Drug By A Horse

[Shotgun Franklin]

I've been around hundreds of horse people and hundreds of real Cowboys. I've heard the stories of people getting a foot stuck in a stirrup and being drug (usually to death). The thing is that it's always 'a cousin of a friend' or 'my sister's uncle's brother. I've never talked to anyone who was actually there to see it or experience it. I'm sure it might have happen someplace sometime but I think it was rare as hen's teeth.

[Deja vous]

Team penning one night in AZ ... a guy got bucked off part of the way, his foot went into  the stirup and the horse did 360 Degree spinning patterns like a reining horse..  I kept watching him just kinda hanging out there in space and every time the horse moved a bit closer to the pipe rail.  Finally it all stop... splat.. He was lucky to be alive.. wow.. 

[Shotgun Franklin]

I posted this subject on Facebook and numerous people recounted tales of riders being drug. I guess I've been lucky to miss it. I have been thrown, bitten, kicked and stepped on but never drug.

[Deja vous]

I have never been either.  I started riding alone around 5/6 years of age and I have had my share of accidents, but being dragged is not one of them   Course the horse might have been afraid of what I would do to its food if it did that to me.. lol

[Shotgun Franklin]

I nearly forgot this but the wildest ride I ever made was when I rode Scar off into quicksand. He finally went in up to his belly, somehow I managed to stay on. I did get him out but we both walked home.

[Deja vous]

Quicksand.. lol...   never did that..  but I have walked home once from a thown shoe.. I went out and bought a easy boot so I could at least not bruise up my horse next time. 

[Shotgun Franklin]

I've been in that crap twice, once on the horse and once along a creek bottom. Both times in South Texas. I'd have never believed it if someone else had told me.

[dangerranger]

Ive seen two videos of riders being drug. the most graphic is on the website of a company that sells safety sturups. cant think of there name off hand but a google search of safety sturups should pull it up. it shows the rider trying to keep his head up for the first 100yds and then go limp as the horse runs out tward the horizon. UGLY!

[Ranch 13]

I guess it depends on where/how most of your cowboying has been done.....
I've known 2 drug and killed and 1 had steel rods in both legs for a goodly amount of time.
1 was hung in the stirrup and they figure he must of been drug thru the sagebrush for about 10 miles. Took a couple of days to find him as his foot finally came out of the boot and the horse came home.
1 got his arm hung in the lariat still tied to the saddle. He was riding a new colt , best anyone could tell,he was getting back on after going thru a gate, the colt blew , noone knows if he was in the saddle or not, but his right arm was near cut off from the rope tightening on it.
The survivor the horse fell on skim ice in a meadow, and as it was winter he had on a pair of packs. He couldn't kick one foot out and by the time they were thru rolling around in that ice he had both legs broke and one ankle was dislocated. Luckily they were moving a bunch of cows so there was help around to keep the pony from running off.
Ironically I know of more folks killed/crippled for life from 4 wheeler wrecks than horse wrecks.

[Ol Gabe]

Interesting comments, thanks!
When I was young, many, many years ago, we lived on a farm that had lots of hills and small fields that had fencelines going around the hill on a contour line. As my Dad & I replaced old fences and realigned the fields, we frequently rode our horses out to check on the cattle to see how they were 'adjusting' to the new fences. Not even thinking that the horses would need 'adjusting' we rode out one afternoon and started going down a hill at a trot. OK, you can probably see this one coming...the fat old dapple gelding I was on seemed to remember where the old fence was and suddenly stopped, skidding and plowing all four feet into the sod, lowering his head and arching his back. This movement caused me to go head over heels out of and off the saddle, over his head. I crashed on the ground looking up at him and still holding the reins. The look on his face was almost like he was saying to me "Why you trying to run me through a fence?" My Dad was laughing his butt off. I got up and slowly led the gelding over the spot where the fence had been several times back and forth then got back on and tried to ride him over where the fence had been. He nosed the grass and snorted then jumped over it almost tossing me off the second time! At that point my Dad was laughing so hard he fell off his saddle and rolled on the grass.
Another time we were rounding up cattle in the forest, in the dark, after a Summer thunderstorm. The dapple decided I was small enough to fit under a low branch and I ended up laying backwards with both feet still in the stirrups up around his ears and hanging onto his tail. Thankfully he stopped.
Ah, memories...all the horses, Dad and the farm are long gone but I still chuckle about it when somebody mentions falling off a horse or a stirrup story.
Best regards and ride bareback, you'll live longer!
'Ol Gabe

[Shotgun Franklin]

Ironically I know of more folks killed/crippled for life from 4 wheeler wrecks than horse wrecks.

