I used a knife in a dangerous situation!

Dijos

Dijos

Joined
Nov 20, 2001
Messages
2,600
Ok, now this story is kind of silly, except to horse owners. My GF was washing her horse yesterday, and I was cleaning stalls, and replacing bedding. As a result, the 3 horses whose stalls I was cleaning, were out wandering around. One of these is a kind of nasty mustang/QH mix, who is really jealous of any attention that the other horses get (foreshadowing). So I keep running him away from my GF's horse, who is tied up, of course, getting washed. NOW, you need to know that My GF'S horse, lucky, is too smart for his own good, and can intie a horseman's knot (as they are designed to be untied with a pull on the loose end), so the loose end has been daisy-chained to thwart his untying himself. So in a split second, the mustang begins kicking lucky, who cannot run away due to his being tied. We both begin yelling (which is utterly useless), and I try to get close enough to cut the rope. This is where the story would be super cool, but reality sets in, and I am not getting in the middle of 3000 lbs of angry horse flesh. Instead, I throw my (closed) endura, and bean the mustang in the neck, which causes him to run away. All of this happens in about 3-4 seconds, and usually, I cannot hit the broad side of a barn to save my life. Anyway, we untie lucky, and then we have to run away, because he is really mad, and wants to fight anything that comes near him.
All in all, it was kind of an exciting day.

--Joe
 
Wow! Glad to hear everything worked out. My girlfriend taught me how to tie a horseman's knot/safety release knot today. She lets me walk a couple of horses into the barn and I was standing on one horse's lead while haltering another, and she came out and said "And what do you think would happen if a deer ran through the paddock right now?" :eek: So she showed me, and now I won't get the poor horse's face chewed apart by the chain :)
 
Some unsolicited advice: Ditch the horses and buy some nice quiet burros, or even some gentle cows. Those horses are going to get you killed, just look what happened to Superman...

-Bob
 
Dijos said:
Instead, I throw my (closed) endura, and bean the mustang in the neck, which causes him to run away. All of this happens in about 3-4 seconds, and usually, I cannot hit the broad side of a barn to save my life.
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I have several times been very surprised when, in an act of pure reflex, I have make some incredible hits with thrown objects, that I could not duplicate in a calmer moment, no matter how long I tried.
 
A burro or cow would be safer, but if you're going to always live on the safe side, why bother living? Besides, you can't exactly have a whale of a time on cowback :)
 
:D
Glad it came out OK

Keep the horses.... cows and burros will get you killed too, I know people who've come close :rolleyes:

I've been in more than a few situations like that over the years. It was good you got them seperated, the tied horse could have really got hurt. I'd really recommend you look into a way of seperting the wash and turn out areas somehow. I don't know how hard that would be. Also, teach the horse to ground tie if you can.He'll stand there for you to work on him, but in an emergency he can leave. The mare I take to horseshows has gotten to where I never tie her anymore, just tell her whoa and go to work. Doesn't matter if I'm in the barn or standing next to the horsetrailer at a show, I just ground tie her. Its so much more convenient once you get one broke to it, you can walk a complete circle around the horse :cool:


Throwing something was smarter than I'd have been. I'd have jumped into the middle of it. Hopefully they have enough discipline/respect for you that they wouldn't have tried to do anything to you. Just go towards one of their heads, not between them or near their feet. It all happens fast though, you were smart to give them their space till they calmed down. They won't hurt each other as bad as they could have hurt you.

So do you guys just ride, or do you go to horseshows or anything?
 
MikeH said:
I have several times been very surprised when, in an act of pure reflex, I have make some incredible hits with thrown objects, that I could not duplicate in a calmer moment, no matter how long I tried.
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OK, I have got to share my version of what you just said...

Its 20 years ago, I'm a college student on an archeological dig in Israel. I'm about 12 feet down from "ground level" in this sort of pit. I find a perfect flint disc, like a sandollar in shape, maybe three or four inches across, edges sharp, especially considering 2,000 years underground. I'm holding it like you'd skip a rock, thinking "this would be a great weapon. I wonder what it was for?" when my friend up top thinks it would be great fun to empty a canteen of water on me.

Instinctively, I skim that thing straight up at him. Flaying his calf wide open.
So he's one of the only guys on earth with a scar from a 2,000 year old stone weapon wound. I felt pretty bad for the whole thing but he took it with good humor...
 
So you are telling a story about a situation resulting from a fool letting a known trouble making horse wonder around? I hope you were not that person!
If it was my barn and this happened that person would be BANNED from the property. End of story.
 
Butcher said:
So you are telling a story about a situation resulting from a fool letting a known trouble making horse wonder around? I hope you were not that person!
If it was my barn and this happened that person would be BANNED from the property. End of story.
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Aside from the above post :rolleyes:
Thanks for sharing. Gave me a chuckle and I'm glad you are alright as well as the horses :cool:
 
Gawdang man, dat's some serious bidness! Aint silly sounding 't all. I used a Becker to save my dog once, and still hold that knife near and dear to my heart. Glad to hear everyone came out of the situation awright.

