What's the worst injury you've gotten

[KanoasDestiny]

I was talking to a friend who just happened to say "Minis can't hurt all that much. They're the size of a big dog!" :new_shocked: Now granted, they can't do the damage say a full sized horse can, but they can definately hurt you.

I have to admit, the first week I got my two minis, I didn't expect them to do too much harm. I didn't pay too much attention to how to walk when I was leading them, and well...Gideon stepped on my foot. He nearly broke two of my toes (bad habit of mine...I wear flipflops around them). I was limping around for days, and then when my foot finally started to heal, Zoey stepped on the exact same foot and knocked one of the toes back out of place.

: Needless to say, I learned real quick to always be leery of where the horses like to walk, and to put space between you and them. I also had an experience where both horses were in the wooden shed we built for them, and I was sitting at the doorway (I was at the horses level). Zoey ended up spooking, and Gideon and I was blocking the entrance way. She had no way out, but over me. The way she jumped out, she used my leg as a springboard and launched off. I had a monster bruise in the shape of a hoof print, but boy did it teach me another important lesson. I've also been bit on several occassions.

So what has been your painful expereinces with minis? I'd like to show my friend your responses, so that he knows that minis are not just "big dogs".

 

[wade3504]

Even if they were only big dogs, big dogs can do some damage.

The worst i've ever been hurt by one of my minis is when I took a mare to a school during a summer camp for kids to see. She'd never bitten before but this day I took small carrots and no bucket to feed them from so between groups of children I hand fed them. Now it's always been my rule to not hand feed them as my first gelding got to be jaws when I did that so I didn't do it after. If I fed them treats it was in a bucket. I was lazy and didn't want to walk back to the trailer for a bucket. I finished the carrots with her and the next group came out. She went for my hand again and this time there was nothing but fingers. One was in her mouth and she bit down. Once she realized it wasn't a carrot the pressure didn't grow stronger but she didn't let go either. Now there's nothing I can do cause if I freak her out there are kids all around so I just wait it out even though it hurt. She finally lets go and I hide the finger from the kids as it is bleeding. They leave and I check it out. There were two teeth marks on both sides of my finger right behind the first knuckle. That was about six years ago and I still have the scar and have never fed treats from my hand or let anyone else do it with my horses.

When we first got my gelding who is now seven, he was about 8 months old. He was out in a pasture with other stallions and I think they had to fight for food so at feeding time he was pretty defensive at his feed. So, when we first had him for the first month or so I'd drop feed in his stall and leave him alone. One day my husband goes in there and starts messing around and I tell him he needs to leave him alone. He assures me that Lil Bits will be fine and puts his arms around his neck by his shoulders as he eats. As my husband goes to straighten up Lil Bits whips around and bites him. My husband goes staggering back to the corner of the stall with his hands over his nose. When he moves his hands he is bleeding on both sides of his nose at the bridge of it. He goes to walk out of the stall and Bits wasn't done. Both back legs flew as my husband passed him and got him in the thighs. Lil Bits is fine today with people in his stall while he eats. My husband will not go in anymore and it's been about 6 years. It was definitelly one of those I told you so moments.

Amanda

 

[Coventry Lane Farm]

I had gotten kicked in my right ankle Jan 2006 and it took me until mid July 2006 to get things straightened out from that injury. It ended up with serious nerve damage and I went thru 6 medical doctors, 6 types of pain meds and 1 chiropractor, MRI's, sonagrams and ultrasounds, therapy, tons of X-Rays also. The medical end did not ever help with what actually was wrong but I did get relief from the chiropractor the most, I was suffering nerve damage from my ankle clear up to my hip with extreme pain, and within going to the chiropractor 3 x a week for a month, it really eased up enough that I could show my horse at the AMHR Nationals, it was the worst thing that I ever went thru and all because of being at the wrong place at the wrong time with a miniature horse that was a 2 yr old filly. It can happen no matter how small the horse is, it was very upsetting to go thru all these doctors and they tell you they didn't have a clue what to do for you or what the exact problem was, other than serious pain pills that you took that you didn't care what happened, very scary. Its been a year now and so far nothing coming back from the injury, thank goodness, I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy.

 

[River1018]

Oh boy,

Well worst? hmmm they all seem the same to me.

