Horse owner sets up Campaign for Safer Roads after Shocking Death of Horse

Hi again all...

This time not such pleasant news... but something that i think people should be aware of, take heed of and also make other people aware...
Horses are an animal very close to my heart and having had 3 beautiful friends over the years, I have a high dislike for those who do not take care whilst passing horses on the road...

If you slow down for cyclists, why not for horses..? Theres an extra innocent life involved...

I had an incident like this happen to me, however both the horse and I were fine with minor injuries only... it was my 3rd fall of a horse. She was a wee grey pony called Magik, one that did not like the wind...! i think i was about 11 at the time...
Anyway we were riding through the small local village, in single file, with high vis vests on, riding hats - the whole she-bang etc... next thing i know i hear this 'woooossshhhhtt' and then feel a huge blast of air... a small black sports car had come racing past us... all the horses spooked at the noise and speed it went at... My horse Magik reared up and then fell backwards on top of me... she was a heavy girl..! Luckily she seemed to understand she was crushing me to death so rolled off me.. i stood up had sore sides and a sore arm, and Magik had a wee limp - but other than that luckily we were both alive and well...!

So since that day on, if a driver speeds past me - i WILL flip them the bird..! or an angry fist shake..! its just not on, it really isn't...
Luckily the rider survived, but the poor horse bled out on the side of the road, no doubt in a lot of pain till the vet arrived...

A horse owner is campaigning to raise awareness of horse riders on the road after her horse was killed in a horrific accident

The horse, a seven-year-old mare named Ruby, was struck by a flatbed trailer after a Toyota pick-up truck that was towing it overtook her and her rider.
The incident took place on Monday evening, just before 6.45pm and resulted in the road being closed for two hours.
Ruby’s rider and the other horses that were in the group that Ruby was being ridden with managed to escape unharmed but Ruby was left with severe injuries and had to be put down.

Speaking about Ruby’s injuries, she said: “The horse had been severed in half. I’ve never seen so much blood. The paramedics had covered the horse with a blanket. Other motorists had also put their jumpers on top of her to try to stop the bleeding. They were absolutely brilliant. “ But Ruby was bleeding to death. A vet was called out and gave her an injection to put her to sleep.”

www.horsetraderonline.co.uk...

this really is horrific... most of us riders do our utmost and bestest to keep our horses in order, and make ourselves clearly visible to all other road users...

so members of ATS - whether you do slow down for horses or not... Be Aware..! and tell other people to be aware too... it will save the lives of many happy horses and people...

peace ,..
fluffx

Living here is Amish country, I have had a few friends whose family members have been hit by cars while riding in their horse drawn buggies. A lot of people around here, in my opinion, could care less about anything on the road, not even a horse or horse drawn buggy. It is sad.

On the other hand, since the Amish don't pay into the tax system (via gasoline taxes, per se), many feel that their horses' shoes are causing havoc for road surfaces and there should be some form of compensation back to society.

Regardless, I digress. Since probably less than 0.001% of the travelers on the road do so on horseback, I think a stronger effort should be made for the discussion of rails to trails projects (where communities turn old railroads into biking, hiking and horseback paths). If a community decides not to spend their money that way, then perhaps they can incorporate education for the possibility that they will encounter an equestrian on the roadway at some point in their lives, during the licensing process.

Anyway, interesting thread. Sorry about your personal experiences.

I didn't read any of your post, but...

No pics? Come on. If it was so gruesome then show us gruesome pictures and raise some awareness.
Horses should be fenced in, and if they are wild then they have as good a chance as the moose and deer.

