Altercation with a horse!!

[Feasty]

Oh man am I in pain tonight, and unable to sleep!

I was travelling back home from work about 10.30pm last Tuesday night on a dark country road, no streetlights, houses nearby etc. When I saw a shadow up ahead in the road against the night clouds, I had no idea what it was - a hedgehog, person, cow etc!! So I slammed the brakes on, locked the back a little bit, but the shadow seemed to have disappeared.
Next thing I know, a bloody horses head appears 2 feet in front of me in my headlights and I slam into the thing throwing me off my bike.

I landed hard on my right shoulder and slid a fair way, the bike went off even further ahead of me - I'd say I was doing 30-40ish on impact. The horse appears to have got away without serious injury (how!!) and I've now got a fractured collar bone.

Had an operation on it last Thursday and it's now plated, got home earlier today. Can't believe it, 9 years of riding and successfully avoiding bad drivers and Get taken out by a fucking horse!!!

So how the hell do I sleep with a broken clavicle? Looking online I'm wondering if I'll need a reclining chair for the next 2 months...


On the plus side, the police found the horse's owners and it had escaped from a nearby field - they have got Public Liability Insurance which hopefully means I won't have too much trouble claiming.
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Previous: Aprilia Habana Retro 50cc (beauty), Yamaha SR125 (fell apart), Honda XR125 (nippy little commuter), Honda SLR650 (Geewhizz), Yamaha Diversion 900S (Smoooooth) written off courtesy of a stupid escaped horse.
(7 year gap), BMW F650 (Relaxing ride). Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 (Big and bold). Yamaha FZS600 (got me in trouble too quick!).
Current: Yamaha TDM 900 (Comfy, light but big, power when needed).

[DrDonnyBrago]

WTF!

Hope you heal ok, also I can't wait for the paint diagram

[Walloper]

You may have to prove the owners were negligent before you win any compen from them.
May be a legal struggle.
Unless they admit liability.
If you can prove to a judge that the owner knew the animal was not secure reported broken fence etc.
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W-ireless A-rtificial L-ifeform L-imited to O-bservation P-eacekeeping and E-fficient R-epair

[L-Jam]

On a scale of crashes, this is pretty fucking epic. Seriously shit about the clavicle though mate, get well soon!
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Journalist, student, egotist.
Click here if you're a young biker, wondering what to do after a moped/125!
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[Bubbs]

https://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/01293/mred_1293879i.jpg

Too tired to think of a good caption! But im sure someone else will come up with something.
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Life begins at the end of your comfort zone.

[Nick 50]

[Walloper]

This won't help your pain or your claim.
A polis man will aye say tae anyone, "Only drive at a speed that you can see clearly far enough in front to stop."
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W-ireless A-rtificial L-ifeform L-imited to O-bservation P-eacekeeping and E-fficient R-epair

[Teflon-Mike]

Dyslexia kicked in; I read title as "Acceleration with a Hurse"

So on a lighter note; could I ask you aquestrian?

Do you now know what it feels like to look a ghost horse in the mouth?

Do you think that the horses owner could make a plea on the grounds of deminished responsibility, claiming the horse was un-stable?

Trouble of course is that whatever they do now, is like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted.....

Well... main thing is you survived.... but a loose HORSE!

I have to say; twenty odd years ago I went on a riding holiday with my Gran in Wales. When we arrived there was a rather banana'd volvo estate car in the farm-yard, looked like some-one had come off the road, at speed and not just wrapped it round a tree, but tried playing skittles with a forrest....

First day, after our ride; I grumbled that I didn't really 'ride'; the dosile old mare they stuck me on, just followed the other horses... cropped the grass and farted a lot!

Next day; they gave me a different horse; dapple grey colt. He was a little bit livlier...... but quarter of a mile from the stables up the lane, one of the hands was coming back from running an errand.... on his CX500....

I reined the colt over and patted his kneck, to let the bike go past; but next thing I know three stable girls are boxing me in with thier big mares!

When we got back, they explained...... "See that?" pointing at the balled up Volvo..."THAT is what happened last time your horse heard that motorbike!"

Always been a BIT wary about bikes and horses since then!