Oh yeah, just last week I met a little girl about 14. She wrecked a 4-wheeler, broke one finger all to pieces and shattered half of her face. She's doing well but doesn't ride those bad boys anymore.

[Deja vous]

I have had accidents in riding horses, bikes, cars, heck just walking.. if I worry about it, I would be wrapped up in bubble wrap at home in a fluffy bed.. lol..   The worst accident I had was at 12 riding bareback with just a halter.  It was in the winter and I was just walking across the field in the snow in No. Illinois.  The mare was standing  there and my feet were cold, so I climbed on and we headed for the barn.  The neighbors kid had a BB gun and he shot my mare in the hip, and off we went.. as we approached the iced over creek all I could do was pray.  She hit the ice and I can remember her falling and trying to get up several times, I think 3.  The next thing I remember is getting up. and her standing there, so I got back on. After that I don't remember doing it but my step brother said I put her in the box stall, tossed in some straw and fed and watered her and the other horse too.  I do remember the walk from the barn to the house and me telling my step mom I was tired and going to bed, just before I passed out.   My step brother saw me walking to the house and he walked  thru the door when I hit the floor.  I guess my jeans were ripped up pretty bad, blood every where.. and I got to go to the ER.  I spent days on my back cuz I managed to crack my pelvis, had a concussion, broke my foot in three places, and was scratched and bruised from head to toe.  Even had blood in my hair they said.  I invent wheel chair racing in the hosptial hall ways to joy of the nurses.. lol..  And once they tossed me out of there, I went home and figured out how I could feed and water the livestock and be of some use on crutches.  lol..  School was fun for weeks, everyone waited on me and the boys carried my books for me to the bus..   The first day I could get back on I did exactly that.. and I never looked back and I healed up with few small scars.  When I tell the story, I do relive it though.. but it doesn't hurt and I was told its because I was in shock and don't remember the pain part, I would say that was the lucky part then, being in shock.  Loved  my horses, I had my own up until about 10 years ago when I decided to feed other things instead of horses.. loll 

[Doc Cuervo]

So Deja, did anyone ever give the kid with the BB gun his just deserts?

[Delmonico]

Well I've seen several folks with casts here in the store or fitted boots on folks that had old iinjuries that said they were from being drug, don't know if it's true, but who am I to doubt them.

[Dusty (rawhide) Wade]

one word pull away stirrups! save your self pards

[Deja vous]

The kid with the BB  gun.. got nothing..   He was not playing with a full deck and his folks knew it, but they gave him a BB gun and did not watch him.  My folks are not the kind to sue, we had insurance it was fine,, 

[TexasToby]

I was dragged about 15 to 20 feet one time. I was calf roping and had roped a calf and started off on the right side. About the time I left my saddle is when I realized my spur rowell was hung in the buckle of the flank girth and my foot still in the stirup. I was riding a 5 year old stallion and had no idea what he was going to do. I was on my back looking up at him and he was steadly backing up against the ropee with the calf. He looked down at me about 3 or 4 times as if asking "what the hell are you doing down there?". Several other ropers were runing at him also to try to get my out of there before he blew up or started running or something. I hollared at them to stop and they did. My foot had come out by this time and I got up and since no one had touched my horse, the rope or the calf, I went ahead and tied the calf down. Didn't win any money but, won the Hard Luck Cowboy Award. After that I always took a little extra time to make sure I wasn't hung up. Of course you have things happen thru the years that you can look back on and smile and remember things that were alot of fun or maybe not so much fun 'cept for being a COWBOY. I got a friend that helped me get into Cowboy Shooting, He is crippled up and so am I and we never knew each other when we were cowboying but sure enjoying sitting around reminissing about cowboying. We were 2 different kinds of cowboys, he was a ranch cowboy and I was an arena cowboy. I ain't quite got it figgered out whether, them was the good ole days or now is the good ole days just reminissing. Anyway it was alot of fun then and it's still alot of fun talking about it.Happy Ridind, shooting and reminissing yall. Texas Toby

[dangerranger]

warning ! Grapic Video! there are several draggings in here.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-255665727892222686&hl=en#

[Deja vous]

Ouch.. that is all I can say.. lol

[Two Spurs]

................ The worst accident I had was at 12 riding bareback with just a halter. .................

That's funny.  Same thing kinda happened to me.  We were ride'n down a pipeline (I was ride'n a friends horse) and having a large time. We all broke out into a run and came up on a small patch of water. I figured we'd just jump over it.  The horse had another plan though.  At the last second he slamed on the breaks, THEN jumped over.    Me and the blanket went fly'n.... ! Feet over head I ended up on by glutimus minimus and provided laughter for all.