Well, damn, I thought that bump was the beer keg in the back fallin’ over!
Nov 14 2007
Horse falls out of trailer; asshat owner doesn’t notice.
Check out her feet. They should NEVER give her back!
60 comments to “Well, damn, I thought that bump was the beer keg in the back fallin’ over!”
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Holy crap! And surviving with those hooves. @_@
either that or she was just dumped intentionally and the wounds are from something else….
What a horrid story!! It’s nice that he’s taking care of her but the chain she’s apparently attached to makes me faint. I hope she finds a good home…what state did this happen in?
…of course not to mention those feet, oh the poor mare. From experience, she’s likely “tame” due to her poor health and injuries… no energy to behave any other way!!
Dear GOD, I’m hoping somebody’s gotten a vet to look at that poor horse.
As for “falling out of a trailer”…that alone would make me highly hesitant about the original owner getting her back. And the condition of those feet only strengthens my resolve here.
[shudder] I live far too close to one of the auction houses up here. And every few weeks, I’ll drive past a big red splash-mark on the freeway where somebody’s trailer has…lost part of its cargo.
I can think of a few worse ways to die…but not too many. Poor mare. She’s incredibly lucky to have survived.
Something like this actually happened near my home several years back, except the horse was then hit by a car. Not only did the horse die, so did the people in the car. The guy driving the trailer apparently stopped, moved the horse’s body to the side of the road (I don’t know how), and then drove off and never came back.
liri….omg how aweful. WHAT is wrong with people?
That poor little girl. Look, I don’t have experience w/driving a trailer, but wouldn’t it feel different w/1,000+ lbs. less? Between the stories I hear here and this
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071115/
ap_on_re_la_am_ca/puerto_rico_pet_massacres
I remember why I refuse to buy a gun (hard to conceal a 5+’ bow and arrows, and by the time I string it I’ll have time to think over how I’d look in prison orange).
Kokorami–
Having driven a trailer with a 1000 pound horse in it, yes, I can safely say that it feels markedly different without the horse. There’s absolutely no excuse for what happened here. It staggers my imagination.
And the Puerto Rico pet massacres…that is truly horrifying. My guess is it came down to money–the company charged with disposal had a $1 million plus contract which included the costs of human euthanization and disposal. It didn’t take them long to figure out that they could bypass the use and expense of humane methods and just toss the pets off a tall bridge and into a garbage dump.
Rather makes you lose a bit more hope for humanity, doesn’t it?
Yikes. Yay for typos…
“My guess is it came down to money–the company charged with disposal had a $1 million plus contract which included the costs of human euthanization and disposal.”
Sorry–that should be HUMANE euthanization. Not HUMAN…
No hitmen here, thanks.
I would be more inclined to think she was dumped. The injuries could be from anything, and she probably tripped and fell a few times if she was running around on pavement. Poor mare. She looks like a sweetie, I hope she gets a good home!
Don’t most trailers have doors?
yes, you would expect so wouldn’t you. Doesn’t mean the douchebag secured them. will be interesting to see if anyone speaks up who witnessed it – I mean, SOMEONE must have seen what happened. We’ll probably never know.
That is so sad.
I see a lot of crappy trailers hauling horses around and I’m amazed that more things don’t go wrong.
That poor mare, she was lucky she wasn’t killed.
That did happen on Cuesta grade near SLO, CA. An older stud fell out of the back of a trailer and the people in the car behind them were killed when they hit the horse. The horse went right through their windshield, eventually they caught the guys responsible and charges were filed.
Good GAWD.
I’m with rin… it could have been intentional dumping. Maybe she got clipped by a passing car… that could have caused the problem.
