Small donkey mishap + lessons learned

[shoffman]

I’m apprenticing for Donn Hewes at the Northland Sheep Dairy and was tedding yesterday with his four-year old donkey, Eddie, and an eight-year old mule, George. I made a few passes and then stopped to let the team rest, and got off the forecart with lines in hand. When I went to get back on the forecart, Eddie started to move before I had said anything but I was able to stop the team before anything really happened. This should have warned me that I should be watching Eddie a little more closely but not thinking too much of it, I went back to tedding, did a few more passes and stopped again to rest.
This time, we were stopped facing the barn (maybe 50 yards away) and I went to step back on the forecart before I really had the lines sorted in my hand. Eddie repeated what he did the last time we stopped, but without me having the lines sorted I wasn’t able to whoa him before he had moved significantly, and without me being on the forecart I really had no means of control via the lines. Eddie and George are at this point cantering away towards the barn with me running along the forecart (stupid) convinced that I might be able to turn them into an obstacle and stop them. I trip and fall and still hold on to the lines (still stupid), getting dragged for a few seconds before I realize how easily I could get run over by the tedder and then let go. Eddie and George run twenty more yards before they are stopped by Maryrose (Donn’s wife) who thankfully happened to be in the vicinity. I wanted to wait for a few minutes to process but she rightfully suggested that I take the team back out then and keep tedding, which I did. We finished tedding and went back to the barn with no major problems, sans a few scrapes and a now-embedded personal wariness towards Eddie.
Lessons learned (including some derived during a conversation with Donn about the incident):
1) Being calm and relaxed is good but you also gotta be alert (I was being too complacent around a non-fully-trained animal).
2) One has to catch these things before they turn into events (me yelling whoa and pulling on the lines after they had started running was not nearly as effective as me preventing them from running in the first place)
3) Trying to stop them after they had already started running when I wasn’t on the forecart was a pretty dangerous situation, I should have just let go before I tripped.
4) Situational awareness- Eddie a) hasn’t been worked too frequently recently b) wants to go back to the barn c) when we stopped, we were facing the barn- I could have stopped them facing away from the barn and the situation could have been avoided.

Any comments on this situation that might help me learn more things would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,
Scott

[Dale D]

Glad you’re safe. It appears your schooling came at a small price. One thing I have learned being around horses, whether riding or driving is you never know what’s up next, the only thing is to try to stop it before it becomes a problem. Stay safe

[Rod44]

I had a similar incident once. They stepped ahead as I was gathering the lines to get on the forecart. It must have suprised them as they took off. Luckily as it turned out, I only ended up with one line, the one on my side. I just planted my feet and hauled on the line and they made about three circles around me at a gallop. Then I was able to work my way up the line closer to them amd got them under control. You can’t stop them if you are behind them going the same way they are. Have to turn them to get control. I stepped on to the forecart and they behaved the rest fo the time. I think they were kind of embarrested.

[dominiquer60]

I watched a similar run-a-way with an experienced teamster last year, it can happen to anyone if you are not paying attention.

[Rod44]

“Paying attention” is the key to most misshaps.

[Tim Harrigan]

It is important to, as you did, go over the event and recognize where things went wrong and what you might have done to avoid the problem. This was a good learning experience. It won’t be the last.

[Jeroen]

Luckily it ended well. I would like to add to the good advice that as an apprentice you should have been warned for Eddy’s behaviour. For your sake if you work someone elses animals ask for their general behaviour (pushy, laidback, spooky, sleepy, etc.) and (but you know this by now) how often they are worked, this helps you in adapting you own attitude towards the team.

[Author]

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