It’s gotten to the point where I hate riding on the sides of roads because so many drivers are either clueless about horses or downright evil. Giving the majority the benefit of the doubt, I think a lot of drivers simply think of horses as machines, like bicycles, and don’t understand that driving by them fast, beeping their horn, or otherwise scaring a horse can result in a bad outcome.
This poor 4-year old Quarter Horse gelding was spooked by a driver and slipped into a ditch by the side of the road. Not just any ditch, but a horse trap — too deep and narrow to allow the horse to escape.
The rider was able to get out unharmed and luckily the Miami Dade Fire Rescue Team stepped in with equipment that allowed it to lift the horse out of the ditch. It was unharmed.
But here’s the kicker. These guys get a lot of practice because, apparently, this happens once or twice a month!
“The tech rescue guys at FS 43 created a mock horse built out of steel and concrete [that] weighs 1,000 lbs. It allows the team … to rotate through and practice securing the horse to lift it out,” Miami-Dade Fire Captain Jack Swerdloff said.
Hard to believe that there hasn’t been some educational outreach to try to prevent this from happening so often.
You are kinder than I. While we have a great trail system where I board, my friends and I have to cross three roads in suburban Philadelphia to leaving the farm to ride a nearby state park. I’m convinced many drivers are maybe not evil, but certainly feel angry over being inconvenienced by having to yield to horses. They don’t do it. They speed by, sometimes honking horns, getting as close as possible to intimidate, or race to the crosswalk squealing to a halt. They glare or laugh. It’s downright scary. It’s so risky I dread crossing. Fortunately most of our horses are accustomed to the traffic, so they rarely spook.