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Days in Horse Country – Safety Review
It’s easy to get comfortable around horses when you spend so
much time with them. But one of the
worst mistakes a horse person can make is to become complacent about
safety. Horses are big animals, and they
can easily hurt or even kill a human without meaning to. Even the quietest, gentlest equines are
capable of accidentally causing great bodily harm under the right
circumstances.
Staying safe around horses should be your top priority. Remember the following basic rules when working with your horse.
- Stay alert
– Even if you know your horse very well, be aware of what he is
doing at all times when you are working around him. Never leave him tied unattended, and always
pay attention to objects and other horses close to him.
- Take nothing
for granted – When you first started working around horses, you were probably
taught never to duck underneath a horse’s neck, walk behind a strange horse, or
sit on the ground next to a horse. If
you have forgotten these very serious safety rules, bring them back into your
life. All it takes is a sudden spook or
well-placed kick in any of these situations to put you in the hospital; or
worse!
- Wear a helmet – Many people prefer to feel their hair blowing in the wind when they ride, but studies have shown that serious head injuries can, and often do, easily result from a fall from a horse.
Michael