Edit: after reading, riders too? Some jerk motorists!

reply to post by alyoshablue

I think a stronger effort should be made for the discussion of rails to trails projects (where communities turn old railroads into biking, hiking and horseback paths)

i totally agree with you on this

its incredibly sad... and yes i wish more was done to accommodate the riders.. as there are many places especially here in the UK where you cannot ride horses... i.e. through private farms or properties or estates etc...

although on the bright side, around my mums area they did a couple of years ago build a cycling/walking/riding path between 4 villages, it was about 20 miles long.. and lots of people use it...!

reply to post by fluff007


A few weeks ago I was walking in the early hours of the morning. I heard a car in the distance and I thought, 'That'll be a police car, it will pull up next to me, the window will go down and they'll say something stupid and untrue just to get me talking'. It was a police car. The lone policewoman pulled up next to me, lowered the window and asked, "Have you seen any horses loose on the road?" Immediately doubting her honesty I asked sarcastically, "Have there been any reports of horses loose on the road?" To my embarrassment it was obvious from her reaction she was being truthful.
I went back and got my car and searched the roads she hadn't been down. When I got to the edge of the village she was parked at the side of the road. I asked if there was any sign of them. She said "They're here." She had in her words 'shuffled' them into a field single handed in the dark. I almost cried knowing what she had potentially prevented. Without going into the details I know what happens when a horse gallops head on into a landrover towing a heavy trailer.

I see from the article the tragedy you're talking about happened near Biddulph. My Grandfathers family lived in Biddulph for hundreds of years. He was a London Policeman who received a commendation for catching a team of runaway horses.

If it isn't too far off topic can I say we need the police. British police are under attack from the government at this moment. Can I ask all of you to visit the website antiwinsornetwork. The proposed changes to policing would certainly make it less likely that police could help prevent tragedies of this sort occurring.

reply to post by fluff007


The rails to trails programs around here (Hershey, Pennsylvania, USA) are quite lively. In the U.S. in general, I think they are quite numerous - check out this site.

Obviously, that won't help you in the UK. I have heard that the UK has much of its (private) land tied up and not readily accessible by the public, which is a complete sham if it is. In my part of Pennsylvania, particularly to the east of me, there are thousands of acres of horse farms and several little villages catering to the horse enthusiast.

Anyway, another way to look at it is this ... if we experience a Mad Max type breakdown in society, those with horses will be kings and queens. Further, I doubt you will have to worry about sharing the road with anyone else.

reply to post by MeesterB

No pics? Come on. If it was so gruesome then show us gruesome pictures and raise some awareness.

Look i cant find any... not of that particular incident apart from this one which is on the link i posted..
but i doubt this was what you were looking for...



you maybe looking for something like this



or this



or this



or this



or this.....?



maybe not horrific enough..? well, i cant find anymore im afraid....
soz to disappoint...

Horses should be fenced in, and if they are wild then they have as good a chance as the moose and deer.

so fenced in all the time..? no riding allowed...? pfffftt, if people can cycle, bike or drive anywhere then why not on horse back...? also they're much more green, if you keep them properly of course...

well if they are wild then there should be signs that say so... they should be warnings, like there are for deer etc... also if you do see some sort of animal running directly toward your intended path of travel - im assuming you would try and take some sort of evasive action, so as not to cause harm to the animal, yourself or your vehicle...?

but sometimes, they do just come out of nowhere... but usually horses being ridden on the roads, usually by people who have been trained in some way and confident and able to handle a horse on the roads.... do not generally act like startled wild moose unless they have been petrified by something they dont quite understand...
and most horses allowed to be ridden on roads, are generally pretty placid and relaxed in their nature, and some never spook at a thing... whilst others that may be more spooky are ridden by more competent riders - thats how it works...

we do our bit - so motorists should do their bit.. imho

reply to post by alyoshablue


its good to hear that over there you're making a good bit of progress with it..!

I have heard that the UK has much of its (private) land tied up and not readily accessible by the public, which is a complete sham if it is

haha yeah its ridiculous...! luckily i live off the west coast of scotland on a small island, and previously lived in north east scotland for 11 years, and there you seem to be able to go most places on horseback... providing you left everything how you found it... or called ahead... so its not too bad up here. as for the rest of the UK there are only certain areas, wherein you can ride anywhere you want..

Anyway, another way to look at it is this ... if we experience a Mad Max type breakdown in society, those with horses will be kings and queens. Further, I doubt you will have to worry about sharing the road with anyone else.

lol agreed..!! in my opinion if everything goes upside down, a handful of horses is what you're gonna need...!

reply to post by Kester


:O that vid is adorable..! even at that age such grace and ease with which they move... beautiful creatures..!

wow its people like her, that deserve medals...! its more people we need like that out on the roads... the best way to help is try and prevent...

