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Yesterday my "Dear Friend" had a freak accident with her new mare Barbie. As you all know Barbie has water issues that stem from an injury she had when she was young and the water therapy she went through to heal.My "Dear Friend" had been preparing for weeks to go on a camping trip with Barbie and the last thing to do was bath, blanket, and put her to bed. The next morning they would be on their way to Mt.Adams for 5 days of great rides.
After Barbie's bath...my "Dear Friend" unhooked the cross ties to take her from the wash stall. As she was leading Barbie out of the stall the water hose fell of it's hook and started spraying Barbie. Barbie went into "panic flight mode" and ran my "Dear Friend" over crushing her chest causing life threatening injuries. My "Dear Friend" has undergone 3 surgeries in 12 hours. Her injuries include the following.
1. A torn aorta close to the V that could not be repaired with a stint. The cardiologist had to surgically make the repair. (3 hours)
2. A crushed trachea that needed to be repaired by harvesting muscle from her chest. She has a breathing tube until she can breath on her own. (5 hours)
3. She has a punctured lung that should heal on it's own.
4. Several broken ribs and a "floating sternum".
5. Her lower lip was torn down one inch in the middle. Plastic surgery was required. (2 hours)
6. 4 to 6 weeks recovery and could be longer before she can get back in the saddle.
4 seconds later Barbie was grazing peacefully as if nothing had happened near my "Dear Friend who was on the ground. Fortunately there where people at the barn to call 911 and get the emergency aid there.
We all need to be so careful in everything we do with these big companions of ours even when they don't have a mean bone in their body. The are a "flight' animal 1st and they ALL will at one time or another...unintentionally hurt that special person in their life. I was kicked and stepped on during my last outing. I was in the wrong place in one instance...and the horse was in my space in the 2nd. I was fortunate that all I have is a bruise or 2. I probably get to spend more time with my horses than most of you so I tend to have less caution. However my "Dear Friend's" accident will stick with me for a long, long time!!!
Please remember my "Dear Friend" in your prayers tonight!
Your Desert Rose!
I am just sick at hearing this...My prayers are constant for your "Dear friend." I so enjoyed our ride together when I was down there with her, and Barbie was sooo good. This is such a good lesson about the little things we could easily overlook! Placing a hose back on its hook, leaving a bucket in the wrong place, not hook a gate properly...I hate that we have to learn lessons this way. But, you are right, these will stick with us forever. Please keep us posted regularly cousin!
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry to hear what happened to your dear friend! Just reading this broke my heart! I will definately keep your friend in my thoughts and prayers!
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry to hear of her horrible accident! I have prayed for her as I read this, and will continue to do so.
ReplyDeleteI have had my mare Betsy go through a gate at night ,and for some reason (flight factor) spun around and came flying back through, and crashed into me. I heard my neck make a snapping noise as I flew to the ground. I honestly thought I had broken my neck.
Like Barbie, she was grazing minutes later.
So you are so right, we have to be careful to not humanize them like we often do.. and assume they "feel" like we feel.
I am so sorry! I will keep her in our prayers. You are so right about these BIG animals. They can hurt us at anytime.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear about your friend. She is in my thoughts and prayers
ReplyDeleteHow scary, DR! I am so sorry to hear this!! It is a reminder of how no matter how calm and gentle we think a horse is, they are BIG and can't take us down in a heartbeat. It is why I at least wear a helmet every time I ride....too bad they don't make comfortable full-body armor! Sometimes you just do the best you can to be prepared and freak accidents happen. I'll keep your Dear Friend in my thoughts and prayers. Please keep us posted!
ReplyDeleteI am sitll in shock about this terrible accident. Will continue to pray for her. Hugs!
ReplyDeleteThings like this happen when you're dealing with large animals. I feel really bad for Darlene. My best wishes for a speedy recovery.
ReplyDeleteI am fully aware of the harm and devastation that an 1100lb animal can do to us humans without much effort on their part.
ReplyDeleteI was seriously injured twice from my own mare...and was almost injured again last night leading my mare from her leased pasture.
She was spooked and nervous looking at the trees in the same pasture she had just come from, but I had to walk alongside of that pasture to get home. Her head was up about 8 feet high and she was snorting and prancing.
In hindsight, I should have just walked on her right side...the side of the pasture, just in case she decided to bolt and slam into me. Instead I just kept trying to distract her by making her stop and walk in circles or I would disengage her hips. S
he wanted to walk so fast (this is from my mare who often makes me fellow riders complain with how slow she is!) and I can't walk very fast now with my bum knee. So I kept making her stop and sometimes circle, back-up, or disengage. A walk that normally only takes 10 miutes took me over 30 minutes to make...and it was already dark outside, too.
I was even fully prepared to release the lead rope if she did go totally batsh*t. She would have ran straight home to the barn anyway, as I had left the paddock gate wide open.
Now I'm wondering if I should have been wearing a helmet, too. If she would have bolted and ran over me, at least my skull might not have been crushed.
Prayers being said for your dear friend. I hope she recovers quickly and without too much pain. It's taken me 7 months already to be able to walk without my crutches and without too much discomfort, but I'm still a ways off from riding as my leg has lost most of it's muscle mass.
Your dear friend has a beautiful smile. I hope she can smile again soon, from the top of a horse.
(((HUGS)))
~Lisa
I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. It's a reminder that you just have to be so careful but somethings you just can't predict. I'll keep your friend in my prayers.
ReplyDeleteI will definitely add her to my prayer list. Man, that is scary.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry for your dear friend. Saying a prayer for her right now!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear about your friend. Sending prayers from here.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear about your friend Auntie. I hope she recovers soon. What rotten timing for her, but I guess it's a blessing that it didn't happen out on the trail or when she was on her camping trip in the boondocks. At least she was able to get medical help quickly. I wish her a speedy recovery and tell her we're all thinking about her!
ReplyDeleteWow. Thank goodness my freak accident (which did involve my horse) wasn't that bad. I only broke an arm. I can only imagine...My thoughts and prayers go out to her during her physical and emotional recovery. I will be recovering with her during the first few weeks! Also, I pray that she will be able to emotionally reunite with her Barbie once she is physically able to.
ReplyDeleteOh dear God!! How awful!!! "There but for the Grace of God" go every single one of us.....
ReplyDeleteIt can happen in an instant, and it does not have to be anyone's "fault" -- you are correct, they are flight animals first and foremost. It is impossible to shield from or predict every situation where something could go horribly wrong. I pray that your friend makes a speedy and complete recovery. Please tell her she has good vibes and prayers coming from Indiana out her way....
Oh, my!!! I am so sorry to hear of your Dear Friend's accident! How horrible, I too know how fast things can happen with a horse! I think God that I have never been seriously hurt by Gilly!!! I do think that there is an angel watching over me for all the times I have been off him and not hurt badly.
ReplyDeleteI too hope your friend heals quickly and is able to be back aboard her dear horse and be on the trail again.
Sending up prayers for her to recover quickly!
~Jane and Gilly~
I am heartbroken for your dear friend. It has been an emotional year for her and my thoughts are with her.
ReplyDeleteI am so saddened that Darlene was hurt. Please tell her that she is in my thoughts and prayers.
ReplyDeleteI'm stopping in from Dusty's blog and I wanted to say I am so sorry to hear about your friend...That is horrible!! She will definitely be in my prayers..Such hard lessons for us all
ReplyDeleteHow is she doing today? I hope she's on the upswing towards healing and out of danger....and able to keep the pain under control.
ReplyDeletePrayers still being said. Hugs for all!
~Lisa