Safety around large animals

Originally Posted by LARHAGE

I've been around horses for 30 years and have broken ribs, wrists and received multiple scrapes and abrasions, not to mention bites too numerous to count. The worst injury though was during a horse show, I was riding my Saddlebred gelding who only knows one way...GO! We were called to walk one way around the ring and he was fretting and tossing his head badly, just as they called for the trot he flung his head back hitting me full-on in the face, I had blood running down my shirt but continued to show, we even placed rather well considering. I always tell novices who are around me to watch their heads, they are one of the most deadly aspects of the horse, as they like to swing them around and fling them back under saddle.

Very true that big hard skull cracking up against yours. Been there done that along with the bites and of course the none to pleasant step on your foot when I was an idiot and wearing running shoes. Its the dying part when internal organs get crushed or a head smash that worries me the most.

[Pedigree Ann]

Back before WWII, my family farm had at team of black Percherons and a team of lighter horses (for things like the hayrake, the driving of which was my mom's specialty). One day my uncle was grooming one of the Percherons when it merely shifted its weight from one hind leg to the other, pinned said uncle against the wall and cracked his pelvis.

Originally Posted by Pedigree Ann

Back before WWII, my family farm had at team of black Percherons and a team of lighter horses (for things like the hayrake, the driving of which was my mom's specialty). One day my uncle was grooming one of the Percherons when it merely shifted its weight from one hind leg to the other, pinned said uncle against the wall and cracked his pelvis.

This is exactly the kind of thing I am afraid of.

[kentuckyrosesinmay]

I think I've got you all beat (some of you may already know this). I've been thrown off more than 50 times, kicked, bucked, rolled over, bitten, stepped on...etc. etc...then again, I am fearless and always liked the problem horses and young horses. I have suffered from broken wrists, broken ribs, broken hips, broken nose, broken pelvis, punctured lungs, broken shoulder, and a broken right foot, nerve damage, not to mention countless broken toes, and a few broken fingers. The way I look at it is that you can get seriously hurt or die just from doing simple everyday things as driving a car or taking a misstep and falling. I am going to be feeling all of my mishaps when I get older though, and I'm sure there are a lot more mishaps with horses to come. It is all part of the game. If you love it enough, you just get back up and keep going no matter what happens.

Originally Posted by kentuckyrosesinmay

I think I've got you all beat (some of you may already know this). I've been thrown off more than 50 times, kicked, bucked, rolled over, bitten, stepped on...etc. etc...then again, I am fearless and always liked the problem horses and young horses. I have suffered from broken wrists, broken ribs, broken hips, broken nose, broken pelvis, punctured lungs, broken shoulder, and a broken right foot, nerve damage, not to mention countless broken toes, and a few broken fingers. The way I look at it is that you can get seriously hurt or die just from doing simple everyday things as driving a car or taking a misstep and falling. I am going to be feeling all of my mishaps when I get older though, and I'm sure there are a lot more mishaps with horses to come. It is all part of the game. If you love it enough, you just get back up and keep going no matter what happens.

Punctured lungs. That is really not good. Out of all the other maladies you have mentioned... punctured lungs... very bad. You dont want your lungs full of blood.

[kentuckyrosesinmay]

Originally Posted by pgardn

Punctured lungs. That is really not good. Out of all the other maladies you have mentioned... punctured lungs... very bad. You dont want your lungs full of blood.

That was like four years ago when that happened. I was on oxygen for quite a few days but my lungs weren't punctured bad enough to put a chest tube in. I hope that I never get injured again like I was that day.

[paisjpq]

Originally Posted by Pedigree Ann

Back before WWII, my family farm had at team of black Percherons and a team of lighter horses (for things like the hayrake, the driving of which was my mom's specialty). One day my uncle was grooming one of the Percherons when it merely shifted its weight from one hind leg to the other, pinned said uncle against the wall and cracked his pelvis.

reminds me of my friend Kat who owns a perch-hanovarian cross, he stumbled coming out of his stall one day and came down hard on her foot breaking numerous bones and severing a tendon in her foot. He meant no harm he is just so huge...and she was wearing street shoes rather than boots (not brilliant).