Thanks for sharing!
 
Runs With Scissors said:
Gawdang man, dat's some serious bidness! Aint silly sounding 't all. I used a Becker to save my dog once, and still hold that knife near and dear to my heart. Glad to hear everyone came out of the situation awright.

Thanks for sharing!
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Runs With Scissors:

Sorry for getting off topic here, but...
How's your trespass situation working out. Ever hear any more from the dip-shirts on the snowmobiles?

Bill
 
Heya WP,

In summary....

No more from those original Snowmachiners at all. I'd like to think that it's because they came to see that arguing with large, angry men with shotguns is an exercise in p!ss poor decision making, but realistically they probably just found someone to be a thorn in the a$$ to.

All was quiet until last week when six or eight fourwheelers came racing through the backyard. I got all fired up, and threw about a cord of firewood across the easement, along with some old construction materials that included large sheets of plywood with a couple hundred nails up through them. Should they choose to ignore the signs now they have a choice of flat tires, slamming into large logs and stumps, or veering off towards a family pet who is very protective of his yard. I got my first fourwheeler this weekend, turned out to be more kids, pretty much ripped 'em a new orifice, and threw a heckuva scare into 'em. they kept apologizing like crazy and all. Course I know they aren't sorry they rode through my yard, they're sorry they got caught, but....nonetheless I don't they they'll trouble me again.

Next step is a couple truck loads of railroad ties, and after that we'll proceed to electrified fences, concertina wire, and a few claymores. :D Thanks much for the concern!



Back to topic...I bet if my family pet was threatened by trespassers I could probably use the Becker again to resolve the situation... :D

(I returned back to the RIGHT topic this time, didn't I?) :D
 
Cows safe? Bah.. When I was younger and stupider my friends and I tried to do the whole cow tipping thing, eh... They don't like that and I didn't know cows could run.
 
We have all three, and all three can act just as stupid as any human, which means you can get hurt quick.

Unless of course you are mistake free and so self righteous you are able to BAN (deep booming voice) everyone from your property.

So many forget they were young and unknowing once. :rolleyes:

You know the old saying "Live and learn." The actual saying is "Learn if you live."
 
I say the horse was lucky you weren't carrying around a bowling ball or a molitof cocktail in your pocket!

I too have had an "interesting" throwing experience. Just over a year ago after trudging the family through the woods to get our Christmas tree we are all working our way back to the truck. My son and I get there first and he says "Daddy, show me how to make a snowball.", so I quickly pack one together and turn and chuck it up the (steep) hill at my loving and unsuspectin wife. My first thought is "ohhh it's a little high" followed by "wow that's really straight" and finally "oh &*%$^!" as it hits my poor darling square in the ear! Good news is she does not fall down the perilous slope to serious injury, and after much grovelling I am forgiven. You could have given me a hundred more snowballs and I would have been lucky to hit her at all with more than five of them. I did finally make a snowball for my son but had to recommend that he NOT throw them at his mom...
 
Well, thanks for everybody's comments, and here's some replies.

Before it was horses, it was motorcycles. I have known too many to get hurt on bikes, including my friend who was just paralyzed in a solo accident. Cows, in my experience, are no safer than horses, and I don't know how to ride cows.
As far as Ossi being a known troublemaker, the horses are often left to roam about in the pasture, and nothing has really come of it before. However, I will stable or tie any horse that doesn't need to be out when I'm working with another horse. I was that fool, it's my parents' ranch. lesson learned.

Matt- We just ride around, mostly, My GF used to barrel race, but I'm just not that good. As an aside, I believe that you said that you rein-I was looking at my horses papers, and he was probably trained by a Mark Wilkerson from Harrodsburg, KY. I believe that he trains reiners, and is a NRHA member. Do you know of him? I am trying to figure out all of his peculiarities as a horse.

The Apaloosa is fine, we went out for about 2 hrs yesterday, no problem.

--Joe
 
If it does not have an ignition switch I don't ride it, feed it, or care for it (except for the girl friend).

I will deny that I wrote this! :D
 
One of my friends got thrown/fell? off a horse and broke a collarbone. Horses scare me because they are much bigger. The only thing I ride is the public transportation. When I was a kid we thought it the height of hilarity to stand on bridges and drop giant snowballs onto the top of train cars.
 
Dijos said:
Well, thanks for everybody's comments, and here's some replies

I was that fool, it's my parents' ranch. lesson learned.
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Dijos, Sorry if I sounded harsh. I,m impressed in that you owned up to it, my hats off to ya. But that hit a raw nerve with me. You probably got enough of an ass chewing from your folks. It's not about me being self righteous.
All barns/stables have safety RULES (yes little Joe, it goes on your permanent record) This keeps everyone (horses included) safe. Keeps us free of lawsuits too.
Glad it turned out ok for you.
 
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