OT: 45 seconds of sheer terror

[moqui]

Among our horses is a Gypsy Cob, a draft horse that is the shortest on our ranch, but one of the broadest and probably the strongest horse we have. He is a very calm, stable horse - "bombproof" is the industry term, meaning he is safe and won't bolt even if a bomb were to go off. Also, as a draft horse, he is relatively slow and doesn't really have a gear beyond canter (the gaits from slow to fast are walk, trot, canter, gallop).

So, I'm riding this horse on a trail that connects to our property. Suddenly, a deer runs across the trail in front of us. The horse froze, I patted him and sat with him for a moment. He felt fine, so we continued on, and turned around about 30 feet down the trail. As soon as we turned around, he bolted and broke into a full gallop. He didn't respond to anything that I tried to stop him, or even slow him down. I tried to crank his head all the way around to one side (the emergency brake), but he is so strong he just pulled it back and barreled on ahead. "OK," I thought, "he's spooked, but he'll stop as soon as we hit the rocky ground around the bend."

Nope. He barreled on. "OK," I thought,"He'll stop as soon as he hits the road at the end of this trail."

Nope. Not only did he not stop, he didn't cross the road to the trail on the other side, he turned down the road and galloped on the pavement. Now, I've gone from scared to terrified because steel horsehoes on blacktop is a recipe for disaster. Horses slip on this kind of surface when they are walking, let alone galloping.

Just down the road away, there is a small bridge that crosses a ravine. Here, the horse finally stops short, nearly pitching me over his head as his back hooves fishtail on the blacktop. I jump off him immediately, and he is in a lather, wild eyed and nervous. Thankfully, he is exhausted and I manage to calm him down . . . I don't get back on, but lead him back to the ranch (about 2 miles).

The whole episode was less than a minute, but I have never been more afraid for my life. You always know when you get on a horse that, no matter how trained the horse is and how experienced you are, you aren't really in control if the worst should happen, but this was by far the closest call I've ever had. I'm just glad I was on the Cob and not the Lusitano or the Arabian.

 

[albanycuse]

Glad youre ok i couldnt read the board without my buddy.

 

[djcon57]

The whole episode was less than a minute, but I have never been more afraid for my life. You always know when you get on a horse that, no matter how trained the horse is and how experienced you are, you aren't really in control if the worst should happen, but this was by far the closest call I've ever had. I'm just glad I was on the Cob and not the Lusitano or the Arabian.

Totally unrelated in a way, but at the same time related...
Went to the Breeders Cup this year for the 1st time and was basically on the rail. Anyone that thinks those jockeys are not athletes are out of their mind.

 

[edowd26]

When I saw the title I assumed this was a Karen sypher documentary about her restaurant escapade. Then I saw it said 45 seconds and figured id come on in

On a serious not I am glad you and the horse are alright.

 

[moqui]

Totally unrelated in a way, but at the same time related...
Went to the Breeders Cup this year for the 1st time and was basically on the rail. Anyone that thinks those jockeys are not athletes are out of their mind.

core strength, baby. that's the only thing that keeps you mounted.

 

[RF2044]

Among our horses is a Gypsy Cob, a draft horse that is the shortest on our ranch, but one of the broadest and probably the strongest horse we have. He is a very calm, stable horse - "bombproof" is the industry term, meaning he is safe and won't bolt even if a bomb were to go off. Also, as a draft horse, he is relatively slow and doesn't really have a gear beyond canter (the gaits from slow to fast are walk, trot, canter, gallop).

So, I'm riding this horse on a trail that connects to our property. Suddenly, a deer runs across the trail in front of us. The horse froze, I patted him and sat with him for a moment. He felt fine, so we continued on, and turned around about 30 feet down the trail. As soon as we turned around, he bolted and broke into a full gallop. He didn't respond to anything that I tried to stop him, or even slow him down. I tried to crank his head all the way around to one side (the emergency brake), but he is so strong he just pulled it back and barreled on ahead. "OK," I thought, "he's spooked, but he'll stop as soon as we hit the rocky ground around the bend."

Nope. He barreled on. "OK," I thought,"He'll stop as soon as he hits the road at the end of this trail."

Nope. Not only did he not stop, he didn't cross the road to the trail on the other side, he turned down the road and galloped on the pavement. Now, I've gone from scared to terrified because steel horsehoes on blacktop is a recipe for disaster. Horses slip on this kind of surface when they are walking, let alone galloping.

