Yikes!

If you plan to leave your horse tied somehow, alone, for any amount of time, then make sure he cannot get caught up on anything nearby! I was tacking Limerick up behind a horse that was left unattended on one cross-tie last night, and he began sniffing around at the stalls near him. I kept one half-eye on him but was occupied with tacking up, and the next thing I knew he had hooked his halter over the lever handle of a water spigot and was thrashing his head around frantically while pulling back on the spigot with all his strength.

We were on the cross-ties behind him and if he had fallen backwards, he would have gone into Lim and I. Since I was in the compromising position of 'just about to bridle' and had the reins over Lim's neck but the headstall still in my hands, so the first thought that flashed through my head was "Can I safely get Limerick out of the way before this horse completely loses it?" My gut said no, so instead I said "WHOA!!!" and fortunately he stopped thrashing around. I then yelled for his owner to come back, and she came running around the corner. He had on a heavy duty nylon halter and it had frayed so badly at the crown that she couldn't use it anymore. The spigot, as well as the wood and insulation around the pipe, was yanked out the ground at a 45 degree angle (luckily there were no leaks).

Also lucky was the horse--fortunately he was fine, but I am sure he is feeling it today. 

The horse's owner was only gone for a minute, so kids, let this be a lesson....you never know what kind of trouble a horse can get into, so it's best to take as many precautions as you can ahead of time. Some accidents are unavoidable, but not all of them.

The water spigot after