The Boss Doesn't Always Know Best.
By Jabo
@jaboUK (64361)
United Kingdom
August 7, 2016 1:34pm CST
I used to work in horse-racing stables, and one foggy morning my boss and I rode out early to the training grounds. When we got to the start of the all-weather gallop there was a notice stuck in the ground saying 'Closed'.
My boss was never one for rules and regulations, so he decided that we wouldn't take any notice of that. He told me to go ahead and take my horse at a steady canter till we got to the bend and then let him go as fast as he wanted. He would give me a start, then follow on.
I did say it was foggy, right? We couldn't see more than about 15 yards in front of us.
Anyway. I set off and suddenly a pit opened up in front of me. My horse dug his toes in and pulled up sharp, and I sailed straight over his head into this hole. I managed to keep hold of my horse's reins, scrambled out and shouted a warning to my boss so that the same fate didn't befall him.
If I'd had time to think about it I wouldn't have done that - he deserved to fall in the hole the same as me!
It turns out that they were doing maintenance on the gallop and replacing the surface. The hole was only 2 or 3 feet deep, and the synthetic surface made it a soft landing so I wasn't hurt.
I never let my boss forget that 'Closed' means exactly that.
Has your boss ever put you in a potentially dangerous situation?
56 people like this
54 responses
@LadyDuck (457918)
• Switzerland
8 Aug 16
You should not have warned him, of course he deserved to fall into the hole. If you consider that sending a poor 20 years old girl, who only spoke British English, to meet 4 Texans at the Milan airport is a dangerous situation, yes, my boss put me in a dangerous situation. I remember that I understood nothing of what they were saying, I surely gave them the feeling I was dumb.
4 people like this
@arthurchappell (45002)
• Preston, England
7 Aug 16
I had a boss try to get me operating garbage crushers I was untrained to use - even with other staff climbing inside it to move garbage around - I refused - he was fired soon afterwards though I don't know what for
2 people like this
@jaboUK (64361)
• United Kingdom
7 Aug 16
@arthurchappell Oh, that sounds far more dangerous than falling off horses.
1 person likes this
@arthurchappell (45002)
• Preston, England
7 Aug 16
@jaboUK very much so - some bosses are highly irresponsible
2 people like this
@bsrikumar (151)
• Chennai, India
9 Aug 16
@arthurchappell
Ya. True
I have seen this kind of people
1 person likes this
@crazyhorseladycx (39515)
• United States
7 Aug 16
mercy! thank goodness that neither yerself nor yer horse were injured by such! i'd been givin' that fella a thorough tongue lashin'...'n prolly a punch'n the nose. i'd say that'cha warned him'f such to protect his mount :)
oh, i've 'd some squirrely occupations 'n my younger days. hangin' off pecan tree limbs 's prolly the most dangerous though? shakin' those wee limbs 't the top so's the crops could be harvested - sometimes 50 feet'n the air with no ropes to secure.
2 people like this
@jaboUK (64361)
• United Kingdom
7 Aug 16
@crazyhorseladycx Wow - now that IS dangerous! Shaking pecan tree limbs was an actual job?
Btw - that was me that left a comment on your blog
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64361)
• United Kingdom
7 Aug 16
@crazyhorseladycx Yes, that was odd that my name didn't come up on your blog.
1 person likes this
@crazyhorseladycx (39515)
• United States
7 Aug 16
@jaboUK yes ma'am, did such down'n louisiana one summer, eons 'go...fer $4/day, lol. now they've those machines that do the shakin', nets to catch the nuts. back then, 'twas all done by hand...'n foolish folks who'd climb those trees.
thank the stars! i'd wondered who'd done such. dunno why 't'd not show yer name?? sure 'ppreciate'cha takin' the time to go their'n read my dribbles, hon. big hugs 'n love from 'cross the pond!
1 person likes this
@AliCanary (3045)
•
9 Aug 16
It's good that you DID warn him--the fool might have gotten his horse's leg broken in that hole!
2 people like this
@jaboUK (64361)
• United Kingdom
9 Aug 16
@AliCanary Yes it's lucky that neither myself or my horse were hurt, and his horse didn't fall into the hole
1 person likes this
@allknowing (130066)
• India
7 Aug 16
Yours was a unique kind of job where danger lurked around. In an office I suppose no boss could endanger the life of any of their staff.
