Are they trying to tell me the yearlings were all standing in the same lane within a few feet of each other and didn't spook at the sound of a car coming? Or wander a few feet or yards in either direction, out of the right hand lane? And they know they're being chased but they just end up there at that exact moment. Most of the time if you hit a deer you're gonna hit the break. If this guy'd been paying any attention whatsoever no way that many get taken out. And he'd been going the speed limit of 55 mph with that level of visibility. Sorry but just because you can go the speed limit doesn't mean you should. It's at least failure to reduce speed. You hit something going 60 mph in the fog you're gonna get in trouble for being reckless. Is it normal to go taking that many yearlings out at the same time? I've seen some crazy ones I don't feel happy about taking by themselves much less with 6 other knuckleheads.

I want to know which horses were lost. I realize it's a state secret and all but it's not like there won't be a record of the mare's 2007 offspring being deceased. Go ahead and spit it out once you inform the owners.

i can imagine the yearlings would bunch up together. they're herd animals. as for spooking...well, you brought up deer--i've seen deer stand in the middle of the road looking in the other direction while you're bearing down on them. never knew which direction something was coming from, deer just knew it heard something. but i doubt those yearlings had a clue about cars/traffic and roads, they're used to roaming in a nice big fenced pasture.
it's a freak accident, that's all.

also...a few months ago, i posted about a neighbor having two horses get hit by a truck. similar situation. one spooked, took off, the other went with her, and both were struck when crossing the road. it was broad daylight.
both were pastured right next to that road, but they don't 'think' like we do, and recognize that the road is a dangerous spot. one died immediately, the other was on his feet. but i never saw him again, so i think he must have been more seriously injured then it seemed at first.

the farm said with the time of day, and horses being bays, that they would have been very difficult to see until too late.

if you're talking to me, and about the injured horse. the guy loaded him into a trailer after i helped drag the mare out of the road, and took him to the vet. he never came back.
i wasn't friends with the guy, just came up on the wreck right after it had happened.

yeah, i'm cold--that's why i stopped to help, rather then just drive by.

i live in the country, not many neighbors..and distance is measured in acres, not feet. he lives a couple miles up the road.

about six months after those two got loose, we all headed out in the car. got near his place, and all his horses were out in the road. he needs some serious fence work done. so, once again, i'm herding horses while tony is calling the guy....helpful that everyone is in the phone book (which is about a quarter inch thick). luckily no injuries that time.

that area of Mt. Horeb rd is narrow and turns come up quick....I have no doubt that he wouldn't have seen them until it was too late to do much....and like I said earlier, the posted speed limit is 55 but people (myself included) go 65-70.

it's really a shame, but any time you're dealing with animals, you never know what's going to happen. and horses really are not smart enough to know not to play in traffic.
back when i lived in maryland, we had a thoroughbred farm down the road. one day, my oldes son ( he was about six at the time) and i were coming back from the store, turned onto our road (a country road-but paved) and cars were backed up. what the hell i thought.

one of their horses had gotten out, and was walking up the road with about 25 cars following it. a lady got hold of his halter, and got him out the road. so we pulled in a drive--she said she wasn't sure where he belonged. i told her i knew exactly where. so mark and i walked him home. got there, no one home...so we put him in a paddock and went back later to let them know he had been loose.

Why in the world was the gate open in the first place? Poor babies. How sad that the next Secretariat or Slew could have been among them. So very tragic.:(

sure they can. look at horses who are pulled from a burning barn. what do they do if you don't keep hold of them? run back to the safety of the barn.