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Kathy2m

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How many of you who drive wear protective vests? I know you have to wear helmets in the hazards. And the few shows I've been to you have to wear a helmet when you are schooling, the only time you don't wear one is in Dressage and cones, if your not a Jr. Kathy
 
I drive and wear a helmet but not a vest, although I think it is a good idea
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Helmets are required at all times for juniors and on all sections of marathon for everyone. Requiring them any other time is probably a specific event rule just like how Happ's requires your medical armband to be on your left arm any time you're in a carriage. I was joking about that this weekend actually- you don't have to wear protective gear so you don't GET hurt, only information the paramedics need to patch you up!
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It's sort of silly, actually.

I've gotten lax about wearing my helmet at all times but really need to get back in the habit, especially when I'm road driving. I do not, however, wear a vest because frankly with a mini and a Hyperbike (come on, it's 30lbs!) I'm willing to take my chances. If I were driving a big horse I think I'd be seriously looking into one and the faster I drove, the more I'd want one. It's too easy to flip a big carriage and you are going to get seriously injured if that 300+lbs of steel lands on your torso. Ouch!
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Leia
 
Leia, I can tell you that ANY amount of steel and entanglements is going to hurt A LOT after my experience with Ally last night. She ran away with me when she saw some deer in the field. We were going REALLY FAST when my Pacific tipped over. I am pretty bruised and banged up today. And an abrasion on my forehead.

I will be wearing a helmet from now on when I drive, especially outside of the arena. And I can say with assurance that I would not be such a hurtin' unit today if I would have had a vest on. *sigh*
 
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Oh Amy, ouch!
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I hope cart, harness, horse, driver and pride are all intact.
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Believe me, I know it hurts. That's why I didn't say I wouldn't wear one with a mini and a regular cart, just that I don't with the Hyperbike. There have been many times I would have tipped during similar bolts if I hadn't been using that cart.

Leia
 
OUCH, Amy!!!

I'm so glad that you weren't hurt any worse -- but what you describe is bad enough!

How's Flirt doing?

Although in so many ways I tend to throw caution to the wind, in other ways I'm totally uptight and cautious. I am resolute in wearing a helmet in driving (although I forgot it at our arena driving day...bad me!!). I'll have to consider the vest...
 
Hi Susanne, FLIRT IS PREGNANT with a foal by Mountain Meadows Bey Durango, National and World Champion Country Pleasure Driving Horse. I am delighted! She will have her foal in March. Stepper is also pregnant, with Alladdin's foal. So I have two coming in '09. YAY!!!

I will say that what happened to me last evening was pretty darn painful, but nothing that won't heal in a week or two. :D A very good warning though! And my beautiful cart is looking just a little worse for wear. We'll see how I can get it back to good. At least I might have to order a new shaft, because I think one is slightly bent from when Ally ran through the barn door, but the cart didn't quite make it. End of wild careening runaway. LOL :DOH! Everything else held up quite admirably, I must say.
 
Amy, I hope you heal up and feel better fast, its nice to know your Pacific survived, I just ordered one last week....Kathy
 
Amy,

I'm such a dork!

I meant to ask how ALLY was doing...although I'm excited to hear about Flirt and your babies to be!

While it's sad that your beautiful new cart is a bit banged up, I'm SOOO glad it's the cart that hit the barn door and not you!
 
LOL, Ally is JUST FINE. Much better than me. She was a little worked up afterwards, my gosh, she was completely and totally traumatized by the deer!
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Just goes to show you, you can never tell with a horse. If there was ever anything I was totally convinced of is that I had a STOP on that mare. Well, I do, unless she is panicked completely. And I think that goes for any horse. You are definitely limited in what you can do about it in the situation that we were in...a trail cut into deep grass. I should have run her into the tall grass I suppose, but since we traveled about 300 yards in 3 seconds, I didn't have a WHOLE lot of time to contemplate my options.
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I wish your story and Oubergia's could be required reading for all who act as if the small size of the equine lessens the potential danger.

Since we live in an area with a multitude of deer (and deer hunters), and drive regularly on a woodland trail, this is something we need to keep in mind. So far Mingus has dealt with anything scary or confusing by stopping, which I think is a very sensible reaction. He's seen a lot of deer on our property, but who knows how he would react when driving? Perhaps he'll think they're llamas, which he's fine with, but which total wig out our neighbor's QH.
 
There is a CD for noises to desentatize your horse I read about it on another forum, people swear by it, it wont help with the visual that you ran into Amy, but maybe of help to some. Spookless.com Kathy
 

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