savage studs

Ok so.... This is kinda a cautionary tale. A bit of a reminder that, with horses, nothing is guaranteed. Obviously we do everything we can to mitigate the risks associated with climbing aboard these giant animals and pointing them at fixed obstacles while traveling at speed. But... At the end of the day, it's still a dangerous sport. And things happen fast.

Also, consider yourself warned -- there are graphic images below, tho I blocked out the worst of it.

this mare is so freakin athletic tho. obvi it's hard to tell from a still image (tho there's a gif below) but the degree she rotated her shoulders and spine made it basically impossible to stick, tho obvi my friend tried her best!

Anyway I texted my friend last week about some upcoming fun opportunities, but she sent a somewhat shocking response, plus the image below.

It wasn't even really the fall that got her (tho yea she was a bit bruised and battered) -- honestly not really the worst fall by any measure. More than likely would have been perfectly fine to hop back on and continue the lesson. Except, the horse fucking stepped on her. While wearing studs.

it wasn't really the fall that got her anyway

Which like, dear god the moment she told me that, I instantly just assumed she'd be going in for surgery. Because every single story I've ever heard about riders getting stepped on with studs has ended with gnarly tales of splintered bone and shredded sinew.

Luckily that doesn't seem to be the case for my friend - she has some strange kind of luck in that, aside from the (massive) wound, it looks like her foot is going to be A-Ok.

horse people are so crazy, my friend was SO EXCITED to see this slo mo gif haha....

But like, it's crazy, right? Apparently the paramedics were kinda laughing about how insane horse people are, and about how they get called in to Windurra no fewer than a dozen times every month. And about how they knew they'd get yelled at if they didn't at least try to first get the boot off without cutting anything (thank god for zippers nowadays, amirite?).

My friend also said that even as she was just beginning her lesson, there were two different instances of rider falls and loose horses on the schooling grounds....

i'm sparing you the gif of her tendons visibly moving around while she wiggles her toes.... hard to believe, but none of the underlying structures were seriously damaged. just one helluva gash...

It just so happened that on this particular day, it was my friend's turn, I guess. Stuff like this blows my mind bc she had honestly done everything correctly up to this point:

She is an accomplished horsewoman with a well schooled and talented horse. She was using appropriate safety equipment. She was riding at a well-kept, well-designed schooling facility (Windurra), with an extremely respected and experienced 5* rider as her coach. Working on appropriate schooling exercises.

Like.... What more does the universe want?!? But all it takes is one moment. One iffy distance, one zig from the horse and zag from the rider, and one unfathomably unfortunate footfall. Then boom, stud to the foot.

stitches kept to a minimum so it could drain. also note the bruising a bit higher on her calf where the other stud dragged across her leg, luckily without ripping through the boot!

It happens all the time tho, ya know? We know the risks. We know what can happen. This isn't even that "bad" of a story in the grand scheme of things (and at least it's hella more badass than that time I broke my fucking leg stepping out of my trailer....).

But we as riders just don't think about it, I guess, or just don't let those thoughts crowd into our minds. Bc lord knows it's hard enough to keep our nerve and mentality without dwelling on all the potential disasters that can happen. That hammer that could fall at any time.

The best we can do is make good choices, ya know? Prepare accordingly -- through our practice, schooling, use of equipment, etc. Put ourselves in situations where we are likeliest to be successful, and at least have our bases covered if something does go wrong.

But then... ya know, we honestly are only ever just hoping for the best with horses. Trying our hardest and hoping it's enough. And also hopefully enjoying each and every good moment along the way too, haha. Because without that, what's even the point?

Like my friend above, who at least has the memories of what had otherwise been an awesome cross country lesson, right up until that one bad moment. And is already plotting her revenge on that damn bank/skinny bounce question haha. You'll get it next time, girl!!

And in the meantime we'll be over here doing everything we can to help our crippled friend out haha, esp with getting around Kentucky (talk about shitty timing...). Bc damn, being injured is the absolute pits. As always tho, at least it wasn't worse! It's a strange kind of luck....