Tragic Trailering Accident

[rizzodm]

Very sad

http://www.modbee.com/local/story/775512.html

[dmalbone]

That's disgusting. Poor horse. God, I only hope his death was quick, but I have a sickening feeling that it would not have been.

[Aimee Thanatogenus]

3 3/4 miles of blood. I think this imbecile needs to spend some time without horses for a while.
Of course she's already got next year's foal planned. Disgusting.

[FancyFree]

That actually made me cry. I feel so sorry for children and animals who get stuck with stupid people. That poor horse. I really feel so badly for that horse.

[pinkpolowraps]

I'm not sure why everyone is mad at this woman. Why on earth would she do something like this on purpose, or if not on purpose, why would she willingly drag a horse for 4 miles. Especially her daughter's horse? Obviously this is a very sad, tragic mistake. I too, am crying because of this article and the thought of the pain this horse endured is almost unbearable but I don't blame the woman one bit. Yes, she should have looked in her mirrors more often but who are we to judge her? Just be thankful that it didn't happen to you and if it ever does, I hope that people don't judge you like you're judging her. As for already having the girl's next horse planned, yes, that sounds a little harsh, but I can't say what I would do in that same situation. That mom has to live with this for the rest of her life. I can only hope that her daughter forgives her because that's the only thing that matters. Some of you guys need to have a heart.

[trubandloki]

Originally Posted by pinkpolowraps

I'm not sure why everyone is mad at this woman.

I think disgusted is a better word than mad.

Did you read any of the comments associated with that article? It appears this woman has had this problem before.

Once is sad and tragic. Twice is being careless and neglectful.

[DairyQueen2049]

Originally Posted by trubandloki

.

Once is sad and tragic. Twice is being careless and neglectful.

EXACTLY!!!!

Are any of us going to look at a Logan trailer again w/o thinking of this? No.

Both my trailers have butt bars AND rear doors. Now I can see why.

Sick.


And this has happened to this person before????!!!!!!!:ee k:

Surprised her daughter made it to age 20.

[newtnoise]

Originally Posted by trubandloki

I think disgusted is a better word than mad.

Did you read any of the comments associated with that article? It appears this woman has has this problem before.

Once is sad and tragic. Twice is being careless and neglectful.

My attitude changed when I got to that part of the article. You can't help but think there was carelessness involved.

[SLW]

This was an accident and it could have happened to anyone who hauls a horse. Whether loading up day or night, someone has to make that one last walk around the rig to look at the tires, the hitch and the doors. The article leads me to believe it was the two 20 year old girls who did the loading and failed to secure the door.

The reporter did not make it clear who owned the horse that fell out of the trailer in the second incident- <" She was a passenger in a friend's car when a horse fell out of a trailer. In that case, the horse, a 26-year-old mare, survived."> As written, the lady has a dark cloud following her but isn't a bad horse person.

That being said, my main riding mare is a survivor of falling out of a stock trailer when the single rear door was not latched. Her owners were leaving an arena at midnight, it was a case of "I thought hubba did" and "I thought wifey did". The result, two of the three horses came out. Two things saved the horses lives- they were not tied and they had roping saddles on them. The saddles were shattered but not the two mare's spines.

[Parker_Rider]

Oh how tragic and awful. It is concerning that this has happened before with another driver, but oh that poor horse and daughter.
What I want to know is why wasn't there a breakable halter on that horse to maybe give it a chance to survive or breakable trailer ties?

I second that I appreciate my buttbars and back door that securely latches!

[DressageGeek "Ribbon Ho"]

I hope the horse did not suffer.

[Britt5286]

From reading the article it sounds like this was an accident. As well as she was a passenger when it happened the first time and she was not the driver. I know a few people who have had their doors open on their trailers before and I don't consider them horrible people. Just my thoughts.

[Appsolute]

How does this happen, TWICE (YES It was her horse the first time too, says so in another article)

I have been hooking up the horse trailer, and double / triple checking all safety points before I was old enough to drive.

It just takes a moment to do a thorough check. I always have to double check the but bar and door latch. Some times I run back to triple check not sure if I double checked it.

You would think after the first time a horse fell out of your trailer, and you drug it down the road... that you would really install a safety check system, you know, so you wouldn't do it again?

So... should this woman be allowed to haul horses now? I mean, she didn't learn after the first time, I would hate to think three times a charm!

Did you read the comments on the article?
To the many mislead readers: I have personally observed over many years several instances where this family has jeopardized their horses' safety as well as others around them, including cramming four horses into that same three-horse trailer, and tying their horses too long next to each other, hence causing wrecks on several different occasions. I even donated money after the first wreck they were involved in. But having the same incident happen twice in a year is proof enough of this family's dangerous tendencies. I forgave them after their first tragedy, but I cannot find a single reason in my heart to find sympathy for them yet again. Heaven forbid they acquire another horse to put in the same types of situations. My heart goes out to the 14-year-old daughter, who i watched fall in love and benefit greatly from this very special horse......

And

I have heard complaints of them cramming four horses into their 3 horse trailer as well. I encourage you to call Jennifer Clarke at animal control to help with their investigation.

