
The Bell Boot Incident
Before I write this little anecdote from the show last weekend, let me give you some background information so you don’t think I’m a total asshat who doesn’t know how to do anything with my horse. Simon wears gummy rubber pull on bell boots 24/7. I flip them up, take them off, etc all the time. No issue. I do this in cross ties and not tied and all variations of the sort.
That being said, here is the story.
So we’re at the horse show and I’m fine tuning my grooming after schooling but before I actually show. Simon thinks he is finished working and is very, very into his hay.
I let him eat his hay, and groom him while he does. This includes picking up his hoof to pull off his bell boot. No big deal right? Well I pick up his hoof and this is what I get.
And he jerks his head up some. This is where things get interesting. Simon is a horse that ties fine, wears a properly sized standing martingale, goes in side reins, etc… however sometimes when he feels pressure when he picks his head up and leans back, he panics. There is no rhyme or reason as to when he does this, but today was going to be one of those days.
So he goes from standing quietly eating hay, to HOLY SHIT I MUST ESCAPE and pulls back on the lead rope. I stand back, talk sweetly to him and anticipate the leather halter breaking in .5 seconds.
Only it doesn’t break.
He is not thrashing or anything crazy, just pulling back.
And it still doesn’t break.
Until the lead rope does.
With all that built up momentum, Simon didn’t just step backwards like a normal horse… he kinda toppled over in slow motion. So he was pulling back, then all of a sudden sitting on the ground like a dog… and the momentum kept going. He went from sitting down to having his butt on the ground, his front legs in the air and then he just rolled over to the side.
We all kind of stood there with our jaws open. It was the most slow motion unable to do anything to stop it horse accident I’ve ever seen in my life.
After he fell over, he stood up and just looked at me like ‘uh what the fuck just happened here?!?’
Then I went over to him, petted him, and proceeded to take off the bell boots without tying him up to the trailer.
Beats anything I have ever seen, seriously.
16 thoughts on “The Bell Boot Incident”
Ahaha! My thoroughbred does the same thing, randomly takes offense to being tied and breaks his halter. We’ve had the lead break, but never in that slow-motion-dramatic way. Glad things ended up well!
Glad that nobody was hurt – it sounds like you were mistaken for a horse gremlin.
I just love how you illustrate these stories with funny gifs.
Since nobody got hurt, I have to say the mental picture is hysterical! Glad it ended well
Not funny while in person, but quite funny in the re-telling. :0)
Well that sounds like a special situation for the show… glad he’s ok!!! Aye!
I hate moments like that!! They do always sound pretty funny afterwards but not fun to live through. Glad he is okay!
Omg that sounds hilarious. I realize it was probably more scary in reality, but definitely funny now. It’s always those moments when you’re used to doing things that are technically not a good idea and people are watching that your horse decides to make you look like a fool.
The graphics in your post make the story sound so funny. Glad he’s ok. 🙂
Hahaha….
Special. Glad no one was hurt. Horses…
The Lilo and Stitch gif made me giggle. Too funny! I’m glad nobody was hurt, though.
If only you’d had a video camera!
OMG! The same thing happened to me a few weeks ago! It’s horrifying while you watch it happen, but I admit their expression after “freeing” themselves is pretty goofy.
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Glad no one got hurt! Love the way you illustrate Simon’s antics with gifs. Hilarious! Lol!