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How do you think this situation should have been handled?

3K views 30 replies 19 participants last post by  Palomine 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
So a friend of mine shared this video of a horse show gone wrong, and I was just wondering what your thoughts were? How could the people have handled it better in your opinion? What would you have done differently? (I'm new here so I don't know if there is a better place to post this. I also don't know how to directly insert a video, so this is the link..)

 
#2 ·
this is a horrifying video.
I saw it on facebook yesterday. My thoughts were, the announcer should have immediately insisted that all horses be led, not driven, out the gate. Also insisted that anyone who could not keep from shouting or screaming must leave the area immediately. Then let the loose horse (it was supposedly stung by a wasp) run itself out until it was pooped enough that someone competent could catch it.

The cool thing would be to have a couple experienced rodeo cowboys on good horses box the loose horse in and shut him down, but probably those guys are only at rodeos.
 
#3 ·
It got stung by a wasp? That actually makes sense, that happened to a horse I was lunging once, and there was no stopping him (I saw it land on his back and he just took off)

But yeah I definatly think that everyone should have at least tried to be a bit calmer. Running and screaming have never worked around horses in my experience, it just makes the situation worse. And I completely agree with the rodeo cowboy thing. Maybe they should have a couple of them at every horse show just in case.

Although I think that this video just goes to show that no matter how experienced, or how good you are with horses, things will happen that you simply aren't prepared for, and you need to be able to think fast and handle them the best you can.
 
#5 ·
Not an easy one to know what to do.

Bringing the horses into the inside was correct.

A panicked horse with a cart behind is always going to be more difficult than a panicked horse without because if the danger of the cart catching anyone trying to stop it.


There was t a lot that could have been done differently, trying to get a horse and cart out of the arena with the loose horse charging would almost certainly had that horse barging and getting to the outside.

The second horse that got loose was more difficult to catch as it had lost the bridle and full marks to the stewards who jumped on it whilst it was down,

A very nasty situation.

It the drivers had got out of their carts and held the horse's heads maybe it might have prevented others getting loose but the people would have been at more risk.
 
#11 ·
Not an easy one to know what to do.

Bringing the horses into the inside was correct.

A panicked horse with a cart behind is always going to be more difficult than a panicked horse without because if the danger of the cart catching anyone trying to stop it. Plus I know I would sure run faster harder and be more panicked if I was being chased by something loud heavy and hurting me!


There was t a lot that could have been done differently, trying to get a horse and cart out of the arena with the loose horse charging would almost certainly had that horse barging and getting to the outside.

The second horse that got loose was more difficult to catch as it had lost the bridle and full marks to the stewards who jumped on it whilst it was down,

A very nasty situation.

It the drivers had got out of their carts and held the horse's heads maybe it might have prevented others getting loose but the people would have been at more risk.
Things happen. I think overall it was handled well. Horses called into the middle, handlers at the horses head, unhooking horses and getting them out as the situation escalated.

The bad stuff - screaming idiots- really? people jumping in front of a panicked horse with blinkers..umm... When the first (chestnut) crashed into the cart it wouldn't of happened if the guy hadn't though grabbing the trailing harness was a good idea. The advice given was the best - keep the horse to the outside and let him run, he will stop eventually. Since they apparently had a rope they should of done that sooner and good job jumping on him while he was down. Trying to catch him (esp the horse with no bridle) and jumping in front etc...no wonder people got hurt.

The key in situations like that is to keep calm and seize the moment. Not run around like an idiot and make things worse.

Overall it was pretty well handled keeping in mind how much was going on and how many different people were involved (not everyone gets it lol), unfortunately when dealing with the public like that it's a risk.

Yes it's a very old video.

SlideStop I agree but it is good to learn from situations like this which is what I think the purpose of the OPs question was.
 
#6 ·
As someone who drives fairly regularly the first thing would be to call the particpants into the center and have headers (people who hold the horses), then unhook all horses from the buggy's. I have been a header for a few trainers in classes when a horse bolted or did something similar and we ALWAYS were at the horses head and often CUT them out of the harness and cart for safety's sake. The trainers were much more insistant that we ruin equipment than ruin a driving horse. Then lead out if possible, if not work on keeping the loose horse(s) out of the center until they calmed down or a plan could be made.

I always hesitate to have people on horses box in a horse with a cart or blinders on because there's an added risk. One, the cart can swing and I have seen it catch riders horse's out from under them, two, sometimes the blinders backfire and the extra stimulus results in bucking, kicking and more bolting (add in breeching to get tangled up in occasionally too!)

I do give kudos to the gentlemen who caught both of the horses and righted the situation! To the audience and announcer..... not so much lol.
 