I have been kicked in the ribs with 2 front feet.

I was also trying to catch a mare with my husband, we surrounded her and she jumped right on top of me knocking me in the frozed mud flat on my face. I have been jumped on and knocked into a lumber pile.

I was kicked in the hand pretty bad, that was probably the worst I guess.

They weren't my horses thank goodness. Mine are well behaved!

 

[wildoak]

Mmm, the worst? A major black eye I got while feeding a group of mares. Bent over to break up a flake of alfalfa, one mare ran at another, the intended victim did a fast spin....and her skull connected with my eye. I spent a couple of weeks explaining that one.

:

Have been stepped on, kicked in the knee, again by a mare going for another mare (that one hurt) and nibbled on, no serious bites though. Oh, and a couple of dislocated fingers from trying to hang on to 2 yearlings lead ropes with one hand. Not a good idea.

Jan

 

[HGFarm]

I have had my toes broken 3 times (you'd think I would learn not to go barefoot) and had a cart accident that left my lower back needing chiropractic work and a knee that ended up having to be drained, in addition to some road rash. That all took several months to heal properly.

I do know others that have been bitten SEVERELY- like chunks gone.

Yes, I know people that used to laugh too about 'hard to catch' horses- (you mean you can't outrun that little thing?!!) until they came over to help one day when the vet was coming and got knocked down and outrun by a foal that didnt want to be caught!!

 

[sfmini]

A two year old stallion spun into the side of my right leg and I ended up with a torn meniscus and had to have arthroscopic surgery. Then maybe six months later, a dog hit my heel, spun that leg, tore what was left and another arthroscopic surgery. Now 2 years later I am writing my reply from a hospital bed in a nursing home as I heal from a total knee replacement.

I don't own that stinkin horse any more. He was just being a typical teenager, saw a girl and wack!

 

[Jill]

I've had minis since 1999, and full size horses prior.

With the minis, so far (knock on wood), I have not been actually injured. I've gotten some bruises and one time when feeding, my glasses feel off and one of my mares stepped on them before I got them up, but that's it.

From riding horses, I have twisted an ankle and gotten a concussion, all from unintential dismounts. Also, one time my big horse, Rockets, stepped on my foot and I didn't have "good" horse boots on. I thought I'd pass out, it hurt so bad... he stepped on my toes before and since but this one particular time, he really, really hurt me. I am not sure if the toe was broken or just badly bruised.

 

[Fred]

A local vet I know had to have reconstructive surgery on his face. He did a really stupid thing and tried to give a mini a shot without restraining it and wham she kicked him in the face. This is a usually very mild mannerd mare too. :new_shocked:

 

[lilhorseladie]

Two years ago, my three year old daughter was sitting on my gelding and I decided to try to lead him with one hand and my stallion with the other. The stallion took after the gelding and fiercely bit my daughter, thinking he was biting my gelding. She was dangling from his mouth. She has a good sized scar from that. Needless to say, I'm a little smarter now!

 

[Dairygirl]

LOL. I got one! I was doing something VERY stupid. Leading a stud with a lead around his neck instead of taking the time to put a halter on him. Done this 100 times but never again. A mare ran up to the stud who is normally a very good gentle boy, even around mares. That is why I still own him. Well any way the mare hit me with her butt, who I had no ideal was in heat. Did a quick spin infront of the stud. Knocked me behind the stud and he kicked me right in between the legs. I hit the ground on my knees. Son comes running over laughing. It hurt but was funny at the time. Funny until about 5 min. later when everything started swelling up and the feeling came back. I have a history of bloodclots and when ever I get hit I'm suppose to run in and get test and have the Doc. look me over. LOL. I didn't that time! Took me a week before things went back to normal. Had bruises in places I didn't think was possible to bruise.

Big lesson learned for me and think God I'm not a man. LOL.

 

[tagalong]

One vet and I maintain that minis can be more dangerous than big horses at times - they can come up under you - and/or you can underestimate their potential. The vet got hammered in the face by a mini mare when she disapproved of getting her nasal vaccine - and she was being restrained - by me! She was mad as opposed to scared - and struck out at us...

My worst injury with minis - a stallion had gotten stuck in the PVC fencing - with his butt between the blanks, sitting on one hind leg and the other one out behind him in the next pen - where 2 geldings were delighted to have such an easy target - he must have tried to kick out at them - and slipped.

