Driving Disaster in Iowa--not mini

This came on my yahoo parade horse group today. I am particularly shocked by it because the town it happened in is smaller than my home town, where we parade alot. Unfortunately there isn't much detail about who was driving or how the driver lost control. Or if the horses/driver were injured.

I was also wondering how one horse could get another's bridle off if it were put on properly in such a situation. Wouldn't he have to "worry" it off? Just one nip and off it would come??? And if ONE still had a bridle on, would it be possible to stop the team? I am thinking the driver must have been thrown out.

Makes me more concerned about equine insurance. If the injured folk sue the TOWN, the town will be covered, but unlikely the team owner was insured personally.

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/97767114.html#idc-cover

What a tragedy!! I got sicker and sicker reading that until I started tearing up. How horrible! I can't imagine the guilt of the driver, the terror of the horses and innocent bystanders and those in the way. Oh my God. Those poor children!

And of course even though it's one of those things that just happens sometimes, how much you want to bet that the town will now demand that horses be banned from the parade? I can't really blame them but that's a tragedy too. So sad.

I was also wondering how one horse could get another's bridle off if it were put on properly in such a situation. Wouldn't he have to "worry" it off? Just one nip and off it would come???

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Yes, it would. It's so easy for another horse to do! That's why many people braid the forelock into the crownpiece and/or use a gullet strap if their horse has smallish ears or otherwise might not retain the bridle well. You'd have to tighten the throatlatch to the point of choking most horses for it to actually prevent the crownpiece from slipping over the ears if another horse started rubbing on the side of his face. An open riding bridle wouldn't be so bad, but the blinker assembly makes a driving bridle stiffer and easier to shove off.

And if ONE still had a bridle on, would it be possible to stop the team?

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Maybe. It depends on what the other horse does and probably the personalities of both horses. The horse with the bridle would be scooped forward by his breeching and have little choice but to continue running if his partner did. IF the bridled one were an older, stronger, calmer horse, and IF he retained his presence of mind and obedience, and IF the other horse were not truly panicked, maybe you could get them stopped by controlling the bridled one. You could certainly steer the bridled one and perhaps succeed in stopping them through circles or running them into a fence but that was not an option on the parade route. The fact is usually if one horse panics, the other will just because he's obeying herd instinct. With the pole undoubtedly jerking his harness around and all the people screaming and such I'm sure it became very scary, very fast and they both must have wanted OUT of there. Quickly. A guy driving a combine up ahead on the route apparently tried to block them with his John Deere but they got past him although he succeeded in slowing their charge and bought time for the crowds to try and get out of the way.

What a terrible accident all the way around. Apparently the woman who died was the wife of the driver and riding with two other passengers in the wagon.

Leia

Edited to add: Looks like the horses are fine. Article I suspect this is the reason that throwing candy along the route is banned in most of my local parades and someone walking at the horses's heads is also required.

My driving instructors told me a scary story of a pair of driving horses getting one of the bridles off, the pair took off and ended up in a pond. They both drowned. So yes, I guess it isn't that hard for one of a pair to rub or pull the others' bridle off. They told me this because I drive the minis next to an unfenced pond.

The last I read is that one horse caught itself under the check rein of the other, and when it pulled back, it took the other horse's bridle with it. They spooked. The driver was thrown clear, and his wife grabbed the reins, but got caught up in them and the harness when the carriage overturned and was dragged several blocks. She was the one fatality...thankfully their grandchildren managed to jump from the carriage.

Yes, gullet straps might of helped, as well as braiding the forelock into the bridle, but it seems like something would of happened just because the one horse managed to get it's head under the other's check...had the other bridle not come off, I am thinking they would of both panicked anyways?? Then again, with both of them wearing bridles, perhaps they would of stopped much sooner??

Heck of a thing.

There are SO many things to learn from this accident. This is one VERY good reason people need to understand what they are doing when they are driving and not just hook a couple of horses to a "buggy" or "wagon" or other generally unaccepted name for a vehicle. (I know it is just nomenclature, but to me it is a dead giveaway that the "driver" really isn't one.)

Apparently, the Iowa horses have been in that particular parade for a number of years, but I post this because I hear WAY too many stories of totally uneducated people putting their minis to who knows what because "wouldn't it be cute to take my mini in a parade?" without them REALLY understanding what could happen!!!!

The absolute worst example I saw was posted right on this forum, where some family had a pair of ponies pulling a wagon, with a mini in just a halter tied to the axle of the pony vehicle. The mini was pulling a "little red wagon" made up like a covered wagon, and a little 4 yr. old kid was riding in the wagon. They did have an "outwalker" next to the wagon, but can you even imagine what would happen if the ponies took off, or some other vehicle like the horses in the Iowa accident, came barrelling up behind them? And the lady that posted it thought it was "cute"! There is sometimes when "cute" is downright dangerous! I would love to have a copy of that photo just to include it in a "don't do this" presentation.

Myrna

RhineStone said:

There are SO many things to learn from this accident. This is one VERY good reason people need to understand what they are doing when they are driving and not just hook a couple of horses to a "buggy" or "wagon" or other generally unaccepted name for a vehicle. (I know it is just nomenclature, but to me it is a dead giveaway that the "driver" really isn't one.)

