Mary Allen
The horse is bigger, heavier, and faster than man. This imbalance of forces ensures that people keep injuring themselves when handling their four-legged friends. The following twelve tips will help to significantly reduce the most common causes of accidents.
Never Startle Horses
There is a truism: “Never stand behind a horse!” Because as a former prey and flight animal that always observes its surroundings, the horse has an almost “all-round view”, apart from a small blind spot of around four to six degrees in the area of the tail root. So if something or someone approaches from behind, the horse doesn’t see it and is startled. Depending on the character and temperament, the animal’s reaction varies, ranging from a flinch to violent kicking of the hind hooves, which can lead to serious injuries. But even when horses are asleep, dozing, or daydreaming, they can notice a person approaching correctly from the front or the side only late and are startled. A horse that hasn’t noticed you yet
Understand the Language of Horses
A horse does not communicate with sounds like some dogs and cats do, but only with its body language. Therefore, one should at least know the most important signals. Ear play provides important information. If the ears fall to the side in a relaxed manner, the horse is tired, sleeping, or dozing. Forward-facing earcups show attentiveness and interest. If the four-legged friend turns one or both ears to one side, it has heard a noise from that direction. Watch out if the horse puts its ears flat back on its head: it expresses strong displeasure or feels threatened and could suddenly defend itself.
Well Equipped
Even if you don’t ride a horse, you have to pay attention to your equipment, such as good shoes, when handling the horse. Just quickly leading the horse out to pasture in flip-flops can leave painful impressions, literally. Speaking of leading: As with lunging, gloves must always be worn. If the horse pulls the rope or lunge line through your bare fingers with a strong jerk, this can lead to burns.
Feed Trap
Some horses are so greedy that they will snap at anything in front of their mouths. Unfamiliar horses should therefore not be fed, or only with the permission of the owner. This is especially true for horses that paw their front legs or lift a hoof in the air to beg: if they are consistently ignored, most of these behaviors will drop over time.
On the Safe Side
You clean, saddle, and bridle the horse from the side, scrape its hooves from the side and lead it sideways – this is not only for practical reasons but also to keep out of reach of the horse’s hard hooves. When a horse kicks its legs, does it do so forwards or backward. Sometimes a startle or a defensive reaction against annoying insects is enough. People are better protected on the side of the horse, but the four-legged friend can turn at lightning speed. However, the area under the horse’s belly is taboo: if riders put their heads under the horse in search of the saddle or blanket girth, they quickly get caught between the hooves.
Be Careful When Tying Up
As a flight animal, running away is a normal reaction of the horse to unfamiliar events and frightening situations. If you tie a horse, you deprive it of this opportunity, which unsettles many four-legged friends. A horse should therefore only be tethered for as long as necessary and in a safe place. It is best to use a tethering system that will prevent the horse from injuring itself should it pull the rope with full force. The simplest and cheapest option is a piece of string from a fodder bale as a predetermined breaking point. Contrary to their name, panic hooks often cannot be opened if the horse panics. In addition, the person must first pay attention to their safety in this situation. Horses must never be tied by the reins of the bridle: when trying to break free,
No Entanglements
Under no circumstances should rope, reins, lunge lines, or anything else attached to the horse be wrapped around your fingers, hands, arms, waist, or stomach! If the horse panics, or in any other emergency, you have to be able to let go immediately, otherwise there is a risk of serious injury.
Take the Lead
In the saddle, the rider has more options to influence the horse, on the ground these are limited. Anyone who leads a horse from A to B by hand should also take on the leadership role and be consistent, otherwise, the horse will quickly do what it wants with the human. Horses are always led with a rope and halter or with a bridle. Never lead the horse with just your hand on the halter: if it breaks free, there is a high risk of your fingers getting caught in it.
Way to the Pasture
Many stable horses only have limited access to the pasture. When the time comes again, they can hardly contain themselves for joy. It is therefore dangerous to let go of the four-legged friends as quickly as possible at the pasture gate: they can overrun people or hit them with their hooves when jumping in the air. The horse must learn to be patient until you have turned him inside the paddock and untied the rope from the halter. For safety reasons, one person should only lead one horse out onto the pasture at a time.
Keep Order
As in the household, tripping, slipping and falling accidents often happen in and around the riding stables. You don’t have to have a horse around for that. So be careful when climbing ladders, rushing downstairs, or climbing around on hay platforms – and keep order: don’t leave any equipment lying around that clears paths and removes rubbish.
Recognize Traps
The manhole cover on which the horses slide with their shoes, the protruding nail on the fence, the narrow pasture gate that can become the eye of a needle: recognizing these potential sources of danger helps to avoid accidents. It is even safer if they can be eliminated.
Dangerous Routine
Whoever has to do with horses daily, handles things well and routine has set in. But this can lead to thoughtlessness and carelessness, which can provoke accidents. On the other hand, the only thing that helps is to approach the usual tasks again and again very consciously and with mindfulness.