Re: [RC] [Guest] Trailer ramps - Bonnie DavisI know its a stupid question -- but if a horse gets a leg under a ramp, why can't the ramp be lifted and let the horse get leg out and then stand up? It's easier than picking up a trailer so a horse can get a leg out from under a step up.... Bonnie Davis ----- Original Message ----- From: "Heidi Smith" <heidi@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> To: "Bonnie Davis" <horsecamping@xxxxxxxxx>; "Jim Holland" <lanconn@xxxxxxx>; "Ridecamp" <ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Thursday, January 09, 2003 10:52 PM Subject: Re: [RC] [Guest] Trailer ramps But I've never seen a horse slip and go under the end of a ramp and break a let. I've seen two of those with step-up trailers -- one when unloading on blacktop at a horse show and the horse spooked and slipped,oneleg under the step up which the horse broke. The other on dirt when the horse 'fell' out, sat down and went over backwards with both legs going under step-up. One leg broke, the other skinned to bone.I've euthanized one horse that broke a leg on a ramp (slipped off the side of it and the leg went underneath it) and know of at least one other that was euthanized at an endurance ride by someone else, and have likewise seen degloving injuries on ramps. They are no assurance that such an injury will not happen. In fact, given the narrower space underneath a ramp, if a horse DOES slip off of one and get a leg underneath, an injury of that sort is more apt to happen than under the wider space of the step-up, although I know such injuries have occurred with step-ups as well. I didn't read Jim's response, but have been following this thread somewhat--and you can add me to the list of folks who have had both and who will never again own a ramp. Although we had no trouble training any of our horses to load with the ramp, we had far more slippage and problem with the ramp that I had EVER had with a step-up trailer (and yes, I've had the old straight-load two-horse variety where they had to back out, as well as having the open format where they could turn around if they choose). The one trailer I had with a ramp I finally took to a shop and had the dang thing removed, as it was fortunately one that had full doors. Heidi =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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