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Come on Myrna, I'm all for safety and knowledgeable driving but I think you're being unnecessarily judgmental. An ad saying a horse is "trained for carting" is a dead giveaway to be careful but in a Western town or agricultural setup "wagon" is a perfectly correct term for a 4-wheeled vehicle. This was a Heritage Days parade for Pete's sake, not an ADS Pleasure Driving show!

Can't we keep the focus on the poor people who were injured in this incident?

RhineStone said:

The absolute worst example I saw was posted right on this forum, ... And the lady that posted it thought it was "cute"!

There is sometimes when "cute" is downright dangerous! I would love to have a copy of that photo just to include it in a "don't do this" presentation.

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I'm the last one to be PC and pat someone on the back for stupidity but I think a lot of times people literally don't understand the risks of driving any more than I'd know what to watch out for when wiring an electrical outlet. It's not fair to lambast someone as an idiot for not knowing how much they don't know, especially when they may have learned better since and be reading this thread. You don't have to ignore stupidity but politely point out the risks and then let it go!

Leia, who admits to being testy tonight

hobbyhorse23 said:

An ad saying a horse is "trained for carting" is a dead giveaway to be careful but in a Western town or agricultural setup "wagon" is a perfectly correct term for a 4-wheeled vehicle. This was a Heritage Days parade for Pete's sake, not an ADS Pleasure Driving show!

I'm the last one to be PC and pat someone on the back for stupidity but I think a lot of times people literally don't understand the risks of driving any more than I'd know what to watch out for when wiring an electrical outlet.

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Oh, I know that the news reporters are the ones who used the incorrect terms, but I am referring to the masses that do it, not necessarily the driver of the Iowa accident.

The difference is that there is a known risk associated with wiring an outlet! The problem is there are SO many people that DON'T know the risk associated with driving a horse before they do it. THAT was my point. I hope that everyone who drives will pay attention to this accident and see what can happen, especially before they do something for the sake of being "cute". Sometimes applying a bit of "shock therapy" is the only thing that works!

Myrna

The risks are high when working with horses, I have seen way too many riding accidents caused by stupidity never mind an animal whose instinct is to run when afraid and naturally claustrophobic attached to a vehicle locked between two shafts in a small space. It is easier for some to feel intimidated by the size of big horses and to get overly confidant around the minis. Guilty here when I was teaching mine to lounge and she reared up and kicked me a good one in the knee. I never would have gotten in the way with a large horse. This is a terrible story and one hopefully reading can walk away with a little fear of what might happen. Again when will they require a license to drive horses in public.

One article I read (cannot find the link at the moment) said that the driver had gone to the team to fix the bridle that was pulled loose - and that was when the team bolted..... and he was not in the carriage at the time.

Such a tragedy for all involved...

jegray21, are you advocating people being required to have a license to drive a horse? (I have never figured out how to use the quote thing.) So, I get my license with a 30 year old, experienced horse--would that cover me if I then took out a carriage with a 3 year old, green horse?

I have done lots of "stupid" things in life, and not just with horses. How is one to learn if one never tries anything? Knowledge is cumulative, and haven't we always been told we learn by our mistakes? Well, if other people can learn by our mistakes, too, then failing isn't a total failure.

Discussing accidents like this helps us all to learn. Perhaps parade viewers will be a little more cautious in the future. Perhaps I will secure my bridle better before my next parade. Or perhaps search for a gullet strap.

Marsha Cassada said:

jegray21, are you advocating people being required to have a license to drive a horse?

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The Carriage Association of America has a program that "certifies" (I don't know if that is the word the CAA uses) drivers. It is called the Driver Proficiency Program and has 3 levels plus Road Driving.

http://www.caaonline.com/caa_content.asp?PageType=Dept&Key=28

I need to complete that program yet. If all drivers did, it would be extremely helpful.

Myrna

God SAVE us from legislating who is and is not a fit driver!! :shocked We did that with teachers and farmers and everything else in America and look where that got us.

RhineStone said:

The Carriage Association of America has a program that "certifies" (I don't know if that is the word the CAA uses) drivers. It is called the Driver Proficiency Program and has 3 levels plus Road Driving.
http://www.caaonline.com/caa_content.asp?PageType=Dept&Key=28

I need to complete that program yet. If all drivers did, it would be extremely helpful.

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Unfortunately that program doesn't teach you anything, it only tests you. I purchased the syllabi because I thought they'd be more of a study guide but they only tell you what you'll be tested on, not where to find the answers. It's very annoying.

Leia

hobbyhorse23 said:

Unfortunately that program doesn't teach you anything, it only tests you. I purchased the syllabi because I thought they'd be more of a study guide but they only tell you what you'll be tested on, not where to find the answers. It's very annoying.

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But it is the closest thing to "licensing" we have that was mentioned here. That is why I brought it up.

Myrna

hobbyhorse23 said:

God SAVE us from legislating who is and is not a fit driver!!

:shocked We did that with teachers and farmers and everything else in America and look where that got us.

..............................

Leia

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AMEN, to that! I'm so sick of being told what, how, and why. Just having a "license" does NOT guarentee that an accident (which is what this was) won't happen. And beating a dead horse won't help anyone so let's not overthink this.

Marsha Cassada said:

http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/97767114.html#idc-cover

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Oh just seen the video, that is terrible.

Thinking of all the families involved !!!