Ridecamp: Re: [RC] Trailer accidents/to tie or not

> I have a friend that told me that every trailer accident that he has
> seen,   including his own roll-over, tied horse died due to broken necks
> and the  loose horses for the most part survived.  He had a roll-over
> coming out of  Evanston WY with four horses in the trailer.  It was on
> the freeway at  freeway speed.  The horse some how survived the roll
> over and were running  loose on the freeway after he came to a stop.  He
> will never tie when  traveling .I have yet to see the pictures.  I guess
> they are very  spectacular.  Beccy in Ut

Unfortunately, one can't always plan what sort of accident one is going to
have.  We had an accident several years ago that took a back door off of a
trailer, and thanks to being tied, the horses were able to brace
themselves and remain in the trailer.  One mare put a hind foot out on the
pavement and had some healable damage to a hoof and leg--the concensus was
that she would have been killed, had she not been able to pull herself
back in by her rope.  I've also dealt with untied horses who got their
heads down and then sustained considerable damage just from fast braking. 
I will continue to tie, for safety's sake, as IMO there are more instances
that it helps than that it doesn't.  (I can also cite accidents where
people lived because they were NOT wearing seatbelts--three in my own
family alone--but that doesn't mean that wearing seat belts is a bad idea,
in most cases.  I likewise was hit by a guy running a stop sign several
years ago, and likely would have been injured far worse had I NOT been
wearing mine.  The odds are still better with seat belts, and likewise,
they are still better for tied horses in trailers.)

Heidi




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