Horse trek tragedy.

I am in shock. Yesterday my cousin was killed when her horse bolted and took her into a 4.5 mtr deep ravine. Her horse, a black SB they had named Munta (Munta being another name for "meathead") landed on top of her trapping her under him in the creek at the bottom of the gut. A friend that was on the ride with my cousin said that it took about 15 minutes for the others on the scene to get the horse off Terry, they had to slit its throat in order to do so and then use one of the bigger animals on the trek to pull the dead weight animal off her. Although they spent an hour doing CPR my cousin had gone. My friend suspects that she probably died instantly as she had a massive head wound at the back of her skull.

I look at the horse Terry rode and it was a meat head, it had bolted on her time and time a gain. It would stick its head in the air, open its mouth and there were no brakes or steering. But she felt that she had to tough it out, she thought she was tougher than the horse. Of course, now we are all shaking our heads thinking why the **** did we let her persist with such a dangerous animal??? How is that we all stood back and watched this horses lunatic behaviour, her lack of skill in changing it (or even recognizing how serious a problem it was) and not one of us intervened.


Anyone having serious behavioral problems with their horse please, please, PLEASE get some help. Don't just think that you can tough it out, if you don't know how to fix the problem then FIND SOMEONE WHO DOES! Also be REALISTIC about your horses behaviour. Please don't think that because your horse is perfect on the ground and comes when you call it and seems to love you sometimes, that this outweighs the times when you have been terrified by its behaviour. It doesn't. DO NOT rely on your horses instincts and self preservation to keep you safe! When a horse gets in a certain mindset there is no reasoning. My cousins horse thought it was being left behind, Terry was at the back of the ride to close the gate. Her horse panicked and blindly ran off a cliff.

I don't mean to be a fear monger I am just so sad that a member of my family and my friend has died. I am sad because in hindsight we knew her horse was an accident waiting to happen yet we never really believed that anything REALLY bad could happen. Please everyone, be safe, don't take your safety for granted and if you feel that your horse is dangerous then for gods sake get off it! There are too many good horses out there to risk your self on a dangerous one.

*hugs* I'm so sorry for your loss. How old was your cousin? Just always remember that everything happens for a reason and that you nor anyone could have changed her mind about getting on that horse.

Condolences on your loss.

Perhaps you will save a life if someone here is in a similar situation and heeds your warning.

Was she not wearing a helmet? Perhaps she might have had a fighting chance if she had.

Hi Kiwi
I am so sorry for the loss of your cousin and friend
This is very tragic
What will happen to the horse?

I'm so sorry for your loss. And with every untimely death, there's a great temptation to think what one might have done to prevent it. But please don't be hard on yourself. You did your best at the time and you have to make your peace with what happened.

I think your words bear repeating, so I've quoted them below. I agree with you 100%!

I'm very sorry for your loss.
County Woman they had to kill the horse to get him off of her.

Oh How sad

I am very, very sorry to hear of your loss, and I agree with you on the lessons.

I've just spent 3 months working with a professional to retrain my mare. She's been prone to bolting, and we have done a ton of work on her. The goal has been to teach her to stand still when scared, and to teach me the warning signs - because my mare HAS warning signs. And yes, I know some horses do not. I also know I could NOT have done it on my own. I simply am not good enough with horses.

We're hoping to start work riding her off my property in a week or so. Just across the street from me, there is a 3-4 m (10-12 foot) wash that can't be seen until you are within a few feet of it. A bolting horse could hit the wash before it had any idea it was there.

I think the horse world tends to encourage folks to just 'tough it out', or to 'face their fears'. But fears can be very real and based on fact. If someone is feeling afraid of their horse - even if it really seems like Ol' Bombproof - I think they should listen to their fears. That doesn't mean you stop all riding, but it may mean lessons, it may mean hiring a trainer, and it may mean getting rid of a horse. And it can mean not riding.

I was pretty fearless when young. Age, and the funerals of friends and squadron-mates killed flying have taught me that fear can be a good thing. A fear can be rational even if you cannot state the reason for it.

Again, I'm very sorry. I'm sure it is a very painful time for all involved.

What a terribly sad sorry. I'm so sorry for your loss.

Kiwigirl, I know this probably doesn't really help right now but your cousin died doing something she loved doing and took her horse with her.