. |
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10 Apr 08 - 02:57 PM (#2312267) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: Ebbie I haven't been kicked by a horse but I've fallen with one, been bitten by another and had each of my (bare) feet stepped on by others. An exciting week. :) |
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10 Apr 08 - 03:06 PM (#2312279) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: Bat Goddess I managed to dismount before Spook rolled over . Had my feet stepped on several times. Managed to avoid being kicked, but a young friend who is a stable worker got kicked the end of last year and it broke her ulna (arm). Three weeks later her employer couldn't understand why it was taking her so long to tack up a horse. Sigh. Linn |
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10 Apr 08 - 03:08 PM (#2312281) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: gnu Me buddy Danny's wife got one right in the.... and it snapped her pelvis in two. She drug herself out of the barn, SHUT THE DOOR, drug herself to the house and in and phoned Danny fer help. She was fine after she healed up. Pepsi... well, Pepsi didn't see the dawn. Danny never did like that horse. Had a mean streak. I was scared shitless of it. Never ferget the time I was tryin ta photo her on it ridin by and he would veer right at me. She was the only one who could get near it without a fuss. Danny always said he'd be glue someday soon. But, twerent soon enough. |
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10 Apr 08 - 03:12 PM (#2312285) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: GUEST,heric I stayed on while mine did a sommersault down steep granite rubble, at 10,000+ feet in Ansel Adams, a long way from nowhere. Then my foot was caught while the terrified beast scrambled back up. In the slow motion tumble downward, my face heading for the edge of a log, I had plenty of time to think: 'If I get paralyzed, my wife is going to be so pissed." My eleven year old neighbor is having surgery today after having her foot caught in the stirrup while the horse ran - her head on the ground. Her jaw is broken. Turns out that horses are THE leading cause of little girl's broken bones. |
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10 Apr 08 - 03:15 PM (#2312286) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: katlaughing Had one toss me but good once: read on That same horse used to try to reach around and nip me when I was swinging up the saddle. I finally got mad enough one day and bit her back, on the ear. Yuck, dusty horse hair is not tasty, but it worked! |
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10 Apr 08 - 03:16 PM (#2312288) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: fat B****rd The sister of a drumer friend of mine went for a walk one sumer evening down the lane near their house. She went up to the familiar old horse in his field with an apple in her mouth. The plastic surgeon worked wonders. |
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10 Apr 08 - 03:18 PM (#2312292) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: Little Hawk Seems like you have to show 'em who's boss, eh? |
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10 Apr 08 - 03:21 PM (#2312296) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: John MacKenzie Been kicked by a cow. G 4 legged type! |
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10 Apr 08 - 03:47 PM (#2312320) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: skipy I was kicked back 1967, working at a riding stable nr Dunster. Caught me in the right ear & the gristle is still thicker there to this day. I literally woke up in Minehead hospital. I don't believe in astral projection one ioata but I do have a very clear "memory" of the whole incident, this of course is the brain putting together the "missing bits" Skipy |
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10 Apr 08 - 03:56 PM (#2312330) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: SINSULL GIOK! CELLAR! |
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10 Apr 08 - 04:00 PM (#2312334) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: MMario Yup - was kicked in the head by a half-belgian gelding; luckily he wasn't shod at the time. Still opened up my scalp and bled like scalp wounds will; almost 20 years later still have a lump. |
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10 Apr 08 - 04:12 PM (#2312342) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: Rt Revd Sir jOhn from Hull i never been kicked by a horse, but i been bitten by a hamster. |
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10 Apr 08 - 04:16 PM (#2312346) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: Ebbie Some of my best friends have been horses. I would imagine a hamster bite stings. Kind of like a crawfish - or crawdad, as we called them. |
