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Post by mollymckee on Oct 24, 2016 4:36:28 GMT
A week ago our niece was loading her 29year old gelding in the trailer to get his teeth floated and he blew up as our nephew shut the door. Somehow the lead rope ended up around her right middle finger and when the horse went flying back it took the finger off at the first knuckle, hanging only by a piece of skin. They spent most of the night reattaching the finger but were not very encouraging. It dose look like the finger will reattach, both sides of the cut are painful and the color is good.
I think we get so used to a well behaved horse that we forget they can do serious damage.
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Post by horseyrider on Oct 24, 2016 11:18:32 GMT
This is excellent advice, mollymckee. And I'll add that it's usually a good idea to wear gloves when handling ropes. Many times, the rope will grab just the glove, and the hand can pull free. That's why most ropers wear them. They've seen folks get what your niece got. I hope your niece regains the use of her finger. What a sad and difficult lesson.  |
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Post by aoconnor on Oct 24, 2016 12:53:56 GMT
That's awful. I'm so sorry your niece was injured, and will be praying for her finger to recover fully.
Horses are so huge and powerful, they can sure do a lot of damage in a short time frame. Even the old guys. While I don't wear gloves all the time when handling my horses, I do always wear them when loading or unloading, and while at vet visits. I also never loop a rope around my hand, I always make sure the rope is looped so that I am holding it in the center with my hand, not around my hand. So many don't realize how fast a rope can be pulled tight, and a hand can be riuned in that instant. My ropes are always able to be fully dropped out of my hand if necessary. I learned that years ago, have always kept after it and have taught it to my grandkids and others handling my horses.
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Post by here to stay on Oct 24, 2016 15:26:13 GMT
Such reminders are always good. I too hope your niece get better soon. That is a painful injury.
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Post by Woodpecker on Oct 24, 2016 16:26:50 GMT
Prayers for your niece coming her way...my father owned race horses. The main thing he said about them, which I have remembered since a child..."you can never fully trust a horse" he too had many mishaps in the years that he owned them.
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Post by wildhorseluvr on Oct 24, 2016 19:47:50 GMT
Sorry to hear about the accident, prayers for a good recovery. When I was young I met a lady who had lost most of the fingers on one hand.  She told me she was loading a horse in the trailer, using a flat nylon lead rope she'd wrapped around her hand. The horse reared back and the rope sliced her fingers off. I went home and tossed out every flat nylon rope I had, and have never touched one since or allowed my family to use them. I've seen some horses very badly injured by those flat nylon leads too. (Not saying that's what your niece used, just that they're dangerous.) I also always fold the excess rope back and forth rather than making a loop. A lot less chance you'll get it wrapped around your hand. In my experience people often get hurt because they take a short cut or do something different "just this one time." Someone I knew was grooming their horse (who was tied) and decided to duck under the front of their horse instead of walking around to the other side. The normally calm horse startled and struck the owner in the head with a hoof, knocking them out. This was a well trained, quiet horse, just half asleep at a bad time. Murphy's law always seems to be in effect around livestock. |
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Post by bergere on Oct 28, 2016 13:28:09 GMT
Sending healing thoughts to your niece.
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Post by shellymay on Oct 29, 2016 3:47:49 GMT
mollymckee, I pray that your niece gets to keep her finger....and thanks for the reminder!
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Post by mollymckee on Oct 31, 2016 5:43:49 GMT
It looks like our nieces finger will be okay, the doctor took the stitches out Friday and was suprized. He told her that had she been a man he wouldn't have tried to reattach it. She does seem to have some motion in the severed part, there are still pins in it so it is hard to know how much motion she will have. The color is good and the swelling is much less, although she assures me it really hurts. This is one time you like to see pain as long as it's in both parts of her finger!
She was using a round cotton lead to load with. She isn't sure what happened, but thinks the horse startled when her husband started to close the trailer door. He has been hauled a lot, so maybe he is starting to loose some vision and didn't see the door shutting until it scared him? Or maybe he decided to be a Jerk. Our daughter took him to the vets without any problems. They said that was the third finger that was lost this year on the way there.
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Post by aoconnor on Oct 31, 2016 12:58:03 GMT
It looks like our nieces finger will be okay, the doctor took the stitches out Friday and was suprized. He told her that had she been a man he wouldn't have tried to reattach it. She does seem to have some motion in the severed part, there are still pins in it so it is hard to know how much motion she will have. The color is good and the swelling is much less, although she assures me it really hurts. This is one time you like to see pain as long as it's in both parts of her finger! She was using a round cotton lead to load with. She isn't sure what happened, but thinks the horse startled when her husband started to close the trailer door. He has been hauled a lot, so maybe he is starting to loose some vision and didn't see the door shutting until it scared him? Or maybe he decided to be a Jerk. Our daughter took him to the vets without any problems. They said that was the third finger that was lost this year on the way there. So glad to hear she is doing so well! I iwll continue to pray for a complete recovery with full use of the finger. |
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Post by wildhorseluvr on Oct 31, 2016 13:48:39 GMT
Very glad to hear of the improved outlook. One of my daughters was simply peeling potatoes one night when the knife slipped and nearly took her thumb off. It healed pretty well, took a long time and she still has some issues, but she has pretty good use of the thumb.
Wow, and with a round cotton lead. That is surprising. Although when you're dealing with horses, I think just about anything's possible.
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Post by countrymom22 on Nov 5, 2016 17:45:14 GMT
One thing you have to remember when working with horses: "It's not a question of IF you get hurt, but when you will get hurt. And how bad it will be. Take all the safety precautions you can, but unfortunately accidents still happen. You just have to accept that fact of life when working with large animals.
Glad to hear your niece is doing well and that the finger looks good. I'll keep sending up prayers for healing.
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Post by mollymckee on Nov 25, 2016 4:21:46 GMT
The pins came out yesterday and our niece has some motion in the whole finger. She will start OT, and will have at least some use of the finger. A much better outcome than expected. Thank you for the prayers, they certainly help, and are comforting as well.
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Post by countrymom22 on Nov 29, 2016 0:09:58 GMT
That is great news mollymckee. I'll continue to keep her in my prayers! |
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She told me she was loading a horse in the trailer, using a flat nylon lead rope she'd wrapped around her hand. The horse reared back and the rope sliced her fingers off. I went home and tossed out every flat nylon rope I had, and have never touched one since or allowed my family to use them. I've seen some horses very badly injured by those flat nylon leads too. (Not saying that's what your niece used, just that they're dangerous.) I also always fold the excess rope back and forth rather than making a loop. A lot less chance you'll get it wrapped around your hand. 