STUPID me... came to his rescue. I was not thinking enraged stallion - I was thinking - 'poor guy - I'll get him out!!

I SHOULD have put a halter on him and tied his head over to the side - as I would have with any other mini stallion - or any Warmblood, QH or Thoroughbred stallion I have worked with... but this guy was "different"... I worked on getting his stuck leg free - and the minute it was his head snaked left and he grabbed my lower leg and clamped down like a pit bull and worried it... I yelled (DUH) as I was thrown back against the fence and kicked him in the head with my other foot to make him let go - and he suddenly came to his senses and did - I think he was in a blind rage and thought that he was biting one of the geldings who had been nibbling at him... he scrambled to his feet and ran to the far corner of his paddock, tail clamped and eyes rolling - knowing he had screwed up.

I hobbled inside and went to Emergency..... where it was hard to explain that it was a horse bite and not a dog bite... being that low on my leg. He had not broken the skin - but it was a crush injury - and to this day I have about a 5 inch diameter mottled scar. But it was not his fault - but mine... I failed to secure the situation - and make things safer for both of us.... STUPID ME. :no:

 

[TTF]

Only having minis for around 3 years, my injuries have been pretty minor. But then again.. :bgrin

Yeah, I've been klonked in the head, and stepped on plenty of times. Too many to count actually, but one semi-big thing happened almost 2 weeks ago. After working a kind of "spunky" mare I was going to return her to her pen. Little did I know that the gate to her paddock had just about met it's maker. The mare's "field buddy" came trotting up to say hello, and dumb as it sounds, the mare spooked. It all happened so fast, but from what I can remember she jerked away and shoved me in the process. So there I go, toppling over the metal gate that was ready to break up until the time I "finished the job."

(And then the shows have inflicted [sp?] much pain onto me. Hehehe.. From whaming my head right into the trailer, to falling head over heals onto the ground DURING my NOVICE jumper class..What a dangerous sport this is.

:

: )

I remember though, the time Ally was dragged through the ring while changing her mini's halter outside of it. It was her first show as well.

 

[love_casper]

well mini's definately don't hurt quite as bad as big horses. but they still do some damage.

thanks to a certain mini named LittleFoot (i dont own him, used to stable with him) i still have no toenail on my right pinky toe, nor do i have feeling in it.

:

Charm's given me many bruises on my legs from kicking before he was gelded. now he's sweet as pie.

Princess steps on me all the time because she's blind in one eye, so she can't see where her feet are all the time. ouch! she's also squished me up against the wall once, but nothing horrible.

Ghost probably caused the most damage. ironic because she's normally the calmest thing anyone's ever seen. but i was practising the day before a show, heading to the show arena that's a few miles from my house. you have to go through two tunnels to get there, that go under freeways. she had been hopping up and down like crazy the whole walk and i couldn't even control her. once we were almost at the second tunnel... she made a sharp turn, kicked me with both back feet and knocked me down, then ran the other direction back to the first tunnel like she was running home. so i get the WORST rope burn of my life to the point where my hand is bleeding, and i'm being dragged across the rocky path and clipping brush and bushes along the way. she pulls harder and i slam my head on a boulder. so i think ...well okay i could let go, but my horsey would die because she's running straight to the freeway (i've seen it happen before, sadly), or i can hang on until she stops. so i didn't let go and about 50 feet later i dug my elbows into the dirt, wrapped my feet around a tree, and curled up and pulled with all my weight against her. FINALLY she stopped. so i get up, she's starring at me like a mad woman, and tries it again, but i held onto the tree so she couldn't move. then i had to walk her to the arena place with my left hand. i tied her up on the fence and sat in the horse waterer to soak my hand. Ghost was neighing and freaking out as other horses were passing her. i'm like deal with it! i really don't care right now! and as soon as i regained feeling in my hand i walked her back, everytime she spooked, me threatening her with the name "dog food!" dog food, dog food, dog food, you're lucky i didn't just let you run into traffic, i really should have.

so no shows for Ghost, i've decided. i still have a blister from her. and that boulder gave me the worst headache i've ever had! *rubs head* ouuccchhh!!!

and then an 11 hand shetland pony managed to fracture my wrist....ummm ...three times.

