Things for horse owners to be paranoid about...

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StraightForward
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Things for horse owners to be paranoid about...

Postby StraightForward » Fri May 17, 2019 2:23 am

So I've heard of horses getting the snaps on their blanket chest straps caught on wires, and I've gotten in the habit of snapping my backwards to help prevent that, even though they are in panel pens, and turnout is in the wide hotwire tape, so they don't have many opportunities.

BUT :roll: the panel dividing Annabelle from her BFF has 2x4" wire mesh attached to it, and a hotwire at the top (~5.5'). Came out tonight and her sheet was kind of sideways, and I saw that a leg strap was ripped off. Went out in the pen, and there was the leg strap, while dangling from the wire, which had been pulled back about 4', was the snap and D-ring to said leg strap. :shock: Apparently she was scratching her butt and caught it. Not a single mark on her, somehow. But I'm swapping her leg straps out for the ones that loop back on themselves, and putting the snaps towards the front. The sheet in question is a Bucas that has the rear leg attachments unusually high, but I could see this happening with anything with a snap at the back.
Keep calm and canter on.

Sue B
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Re: Things for horse owners to be paranoid about...

Postby Sue B » Fri May 17, 2019 4:03 pm

Lad almost killed himself when he got tangled in a leg strap. The skin on his flank and stifle was shredded (thankfully he did not tear any ligaments in his stifle) and he ran with the blanket flapping around him until he was too exhausted to move, requiring fluid therapy and anti-inflammatories to prevent exhertional rhabdomyolysis. All because the boys were stallion fighting and Scotty caught his foot on the front chest of Lad's blanket and tore it loose! For whatever reason, everything gave way but that darn leg strap. Luckily, DH saw the whole thing happen and was there to rescue and treat him immediately. I have not used leg straps since. We all have our paranoia's I guess.

heddylamar
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Re: Things for horse owners to be paranoid about...

Postby heddylamar » Fri May 17, 2019 5:12 pm

Within hours of donning her first fly mask — after cracking her face on the horse trailer and getting staples — Maia caught the mask on a clip holding a box fan to the stall gate and apparently had a panic. Ripped the mask, dented the steel stall gate, and broke the clip. The staples and her face were fine :lol: Two traumas in one day :shock:

Canyon
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Re: Things for horse owners to be paranoid about...

Postby Canyon » Fri May 17, 2019 5:26 pm

I came out one morning several years ago to find that my new horse had somehow totally slipped out of his winter blanket and was standing on it while trying intently to rip off the chest buckles. That was the last time I blanketed him!

I use double-ended snaps to hang grain buckets. My horse sitter pointed out that I should face the snaps towards the wall to minimize the chance that a horse might catch an eyelid or nostril. I suppose a horse bent on self destruction could still find a way...

Xanthoria
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Re: Things for horse owners to be paranoid about...

Postby Xanthoria » Sun May 19, 2019 3:48 pm

Barnmate came storming in from pasture ranting that someone stole the blanket off her horses back. (Yeah, a little wacky). It was pointed out to her that the blanket was found sitting by the fence, chest snaps snapped to the wire. Horse unscathed.

Ranting was replaced by very wide eyes... :shock:

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Re: Things for horse owners to be paranoid about...

Postby Hayburner » Sun May 19, 2019 5:13 pm

I have to used leg straps since rambo came out with the tail strap, I love them but they collect a bit of manure.

I too have always done up my chest clips towards the horse.

I did have my old gelding get his blanket caught on the ring that was holding his stall guard. Luckily he just stoood there and waited for me to free him .

Canyon' also be sure to put electrical tape around the water bucket handle ends, I've seen more than one horse get its eye lacerated by those darn things.

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Re: Things for horse owners to be paranoid about...

Postby Koolkat » Sun May 19, 2019 6:27 pm

Different scenario - Had a long yearling filly (who was hotter than habanero) get ONE front leg over the bottom rail in a cross fenced pasture/paddock situation. The lower rail was high enough that she was forced to stand almost sideways to the fence to accommodate the position and she could not get any leverage to pull back (which may have been a good thing. . . ). Anyway, she was behind the barn and a run in shed and I couldn't see her from the house. When I finally went outside to bring the horses in and didn't see her, I found her. She looked at me like WTH took you so long? That was a dodged bullet. . .

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Re: Things for horse owners to be paranoid about...

Postby Literiding » Thu May 23, 2019 3:13 pm

Years ago, I owned a OTTB that had learned to break halters by pulling back until they broke. So I’ve always bought the heavy duty stallion halters that have the double stitched single piece crown and and therefore the halters have snap throat latches. All my farms equine tie points were designed to withstand at least a 1000 pounds of pull.

Fast forward a number of years and I had just finished riding my Andalusian stallion. Baroque horses are head rubbers, sort of like a long haired dogs will immediately shake when every their hair has been messed up. The Baroque horse must rub his head and face after what ever has been on their head has been taken off. They only learn not to rub on their human by SEVERAL near death experiences. I had taken off my stailion’s full bridle and put the halter on and he immediately addressed his need to rub his head on the tie post. A moment later, he managed to clip his halter throat latch to the 8000 lbs test tie ring which in turn is bolted through a 6 x 6 vertical tie post set six feet in the ground. Fortunately, I had rescued him from several other entanglements his eyes got a bit alarmed and he looked at me and said, “I’m stuck.” He patiently let me maneuver his head to get the snap off the tie ring.

But ever since that day, I’ve always hooked halter snaps with the spring part towards the horse’s cheek.

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Re: Things for horse owners to be paranoid about...

Postby Xanthoria » Fri May 24, 2019 1:04 am

Ugh Literiding! Scary!

hey could have been worse... you could be my barnmate who ties her stubborn horse up wearing a rope halter and a chain over his nose. To a metal rail concreted to the ground. No string. I always think "jeez, she must hate that horse if she's willing to risk his life over tying..."

heddylamar
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Re: Things for horse owners to be paranoid about...

Postby heddylamar » Fri May 24, 2019 2:12 am

I'm so paranoid about tying accidents, I teach all of mine to ground tie, and use that primarily.

They actually learn "wait" and "stay" like the dogs ........ two little words work on everyone! :oops:

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Re: Things for horse owners to be paranoid about...

Postby PaulaO » Fri May 24, 2019 11:47 am

After several broken ties and halters, Miss A. only goes on the turtle snap crossties. The ties are a pain to hook up, but release easily. She does ground tie after a fashion.

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StraightForward
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Re: Things for horse owners to be paranoid about...

Postby StraightForward » Fri May 24, 2019 1:52 pm

heddylamar wrote:I'm so paranoid about tying accidents, I teach all of mine to ground tie, and use that primarily.

They actually learn "wait" and "stay" like the dogs ........ two little words work on everyone! :oops:


I’m so glad Blocker Rings were invented. We use them everywhere, and I rarely hard-tie.

In the trailer I use the kind of ties that are sandwiched velcro. They work well for most horses, but Rosette learned quickly how to yank her head and make them come undone, so she would always be untied by the end of a trailer ride. Speaking of which, I think I need to figure out a new tie situation in my new trailer, which has high tie rings.
Keep calm and canter on.

heddylamar
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Re: Things for horse owners to be paranoid about...

Postby heddylamar » Fri May 24, 2019 5:40 pm

StraightForward wrote:I’m so glad Blocker Rings were invented. We use them everywhere, and I rarely hard-tie.


That's the only way I tie Maia. She freaks if she's hard tied, even if it's a flexible cross-tie line (attached to the wall with a zip-tie).

Re: Hawk: I connect the velcro ties to the chin-side of the top ring on a leather halter, the one near their eye.


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