Re: RC: skeered to ride

[Bette Lamore <woa@stormnet.com>]

OUCH, Debi
You brought back the most miserable memory in my entire life. I had a
buyer coming to look at racing stock and I had two phenomenal colts- 2
year olds- to show him. I just got the message the night before so I
woke up early the next morning to wash and clip them. The one colt had a
BIG issue with his hind feet and this would be his first clipping of the
fetlock hair (VERY stupid on my part-- I just wanted them to look REALLY
good). Knowing I should tranq him for this first clipping but also
knowing I couldn't show a race buyer a sleepy horse, I put a twitch on
him, my help had a high hold on his neck and my stable hand had a hold
of his other foot. I figured he would stand still for the 2 minutes I
needed for the two fetlocks. I finished the one. Kissed him lavishly for
being such a good boy. Regained all the holds on him and proceeded with
the other one. Got halfway through and he exploded; everyone let go and
got out of the way--- that is, everyone but me. He kicked out big time
at the clippers and caught my elbow which saved me from being kicked in
the heart and killed and I was thrown 3 feet underneath my other colt
who was standing croustade in the grooming area. My friend watched in
terror as she was sure she would see me killed before her eyes.
Rusky (who could be a nervous colt) looked down and saw me underneath
him and stood perfectly still, trembling. It was like he knew,"Mom's in
trouble."
I'll tell you, I never took any strong drugs for pain before, but when I
didn't take the 2 Vicodan every 4 hrs for pain after the surgery, I
would go into a kind of epileptic shock, trembling out of control---
missed 2 weeks of my life. My surgeon said my elbow looked like crumpled
crackers; he stopped counting the pieces after 23. I would take my 3
C-sections, 2 broken ankles, broken leg, blowout cheek fracture and
broken wrist all TOGETHER rather than 1 shattered elbow again. (I guess
I have had my share of broken bones-- very few of them horse related and
not when I was riding-- the moral being, stay on top of the horse). Made
me RALLY aware of the danger of doing things on the GROUND!
I hope your experience was not anywhere as bad as mine; elbows are
TOUGH!!!

DebiG54@aol.com wrote:
> 
> In a message dated 04/05/2000 10:28:16 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
> robandcarla@hotmail.com writes:
> 
> << .I was wondering
>  if anyone had a serious fall and were afraid to get back on. >>
> 
> Carla:
> 
> Five years ago a young horse flipped over on me on pavement and shattered my
> elbow.  I fought fear and pain every time I got on a horse for over a year.
> I was terrified to go fast or be near pavement, but I rode and raced anyway.
> The more scared I was the madder it made me at myself, so I just kept going.
> The only horse I felt "safe" on was CBS Redman, because he and I are like one
> when I ride him.  The only thing that made it all better was time.  However,
> I haven't broken a horse since and feel a deep dread every time I pass the
> place where the fall happened.  Fear is what protects us out there.  Good
> luck!
> 
> Debi Gordon
> 
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-- 
Bette Lamore
Whispering Oaks Arabians, Home of TLA Halynov
http://www.stormnet.com/~woa
I've learned that life is like a roll of toilet paper, the closer it
gets to the end, the faster it goes. Smell the roses!