Owner speaks up after horse trapped in overturned lorry for hours on motorway
The owner of a horse who was stuck in an overturned horsebox for hours after an accident has spoken up to help prevent others going through a similar ordeal.
Sue Garrard and her mare River Rise Onassis escaped serious injury on the M6 on 14 September, but Ms Garrard told H&H the situation could have been far worse. She was travelling “Sassy” back from the LeMieux National Dressage Championships, where she had come third in the six-year-old final with Sadie Smith, when her 4.5t box was hit from behind.
“It was horrendous,” she said. “We’re both pretty battered and bruised, and she’s got one quite deep wound that we have to be very careful about. But I thought she was dead.”
Ms Garrard said conditions were bad – driving rain, squally gusts and standing water. She was driving carefully, leaving a good braking distance in front.
“I saw some brake lights ahead and started to brake very gradually,” she said. “Then I felt a violent hit from behind and the horsebox started to fishtail. It veered from side to side a few times, while I attempted to straighten and also braking, but I felt it topple over.
“We skidded along on the driver’s side and came to a halt across all three lanes.”
Ms Garrard realised she was not badly hurt and climbed out of the passenger window.
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“The horse was panicking and struggling violently, and I feared the worst,” she said. “I had to find some way of getting to the horse urgently without endangering my own life.”
Members of the public offered help, including another rider who called 999 and was trying to find an emergency vet.
“The horse was terrified and at first, some cars were sneaking past on the hard shoulder; each triggered a fresh panic from her,” Ms Garrard said. “It’s hard to put into words the level of distress I was feeling about my horse’s situation, but I knew staying calm for her was essential. Someone put their vehicle across the hard shoulder so no car could pass, and I dangled into the horse area, to try to hold her and soothe her.
“The fire brigade came and I asked if a vet had been called, since the horse urgently needed sedation to avoid catastrophic injury. She was standing on all four limbs and there was no extreme bleeding, but she was surrounded by sharp metal, glass and broken fibreglass and occasionally would panic and try to get out.”
Although she was told repeatedly that a vet was five to 10 minutes away, Ms Garrard spent three hours dangling, supported by a firefighter, until the vet arrived and Sassy was sedated, cut free and taken to hospital.”
“Key points that would be really valuable for the horse world are: who’s supposed to have an up-to-date list of equine vets?” Ms Garrard said. “Waiting three hours was unbearable and nobody seemed to know whose responsibility it was. And the vet was sent to the wrong place, or went to the wrong place, twice. It’s basic protocols that say, if this happens, the people who need to be prepared are prepared.”
Ms Garrard said all horse owners and emergency services should be able to find out where the nearest vets are and which are attached to a hospital, so the right person can be called immediately. She would like to see more consistent use of the what3words app, which pinpoints exact locations so it would allow vets to get there more quickly. She is also urging others to check breakdown cover.
Checking cover
“I was told, when I called my broker the next morning, my breakdown policy didn’t cover this because it was an accident, not a breakdown,” she said. “I’m challenging this, and it appears the small print says an accident is part of the cover. I had hotel and travel expenses, and the horse ambulance, which cost £3,360. Many people would struggle to cover these costs out of the blue. Being certain your cover will pick up these costs really matters.”
Another key point is safety of horseboxes. H&H has reported before on the fact that there are no minimum standards to which they must be built by law and although Ms Garrard’s Foxy was structurally only superficially damaged, not all lorries are so well made.
“I’ve never asked about safety of design and construction and I’ve bought four horseboxes,” Ms Garrard said. “I hear some have a great reputation for robust construction while others don’t. I have so many questions. What are the key questions to ask when we buy a lorry?”
Prospective buyers are urged to have horseboxes independently inspected before the sale for safety, as there are no legal standards.
Foxy Horseboxes’ Hannah Gould told H&H she is relieved that “after such a traumatic event for everyone, this young horse with such an exciting future will be able to continue her journey with Sadie and Sue”.
Mrs Gould, whose husband Andrew travels horses from youngstock to grand prix dressage horses in Foxy lorries, added that the company is continually updating and developing with safety and practicality in mind. And he urged owners to ensure all lorries are continually maintained, and buyers of second-hand horseboxes to have them inspected beforehand with safety in mind.
Vet directory
British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) CEO David Mountford told H&H that BEVA’s Safer Horse Rescues scheme supports emergency services by ensuring they can access the appropriate veterinary assistance for rescues involving horses.
“The initiative was set up more than 20 years ago by BEVA with help from Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service and the British Horse Society,” he said. “BEVA’s Safer Horse Rescues practice directory is a list of equine practices by county, which have volunteered to be available for call-outs from emergency services. The directory is available online and in emergency services call centres. BEVA also manages a small emergency rescue fund to help practices with costs associated with a rescue where the owner of the horse cannot be traced.”
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.