#7 ·
As a driver it would not have been safe to lead the horses out of the arena. You can't hold a spooked horse on the ground in a cart. It would have taken too long and they would have been rammed from the side.
The biggest cause of the later wrecks are the people who are trying to be a hero and grab the horse while running. This caused the horse to come off the rail and go to the center if my memory serves me. I haven't watched it for a year or so. There was a few moments that some horses could have left the arena but too hard to get everyone to understand which horse when and get the gate person in sync.
 
#8 ·
What a horrific situation!
I see way too many ground handlers running around the arena, spread out all over trying to catch these horses when they should made a circle in the center to protect the horses in there and keep the runners to the outside.
The crowd was making way too much noise and so was the announcer.

I have to ask as I've never seen a driving class with this many horses in a small arena and a judging stand in the middle-is this common? Seems risky to cram that much activity in one little arena.
 
#10 ·
This is an old clip, done the rounds many times, still horrible to watch.

As to how it could of been handled, well this is certainly a time I bow to those who actually do drive, because they actually have knowledge of this. Driving is somewhat different to riding,
 
#13 ·
I have to wonder why, every time I start thinking that maybe I'd like to learn to drive, this video keeps popping up? LOL! Makes me change my mind every single time, too.

As to how can it be handled better? I've been at shows with driving classes and I've never NOT seen people running and screaming and flapping at the horse. If we could get that stopped, then I would hope the horse who's bolting could calm himself down enough to be caught. Otherwise? I have no knowledge and no suggestions. It's just a darn scary sight to watch.
 
#16 ·
They did the right thing by bringing all the others into the centre
The wrong thing was to have all the people in the ring running at the horse in some totally useless attempt to catch it and the others who were waving arms and stuff at it sending it off in another direction to where it was safest
These horses are trained to 'drive the rail' so if everyone had just stood still and quiet it would have more likely just kept running round and round until it stopped panicking and got its brain back in focus
 
#18 ·
They did the right thing by bringing all the others into the centre
The wrong thing was to have all the people in the ring running at the horse in some totally useless attempt to catch it and the others who were waving arms and stuff at it sending it off in another direction to where it was safest
These horses are trained to 'drive the rail' so if everyone had just stood still and quiet it would have more likely just kept running round and round until it stopped panicking and got its brain back in focus
It it is hard to get a group of people into the same mindset but, the safest thing would have been to let the horse run itself out along the rail and for the people on the ground to keep the others bunched together and the loose horse away from them. Who in there right mind thinks they are going to stop a run away horse by running around and waving their arms?
 
#21 ·
I guess that this might be the antidote to watch, it is still a wreck, but this is how you deal with it, such good horses and people.

http://youtu.be/FUt1c_2v0fw

That actually made me tear up.
Only a few things reliably do that. A brave wise little cowdog moving ornery cattle calmly, and horses that know they can trust their master when they're afraid, are two.
 
#19 ·
There were times when the first horse just made for the others, he certainly came off the rail.

That second video was fantastic. Obviously there is a big difference between a Clydesdale and an Arab but I bet the allergy hadn't a nth of the training of the former.

Those heavies had every faith and trust in their handlers or they would never have remained as calm.
 
#22 ·
My sister routinely drives a 4-up and Stagecoach. When she's working, she always has at least two ground-handlers nearby. Each pair of horses has someone to head them for just such situations. And, you'll notice, the driver never left the box until every pair had a handler in place.
 
#23 ·
I am sure there will be someone saying I am wrong but....usually, when a team of draft horses mucks up, they are much better trained and a lot less reactive than a light horse. Our harness is a lot heavier, there is more to it, we have a crupper and a breeching strap, where that horse in the video had less on than I humbly feel should be safe when in the arena driving. The Quarter Horse driving have about the same....I often wish that the light horse folks would get up with the good draft drivers, you know, those of us who do this in public and don't want our horses to look like hackneys on steriods, and ask us to help them plan and execute their driving shows.

The announcer should of turned down the sound some and told the crowd, if you can't shut up and sit there, get out. As for what everyone else did, getting the other horses in the middle, leaving them there there, unhitching from their carts, yes. Think too, if those handlers/drivers were going to take the other horses out, that one who was a run away, he would of followed suite, so who knows what could of or may of happened if he realized the arena gate was opened and went barreling across the arena to it.
 
#25 ·
I am sure there will be someone saying I am wrong but....usually, when a team of draft horses mucks up, they are much better trained and a lot less reactive than a light horse. Our harness is a lot heavier, there is more to it, we have a crupper and a breeching strap, where that horse in the video had less on than I humbly feel should be safe when in the arena driving. The Quarter Horse driving have about the same....I often wish that the light horse folks would get up with the good draft drivers, you know, those of us who do this in public and don't want our horses to look like hackneys on steriods, and ask us to help them plan and execute their driving shows.
I drive light horses (fine harness like the ones in the video) in addition to drafts and CDE, and I think it's a shame many trainers don't train them like draft horses. ALL of my driving horses are taught to pull carts, to pull/think through ill fitting or loose carts, and are taught how to handle when carts come apart and fall off of them. It's saved us from a lot of wrecks and when something does happen, instead of bolting our horses look to us. As for the differences in harness, in a well trained horse it shouldn't matter too much. I personally prefer breeching so I only use fine harness when I'm in a class showing fine harness.