[JoZ]

On the one hand -- remember we are forming our opinions based on a news article, and they are notorious for putting a little twist on horse-related items just due to lack of familiarity with horses and horse terminology.

On the other hand -- what struck ME was that the rope used to tie the horse was long enough for the horse to fall out of the trailer and be dragged. Now if it just had its hind feet out of the trailer (which would also be horrific) I could understand. But I'm picturing, perhaps incorrectly, that the horse was down on the ground.

I think there's a flaw in some logic here: did she MEAN to or WANT to hurt the horse? No? Well then she is totally innocent and should not be blamed. That's a leap I'm not willing to make. Unlatched or faulty door AND rope tied way too loosely? There is a third possibility between intentional harm and total exoneration, and that is negligence.

I have remembered this quote from Black Beauty since I read it as a kid:

"Only ignorance! only ignorance! how can you talk about only ignorance? Don't you know that it is the worst thing in the world, next to wickedness? -- and which does the most mischief heaven only knows. If people can say, `Oh! I did not know, I did not mean any harm,' they think it is all right..."

[Donella]

I am amazed at the lack of compassion some of you have for other people when they make an HONEST mistake. This woman is going to have to live with this for the rest of her life.

I just don't understand how the halter didn't break??

[Seven-up]

How the eff does that happen twice in the span of one year??? Wouldn't you learn how to double and triple check the doors after the first time that happened? Were they using a steel cable for a lead rope? Holy hell. I'm going out to put hay twine loops on my trailer ties right now.

Poor horse. How awful.

[Sandy M]

Acci\dent, schmaccident!!As someone mentioned on FHOTD: I notice if my horse SHIFTS in the trailer, or if he and his trailer-mate starting goofing off. I constantly check my rear view mirrors, not just for traffic, but to see how the trailer is riding, etc. I am completely PARANOID about trailering. But this person didn't NOTICE she was DRAGGING the horse behind her trailer for MILES?!?!? Allow me to think this person is either (a) an idiot; or (b) drunk/on drugs.

True story: My old eventing trainer was returning from a cross-country schooling sessions. She had a four horse stock trailer. She stopped in a shopping center briefly. Some kids came around the trailer, and she said it was okay for them to pet the gentle horse through the sides of the stock trailer. When she returned, she didn't check the rig. After all, she had checked it when she loaded the horse, only 10-15 mins. earlier. She drove off, she had just gotten up to freeway speed when she heard a loud noise and saw her horse fly backward out of the trailer. She had to slow gradually, because she didn't want to add to the damage by having the horse hit the back of the trailer. The mare got up, one hind leg badly damaged. She was able to reload her instantly and drove straight to the vet clinic. Apparently, one of the kids had decided to open the trailer and go inside and pet the horse, and then had left the stock trailer rear door pushed flush, but unsecured. Fortunately, the prognosis for the mare went from "euthanize" to pasture ornament to possible broodmare to trail horse....all the way back to intermediate/advanced level eventer after a tendon transplant. She did retire her a year or two later though, because although the horse was in no pain, the scar tissue did make her "unlevel" and her dressage scores were enough affected by that that she decided to no longer compete her. But again note: She noticed the INSTANT the horse came off the trailer!! She also, after this incident, NEVER failed to check her trailer EVERY time she parked anywhere, regardless of how short a time she might be away from it.

[vacation1]

Originally Posted by pinkpolowraps

I'm not sure why everyone is mad at this woman. Why on earth would she do something like this on purpose, or if not on purpose, why would she willingly drag a horse for 4 miles.

It doesn't matter if she intended to do it, if the underlying reason for the accident was carelessness. Few people actually intend to cause traffic accidents, for instance, but their careless driving can make them liable - legally and morally - for the injuries and damage resulting from, say, tailgating. I am so not a lawyer, but the word 'reckless' springs to mind, ie, reckless disregard, reckless driving - in other words, the person is not taking proper care, a sort of lack of action versus an actual intentional action.

[gieriscm]

The worst incident I've ever had while trailering was a flat tire, and that fortunately turned out to be a non-issue. I still check everything on the trailer - hitch, lights, brakes, latches, etc. - even when the trailer is empty, before leaving the farm and after every stop.

There's a saying... once is an accident, twice is coincidence, three times is a pattern. Let's hope this family never makes it to three.

[HenryisBlaisin']

As to why people are disgusted with this woman-it's true that this was a tragic accident-but it was also a PREVENTABLE accident. The horse was tied too long. The trailer door came open. And their excuse was "it was dark out." Why, why, why would you haul anything at night and not carry a flashlight in your rig? Five minutes' worth of vigilance was all that stood between that mare and her tragic, painful, terrifying death.

Mistakes happen. TWO mistakes leading up to a totally preventable death...not so much. I know people who had a latch fail and the door came open-but the horses were tied correctly, and because of that, everyone was uninjured. One mistake is a mistake...two mistakes starts to look more like negligence.

I feel sorry for the horse and the 14-year-old owner who had no control over the situation, but the rest, who had ample chance to prevent the accident, and who were too distracted to realize that it even happened...it's pretty hard to find a lot of sympathy for them.