Look at her FEET!!! *jaw drops*
It happened in Black River Falls, WI. I posted the original link in one of the previous threads and heard about it on the radio this morning, then in our newspaper this evening. I totally think it’s possible this horse came off the trailer – - I have a program in Black River Falls, know the exit, a truck/trailer would only be going 10 – 30 mph. And if the driver was stopped at the top of the ramp and hit the gas, with some of the shit trailers people use, I see no reason why the door couldn’t have popped open and the horse popped off – - LOTS of people haul in stock trailers that are 50 years old, and don’t tie their horses. I think they’d like to find the owner to possibly bring charges, question him/her, but don’t want to say that in the paper and scare the scumbag off. We trailer all over the place, in a good trailer with a buttbar and panels to separate the horses and geez, even trailer ties. And we check/double check that everything is secured before we pull off and leave. But there are what we affectionately call “woodbillies” around here that have all the brains of an asian lady beetle. I think the article did say the guy had a vet out, but the guy who is caring for her IN HIS GARAGE doesn’t seem like the brightest bulb either. I’m sending the link to Mid West Horse Welfare, maybe they’ll take her in.
Wow. Just Wow. About both the horse and Puerto Rico. I was actually sickened, and being a volunteer firefighter and EMT, that can take alot. All I could think about was my 2 wonderful babies (dogs), being thrown to their death. How could someone stand there and watch them die??? Same goes for the poor horse. If she did come out of a trailer, how did they NOT notice, and go back for her? If not, how could they care so little that they would dump her where she had so little chance for survival? It really did make me lose some faith in humanity.
I honestly don’t believe this mare fell out of a truck! Unless the truck was pulled over on the highway. On an interstate that busy and a truck doing at least 55this mare would be VERY hurt, not just scratched. So either she has been wandering a while and found the highway, or the truck was stopped when she got off. Either way, the owners couldn’t afford her. Look at her condition. If it was a truck/trailer, looking at her, where do you think she was headed?
Those feet are god awful. Poor thing. We’ll probably be seeing more and more stories like this. Too many horses and people won’t take responsibility. Their trash service has been diverted and there’s a flood on the horse market of horses just like this one.
Where are all these horses going to go?? They’re not the high end, quality, well bred, well trained horses that are doing well in the market. Once in a great while you find a diamond in the rough who ‘slipped through the cracks” but the majority are fugly, unbroke, non-desirables. I wonder when it’s going to end?
Natrlhorse said…
That poor mare, she was lucky she wasn’t killed.
That did happen on Cuesta grade near SLO, CA. An older stud fell out of the back of a trailer and the people in the car behind them were killed when they hit the horse. The horse went right through their windshield, eventually they caught the guys responsible and charges were filed.
Yes, that’s the one I was referring to earlier.
Hope they trim the feet.
Too bad you do not have to have your trailer inspected yearly or every 2 years like you do a car. that would get a lot of the dangerous ones off the road.
Um, I hope a real horse rescue takes her, b/c the poor guy that is trying to care for her doesn’t look like he’s too savvy…..The chain is bad enough, but keeping her in a garage? It’s called, if you don’t have room for her, there are tons of barns who do……Poor mare, she looks very sad! Nothing surprises me anymore though, what people will do to surpass responsibility!
The last time I was at the Walmart in Black River Falls there were also Amish buggies tied up there. While this horse clearly hasn’t been wearing it’s feet down it could have come from the local farms. Someone could have also let it loose from a buggy at the Walmart or one of the other stores.
POOR GIRL! TO ME IT MUST BE SOMEONE DUMPED HER BECASUE WHO IN THEIR RIGHT MIND WOULD LET A HORSES FEET LOOK LIKE THAT THEY CARED FOR? HOPEFULLY SHE FINDS A NEW LOVING HOME. I DO LIKE HER NAME THOUGH:)
Yeah happens to me all the time…only way to get rid of anything that eats you out of house and home…I just keep going tho, ya know how expensive them vets can be…
How would you NOT notice your horse fell out of the trailer?
It had to be intentional, and that is just sick. I hope he doesn’t find the owner, but I also hope that somebody great can take her home and give her a good life. Poor thing. That just appalls me…..
Animal control should have been on the seen to take the horse into custody! The horse is living in a garage!! WTF! My GOD! Where does it end…oh yeah…not peacefully! Does anyone know where this horse is?? I will help pay to bring her somewhere safe! No living creature should be treated this way! And shame on the paper for reporting this in such a warm and fuzzy way, they need a lesson in what is and what is not humane!!! I repeat, WTF, My God, WTF!!!
wow… maybe she skied on those hooves! this is such a shame.