Just down the road away, there is a small bridge that crosses a ravine. Here, the horse finally stops short, nearly pitching me over his head as his back hooves fishtail on the blacktop. I jump off him immediately, and he is in a lather, wild eyed and nervous. Thankfully, he is exhausted and I manage to calm him down . . . I don't get back on, but lead him back to the ranch (about 2 miles).

The whole episode was less than a minute, but I have never been more afraid for my life. You always know when you get on a horse that, no matter how trained the horse is and how experienced you are, you aren't really in control if the worst should happen, but this was by far the closest call I've ever had. I'm just glad I was on the Cob and not the Lusitano or the Arabian.

Whoa--glad that both you and the horse are all right, Moqui.

 

[KellySyracuse]

wow, glad you are okay.

 

[sutomcat]

Glad you are okay.

 

[dasher]

Among our horses is a Gypsy Cob, a draft horse that is the shortest on our ranch, but one of the broadest and probably the strongest horse we have. He is a very calm, stable horse - "bombproof" is the industry term, meaning he is safe and won't bolt even if a bomb were to go off. Also, as a draft horse, he is relatively slow and doesn't really have a gear beyond canter (the gaits from slow to fast are walk, trot, canter, gallop).

So, I'm riding this horse on a trail that connects to our property. Suddenly, a deer runs across the trail in front of us. The horse froze, I patted him and sat with him for a moment. He felt fine, so we continued on, and turned around about 30 feet down the trail. As soon as we turned around, he bolted and broke into a full gallop. He didn't respond to anything that I tried to stop him, or even slow him down. I tried to crank his head all the way around to one side (the emergency brake), but he is so strong he just pulled it back and barreled on ahead. "OK," I thought, "he's spooked, but he'll stop as soon as we hit the rocky ground around the bend."

Nope. He barreled on. "OK," I thought,"He'll stop as soon as he hits the road at the end of this trail."

Nope. Not only did he not stop, he didn't cross the road to the trail on the other side, he turned down the road and galloped on the pavement. Now, I've gone from scared to terrified because steel horsehoes on blacktop is a recipe for disaster. Horses slip on this kind of surface when they are walking, let alone galloping.

Just down the road away, there is a small bridge that crosses a ravine. Here, the horse finally stops short, nearly pitching me over his head as his back hooves fishtail on the blacktop. I jump off him immediately, and he is in a lather, wild eyed and nervous. Thankfully, he is exhausted and I manage to calm him down . . . I don't get back on, but lead him back to the ranch (about 2 miles).

The whole episode was less than a minute, but I have never been more afraid for my life. You always know when you get on a horse that, no matter how trained the horse is and how experienced you are, you aren't really in control if the worst should happen, but this was by far the closest call I've ever had. I'm just glad I was on the Cob and not the Lusitano or the Arabian.

I was terrified reading that. the first thing I wondered about, at some point the horse would have got tired, right? Whew.

 

[Cuseregular]

whoa, was riveted halfway through that story. Wow. Glad all ended well.

 

[bballbeadle]

Yow! Glad you are okay! Did you life flash before your eyes?

 

[CaptainJ]

You always know when you get on a horse that, no matter how trained the horse is and how experienced you are, you aren't really in control if the worst should happen

That sounds like a microcosm of life if you think about it, but i know experiencing it all at once can be hard to endure. Thank you for sharing and reminding us of all we have to be grateful for. Glad you are still with us!

 

[Toga]

core strength, baby. that's the only thing that keeps you mounted.

So true

 

[moqui]

Yow! Glad you are okay! Did you life flash before your eyes?

no; I was completely focused on trying to stay mounted, scanning ahead for low hanging branches, trying to reign him in, trying to calm him down, then grabbing for his neck when he suddenly halted... it was really only after the fact that I realized how close I had come

 

[OttoinGrotto]

Geez man glad to hear you're both ok.

 

[bevosu]

Happy that it turned out well.

Back in the late 80's and 90's I had five horses on my property in the hills of Camillus. After observing them for over 10 years I came to the conclusion that they aren't very smart. Maybe I just had a dumb bunch?

I'm a dog guy not a cat guy, but I think even cats are more affectionate than horses.

 

[STEVEHOLT]

near death experience thread..

so im in the back of a pick up truck...driver is going about 40 miles an hour..thinks it will be funny if he swerves back and forth...i fall out. (this is in high school)

the millisecond im in the air...(seemed like forever) all im thinking about is.."is it going to hurt"

so i land on my forearm with bad road rash but no breaks and nothing serious

i was too young and stupid at the time.

now when i remember the incident..all i can think about is how i could have easily ended up a quadriplegic.