1 person likes this
@allknowing (130066)
• India
9 Aug 16
@jaboUK It took me 24 odd years to realise that office job is boring. I quit and started my own landscaped garden designing and executions business (lol)
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64361)
• United Kingdom
9 Aug 16
@allknowing Wow - I can't imagine sticking it out for so long, but at least you got out eventually.
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64361)
• United Kingdom
7 Aug 16
@allknowing That's true, but I'd have been bored out of my mind with an office job.
1 person likes this
@silvermist (19702)
• India
8 Aug 16
@jaboUK Considering the fact that I worked in an office,nothing like that happened. I wonder how many times you have fallen from a horse.The horse seems to be very smart.Do you remember the name of that horse?The horses did have names?
1 person likes this
@silvermist (19702)
• India
9 Aug 16
@jaboUK A book called "My life with horses" by you would be interesting.
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64361)
• United Kingdom
8 Aug 16
@silvermist I couldn't count the number of times I've fallen off a horse - when you ride 2 or 3 different horses every day for 40 years there are bound to be accidents. This one's name was Ridgefield, named after the village where he was born.
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64361)
• United Kingdom
9 Aug 16
@silvermist I don't know about a whole book, but I do have a few anecdotes.
1 person likes this
@cacay1 (83223)
• Cagayan De Oro, Philippines
8 Aug 16
Dear friend, I would like to insert here update of Marcy @marcyaz, according to our friend @TiarasOceanView, Marcy is so ill this time.She needs our support through prayers. I am so sad this time.Sorry to interrupt this info.
2 people like this
@divalounger (5849)
• United States
7 Aug 16
You are lucky that you weren't hurt!
1 person likes this
@divalounger (5849)
• United States
7 Aug 16
@jaboUK I know that falls from a horse can be dangerous though--I would imagine that your fall could have been more injurious if you were going faster
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64361)
• United Kingdom
7 Aug 16
@divalounger Yes, luckily I hadn't got round the bend where I was supposed to go faster.
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64361)
• United Kingdom
7 Aug 16
@divalounger I've been hurt plenty of times by falling off horses, but nothing too serious.
@MarshaMusselman (38652)
• Midland, Michigan
10 Aug 16
Nothing like that, no, and I don't recall any other type of situation either. I also hope that I've never done that to any of my employees.
Glad you weren't hurt. Even if they hadn't been working on the grounds, it doesn't sound all that safe having the horse gallop in such a manner in foggy weather. Sounds irresponsible to me.
someone here wanted to know some of the free image sites. I tried looking this one up but got redirected to a business site. What site is this, Janet? I don't think I'm familiar with it unless it has a different name.
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64361)
• United Kingdom
10 Aug 16
@MarshaMusselman That's the site Marsha.
Yes my boss could be irresponsible, but he was fun.
1 person likes this
@MarshaMusselman (38652)
• Midland, Michigan
10 Aug 16
@jaboUK Thanks for the direct link. I'll see if a photo the other person was looking for can be found there and then give her the link too. I tried that address in the search engine but it kept re-directing me elsewhere.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
8 Aug 16
Close call! I had nothing like that, but did work for a man who almost got us (he and I) into a fight with four young men in a Seattle pool hall bar once. I had to drag him out of there.
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64361)
• United Kingdom
8 Aug 16
@JamesHxstatic I think you posted about that near-brawl didn't you?
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64361)
• United Kingdom
9 Aug 16
@JamesHxstatic Oh sorry James - I read so many posts, but i thought it sounded familiar.
1 person likes this
@JamesHxstatic (29242)
• Eugene, Oregon
9 Aug 16
@jaboUK I think it was a different one actually.
1 person likes this
@paigea (35672)
• Canada
9 Aug 16
I can't think of a time my boss put me in a dangerous situation. Your boss did deserve to fall in also.
It reminds me of a time, in winter, my brother hopped into a stream after the hot pool was drained. He and his friends liked sitting in the Hot river instead of the actual pool for some reason. Once he hopped in he realized they'd come too late and the river was already cold again. He managed to sit there until the rest came running across the frozen field and hopped in also. 
1 person likes this
@jaboUK (64361)
• United Kingdom
9 Aug 16
Lol - and in turn you have reminded me of something. I went on holiday to Norway with my parents when I was a teenager. My father dived into a fjord and said "Come on in, it's lovely", so I did. Liquid ice!! He thought that as he was suffering that I should too. We couldn't get out of there quick enough.
