RE: we've all done dumb things

[Cheryl Newbanks <horsetrails@inficad.com>]

On Thursday, January 28, 1999 12:18 AM, DreamWeaver 
[SMTP:karen@chaton.gardnerville.nv.us] wrote:
> At 01:40 AM 1/28/99 EST, you wrote:
> >Whoa!  What was the "mother of all dumb things" that you did?  Please 
share,
> >we've all done dumb things...it helps to know we're not alone!
>
> LOL!
>
> Okay, I helped a friend move her horse. Everything was fine, he loaded 
into
> the trailer really nice (slant load).   He hauled beautifully.  Got to 
our
> place to unload him...and I went in the back to get him out.  We had
> dropped down the feed door and she (owner) was holding the lead rope and
> had untied his lead in the trailer.  He had no fear whatsoever of being 
in
> the trailer, was not nervous and stood calmly and quietly.  I opened the
> divider and moved it over.  I looked at him, he looked at me.  I put my
> hand on his rump, everything was fine.  Walked up to his head, and just 
as
> I reached for the lead rope - was within about oh - 4" of grabbing the 
rope
> under his halter - he went ballistic.
>
> Turned into me, cow-kicking - I flew backwards.  He nailed me with both
> hind feet.  Hit me in the gut - and the thigh.  I went flying backwards 
and
> hit my head on the center divider, splitting it wide open, then fell out
> onto the pavement.  I think that had I spent even 2 more seconds in the
> trailer with that horse, he would have killed me.  (the whole episode
> lasted probably less than a fraction of a second!)
>
> Went to the ER.  They stitched up my head - I had a really bad concussion
> and had to go get a cat-scan for that.  I had three broken ribs and a
> ruptured kidney (was passing blood for a few days).  The doctors in the 
ER
> commented about how they had never seen anything like the hematoma (gosh
> have you ever seen one that BIG before?) on my thigh. It was literally 
the
> size of a football.  They took x-rays because they thought my leg may 
have
> been fractured.  Luckily, it wasn't.  They weren't sure how to stitch up 
my
> head either.  I heard comments like "how do we put that back together"
> (guess there was a piece missing - it punctured my skull).  Needless to
> say, I was not a happy camper.  I had suffered serious trauma to my neck
> and cervical spine as well, and spent many weeks in therapy.  I lost all
> feeling in my right side - arm-leg-everything - from the nerves being
> pinched because my spine was so out of whack.  My whole world spun for
> weeks - I could barely stand, let alone get on a horse. They gave me
> crutches, but have you ever tried crutches with broken ribs?  Ha!
>
> Yet I did ride - I had already entered Tevis and couldn't *not* do it
> because of ME.  At least not when the horse was fine <G>.  By then the 
ribs
> were mostly healed, and the only real problem still was the hematoma and
> the dizziness problem, which didn't help me one bit on THAT trail believe
> me!!  I still have a bruise and lump on my leg - if I spend much time on
> foot (like running or walking) then it swells up and discolors again.
> Riding seems to be good for it.  :)  btw, I didn't ask the doctors ahead 
of
> time about doing that ride - they found out Monday morning first thing
> after the ride though. ;^0  If you ask they just tell you you shouldn't 
do
> it and then you feel guilty.  It's kind of hard to feel guilty when you
> have your Tevis buckle tho..hehe. So what if I had to spend a couple of
> weeks in a dazed state, smiling like a loon while popping fuzzy white 
pills?
>
> I am now quite paranoid about going into the trailer with my own horses. 
 I
> have no reason to be, they have never done anything to make me afraid  -
> but the idea of being in there with a horse - any horse - makes my palms
> sweat.  I hope I will get over that fear.  I suppose I should teach the
> horses to load and unload without me going inside but I *know* that if I
> change something like that then THAT will be what will cause something 
else
> to happen.  I am lucky both horses are sweethearts about the trailer - 
even
> my husband can load them by himself.
>
> If only I had been wearing a helmet then!
>
> Happy Trails,
>
> Karen
> in Gardnerville
> & Weaver...perfect size at 14.3 :-)
> & Rocky...who got extra time off this summer cuz I couldn't get on him!
>
>
Ok since we are now in humbling ourselves mode here is my really dumb 
thing!

Remember my horse Jihad that I started off with?  Well about the time that 
we had ridden about 10 times on the trail I decided that he needed his back 
adjusted since he was cinchy.  So I tack him up but instead of cinching at 
least 3 times to assure my saddle wouldn;t slip I decided not to do the 
third tightening and rode him off like that.  No breast collar either, 
after all we are only walking!!!! HAHAHAHAAHA!  Green horse, loose cinch, 
11th time on the trail, only walking, there is the deadly combination. 
 Well of course he spooked bolted and I would of had time to stop him if 
the dang saddle didn't start sliding around him and ready to go under.  My 
only course of action was to bail off, of course I didn't know the NEW way 
to emergency dismount, much safer if I would of known it.  No instead I 
bail off in a tuck and roll position, like my Dad taught me when I was 
hunter jumping at a young age.  Do you know when you tuck and roll you turn 
yourself into a big bouncing ball?????  I bounced off my hip, rolled twice 
in this ball shape so I hit that hip twice, and landed in a creosote bush. 
 My faithful dog stayed with me, my daughter who was riding my current 
goodboy horse Blue, caught Jihad, and I waited with my dog for 45 mintues 
for the dang ambulance.  Yeah neighbors brought me pillows and blankets 
while I waited, realllllly buff fireman with nice butts, I mean nice smiles 
(well heck from the ground all you can see are butts anyway) got me to the 
hospital where I spent the next 3 days flat out.  I was riding 10 days 
later, though I still needed a cane to walk and that was when I fell in 
love with Blue.  Even though it was my fault I was afraid of Jihad after 
that and sold him to a nice lady in Flag who competes in endurance on him 
now.  I haven't crashed since then and learned a lot from that experience! 
 Always wear a helmet, always check and recheck your tack before going out, 
always wear a breastcollar, never ASSUME ANYTHING, and sometimes it pays to 
have someone else train a green horse for you!




                                  Cheryl Newbanks
~~~          ~~  ^ ^        SW Region
~~~\      _~~/  /\ /        Buckeye, AZ
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