:

and oddly enough, the most i've ever gotten from a big horse was a pulled mussel, a headache, and a mouthful of dirt.

except that one time a throughbred flipped out and i slipped a disc in my back, leaving me unable to walk properly for a few weeks. hehe i almost forgot......:bgrin

 

[PaintedPromiseRanch]

wow i guess i've been lucky... nothing but bruises from my minis, although some pretty good ones... mostly from getting stepped on (even WITH good shoes!) and then i get bad ones on the insides of my biceps because i trim myself and i'm kinda slow, they get tired of standing on one back foot and start pumping that leg and i clamp down so as not to lose them since i am sitting under them... and get blue biceps LOL.

 

[chandab]

A local vet I know had to have reconstructive surgery on his face. He did a really stupid thing and tried to give a mini a shot without restraining it and wham she kicked him in the face. This is a usually very mild mannerd mare too. :new_shocked:

Wow.

I had a little mare react similarly to her shots last year and she nailed me in the chest with a front hoof.

Other than that just the usual stepped on toes and feet. I have been nipped a couple times, but nothing too serious and the habit has been broken. Oh and a week ago when the dentist was out, my "calm" mare slammed me into the wall and scraped my arm, but not too bad.

I haven't been too seriously hurt by full-size horses, but there have been a few incidents over the years. Fell off a friends horse years ago and compressed the bones in both my wrists, no real fractures, just compression.

In high school, my horse got spooked and swung his head around and hit me in the face; my lip got caught on my braces. Getting my lip unstuck, hurt more than getting hit.

 

[minimule]

I've actually been hurt more by the minis than I ever was with the bigs. The worst I guess was about 2 months ago. One of my mules was tired of being clipped. I needed to do a few spots so I tried to restrain one leg to prevent kicking and jumping. Well...her head came up just as I bent over and she caught me square on the chin as she came up. It momentarily dislocated my jaw. I couldn't close it at all and MAN did it hurt. It still occassionally pops out. Hubby literally had to stop me from killing her. One of my mules broke my ring finger at a show when he got spooked by kids jumping on the metal bleachers. He pulled away and the knot on the end of the rope smacked my finger tip and snapped it. It's crooked now. Wylie kicked me in the leg and hit right on the spot where I have 2 staples in the bone. That busted the skin open about an inch.

Of course I've had a couple of broken toes, lots of bruises, hoof marks, etc...

I think a lot of it is that we get too comfortable with them and "forget" that they really are horses no matter the size.

:

 

[Miniv]

They may be "mini", but they can still be mighty for their size! We don't take that for granted anymore!

Larry has been kicked in each knee and his crotch.........(no permenant damage).

My worst was by a stallion being transported. He was a jekyl and hyde type personality it turns out. He charged at me, knocked me on my back and picked me up by my left bisep to my arm. Larry took me to emergency (with me protesting) and there was a parade of ER personnel coming to look at my "miniature horse bite"! LOL! It's been 4 years and I still have an ugly scar. A few weeks later that same horse did something similar to trainer too.

MA

 

[Sue S]

I was walking my mini over to the hitching post and my dogs scared her and I fell, She pulled me across the ground I was solid black and blue from my ankle up to above my knee, hubby had to take me to DR.

That was in April and some parts of my legs still hurt.

 

[Fred]

I will admit I have been hurt more by "big" horses and with what I do I have plenty of for instances. However, I had one rank little stud that needed his feet trimmed and he actually got me a good one. I was called out to trim a mini and come to find out its a three year old std thats not really halter broke [but was told he's gentle]. Thank GOD, my older daughter Kim was there and its a darn good thing she's a pretty big girl. The monster did NOT take kindly to having his feet done or any form of restraint so we went round and round and he fell on the floor [well padded with shavings]. Man he came up off the floor looking to kill something and he aimed for Kim, I yelled, she ducked [he would have gotten her right in the head hard enough to do some very serious damage] but his momentum put him right into me and I had no where to go as I was backed up the wall. He hit me full force in the ribs. Of course, I smiled and said I"m OK, and got out of there as fast as I could. I am SO thankful my kids listen when we are working with horses and they MOVE when we tell them to. It could have been very serious and I'm glad I came out of it with just some severely bruised ribs. Probably would have broken someone elses.