MWHF, a REAL rescue, has been contacted and they have already tried to call the author of the article to get a fix on the mare and say they will help. I’m going to Black River tomorrow and if I can get a phone # or a way to contact the guy that has her, I will stop in and try to relay rescue information. She’d be WELL cared for at MWHF.
christ on a bike! i hope they DO find the owner, and prosecute their negligent ass.
Poor girl. I don’t know what he did. However, I could believe that a horse could fall out an unsecured door. I was riding the bus to the mall with my friends and saw a trailer door flapping open in the wind. I assumed they were coming from a state park just off that highway. Most times, people take that way back to Indy. Imagine driving an hour with your trailer door open!
This is quite the fitting topic this week for me.
The other day I was driving to a local state park with my dressage trainer to take our collective 9 dogs for a long walk. I was behind a crappy trailer with a big skinny chestnut inside being pulled my a dodgy looking truck.
I remarked that I hate those trailers with no top rear doors. I then saw something shiny on the horse’s back. I asked, “Is that a STIRRUP?”.
Indeed, it was. These idiots were trailering a skinny horse, COMPLETELY tacked up on a really cold day with no rug on and no real doors except for the ramp that folds up.
Oh, the words that came forth from my mouth.
I get nervous even trailering my horse a few miles down the road. He is completely bubble-wrapped and padded and I drive like an old lady on Sunday. I get nervous about moving vehicles and equines together for many reasons. I have personally known 3 good, decent horsepeople whose trailers have flipped and one whose trailer got hit. They were not doing anything wrong and by all standards, were being careful. It makes me nervous when I see stupid people trailering.
As for the poor mare, my guess is she was dumped and maybe even struck by a car. Poor girl. I hope she goes to a better home.
l.l. & MWHF
Thank god for people like you! Much luck with your rescue! Please keep us posted!
“He hopes to find the owner”??!! Good God, I hope he does NOT find the owner!
I drive like Granny when I tow my horses. Every time I go around a turn, have to stop, I’m always thinking about: how are the horses handling what I’m doing?
Driving w/ livestock is NOT the same as driving w/ your travel trailer.
OMG!! this poor baby. Authorities turned over an almost *blind* appy to a rescue not far from me. She was found by some folks wandering along a highway covered with cuts and bruises! They think she broke through a fence. The owner never came to claim the poor dear—surprise, surprise. I hope to get out to see her soon and help out in some way.
I’ve just discovered this blog and love it. Thank you FHOTD!! I’ve also learned some new expressions, like “asshat.” heheh.
One time I was driving our truck and trailer hauling a mare home from a farm 45 miles from my house. I had the mare loose in the trailer because like an idiot I had forgotten a halter to pick her up with. She was loose in the front compartment of the stock trailer. Anyway, I was driving 60-65 on the freeway most of the 45 mile way. As I slowed off the main arterial to turn left onto the road leading to my home, the stinger attachment broke off the truck entirely. Of course the safety chains were attached to the part that broke off too. Thankfully I had just braked and not started my turn yet, and the crank handle of the trailer rammed itself under the bumper of my pick up. Had I been 20-30 seconds farther into the turn, the trailer would have run off down the road all by iteslf. WOW that was scary!
The point is you did notice when it happened. You didn’t just keep going without the trailer and horse.
I.I. please keep us updated – I’d love to hear that she’s in better hands (and has had her feet trimmed!)
A friend of mine was hauling a full load of ponies home from polo when the ball broke right off the gooseneck hitch. VERY fortunately, the nose of the gooseneck whomped into the tailgate of the truck and lodged there, and he was able to bring everything to a gentle stop with no injuries. Again, this is something that happened even with a careful driving and a truck and trailer that appeared to be in top condition.
