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msar-riders - [MSAR] You only get the chance to blow your hand off once when shooting a firework....

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  • From: Karen Nesbitt <spanishequines@yahoo.com>
  • To: MSAR <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>, "Mounted search and rescue in Illinois USA." <msar-il@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [MSAR] You only get the chance to blow your hand off once when shooting a firework....
  • Date: Mon, 5 Jul 2010 13:28:40 -0700 (PDT)

After the first time, you simply cannot do that again or so the rest of that line would go....
 
 
IN RESPONSE TO:
 
Message: 3
Date: Mon, 5 Jul 2010 07:34:52 -0400
From: "Lila Corey" <Caballera@embarqmail.com>
To: "Mounted search and rescue" <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [MSAR] Amazing and so sad.
Message-ID: <5A5B70A6F2BF4551BDBDFF57DF6A36D8@computerwr8keu>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1"

Karen,
My neighbors always fire off too- I have just gotten so I put my horses up in the barn earlier that day in preparation for it.  It is a real nuisance as well as hazard, fire and safety.

I used to be in charge of the "equine" part of our towns parades, (that came in response of a drunk rider one year)-- and due to my pleading, they finally quit throwing candy in the streets, (which is a horrible safety hazard period, with cars, bands, and horses) ---- the bad thing is,  when an accident occurs involving horses, I guarantee you someone will decide now to ban horses from the parade- that is what happened in one of our local town's parades...

Lila 

----->>>>>
 
Lila,
Im sorry but  I would have to terribly disagree in allowing the fireoffs.  The law is the law.  conceding to the bad behaivior does not make it right.  And while I am a horseman and I know anything can go especially on the fourth, their ignoring the law and any lack of enforcement is jeoprodizing peoples lives and dare I say wrecklessly?
 
In my particular case, I do not have a barn that animals can go in where they are stalled..  They have a shelter.  The reverbiration of the M-80 or whatever the HEQQ that firework bomb was echoed in that shelter and through the prairie and woodland here so loudly and while I was out there feeding and I was on foot when this incident occured.  The neighbor gave no notice to anyone living here what time the harangue would start, he never does and as said, it is illegal, dangerous and risks lives not only in the livestock handlers, excuse me, firing the works over the highway, into the woods and over peoples houses???  Im not a willing participant when it comes to someone pointing a cannon at my home, my barn or my person, no less stampeding my animals maybe through a fence to add more traffic to a busy highway.  That would be absurd.
 
Where is the peoples insurance?   There are quite a few homes in this wooded and prairied area and it would take many fire departments to contain a fire should one occur in this neck of the woods.  Even the state gets hesitant in doing a control prairie burning  of the neighboring conservation for fear of fire raging  and regarding the cost of insurance.  Like I said, do the naughties want to buy a house, can they pay for lives lost?  I think not when things go ugly in a hurry.
 
Are they willing to pay for medical bills incase of injury?  No, chances are they will lie and try to weasel out of any injury going not me......They take a chance, put every one at risk and have no way to replace the irreplaceable.  Even with insurance they could not afford the losses and like insurance is available to cover them when they are doing something that is illegal?   Hello, since when can a crininal buy insurance to do a crime? 
 
You only get the chance to blow your hand off once firing off a firework...After you lose your hand, you cannot do that again. They are no professional firework displayers when it comes to it.  And the way I see you thinking there... Im not with you.
 
Let me tell you something, some ten plus years ago my woods was set afire by a negligent neighbor, and the trees have scars to this day and the woodland has declined and now the woods has been opened up to diease and a change of ecology. The owner at the time did not get nearly enough to cover any damages.  Peoples stupidity and ignorance in that they know not what they do does not make this at all right.  Individuals like me who have unique peices of ground work very hard in protecting such land and when things go south.. things get and will get testy and ugly for good reason.   But it is obvious to me, we live in a world that people dont take the time to care about what they do or where they go and cannot assume their own responsibility because their mentality does not allow for it.  Then they think the world is against them and oh, the conspiracy.  Yeah right.  They break the law and its a conspiracy.
 
People think they can do anything they want, they shot fireworks, they dump, they pollute, they drive or hunt where they are not welcome and then to hold a torch to others heads?  Pure stupidity.  You damage ground that you change the ecosystem on, you lose something precious forever. But they dont care.  My land has rare species of flora and fauna and people playing stupid with me are not really welcome.  We do not condon the trespassers and law breakers. I butt up with State conservation ground and they dont wan t the idiots either.
 
You make one exception you invite a pile of trouble and some people are so blatanly stupid they just do not get it even if you have told them NO before.  I just love it when the lawbreakers too will tell you the landowner said they could and you know damn well that never happened or they tear down no tresspassing signs....  Or the fools that lose their dogs only to say oops.. and that is no excuse for entering another persons land without permission.
 