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10 Apr 08 - 04:17 PM (#2312347) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: the lemonade lady Having cleared the post and rails I was heading towards the hedge thinking, if I turn in mid-air I might just get to the finishing line and pip the leader and get the fastest time. So Bally Shannon 2nd and I took off, I leaned slightly to the right, shortened my right rein and looked in the direction I wanted to go after landing. Shanny had another idea and went straight on as we landed. I slid off at impact but clung onto the reins. Lying there on the ground he loomed above me and down came his fore foot towards my face. Luckily he saw me in time and my faithful irish friend just clipped my left eyebrow with his toe. Managing to pull him up cos I hadn't let go, I tried to climb back on, arguing with the stewards that I could still make it to the last fence, but they insisted I wait for the ambulance as blood was streaming down my face. So that was that, I didn't finish the Associate round at the Harewood End Hunter Trials in 1979 but ended up having my eye brow stiched up instead. I'll show you if you come and buy a lemonade! (half price for Cats) Sal |
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10 Apr 08 - 04:31 PM (#2312354) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: Georgiansilver Whilst on an Outward Bound course...for three weeks at Aberdovey in Wales...I had the pleasure ...in 1968..... of having 'Lady' as my mount...along with a Welsh Police Cadet who 'Lady' kicked each time we were involved with her grooming.....Tony...the Cadet was getting pretty fed up with it and 'Lady didn't kick me once. Not sure why though! |
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10 Apr 08 - 04:45 PM (#2312369) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: Liz the Squeak Haven't been kicked by a horse, but I've seen one take out the radiator of a Landrover... It was a match day (I live near a first division football team ground) and the police horses were out as usual, doing traffic and crowd control. One was calmly walking up the road, keeping traffic at a stop whilst team vehicles turned into the ground ahead. Immediately behind the horse was a landrover, the driver of which was an impatient kind and decided to hoot his horn. The horse took fright and bucked with both rear feet landing directly in the radiator grill. The officer calmly walked it forward, dismounted, looked over the animals' rear hooves, walked up to the land rover driver and chewed him a new one... he charged him with careless driving and damage to police property, then threatened to add obstruction if he didn't get his vehicle off the road in 5 minutes - the radiator at this point was pouring its contents down the road! LTS |
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10 Apr 08 - 04:58 PM (#2312375) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: Becca72 Sounds like the Landrover (and its driver) got what it deserved, Liz! |
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10 Apr 08 - 05:28 PM (#2312407) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: Jeri Oddly enough, not that I remember. I paid my dues in the dirt, cuz I liked the wild ones. I've been bitten, stepped on, 'shied' off, bucked off, and had one horse that used to rear for the hell of it. I have photos--you could make him do it if you wanted. At one point, I fell off the front when he landed and people who saw it said it was impressive: a perfect shoulder roll off the horse's left shoulder that ended with me standing upright facing the same direction as the horse and holding the reins. That was a 16-hand part Tennessee Walker palomino gelding named Sunny, or as I'd christened him, 'Son of Sundancer's Double Golden Gotcha' because it was the 70s and I was 14 or 15. I never was kicked though. The secret is to stand close enough to the horse so the worst he can do is push. Learned THAT from a blacksmith. |
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10 Apr 08 - 05:31 PM (#2312413) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: Ebbie I've been kicked by a cow. Does that count? |
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10 Apr 08 - 06:01 PM (#2312446) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: the lemonade lady I must admit to have kicked a horse! Sal |
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10 Apr 08 - 07:22 PM (#2312505) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: Escapee I was on a horse following a young foal who kicked back out of high spirits, I guess. It took a piece of skin the size of a quarter ( or a shilling ) off my ankle and thats how I learned to wear my boots, not my sneakers, around horses. And mules. SKP |
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10 Apr 08 - 07:31 PM (#2312516) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: Jeri Funny... for the last few days, I've been feeling a craving for a pair of western boots. Had some back in the day, but I wore 'em out. |
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10 Apr 08 - 07:40 PM (#2312523) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: GUEST,open mike i just watched an amazing you tube video called Breathe about horses..and there was plenty of bucking and kicking action glo to you tube and search for "breathe horse" and you will see it too no pix of anyone getting kicked, though. I certainly have been kicked AT, but either got out of the way, or stood closer to minimize the contact/impact. |
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10 Apr 08 - 10:49 PM (#2312625) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: Sandy Mc Lean I haven't been around horses much since I was a kid. Never had a kick connect but a few close calls. Been bitten though and that left me black and blue for a month. |
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11 Apr 08 - 12:56 AM (#2312661) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: Bee My father claimed to remember the exact moment he decided never to be a farmer. It was while his skinny sixteen year old body was airborne at about thirty mph, hanging for dear life off the tail of the meanest plowhorse the family owned. |
