Hutch the Halfie **The Last Chapter on Pg. 18**

[patandchickens]

He's cute!

I am wondering if he is *really* full Haflinger -- he is not actually terribly terribly starved, though definitely underweight, yet does not look built quite like the Haflingers I'm used to seeing. Dunno. Cute anyhow. Glad he's found a home

(e.t.a. - what does your vet say about the hernia? I have never seen one *not* midline, and am actually curious whether it even IS a hernia, as opposed to say a fatty tumor [harmless] or something else like that. I'd be really interested to hear what the vet verdict is)

A slip off of a 13 hand horse who moved suddenly to one side in a grassy pasture would not cost my son his life.

Not so, actually. It happens. Seriously! And also, remember that in a way the biggest problem with head injuries isn't when they kill you, it's when they DON'T kill you. I do not know whether you've known people with brain damage from falls (off horses or otherwise), but it is quite often enormously frustrating and unhappy for them for the REST OF THEIR LIVES. Not just from maybe having to relearn how to speak or walk or tie shoelaces, or maybe having some permanent impairment in coordination or body use, but from the effects that brain injuries often have on PERSONALITY.

I mean, do what you want (if your state law does not require helmets on children), but at least do it in full possession of the facts as to what can happen.

At the very least, I would very very strongly urge you to have a trainer, or at least someone lightweight and very experienced, do some riding on him (when he is stronger) BEFORE PUTTING YOUR KID ON AT ALL. So that you can find out if there are any hidden "surprise buttons" that you need to either avoid or fix. I cannot possibly count how many "childsafe bombproof" horses I've seen people go off of, sometimes with permanent injuries, because it turns out the horse doesn't like it when you take your jacket off or move your leg a little too far back, or he runs away if you get bounced back in the saddle and pull on the reins, or has a deathly fear of Canada Geese landing in the field near him, or things like that. Having an experienced rider "sound the horse out" and see what he's made of will GREATLY reduce the risk of spending a lot of the next few months in the hospital.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat​

 

[Msbear]

Thanks, Pat. We haven't let him "ride" the pony yet. I've been spending lots of time with Hutch and hanging out getting to know him. We have walked him around the corall with Wyatt on bareback (attached to a lead) and he kind of slips and slides around so Rusty walks next to him. We are looking into a saddle package (used) like a size 14"? My younger son could still use it when Wyatt outgrows it.

I do know horses can be dangerous and we will get Wyatt a helmet when he is actually "riding". He is currently taking lessons a couple towns over so, he's learning the basics but, we'll still keep him in the corall for a long while I believe. My husband is such a worry wart so, please everyone feel assured that we are just taking things slow. I do understand that even the "safest" of horses can be dangerous but, so can pit bulls and riding a bike and riding in a car and everything else. I really don't think we need to sound the alarm on this one. Pony and baby are safe

As for him being half halfie

that may be. We might be able to tell more once he has a bit more weight on him and has some muscle tissue. I posted a few pages ago about the hernia. It's a body wall hernia and may not need to be repaired. Doc said that, because it is rather large, there is more room for grass and hay to maneuver through the intestine and not get trapped in the herniated part. As with anything ... it's kind of a wait and see... but, we've had no problems. If it is just a cosmetic issue, we aren't worried about doing the surgery.

I don't want everyone to think Im a know-it-all and am not taking into consideration all of your concerns and helpful advice... I am. Im just feeling defensive as every time I post, a snipet is quoted and used against me... Pictures are disected. I really wanted help about the hernia.. any information on that. And, am going to shut the door on my son. He is well taken care of (as with all of our animals.. him included

) and really don't feel comfortable with folks whom I don't know assuming that I am careless and putting my son at risk. It's just bad mojo that I really don't need to deal with on here. His riding instructor is super and we trust her completely. When the time comes, Im sure she'll come over and give us a hand.

and, what I meant about the 13 hands down won't kill him is the horse was still, my husband was right there. If the horse budged and Wyatt slipped off the side, it wouldn't have done serious injury.

 

[farmchick897]

I applaud you on your big heart for taking in this horse!!

I personally think people are much too safe with their kids now a days. I remember riding a bike with no helmet and no hands as a kid. Didn't ride in a car with a seatbelt, we got to go alone and play as kids without adult supervision, etc.... Now people have to huddle over their kids at every moment... sad..

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
Msbear, please understand that I am totally NOT assuming you are careless or irresponsible. And I support your right to make your own decisions about what risks to take or not take.

It's just that you are operating under a false set of assumptions, and I think that because this is an important (life-or-death-or-brain-damage) type issue it is really important to give you a heads-up about your mistaken ideas.

