Near Miss and Serious Wobbles....

T

Thyme & Me

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Nov 23, 2011
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Was loading Thyme today for the start of my mini-holiday with the girls. She was a bit reluctant to load - hasn't travelled much. I opened the jockey door so she wasn't walking into such a dark space. She walked on ok after that. The front bar was up. She put her head down and got it stuck under the bar. She then lurched forward in a panic. I instantly saw she was going under the bar - and out of the jockey door. All 16hh of her! My 3 children were stood outside the door looking in. I myself was trapped in the way. I screamed at the kids to get out of the way as there was going to be no stopping 600kg of scared horse.

She threw herself through the little door and stopped a short way away. My children were sobbing because I had scared them yelling so loud. But I had to make it clear that I was not kidding about the need to get away from the door.

How Thyme avoided seriously hurting me, them or herself I will never know.

Incidentally, she loaded again after that. Which I thought was pretty astonishing. I thought I was facing weeks of loading rehab!

So am I a total numpty for leaving a visible 'escape' route when loading? Or is this just one of those weird freak things that I couldn't have predicted. Feeling like such an idiot and feeling so guilty about all the 'might have beens'..... :poop:
 
Just goes to show that she trusts you, so don't worry, no damage done.

I personally would never leave the jockey door open but ALWAYS leave the side ramp open so it gives a feeling of space for Tobes who did used to have issues loading, but is happy loading now. This is a perfectly acceptable method, so if she got under the bar she would have done the same with the side ramp down.

So she actually got through the jockey door..........??????????????
 
Freak accident!... and ironically we are actually advised by many loading gurus to open all front doors to encourage horse on...what sort of trailer do you have, the horse should not have been able to get under bar really?

Do you have a top door above front ramp to provide light/space without an escape route?
 
I always leave the side door open!
1) so everything looks open and inviting, not like a dark hole
and
2) that's where I exit after I but the chest bad up.

That must have been so scary. I would have peed my pants!
My trailer has loops on top where the halter gets fastened to so the order of events is like this:
load the horse with me walking in first (front side door is open), click her halter to the clip, fasten the chest bar, fluff up the hay bag thingy and exit.

The halter loop still lets her lower her head enough to snack on hay but it would be difficult for her to get it low enough to bring it under the chest bar.

Maybe that could prevent similar in the future.

Although the odds of that happening again must be super duper low. It sounds just like a freak thing to me. How awesome that she loaded right away again.

Hope you can enjoy your vacation now!
 
How scary and how good of her to load again afterward. I don't leave the jockey door open but have the front ramp down for any emergency exits but each person does it different just a lucky escape for both of you.


Enjoy your holiday
 
Scary freak accident. Had one myself which ended in, luckily, only the rear bar having a bum shaped curve in it (which took my dad's mini digger to unbumshape).
Hope Thyme is ok, and I know what you mean about the kids, they sort of freeze when you shout at them don't they and it makes you feel awful but all for their own good at the end of the day.
 
eml said:
..what sort of trailer do you have, the horse should not have been able to get under bar really?
Click to expand...

Ifor Williams. I can;t understand how she got under. Her head went down as I ducked under the bar (which was already up). She basically sort of buckled her front legs to get her front half under then the rest followed. And yes she jumped out the jockey door. She skinned her leg and hip on her way out - but just removed the top layer of skin. No real damage done. But it could have gone badly wrong. OH was there too. He is nervous at the best of times. Seeing a horse nearly flatten the kids hasn't helped.
 
I always have the breast bar up, jockey door closed and front ramp open to make it look inviting. Glad none of you were hurt. She clearly trusts you so much to load again. You must have been so shaken, take care of yourself.
 
serious freak accident and well done for seeing it coming and getting the children safe. And what a super star for her going back in!

I would avoid letting her head get low. i always load with the front ramp open, or if thats not possible at least the front top window above the ramp.

i cant believe she fitted through the jockey door! blimmee, is she made out of rubber!?

perhaps now that she has done that, perhaps leave the chest bar un-done until she is in place and then clip it up?
 
I did also mean to add - it is a really freak accident. I just can't imagine how she would have squeezed out of the jockey door. Amazing really - I have an Ifor, and the doors are not huge at all.

Poor you, still, she went back on bless her, so don't worry.

She is as juliecwuk says, she is seriously bendy - not only to get UNDER the breast bar but to squeeze out the jockey door ...............
 
Wow, that sounds like a really unfortunate freak accident, as has been said already there aren't many who would see going under the breast bar as an option let alone the jockey door!

Great sign that she trusts you enough to get back on
 
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