I will say IME MOST fine harness shows are not this ill run. When I showed AMHA the fine harness shows were run as well as the draft horse shows. We had an owner take a tumble from the cart, the horse was trotting around the rail and everyone came in the center, headers came and held the horses and they turned the radio down and put on music and waited for the horse to tucker out where then he was caught and led out.
 
#24 ·
I thought about that Budweiser example Golden Horse
We see the Hallamore Clydesdales every year at the Big E in Mass. and it always amazes me how spirited they are when they do the parade but they're handled by a team of very experienced people all the time
At the shows like the one that wreck happened at a lot of the ring stewards aren't horse people at all so have no clue what to do for the best
Foxhunter - I think the horse only came off the rail into the others because he was getting too much pressure from the men flapping and chasing him, he likely thought it was a safer place to be.
They show off Arabians at liberty here by flapping a plastic bag on a stick at them so they were almost telling him to race around
Some of the horses in those driving classes (hackneys, arabians and some Morgans) and the saddleseat classes get VERY hyped, I'm amazed there aren't more accidents like that one
 
#26 ·
Many saddleseat people (not all) keep their horses locked in stalls 24/7. I was told by my former employer it was to keep them from pulling their padded shoes off and ripping up their feet while out in the pasture.

Notice the tail length of the horses in the video. Those horses probably are not allowed outside for fear they damage their beautiful tail or loose a shoe.

So no turnout, combined with being a high energy, high-strung breed.

Saddleseat trainers often encourage their horses to look hot by shaking a plastic bag at them and encouraging them to look excited.

As for my horses, I want them so bored with a plastic garbage bag that it could be tied in their tail without them reacting.
 
#28 ·
You know, there is a lot to be said for teaching any horse a good solid "whoa" from the very first moment they begin training. If you teach them that "whoa" means freeze every muscle and stop your feet, that instilled training will often over-ride all but the very worst panic. With that Clyde video, I'm sure that there was no less than 2 people that gave those horses a good firm "whoa" right after they all went down.

I've seen people on colts that were about to blow up diffuse the situation with a good whoa. I've had a couple of my own horses get tangled in ropes or bogged down in creeks where their every instinct is screaming "FIGHT", but I gave them a good whoa and they just stopped until I could get them loose or get them arranged to get out of the wreck.

The worst situation I ever dealt with myself was with a stranger's horse at a rodeo. I had my horse quietly tied to a line of panels. Someone else's horse broke away when they were leading it and they had a long lead rope on there. I have no idea how they managed it, but their horse ran into my horse and when he got up, he was tangled in their lead rope and my lead rope and had one of the fence panels hung over the saddle horn with his head twisted around to the side and a foot caught up. I was horrified because I knew he was fixing to kill himself trying to get away.

Sure enough, I could see the panic building as I was heading that way but I hollered a firm "whoa" and he froze, stock still. He stayed that way until I was able to get his head and leg cut free and got some help to get him out of the panel. I thank God every day he wasn't hurt.

In this one, the horses aren't nearly as well trained as the Clydes, but I love how the announcer handled it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P-MlXmXPe-4
 
#29 ·
Even in that way the situation was made more dangerous by so many people running around the horses instead of just getting out of the way and leaving as much empty ring space as possible

The show ring Arabians/part breds often have pads on their hooves to accentuate the high knee action (which I personally hate to see in that breed) so they don't get turned out during the competition season.
The tails are kept wrapped and tied up all the time to stop them breaking
 
#30 ·
These are amateur drivers, so you have to factor in their inexperience to begin with. They are actually as much of a liability as the loose horse. And these harnesses are not going to be simple to unhook from buggy. And in a panic situation like this, you not only need a header but two people on each side.

Cutting the leather is going to be virtually impossible as well. You have to cut at breast collar, and again at the surcingle at strap that is done in figure 8 around shafts, on both sides of each, and that is going to be hard to do with a panicking horse and two people with knives trying not to cut themselves. As well as you have the lines to consider, you can't just coil them quickly.

Getting them into center was about best they could do, trying to get them out of gate is going to cause a lot more wrecks, as well as darn lucky none of them decided to jump gate/wall with the buggy.

I've watched this a lot off and on over years now, I doubt an insect caused this, the horse was high when it came into the ring, and you could tell it was just getting worse with each step.

Lucky no one was killed in this though.
 
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