Don’t thank me, all I did was send the link to MHWF and volunteered to try to get more info tomorrow/ stop in and see the guy and the horse. MHWF immediately said they’d help when they read the link and as I said, this mare will not be recognizable if she ends up at their place. She’ll be completely vetted, trimmed, well fed and cared for, evaluated for level of training, and a good permanent home will be found for her. They do NOT allow breeding of horses, they retain ownership of the horse for 5 years after adoption, they check on the horse annually and you have to supply vet/floating/trim information about the horse (with vet signature) as well as pictures of the horse each year, and if you ever find yourself in a situation where you can’t keep the horse, they take it back in. They’re the real deal. I’ll keep you posted, or you can go to their website: http://www.equineadoption.com Actually, they don’t call themself a rescue, even though they do rescue horses as well as take in horses in need of re-homing. If you do go to their web, check out the horse on the adoption pages named Jane Doe – - she was found running loose and was in tough shape when they got her. She looks great (though a bit fugly!) now. But it’s just typical of what they do for horses and they do NOT get in over their heads.
As for trailering, we trailer a LOT, including an annual trip from WI to MO to ride down there with our horses and camp. I don’t drive like an old lady when I trailer my horses, we don’t bubble wrap them at all, but we have a good trailer and we get it checked annually. In spite of that, we’ve had flats, one time the trailer broke off the hitch (thank goodness I was only going about 30) and that was when I had a 4Star bumper pull – - the chains saved us from a horrific accident. When I got everything stopped, we had to unload the 2 horses and my daughter stayed with them and the trailer by the side of the road while I went back and got the other trailer to take them home (then we had to go back for the 4Star). Amazingly, even after a bumpy ride while the trailer was on the chains and then GROUND into the edge of the roadway as I stopped, those 2 horses hopped into the other trailer like nothing happened. Neither of them had a scratch on them either. But it was scary!
A very sad case was just posted on equestrian at LJ by equestriangal, she volunteers and posts lots of pictures from Shiloh Horse Rescue on the CA/NV border. They seem to do a good job but they can’t save them all.
http://ocf2.livejournal.com/friends/
I had to comment. My mom’s mare (and her foal!) fell out of a trailer on the freeway going 65 mph with her last owner. Her owner has stopped at a friends to show her the new baby and forgot to secure the back gate of the trailer. The foal didn’t have so much as a scratch on him. The mare, Tiki, just had some abrasions and a nasty wound on her pastern that doesn’t bother her now but has a lot of scarring. Apparently they both just got up after rolling to a stop and started grazing in the median (this was in Montana). So the owner just loaded them back up and drove home.
In the spirit of fugly – I will also say that Tiki was 3 years old at the time – and her baby was a result of the stallion getting in with her when she was two. Tiki, of course, is a poorly conformed mutt.
I could have gone my whole life without reading that Puerto Rico story. Imagine the betrayal that poor dog must have felt after making it home to safety to be just taken away by the same people who already tried to kill it and failed.
This reminded me instantly of the Cuesta/SLO accident like that. I was a new freshman at Cal Poly when it happened, as an Animal Sci major, so it was a big deal. Here are some old news stories about it:
Plea of driver
Sentencing
Case on Pet-Abuse.com
PS not that anyone cares but I’m not the same Heather as the one posting above… I changed my blogger name from “heather” to “heatheraqha” a little while ago
PPS Is there really any way a horse could get out of a trailer that wasn’t malfunctioning or okie-rigged at all? Even over the top of the ramp-only kinds?
I hope that the poor horse gets a home with a real barn, not a garage.
I wonder how many abandoned horse cases we’ll be seeing with the hay prices and slaughter ban going on. People who neglect their horses and don’t plan for the winter probably have no compunctions about abandoning a horse or just turning it out of a pasture to fend for itself.
God, I can see it now, the midwest is going to get its own fugly wild horse population. Call the BLM now so they can prepare
I doubt very much that she “fell” out the back of a trailer.
In the article they keep on refering to her injuries as scars and if that is truely the case and she has been so beaten up to point where she is covered in SCARS. Then I would NOT even consider giving her back to the owners, but would contact an accredited horse rescue and ask them to take her.
Yes, I do agree her feet are shocking but they have very clean edges (especially the front!) We couldnt have another dodgey farrier could we?
The sharp edges have to be from skidding down the highway. You know, kinda like a water skier.
Don’t you know that some folks accidently call wounds “scars”? Yes, it may be geographical but I remember my grama doing this (WAY northern Minnesota). Whatever the case, a rescue is lined up to help the mare if the guy will allow. there are quite a few horse folk around Black River Falls/Sparta, it’s possible that someone else already took her in. I’ll know more later today.