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11 Apr 08 - 06:20 AM (#2312772) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: Catherine Jayne Never been kicked by a horse but I've fallen off a couple and had the trap over turn once. Still ride and drive though. Love it! |
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11 Apr 08 - 09:11 AM (#2312880) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: MarkS One of our mares, Sweetheart, aimed at kick at another, Glory Girl, and caught me in the groin by accident. Fortunately I was at a safe distance and her aim was a little to the side or I would be singing soprano today. I should have known better to be even as close as I was when the mares were tangeling. Had my feet stepped on too - again my fault since I was not paying attention. Safety around horses is mostly a matter of common sense. They can be affectionate but really do not know their own strength. If a 25 pound dog bumps you to get attention - no big deal. If a 1200 pound horse bumps you, looking for a treat, say, - very big deal. Also - do NOT stick your arm through the bars in the stall to offer a treat or to pet their heads. If the horse turns their head toward your extended hand for their treat, and pushes your arm while it is wedged in the bars - use your imagination!! |
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11 Apr 08 - 10:00 AM (#2312922) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: GUEST,leeneia What you all you horse people make of 'horse whispering.' Do you think there's anything to the idea of imitating the way horses interact among themselves in the herd? A few of these stories seem to show the behavior of horses in fear. For example, the horse that attacked a person taking a picture could have been afraid of the camera. And I know a horse is afraid of attack from behind. But many of these accounts seem to show a horse that's just plain hostile. I used to work for a personal-injury lawyer, and one day we got a call from a man whose 7-year-old daughter had been kicked by a horse. It killed her. |
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11 Apr 08 - 10:32 AM (#2312947) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: MarkS Remember that horses are hervibores and are a "prey" species in nature. They have evolved a very strong "flight" reflex. They startle, or "spook" easily. Bucking and rearing is just an instinctive response to a predator on their back. So when startled, it is normal for them to rear and run. |
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11 Apr 08 - 11:08 AM (#2312973) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: *Laura* I was kicked in the shin by a horse when I was about 9. I was on a pony behind it and I wasn't a particularly good rider at that point... I think my pony was annoying the horse in front and she kicked and hit me on the shin. I think I should have gone to hospital - it swelled up and looked like I had 2 knees! But I didn't (go to hospital.. obviously I didn't have 2 knees!) - I'm pretty sure it fractured or something though. I was limping for a while and I can still feel on my shin where the bone healed. It hurt. A lot. |
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11 Apr 08 - 11:09 AM (#2312977) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: *Laura* leeneia - I don't think many, if any, of these account show horses being 'just plain hostile'. |
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11 Apr 08 - 02:00 PM (#2313136) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: Greg B I'm feeling very grateful about now, since for the last several years I've been in almost daily contact with a couple of horses and have yet to have had the sort of serious problems which some of the writers have talked about. The one time I was dumb enough to wear my Tevas into the barn was the one time a horse failed to miss my foot. Fortunately it was just a glancing stomp, more a warning than anything else. Was holding a lead over a fence one time when Oliver hauled back and smashed my hand into the rail (I know, I should have let go). Both his manners and my common sense have improved since then. When our Jinx came to stay with us a year and a half ago, he was pretty sketchy, and you had to make sure that you didn't get between him and the stall wall, or between him and where he wanted to go. He'd never actually stayed in a barn or a stall very much before. Since then, he's learned a good deal of respect; he really wants to please so teaching him has been easy. I still act cautiously when coming through or securing a stall door, though. He loves human contact--- any kind of touching, grooming or attention makes him go all squishy. On the other hand, when he gets willful he responds to a loud reprimand. Only a loud one. He'll also get a smack on his very heavily muscled chest from time to time, but only when he hurts or comes near hurting someone because he isn't paying attention. Doesn't really hurt him, but it gets his attention. He's now learned to 'walk on' in the pasture without a lead, and at a proper and respectful distance at that. I often say that I feel like the kid in the story whose horse follows him to school and he can't make him stop. And I can call him from a couple of hundred feet away, and 