 

[Orangezoo]

Among our horses is a Gypsy Cob, a draft horse that is the shortest on our ranch, but one of the broadest and probably the strongest horse we have. He is a very calm, stable horse - "bombproof" is the industry term, meaning he is safe and won't bolt even if a bomb were to go off. Also, as a draft horse, he is relatively slow and doesn't really have a gear beyond canter (the gaits from slow to fast are walk, trot, canter, gallop).

So, I'm riding this horse on a trail that connects to our property. Suddenly, a deer runs across the trail in front of us. The horse froze, I patted him and sat with him for a moment. He felt fine, so we continued on, and turned around about 30 feet down the trail. As soon as we turned around, he bolted and broke into a full gallop. He didn't respond to anything that I tried to stop him, or even slow him down. I tried to crank his head all the way around to one side (the emergency brake), but he is so strong he just pulled it back and barreled on ahead. "OK," I thought, "he's spooked, but he'll stop as soon as we hit the rocky ground around the bend."

Nope. He barreled on. "OK," I thought,"He'll stop as soon as he hits the road at the end of this trail."

Nope. Not only did he not stop, he didn't cross the road to the trail on the other side, he turned down the road and galloped on the pavement. Now, I've gone from scared to terrified because steel horsehoes on blacktop is a recipe for disaster. Horses slip on this kind of surface when they are walking, let alone galloping.

Just down the road away, there is a small bridge that crosses a ravine. Here, the horse finally stops short, nearly pitching me over his head as his back hooves fishtail on the blacktop. I jump off him immediately, and he is in a lather, wild eyed and nervous. Thankfully, he is exhausted and I manage to calm him down . . . I don't get back on, but lead him back to the ranch (about 2 miles).

The whole episode was less than a minute, but I have never been more afraid for my life. You always know when you get on a horse that, no matter how trained the horse is and how experienced you are, you aren't really in control if the worst should happen, but this was by far the closest call I've ever had. I'm just glad I was on the Cob and not the Lusitano or the Arabian.

Glad you are ok. Have had similar incidents with being on a horse that was spooked and its scary as hell. Been tossed a few times too.

Never trail ride on the gettysburg battle tour trails on a side note as well.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

When a horse decides they want to go somewhere or do something you are going along for the ride. Happened to my 10 year old daughter on some trails outside of Ithaca a few months ago, nowhere near what you experienced Moqui but along the same lines, she is all done, won't get back on after that. I cant really blame her. Great, great animals, incredible really but they spook easily and sometimes you just can't figure it out.

I had was right next to her and had to almost just sit and watch, scared the living sheet out of me. The horse she was riding is named BOB, named after the movie What about Bob if that gives you any indication just how old the horse is, never in a million years would I ever expect the horse to take off, I was shocked.

 

[IthacaBarrel]

Happy that it turned out well.

Back in the late 80's and 90's I had five horses on my property in the hills of Camillus. After observing them for over 10 years I came to the conclusion that they aren't very smart. Maybe I just had a dumb bunch?

I'm a dog guy not a cat guy, but I think even cats are more affectionate than horses.

Really? That is surprising. I have owned a couple throughbreds that I would not let my kids near and been bitten a few times but have had a couple that have been ridiculous smart, real hams and just the nicest horses in the world. I have one now, I am contemplating keeping after she retires, my kids love her that much. I have a barn in the back of my house, not suitable right now, but I am considering a reno and keeping a couple horses. Either than or I will donate to a lady here in town and she will turn into a jumper.

 

[bballbeadle]

no; I was completely focused on trying to stay mounted, scanning ahead for low hanging branches, trying to reign him in, trying to calm him down, then grabbing for his neck when he suddenly halted... it was really only after the fact that I realized how close I had come

Apparently, you were close, but not close enough. It sounds like you were completely, entirely, totally IN THE MOMENT.

 

[SWC75]

Very glad for the happy ending. I've never been on a horse but I've always thought the fact that it was an animal rather than a machine was a double edged sword: a horse would have the intelligence not to hit a wall or go over a cliff but he might not want to go where you want to go- or the way you want to go there.

My Dad always told me this story from when he was growing up on a farm, literally 100 years ago. His Uncle Anson had acquired his first automobile, (or ought to go mobile, as it was sometimes called). He was trying to get the hang of it after years of being on horses. He learned what the accelerator was all about but the concept of the brake was somewhat elusive. He got the thing going too fast and didn't know quite what to do next. The car, and of course Uncle Anson, went all over the place, taking down the laundry, scattering the chickens, scaring the hogs, then going into the barn and out the back, (which previously had no opening). All the time he was instinctively doing what he's always done when atop a horse: shouting "Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!". Eventually the new-fangled thing wound up in a lake and Uncle Anson swam to freedom.