A person alongside a kid on a pony CANNOT NECESSARILY catch/stabilize/save the kid when falling. Demonstrated fact. (e.t.a. - and holding the horse's halter, even if you are a super strongman, CANNOT prevent a pony from rearing, bucking, swerving, etc. Physically impossible)

A fall from a pony onto grass CAN KILL OR CAUSE PERMANENT BRAIN DAMAGE. It *happens*, has happened, to actual peoples' actual kids.

Ponies are often sold as child-safe yet not actually BE child-safe. This is actually fairly common. In reality you have NO IDEA what the pony's rideability or quirks are yet.

Ponies can seem calm and quiet and bombproof when being handled, yet have serious problems when someone is put aboard. Sometimes there is, I swear to you, NO sign before all of a sudden everything flies everywhere.

Kids DO die or get permanently-injured from "just being put up to sit for a minute for a photo". A bee sting, a pinched nerve, an odd habit you didn't know about, all sorts of things. It is one thing (still risky) to do with a horse you've had for a long time and know well -- but for a pony you have never seen ridden and have not discovered what issues he has....

Please *please* believe the foregoing, because it is all TRUE.

THEN make your decisions. Knowingly.

Best of luck,

Pat

 

[Msbear]

a bee could sting that pony 3 years from now and have the same consequences... after being child-tested and Pat approved. Should I never let my kid ride? Anything could happen. I am a good driver. That doesn't mean the person coming toward me is. I let my son pet dogs that are the neighbors. They look nice enough but, still have the power to maul him if they wanted.

I saw that pony and saw how it didn't budge at all the things that happened within minutes of him getting off of the trailer. Snip that from a few pages ago. I made a thought out decision as a good parent and let him up there.

I UNDERSTAND BAD THINGS CAN HAPPEN and am not operating under a false sense of security. We are taking it slow.

I never rode with a helmet and had been tossed more times than could count. Was my mom an irresponsible parent? no. that's just how we did things back then. I may have a little brain damage for responding to all of this instead of being out and enjoying my day.

Pat, I like you and always enjoy your posts but, please don't beat this. I get it. I would go and take pics of the corall so you can see how small and controlled it is but, I'd be afraid of some other sort of backlash.

Drop it or I'll close this thread.

 

[hippichick]

I think it would be a shame to close down this thread. Why don't one of you guys start your own thread on horse and rider safety, and let this thread be about Erin's new rescue and how she and her family are enjoying him. I think Erin has been very patient. If it were me, I would not have been so patient. It's a shame when members are afraid to post pics for fear of being slammed for one reason or another. Just saying...

 

[babyblue]

I have ridden and owned horses for the majority of my life, I have also been and emt for quite a while. Something that happens very often when small children fall is they tend to land head first rather then body first like an adult or teenager. The specific reason is children are head heavy, their heads are heavier in proportion to their bodies then an adults and the head tends to land first. I have honestly never seen a body injury in a small child that came from falling off a horse. When they wear a helmet they fall roll and get back up. The children that don’t wear helmets don’t always get back up.

No one is out to make you a bad parent, but the real truth is we care about your kid and would rather not seem him hurt. A helmet could very well easily save his life. My sisters and I would not be alive today if it was not for properly fitting helmets. My twin took a header into a fence post, destroyed the post and helmet and walked away from that. My younger sister took a header into the ground and cut a 15 foot long 5 inch deep trench in sod and walked away from it. I had a horse bolt under a branch and hit so hard it split the helmet in two. Also had a neighbors dog bite my horse while I was ridding, that helmet has a dent the size of a soft ball in it. Both of those instances I got up and walked away from. Every horse we were ridding was old quite and sweet, but some serious extenuating circumstances caused us to get thrown or fall. Whole point being is you cant prevent every accident, but you can prevent head injuries by wearing a helmet.

 

[littlefarm_bighappy]

I am suspicious of that 'hernia' too. Not midline, diffuse, etc. I agree it looks more like a fatty tumor than a hernia.

He looks full haflinger to me, and very cute.

Please let us know what your vet says... I am curious as to what that is on his side.

 

[littlefarm_bighappy]

Quote:
My daughter broke her arm in a fall from our 11.2 hand pony this Jan. Clean ulna and radial fracture. Pony was just walking in a pasture and shook- just like a dog shakes when he's wet. She flew over his shoulder. Pony didn't even step sideways,

Doc and nurses said she was the first horse injury they'd seen, he'd been an orthopedic resident in this major hospital for two years now.



She was wearing a helmet. It had a big mud stain and scratch on it from a rock.

I see kids ride without helmets all the time, and it doesn't bug me, cuz I know they'll most likelu be fine. I just seem to be the one that tragedies happen to, so I daren't push my luck

.

 

[Msbear]

getting a helmet today. His instructor is letting us borrow one until we get one. Thanks everyone.