While dogs might possess the moniker of ‘man’s’ best friend’, horses are also among some of the most loyal and calm animals. Horses have co-existed as invaluable companions to humans for centuries and hence equestrian sports also have a long and storied history. One of the most popular and thrilling equestrian sports in the world is the timed Rodeo event, barrel racing. During barrel racing, the horse and rider are pushed to the limit as they race around barrels to beat the clock. With sharp turns, accidents are not a rare sight in barrel racing.

However, sometimes jostling to control an animal that weighs well over 1000 lbs can put the rider in a life-threatening situation. A rare video showed just how bad things can get in the blink of an eye.

Barrel racing dreams shattered in seconds

Former barrel racer Natalie Jay had dreams of going pro. The amateur had excelled at the discipline exclusive to women riders from a young age. She even won a slew of titles before participating in a “big stakes” barrel race held in Rockwall, Texas, more than a decade ago. A win at the event would mean the talented racer could fulfill her dream. However, things went horribly wrong during the race.

Michelle Brock who was Jay’s best friend, realized her friend’s horse, Bebe, was acting up before the race. Despite Brock’s concern, her best friend felt she had come too far to quit. However, things began going wrong from the beginning. The video, uploaded to the Animal Planet YouTube channel, showed, Bebe, a trained horse missing barrels and acting erratic.

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Fighting to regain control, Jay tanked hard on reins. Horses under stress can become uncooperative, like Annika Schleu’s horse refusing to jump during an event at the Tokyo Olympics. However, pulling hard turned out to be a near-fatal mistake for the barrel racer. Bebe sprung up on her hind legs and fell on her rider. The barrel racer didn’t even have time to react before the over 1000 lbs animal crushed her underneath. As if things could get any worse, the saddle horn dug into the right side of the woman’s face as she fell.

Miraculously, Jay kept her composure freeing herself just as the horse began dragging her. “That’s when people usually get killed on horses at barrel races. When the horse starts dragging them and their foot’s in the stirrup… they usually get kicked in the head.” said Natalie Jay. But why did Bebe go berserk?

The mystery uncovered

After the horrifying accident, vets examined Bebe and found her teeth had developed sharp points. According to the Animal Planet video, constant grinding while a horse eats can sharpen their teeth. These sharp points can dig into the horse’s mouth, sometimes hitting sensitive nerves when a rider yanks on the reins. Something similar happened when the barrel racer yanked Bebe’s reins.

Paramedics rushed Natalie Jay to the hospital after the incident. It took 400 stitches to save the former racer’s face. “I looked like Frankenstein… I mean it was really bad. It severed all the nerves on that side of my face so I couldn’t feel a thing,” she said. Jay and Bebe retired from barrel racing after the incident.

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