That's my Dad's chief memory of him. We always wondered why Dad was such a cautious driver.

 

[Guinness]

Among our horses is a Gypsy Cob, a draft horse that is the shortest on our ranch, but one of the broadest and probably the strongest horse we have. He is a very calm, stable horse - "bombproof" is the industry term, meaning he is safe and won't bolt even if a bomb were to go off. Also, as a draft horse, he is relatively slow and doesn't really have a gear beyond canter (the gaits from slow to fast are walk, trot, canter, gallop).

So, I'm riding this horse on a trail that connects to our property. Suddenly, a deer runs across the trail in front of us. The horse froze, I patted him and sat with him for a moment. He felt fine, so we continued on, and turned around about 30 feet down the trail. As soon as we turned around, he bolted and broke into a full gallop. He didn't respond to anything that I tried to stop him, or even slow him down. I tried to crank his head all the way around to one side (the emergency brake), but he is so strong he just pulled it back and barreled on ahead. "OK," I thought, "he's spooked, but he'll stop as soon as we hit the rocky ground around the bend."

Nope. He barreled on. "OK," I thought,"He'll stop as soon as he hits the road at the end of this trail."

Nope. Not only did he not stop, he didn't cross the road to the trail on the other side, he turned down the road and galloped on the pavement. Now, I've gone from scared to terrified because steel horsehoes on blacktop is a recipe for disaster. Horses slip on this kind of surface when they are walking, let alone galloping.

Just down the road away, there is a small bridge that crosses a ravine. Here, the horse finally stops short, nearly pitching me over his head as his back hooves fishtail on the blacktop. I jump off him immediately, and he is in a lather, wild eyed and nervous. Thankfully, he is exhausted and I manage to calm him down . . . I don't get back on, but lead him back to the ranch (about 2 miles).

The whole episode was less than a minute, but I have never been more afraid for my life. You always know when you get on a horse that, no matter how trained the horse is and how experienced you are, you aren't really in control if the worst should happen, but this was by far the closest call I've ever had. I'm just glad I was on the Cob and not the Lusitano or the Arabian.

Did he catch a whiff of mountain lion perhaps?

 

[AlaskaSU]

Among our horses is a Gypsy Cob, a draft horse that is the shortest on our ranch, but one of the broadest and probably the strongest horse we have. He is a very calm, stable horse - "bombproof" is the industry term, meaning he is safe and won't bolt even if a bomb were to go off. Also, as a draft horse, he is relatively slow and doesn't really have a gear beyond canter (the gaits from slow to fast are walk, trot, canter, gallop).

So, I'm riding this horse on a trail that connects to our property. Suddenly, a deer runs across the trail in front of us. The horse froze, I patted him and sat with him for a moment. He felt fine, so we continued on, and turned around about 30 feet down the trail. As soon as we turned around, he bolted and broke into a full gallop. He didn't respond to anything that I tried to stop him, or even slow him down. I tried to crank his head all the way around to one side (the emergency brake), but he is so strong he just pulled it back and barreled on ahead. "OK," I thought, "he's spooked, but he'll stop as soon as we hit the rocky ground around the bend."

Nope. He barreled on. "OK," I thought,"He'll stop as soon as he hits the road at the end of this trail."

Nope. Not only did he not stop, he didn't cross the road to the trail on the other side, he turned down the road and galloped on the pavement. Now, I've gone from scared to terrified because steel horsehoes on blacktop is a recipe for disaster. Horses slip on this kind of surface when they are walking, let alone galloping.

Just down the road away, there is a small bridge that crosses a ravine. Here, the horse finally stops short, nearly pitching me over his head as his back hooves fishtail on the blacktop. I jump off him immediately, and he is in a lather, wild eyed and nervous. Thankfully, he is exhausted and I manage to calm him down . . . I don't get back on, but lead him back to the ranch (about 2 miles).

The whole episode was less than a minute, but I have never been more afraid for my life. You always know when you get on a horse that, no matter how trained the horse is and how experienced you are, you aren't really in control if the worst should happen, but this was by far the closest call I've ever had. I'm just glad I was on the Cob and not the Lusitano or the Arabian.

was the horse made by Toyota?

 

[NineOneSeven]

Hate horses. Love animals, but horses are easily my least favorite creature and it's not close.