What slaughter ban? Buyers are still buying and shipping horses, just a longer distance. The ban on slaughtering horses in the USA is not responsible for this type of shit, but it sure gives people who want to see slaughter return to this country a GREAT line to use. As if this stuff never happened before.
Someone said “PPS Is there really any way a horse could get out of a trailer that wasn’t malfunctioning or okie-rigged at all? Even over the top of the ramp-only kinds?”
Yes, it’s possible. There was a well-known endurance rider driving back to Canada after a ride, and her mare got turned around in her stock trailer and jumped out over the top of the stock-type door. The gap was only like 1.5′ I think. This was a VERY responsible owner who, like me, does not tie her horse in the trailer because her horse is more comfortable riding without being tied.
Perhaps “falling out of the trailer” wasn’t an accident. I doubt the owner will ever be heard from again. I hope that poor horse gets some hoofcare SOON then a good home. I hate people.
Oh geez. That poor mare. At least she’s not wandering I-94 anymore – not exactly the place for animals to roam free (I’ve driven it plenty of times and seen a whole lot of road kill). At the same time, I hope she graduates to an actual barn of some sort. I know the current keeper means well but a garage? And a regular old metal chain as a lead rope? Talk about “makeshift.” Please keep us updated, I.I.
I had a friend in college who was a team roper. He was driving home from a roping once and the back door to his trailer came open (it had a bar that comes across and down in to the c shaped cup- make sense? It was not tight and bounced up and out and the door came open). He was going up a hill at 55 miles an hour on a freeway. He saw in his rear view mirror the horse summersault out of the trailer, rolled several times, got up and started grazing on the median. Thankfully there were no cars behind him. He pulled over, went and got his horse, loaded him back up and went on his way. The horse had road rash all over him and my friend was devestated at what did happen and what could have happened. Felt like an idiot, too, for not making that door more secure.
I hauled 2740 miles from California to South Carolina in Oct. 2006. In all that time I never ‘forgot’ to close AND LATCH the door, or check the brakes or any of the million things a responsible guardian does to protect her/his beloved and trusting companions. That is just what one does when hauling. Of course the operative words here were’responsible guardian’.
Then again…there are plenty of responsible guardians out there who make mistakes. Its easy to forget and can exact a terrible price. Lucky for the friend of rooster his cost was a bit of road rash and feeling like he needed to book ‘Horse Hauling for Dummies’. I have a well thumbed virtual copy.
What is the matter with people? This stuff makes me sick. Can’t we throw some of these sickos over a 50 foot bridge? Here’s a dose of your own medicine!
Flat tires, three of them and brakes that held on long enough for me to learn “Never haul something bigger than your truck”.
Just an FYI and off-thread but USRider Motor Plan (great group and inexpensive)came out for two flat tires AND when I locked myself out of the rig in Flagstaff. Duh. I guess I am not so smart after all.
Hey if my hooves looked like that I would escape from the Fuckwit that had me too!
The horse that fell off the trailer is living in a cement floor garage, was tied out in the yard with a chain. No real vet was called to examine her…MHWF has offered the Jackson County Sheriff’s office refuge and recuperation for this horse as well as all vet care. Please call the Jackson County Sheriff’s department to urge them to turn this horse over to a genuine rescue organization. It will be a toll call for many, but if you can, please call. The time zone is Central and the number is 1-715-284-5357. Thank you!
Geeze, No wonder she couldn’t balance in the trailer. My God, her feet! And also having trailered 1 to 4 horses, you feel the difference. And depending on the trip length, I’ve always pulled over to check on them. I’ve had one kick and pulled over to check it out. You should know if a horse falls out of your trailer! You can feel it when they move. No Excuse!
l.l., Now I wouldn’t get too weird over the garage thing. I have a few acres and two horses. I once had a 2 year filly that injured herself. I have a large lean-to and no barn, but I cleared my garage, threw down four thick rubber mats and put in training pen panels to make a large stall during a muddy spring and kept the injured filly in there with door open. Was able to keep her hoof injury clean and proud flesh clear, took her out for exercise and she never had a lame day. It worked well.