But, one of those very bizarre occurrences; many, many years ago, before I was actually old enough to hold a driving licence; and living in a rural area with school mates dotted about up to 30 miles away, and no busses, I would sort of take my trials bike down the back-lanes to go visit.... Not far from my Grans, where the bike lived, and on the back-lane I used to get to my G/F's of the time, was a Stud Farm.... came round a corner, on the brow of a blind bend, down gravel strewn track, past the Stud, into a very tight Z-bend, with a T-Junction imedietly after......

So I would come over the brow of the hill, and be 'ring a ting-tining, bliping down the gears on the over run, for the Z-Bands as I past the farm....

Anyhow; would come down the hill, and often there would be some-one in the yard, and they'd grimace as I past.... and I supposed bikes, and as like as not, MY bike, were something of an annoyance to them...

So, there I was one day; bored; hopped on the bike; popping over to G/F's, zing-a-ding past the farm on my way over, only to discover she was out shopping with her mum, so back I came again...

Barely fifteen minutes later, and as I came out of the Z-Bend... woman, in Jodpers, middle of the road, waving her arms around, flagging me down....

"Oh Gawd; THIS means trouble!" Heart pounding; thinking about the fact bike has no lights, only a token number plate; me; no licence......

THEN I realise, as I round the corner, that they are trying to load a frisky horse in a horse box... still panicking, but hoping I can bluff it out...... I kill the engine and wait..... they get the horse sorted out, and as they are battoning down the doors, woman in Jodpurs starts walking towards me.....

Bike, hot, not having any, as I try and kick it back into life..... she gets to me before I get it running....

"Terribly sorry about that!" She says, pointing at the horse box; "BLUDY TOWNIES!.... little princess wants a horse, and they DONT (with very clipped 'oh' in the middle) have a CLUE (another very precice and exagerated OOO pre-nun-see-a-chun!).... well, THANK you so much for stopping your engine. Helped tremendousely; Bludy Townies! See you come past quite a lot; you know your the ONLY one that slows down and doesn't let thier engine SCREAM when you come past the horses; it IS apreee-she-ated, you know!"

And walked back to the farm!

Hmmmm...

But, yup; picture of that Volvo, lingers..... if THAT is what half a ton of animal can do to a Sweedish Safety-Mobile, I dread to think what one could to to a motorbike and rider.... though I did always wonder at the natural justice at play; Volvo, natural enemy of the Biker; biker, and a horse; bike annoys horse, horse beats up Volvo on bikers behalf!
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Current Bikes:'Honda VF1000F' ;'CB750F2N' ;'CB125TD ( 6 3 of em!)'; 'Montesa Cota 248'. Learner FAQ's:= 'U want to Ride a Motorbike! Where Do U start?'

[P.]

https://s-ak.buzzfed.com/static/imagebuzz/web02/2009/10/30/15/look-at-my-horse-my-horse-is-amazing-363-1256931482-31.jpg

https://imagemacros.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/im_a_horse.jpg

Hope you heal well mate... horses aren't top of my "to avoid" list... but they have now moved up a notch

[Minty]

[Howling TerrorOutOfOffice]

You crashed in a new and interesting way.
Bonus, you live.
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Diabolical homemade music Bandcamp and Soundcloud
Singer songwriter, Artist and allround good bloke Listen to Andrew Susan Johnston here
The Harry Turner Project

[Feasty]

Well a horse isn't something I was really expecting in the middle of the road that's for sure!!

I'm with Ebike so I'm hoping they'll sort out any insurance problems, though every time I see "Have you had an accident...?" adverts I do wonder if they'd get me any more of a payout!

I'm guessing my bike is also going to be written off as it isn't worth that much anymore, all the fairings and one side of the engine casing and exhaust are badly dented and sanded down from road rash!!
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Previous: Aprilia Habana Retro 50cc (beauty), Yamaha SR125 (fell apart), Honda XR125 (nippy little commuter), Honda SLR650 (Geewhizz), Yamaha Diversion 900S (Smoooooth) written off courtesy of a stupid escaped horse.
(7 year gap), BMW F650 (Relaxing ride). Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 (Big and bold). Yamaha FZS600 (got me in trouble too quick!).
Current: Yamaha TDM 900 (Comfy, light but big, power when needed).