The laws are made for good reason.  I feel condoning the bad behaviour almost makes you an accessory to the crime.  But that is my opinion.  (Im itching to hear what Irv would have to add to this!)
 
----------------------------
ANYWAY ON PARADES -
I used to organize groups for parades too.  My experience riding in one in particular, the well known Chicago Christmas parade for one is one parade that they require all horses and riders that are entered to have prior parade experience.  This parade is huge business and huge entries including those wild helium balloons and those commercial floats.  Our unit had one of those balloons in the group ahead of us.  A wind caught the balloon and took it down.  Some of the horses even with long term parade experience in that parade were edgy but our group did fine and inspite of cold and snowy weather.  In some parades I have ridden in, I would often carry a flag.  Winds can wind a flag around a horses head in a hurry and if you are not experienced you will have trouble and there is nothing like Old Glory slapping you in the face at the wrong time too.
 
The Chicago parades will not allow riders in with out a certain amount of experience.  Trick is, like in our at the time elite group, how do you pull say ten people together from all over the country to get togther to do a parade?  I had to advertise and had to screen my riders and then we got approval from the parade board based on applications and photos.  In our group, ten horses presented themselves that never rode together before other than 3 of them and you can bet I was nervous being its organizer, but things went great!  I was also setting precidence for our entry and when you are the first to, that makes thing quite the challenge when you want TV  camera perfection. That particular parade in the past has always been one for extreme organization.  Joy Mierhans, a fantasic chair was great to work with back then.  My group was a selection of Paso Fino stallions and mares and geldings all riding peaceful together.  I have not done that parade in many years now as I have gotten away from showing and demos etc.  And while it is an exciting thing to do, Im not missing the risks.
 
Small town parades are a lot less officially organized than that particular parade.  Many small towns do not screen riders as thorough and should and lots of times assume they are capable in their abilities.  You show up, they hand you a position in the lineup and off you go many times.    I think the smaller hometown parades put themselves at greater risk because they do not take the time to screen riders and anyone can slip in.  Many are getting smart and organizing almost a year ahead now to keep things on an even keel and to keep that "drunken" rider out..
 
We also have driven in parades.  Driving in a parade is extremely dangerous for horses and ponies slipping in rigs and such.  Many times animals are not prepared for the start up of the parade and the music and noises the beginning brings and training for things like this at home is difficult.
 
I am fortuneate I live on a highway and can ride in my front area which is fenced and the speeding cars and noisy trucks are good to work near on the oppisite side of the fence.  I have trained our horses when possible to handle LARGE equipment. Semis, combines, whatever a neighboring friend can allow for us to ride near if possible and honk that horn or roll that reel!   Parades are not arena work.  You lose control of your mount and you could have a runaway with instant injury at any time.
 
Sometimes cars or farm machinery will backfire.  Things like this are always a startle to horse and rider and when you are on pavement and you get a startle on your horse...you could easily prompt your mount into a bad behavior or get hurt.  The majority of injuries are rider error.  Dont forget the sirens, and whistles, marching bands and twirling batons...
 
Having read this article with the 23 persons injured and one killed, it sounded like a peice of equipment failure.. a bridle slipped.  I have to ask how a bridle slipped, did they not take the time to secure their gear?  Was someone in a hurry, did the tack just break or come undone?  People get into hurrys when its time to line up in a parade and late arrivals are often good for quicky tack ups and can easily miss a beat.  And who among us that has showed have not had a peice of equipment come up missing and the show must go on And no matter how careful, accidents do happen.
 
 My heart goes out to especially these children that were hurt.  The group could have been very well versed too in parades but when equipment fails.. obviously things can go bad in a hurry.  Amazingly the town pulled so quickly together in their triage.
 
The town now has had a rude eye opener as to what could happen.  They suffered an accident of the worst kind and had a good past history.  It opens a big can of worms regarding insurance for them now I am sure.  Who knows if the cost of that would boot the horses out of the next one.  Its a shame things happen, but we live in a different society than years ago and things are more complicated than ever when it gets right down to the injuries or worse.  As a horseman, I do hope they can get beyond this tragedy and continue on in allowing the animals in.  They have to think outside the box. 
 
I am also a horseman with a disability so I know much about to do when it comes to having suffered with injuries and riding with same.  Beleive me, people who see anyone on a horse, they dont care about you and if you look like you can handle something that weighs 900plus pounds, the idiots love to test your abilities no matter what.  Its a shame we have plenty of idiots to go around.  If your on it, and riding they think you are normal.  People are ignorant and have often times no clue.  One day, it comes they learn the hard way, but I am always reminded that some cannot learn at all.  They just like to abuse people and animals taking their chance when they can.
 
Well, anyway,  I have rambled on,  but I do hope my experiences teach someone else to always think outside the box.
 
May you always be safe and your mount ever steady.  I do hope you will rethink your position in any of the fire-offs.  The life or barn you save might be your own.
 
Karen Nesbitt
 
 
 
 
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