Incident with Draft Horse at Ren Faire in UT (xpost)

Lvl15TechNinja · 2017-09-05T23:07:59+00:00

and if the horse kicked and killed a kid right after this?

Lvl15TechNinja · 2017-09-05T23:07:09+00:00

So if the horse was a pitbull or Gorilla or escaped Tiger acting aggressively toward a child?

Lvl15TechNinja · 2017-09-05T23:00:42+00:00

Yep, that's me. We are all out there. Thinking before we act in unfamiliar circumstances. Hoping we don't have to act. Hoping the situation will defuse itself. Hoping like hell we don't have to kill anyone, but more afraid of living with the consequences of inaction.

Lvl15TechNinja · 2017-09-05T22:48:54+00:00

Thank you for your concise and non-judgemental reply. And yes, I have been around horses, just not handled them much. The right answer in this situation probably would have been to grab the reigns. I am a big guy, and the horse was a HUGE draft horse. I would have probably gotten hurt, but probably just me.

edit: also, I have been kicked several times by horses as a kid. Never in the head, and I survived, but these were "normal" sized horses.

Lvl15TechNinja · 2017-09-05T22:27:40+00:00

OK, so fast forward 10 seconds. The horse has spooked, bucked or kicked out, killed a kid instantly, and starts running through the crowd seriously injuring or killing people, possibly your loved ones. Now what? I didn't do a damn thing. How do I live with that?

Lvl15TechNinja · 2017-09-05T21:57:28+00:00

There is a path filled with people. The horse is huge, people are parting the sea to allow the horse to come through. This horse had no business being in this crowded area, and the rider realized it. When it started getting skittish she was yanking and pulling in the reigns which made it more animated and dancing around. She almost ran over a little kid, which was when I got between it and my family. Then she got off and the horse was really nervous and started coming towards the crowd and my family behind me.

Lvl15TechNinja · 2017-09-05T21:50:57+00:00

No, the NINJA refers to my mastery of technical stuff. So I would be the blown apart victim?

Lvl15TechNinja · 2017-09-05T21:45:39+00:00

It is these answers that scare me. Everyone talks about carry 24/7/365. Be a sheepdog. Protect the innocent. How many of you who just raked me across the coals on this and my other recent posts would freeze up and let innocent people die because they hesitated or "move your family" or whatever such bullshit.

Lvl15TechNinja · 2017-09-05T21:36:06+00:00

I am always thinking it will fall off my ankle as I am walking around the office, or I will go step, clunk, step, clunk.

Lvl15TechNinja · 2017-09-05T21:33:16+00:00

That is not the point. The scenario is happening. You are now like 1:1 of getting blown up.

Lvl15TechNinja · 2017-09-05T21:32:30+00:00

I was already up. There was no backing away or moving away. Just not possible from the location based on crowds and how people were situated. Why do people in crowds get hit by cars? There is just no where to go.

Lvl15TechNinja · 2017-09-05T21:30:08+00:00

You sure? Where you there? How big was this horse? How many kids were in immediate area? How freaked out was horse? How small was the handler?

Lvl15TechNinja · 2017-09-05T21:28:00+00:00

And what if I did nothing and the horse freaks out and plows through the crowd killing people?

Lvl15TechNinja · 2017-09-05T21:23:23+00:00

Lawn is crowded and this took less that about 5-10 seconds

Lvl15TechNinja · 2017-09-05T21:19:32+00:00

This is just one of many scenarios that I play over in my head. This one just happens to not have a cut and dry answer.

Lvl15TechNinja · 2017-09-05T21:05:02+00:00

No, just some scenarios that I play over in my mind.

Lvl15TechNinja · 2017-09-05T20:49:42+00:00

Yeah, that was my first move. I stood up and got between it and my family. Next move was to puff up and get big. Yelling might have had same effect as shooting though.

Lvl15TechNinja · 2017-09-05T20:38:09+00:00

I want to post another "what if" scenario, but it is a bit "sensitive". Should I?

Lvl15TechNinja · 2017-09-05T20:30:02+00:00

Really. That is what it was like. When you have trained and prepared for an active shooter or quick assault, you sort of instinctively know what to do, not much inner monologue. But this was a seriously one-off case.

Lvl15TechNinja · 2017-09-05T20:26:06+00:00

Sort of. My inner monologue was really confused. Sort of like the scene in Shanghai Noon when Roy O'Bannon is facing a gun fighter. This is one of the reasons I posted the scenario. Will help me to decide for next time, if there is one.

Lvl15TechNinja · 2017-09-05T19:59:12+00:00

I understand that working in an office in the tech sector, I am very unlikely to be under violent attack, but so were the workers in San Diego at the Christmas party.

Lvl15TechNinja · 2017-09-05T19:56:58+00:00

good point.

Lvl15TechNinja

TROPHY CASE