[doggone]

[Feasty]

However in this case the field the horse had escaped from had 2-3 other horses in it and the owners obviously told the police they thought the horses were secure and couldn't understand how it had escaped.
Either way I'm pretty sure they don't have a leg to stand on - but we'll see how it all goes!
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Previous: Aprilia Habana Retro 50cc (beauty), Yamaha SR125 (fell apart), Honda XR125 (nippy little commuter), Honda SLR650 (Geewhizz), Yamaha Diversion 900S (Smoooooth) written off courtesy of a stupid escaped horse.
(7 year gap), BMW F650 (Relaxing ride). Aprilia Caponord ETV1000 (Big and bold). Yamaha FZS600 (got me in trouble too quick!).
Current: Yamaha TDM 900 (Comfy, light but big, power when needed).

[Nexus Icon]

I'd be really surprised if you have any problems whatsoever claiming. It's not like the horse is going to give his side of the story in some sort of counter-claim.

These things can happen, horses can escape and leave no evidence of their route out - I've seen it happen myself. The owners will know that too and it sounds like they've already done the responsible thing by having an insurance policy in place. It could have been so much harder for you to get any compensation otherwise.

Horses are hard-headed bastards too so you wouldn't have stood much of a chance of winning that particular battle. You're probably lucky it wasn't worse, tbh.

Heal quickly, fella.
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Greetings from Shitsville!

[Clanger]

[HD]

I would have shitter myself. Cos if you hit it, one would think it would come after you!

Glad your okay though.
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Rusty '02 Vito Camper + CBR600F3

[Im-a-Ridah]

At least you escaped without serious injury

[ClockworkJesu...]

Damn! Lucky you're okay!

Dad once told me a story about a guy he knew who was a little nutty to begin with, and used to carry a huge hunting knife with him;

anyway, he was riding down a country road on his bike at night - as you do - when he hit something, causing him to come off. He had no idea what he'd hit, but grabbing his blade, he found whatever it was he'd hit and stabbed it 'till it stopped moving.

In the morning it turned out to be a deer; but it could have been anything!
Them country lanes are dangerous.
Ride safe buddy.

[Mehty]

First another member claimed there was elephants on the round about, now horses?!

sounds like natures out to get us for killing kittens with our carbon foot print

EDIT - Just remembered a friend of mine wrote his car off after driving into a cow on a country lane
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2007 YBR 125 (sold), 2011 ER6-N (sold), LHD 1999 GSX750F (sold), ??????

[Villers]

I know a girl that hit an escaped horse in her car. Ended up with a written off car and a broken neck from wher it crushed the car's roof and her. Very bad circumstance but it took AGES to sort out (these things do I suppose) but she used to come out round time in her 'cage' and at christmas it had tinsel on it.

Glad you're not too badly beaten up, same for the horse realy not its fault its an animal after all.

Good luck sorting it all out
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RS125 > CBR6 > SV650S > ZX636R > GSX1300RZ Hayabusa > 06 RSVR Mille > SV1000S > Street Triple 765 RS

[Howling TerrorOutOfOffice]

Also...BEWARE DONKEYS if you crash in a field

[ NSFW] https://youtu.be/JPMZfxUeLvk
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Diabolical homemade music Bandcamp and Soundcloud
Singer songwriter, Artist and allround good bloke Listen to Andrew Susan Johnston here
The Harry Turner Project

[Germ]

Hope your clavicle recovers soon,just count your blessings you saw the shadow first and had slowed a little.

I have a good horsey story.We got turned out (fire brigade) to a person's reported in Chester-le-Street,Co Durham and were blatting along with the blues flashing and as we turned a bend the driver hit the siren.2 horses being ridden on the road just round the bend got a bit spooked and one of them went totally mental and repeatedly kicked the locker shutters on one side of the appliance.We had to stop and put ourselves off call and request another appliance be sent.
Off the top of my head there was something like £5-6k damage .....the mechanics chipped in and bought the driver a nice trophy with a horse on top.Same driver threw a piston rod while turning out and the mechanics polished it and mounted it on a plinth engraved with "For being the worst driver in the brigade"

Guess you're also lucky the horse wasn't facing away from you! Imagine trying to explain why you have your head up a horses arse

[R6 Wilson]

Stupid fucking animals
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♥ YZF-R6 '05 ♥
Time is money so I stay late

[leonski]

maybe u should ride through the new forest at nite apart from dodging horses as well as cows even red deer like to walk out in front of me

loud noise,bright headlight even a stupid human would know something is coming ????

i think u were very lucky as most bike v horse usually end up with a hurt horse and no biker to tell a story
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