Is Your Horse Safe Around You?

All of us have concerns about our safety around horses, although it’s equally important to ensure their safety, as well.

The following are some methods you could use to guarantee the safety of your horse when you want to learn how to ride a horse.

1. Tying the Horse:

Often times, people tie their horses in such a way that it puts their animal in harm’s way, and this article addresses that issue.

Please, do not, for any reason, tie your horse straight to a solid object! Instead, wrap a section of breakable twine or other such material around the object first and then loop the lead rope through it. The reason for this is that should your horse panic, the twine will break and he can get safely away without breaking his neck or dragging the object along behind him, creating additional panic.

This applies to the trailer ties as well.

When tying the horse, be sure that the rope is not hanging under the animal’s shoulder to eliminate the chances of his hoof getting trapped in it. However, you need to check the horse to see if they have sufficient lack to prevent any discomfort.

If you tie your horse by the reins, you run the risk of the bit ripping his mouth if he panics and pulls back, and you will also end up with snapped reins.

Ensure that haynets do dangle loosely when empty. You need to tie them sufficiently high so that the horse can reach, but such that they do not create a danger.

2. Stirrups:

Remain cautious of the stirrups and keep them running up whenever you are off of the horse. They could pelt your horse’s flanks as you lead him or snag onto a protruding object, thus causing him to be spooked.

3. Safety in the Vicinity of the Barn:

Keep an eye open as you walk through the barn. If you see a pitch fork left out where a horse or human could tread on it, put it out of harm’s way. Wheelbarrows are a dangerous hazard if a horse gets his feet stuck between the handles and panics.

We owe it to our horses to keep them safe. As you gain more experience around these wonderful animals you’ll discover even more ways to look out for your mount.