Originally posted by fluff007

...if you do see some sort of animal running directly toward your intended path of travel - im assuming you would try and take some sort of evasive action, so as not to cause harm to the animal, yourself or your vehicle...?

The horse that hit the landrover was one of three. They pushed through a gate and were heading down the road towards a main road. Someone jumped out in front of them to turn them back from the main road. The were excited and went back up the hill at speed. The landrover couldn't brake hard or swerve because of the trailer. The first two went either side and the third one carried straight on into it.

One point of interest. It was very difficult to get an insurance payout because they didn't get a vet to certify cause of death. They assumed police records of the incident would be enough. You can buy another horse that may be in need of a good home if you have the money. If you're unfortunate enough to lose a horse in this way get the vet to verify cause of death.

reply to post by Kester


well that is what i mean by try to take action... i do know sometimes its just not possible and yes, things like that do happen, with it not being a fault of anyone's... just bad timing.

oh wow thats interesting... so just another way for them not to pay out lol
well hopefully i wont ever have to go through anything as horrific as that..

reply to post by fluff007


When it came to the burying we were all standing around the grave, JCB parked alongside, when a delivery man arrived. He walked over smiling, obviously thinking it was just drainage or something. He got to the side of the hole and looked in. Without missing a beat he said "How is he?" Nobody laughed but it makes me smile now.

reply to post by Kester


lol oh dear...! at the least the poor thing didnt suffer much... did she straight away when she hit the land rover...

its a sad thing to watch a horse be buried... the worst experience i had was when a friends horse was really ill and had to be put down... the vet came along with the injection, administered it to her standing up, Ushi swayed for a minute or so and then collapsed to the ground, where she lay and slowly passed away - was the saddest thing i'd ever seen..!

reply to post by fluff007


No time to suffer with a collision like that. The driver was lucky to escape with minor injuries.

Vets have to be so careful with the syringe. One drop can kill a human. It has happened, a vet got jostled and stuck himself. He ran towards his car for the antidote but dropped dead before he got there. We may complain about vet's bills but they do take risks and do some pretty unpleasant tasks.

I care far too much for my horse to ride it on the road. In the trailer and to established trails and equestrian areas. Much more enjoyable experience, and without the risk to such an investment (and friend).

I'm sorry, but this is one horse owner who simply feels that horses shouldn't be on the road.

reply to post by Kester


oh thank goodness he didnt suffer... poor thing.

yeah people should be thankful for vets... i spent 2/3 years working with vets at different practices. its a hard job, especially when things dont go the way they should... yeah i heard about that happening to a vet who worked in the city... had to give a horse the lethal injection, but the horse got spooked and he stabbed himself...

you never see that reaching the news... its sad really

reply to post by Gazrok


i do agree with you on this... imho i think horses should be kept barefoot and never feel a road beneath their hooves...
but sadly we cant always have everything... i used to have 2 horses, but sadly they are not with me anymore... but i couldnt afford a vehicle large enough to tow a trailer or the trailer itself... and there was a 1/2mile stretch of road that i had to take them on if i wanted to go anywhere as thats where their field was... it was one of those narrow single track country roads, and i think theyre the worst kinds of roads to ride on... they may be quiet, but thats the problem - people drive waaayyyy too fast on them...!

im glad to hear that you treat your horses so well

reply to post by Gazrok


I've done some stupid things in my life. Travelling on British roads with a packhorse was one of the stupidest. Some of the scrapes we got into were crazy. Once we got on the wrong side of a madman. The horse just sighed and trod on his bare foot and leaned on it. End of problem.

reply to post by fluff007


One time we were in a remote part of the country. There was only one farrier available. First he didn't turn up then he broke his arm. We were so desperate I made rope soled shoes for the horse. The first time I took him on the road it was really creepy. Imagine leading a horse on a tarmac road and the horses hooves make no sound except a slight scuffing. It was like walking with a spirit horse.

After that I learned to shoe my own. He was so patient with me. It took two days the first time.
Farriers. They earn their pay even more than vets.