Ground work saved a LIFE today! Long, sorry!

Hey all. I had the most frightening experience. I'll condense so it's not a three page post...Trainer is loping an almost 3yr old in the big outdoor pen. Filly comes into some deep footing (we think), took a bad step and went down - a complete summersault. As she is getting up, trainer is still aboard, sort of. His bell was rung pretty good. She stumbles again and he goes off the side, but spur gets hung in the pad. Right spur hung, and he's off the left side, kinda half unconcious. He has his wits about him enough to grab the inside rein and turn her head towards him to avoid her running off. She starts to spin. I'm in total shock at this point and walking as fast as I can across the pen. Didn't want to run and frighten her more. So I see her foot clip his head and I'm sure he's done for. Suddenly, as she starts to panic, I hear him say in a completely calm voice "whoa". She stopped instantly. I'm frigging serious. Dead stop.
I get to them, and try to free the spur but can't. The buckleon the strap is mangled. He tells me to lay the horse down. I think he's got to be jking. I asked her to just by guiding her head down and she LAYED DOWN. I can't believe it at this point. Uncinched the saddle, and freed the poor guy. Filly still laying on the ground, my dear friend is bleeding but alive. I asked filly to get up and she did. Thankfully she's unhurt. My friend tells me to saddle her again and ride for just a few minutes to restore her confidence. I did and she was fine. My friend and trainer injured his ACL in his knee, and now has a few stitches in his head, but is otherwise fine.
This filly had a strong foundation of groundwor, and knew what the heck the word "whoa" means. She has a trusting relationship with people and I think that's the only reason she layed down ror me. I firmly believe that her early foundation saved my friend and trainers life. I learned a few lessons from this - I'll never wear spurs with a chunky woven blanket EVER again, and no matter who says it's BS, I'm going to continue with the ground work an all of our horses.
Vet came to examine the filly to be sure nothing was wrong, and says she is perfecly healthy and sound. Thank goodness. I think I wanna buy this one!
Goodness, I'm still kinda shaking from the whole ordeal. I'm just so glad it turned into a happy ending!

Awww that is scary! We had one similar incident where it was a family with a green rider and a green horse (we all knew something was bound to happen). The greeny was riding english and dismounted but didn't kick her last foot out of the stirrup and ended face down in the dirt with her foot all the way through the stirrup. Well of course mister greeny horse (he was a thoroughbred who did not need to be ridden because he had horrible horrible ground manners and needed soft and suppleness on the ground before anyone was to mount him and ride) started to go into a whirlwind spin with the kid flying through the air on his outside. All I could do was pray. This horse was not going to stop no matter what we did, because he had no ground training to be calm and obedient. It would only be a miracle to save her from a broken leg or worse. This went on for more then two minutes and some how her foot came off and the horse took off running in a freak blinding bolt to the pastures. I still don't know how her foot came off.

So me being the only non beginner here, I ran and caught the horse. Horse was fine, just super hard headed like always, and the girl was of course wayy to afraid to mount him again. I for sure wasn't going to get on him, he needed so much work on the ground before I was going to mount him and ride him.

To bad they learned the hard way.

This shows how ground work is assential before anyone is to get on a horse. Do it people!

Thanks for the great post - just goes to show ground work is EVERYTHING. Without it there is no foundation, and a house with no foundation is not stable. Great GREAT story. Hope your friend recovers quickly.

Woah, that's really scary.
Great story with a great moral!

We're hoping for the best. He has to have a ultrasound on his knee to see how extensive the damage is, but he's out for the cutting next weekend I think. Too bad...
But I'm bringing that filly to use for turn-back. She's such a nice girl!

Oh good grief - how scary - that was a BAD accident - I am so happy the trainer was not seriously hurt and that the horse is not injured - what a horror that must have been to WATCH something like that happen! I am so impressed that the horse laid down for you and you were able to get the trainer free - WOW - that's something! Hope all goes well for the trainer - facing a knee problem is no fun! Sounds like the little horse is a treasure!

It's great that the trainer had put the time in to be able to stop the horse and for you to lay her down. That being said, every single person that is around horses should have at least one sharp knife in thier pocket. In this particular case laying her down helped free him but what if she was already laying on top of him and you had to cut the latigo to get the saddle off and get her off him.
I was at a roping once and a kid let his horse get tangled in the rope and the horse went down. The kid fell over the front of the horse and the stap on his chaps hooked on the saddle horn. When the horse got up the kid was hanging upside down. About ten guys jumped over the fence and most of them had a knife in thier hand. Lucky for the kid his horse stood still and they lifted him up and unhooked him but any one of those men would have cut the strap without a hesitation. Had I been watching that wreck your trainer would be shopping for a new set of spur straps. I'm glad to hear everything came out so well and it sounds like you have a great trainer at your barn.

Wow what an experience. This just reinforces to me why I need to continue more and more with my groundwork.

Sounds like that filly has a really good head on her shoulders. I saw a girl come off and get her foot hung in an english saddle once, the horse kind of spun in slow circles (scared that it was dragging a rider but not freaking out). It was at a horse show and people kind of stood circling the horse, but no one was really brave enough to approach her becuase they didn't want to freak the horse out. Finally the stirrup came off and the rider got up completely unhurt. I'm glad you were brave enough to actually go all the way to the horse and I'm glad the horse was smart enough to keep her head. Ground work is SO important and you've just explained why. I'm also glad your friend is going to be ok.

That is awsome! People don't realize how important ground work and building a bond is. That is so cool that she trusts people like that.