9 in 10 times, he'll come to me. Some of them never get that down. The one in ten other times, I have to shake some grain in a coffee can, or snap a carrot in half. As for 'horse whispering' I believe there's something to it. I think they're telepathic, and that it's somehow related to exchanging breath. It can also be extraordinarily dangerous, as quite a few folks have had to have plastic surgery after thinking it's 'cool' to get up real close and blow in a horse's nostril. Problem is that face-biting can be a game to horses. Watch them play 'halter tag' out in the pasture and you'll know what I mean. I trust the thoroughbred, Oliver absolutely in this regard. He just doesn't bite people, even though he'll play halter-tag with the best of other horses. He's fond of men's five o'clock shadows and will 'park' his muzzle on my cheek for ten minutes at a time. He also absolutely insists that a 'proper' greeting from one of his humans is to share nostril-to-lips exchange of breaths. I believe in 'horse whispering' because I swear that if one holds a picture in one's mind while in the above posture, it does influence what they do next. Empirical and anecdotal, and maybe wishful thinking, but there you have it. Jinx just seems to be learning that this mode of communication works, but one must be very careful with him because he's young with a tendency to be 'mouthy.' He'd never bite to intentionally hurt, but sometimes gets carried away with his rather large (even for a horse) lips. He has learned that people jump if he sneaks up and blows in their ear or down their necks or in the little gap between pants and shirt. And that it's pretty amusing. He's also learned that drippy ice-water covered horse lips can cause an amusing squeal from a person, especially when used to irrigate a butt-crack. Failing that his Clydesdale-sized hoof makes an admirable scoop in the water trough, with great range and accuracy. Smart horse with a sense of humor. Look out. As someone else said...never, ever, put your face near that of a horse you don't know well, keep your fingers out of reach, be ready to get away quick, don't get in a situation where you can get squeezed between them and a hard object, don't stand under their chins (they can drive you like a nail), and give strange horses' hindquarters a wide berth. If a horse has a ribbon in its tail, it's not just decoration--- it's a convention to note that the particular horse does not like a close approach from the rear and has been known to kick people and horses who get within range. If you must walk closely around a non-kicker horse's rear end, it's usual to give them a pat on the flank as you approach and even to maintain contact as you pass to let them know that what they perceive is you, a person, and not a critter or a bug. Not only will this usually keep them from kicking, it may keep them from swishing their tail into your face which can be quite unpleasant in and off itself. Oh, and don't forget that they can kick with their front feet as well, both forward and back. Whites of eyes or ears pinned back or a hoof lifted forward are all signs of something bad possibly about to happen. A friend has a horse that's a biter--- gets her and bruises her once a month at least. Wouldn't last long in our barn. Who needs that crap? Western boots--- the English-style boot and paddock shoe maker, Ariat, has started making Western boots that have much of the style and durability of Justins or Tony Llamas, but which have a much softer and more comfortable sole and arch. I was skeptical at first, but got a good deal on a pair and don't think I'll ever look back. |
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11 Apr 08 - 03:22 PM (#2313195) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: Rapparee I was staying at a motel near Freeport, Maine and a horse was in the middle of the semicircular drive. The sign said something like "My name is Cherokee and I just moved here from Montana. Please say hello." So I walked over to say hello. Cherokee trotted up to the fence, took a good sniff of my arm, and bit me. Well, it hurt, and that horse looked at me out of the corner of his eye as if to say, "Now whatcha gonna do, punk?" I reached up, grabbed the closest horse ear with my left hand and whispered, "Listen, you goddamned piece of dog food! You let go NOW or I'm gonna twist your fuckin' ear off. Understand?" The horse let go, I let go. I had bruises for two weeks. You just gotta know how to talk to 'em, nice and quiet like. |
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11 Apr 08 - 04:41 PM (#2313246) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: *Laura* I don't know about horse whispering but me and my horse used to hug. Haha that sounds lame but I used to hug him round his chest and often he'd rest his head over my shoulder so it really was like hugging!! |
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11 Apr 08 - 05:02 PM (#2313268) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: Peace Got kicked by a bull. Don't blame him though. He was a steer a few minutes later. |
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11 Apr 08 - 05:05 PM (#2313272) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: Dave the Gnome No. Dave. My shortest post ever. |
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11 Apr 08 - 05:49 PM (#2313304) Subject: RE: BS: Ever been kicked by a horse? From: Rapparee Yep, Peace, and you could fry up and eat what you took from him. |