Last Saturday, a three year old was enjoying the local Agricultural fair, with her father and siblings, when a team of horses broke loose from their handlers. Completely oblivious to the dangerous situation, the girl continued to stand directly in the path of the stampede. The horses had nearly collided into her, when a quick thinking farmer rushed in to save the day.
Calvin Stein, 51, a farmer from Ontario, had brought his ponies to the fair and was getting them ready for competition when the life and death situation started to unfold. “I saw the team run, and they got away. That’s the key; it was a very unfortunate accident. They ran into the front of a vehicle, and then they turned and came running down the track.”
Stein, who has a tremendous amount of experience working with ponies and horses, saw the panic in their eyes as they raced toward bystanders. Without a moment’s hesitation, he rushed in to help.
“I saw them coming. I could read them; me knowing horses, my first instinct was to try to catch them, so I started running toward them,” says Stein. “I saw the father standing there with three kids, standing side-by-side. I started yelling and screaming. The father had two kids by the hand and the third one was standing there, oblivious to what was going on, just enjoying the fair.”
MyKawatha
The rest of his ordeal seemed “blurry” in the aftermath, but Stein’s heroic actions were seen by dozens that day.
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“I remember there was a car and a trailer, and I threw the little girl toward that, hoping I didn’t hit the trailer. As soon as she left my hands, the team of horses hit me.”
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For his efforts, Stein sustained a broken nose, multiple facial stitches, a concussion and a broken right orbital socket. According to his attending optometrist, the fate of the vision in the right eye is unknown — but Stein is optimistic. He was able to see light and color when doctors assessed his condition, and though he may need glasses to see properly, he’d do it all again.
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“I’m just an average guy that did what anyone would do — lookout for everyone else. That’s the God-honest truth. I was asked, would I do it again? The answer is that I’d do it again in a heartbeat.”
Every person in this world has a chance to make a difference in other’s lives. When you’re time comes, we hope you can be as calm and selfless as Stein!
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