(January 2008)
Safety
Do’s and Don’ts – Part 1
In my day-to-day interactions with horses and their owners, I see many
people unintentionally creating environments when working with their horse in
ways that compromise the safety of themselves and their horse. I see people handling their horses in many
unsafe manners such as leading incorrectly, tying incorrectly, saddling,
bridling, haltering or grooming incorrectly, using equipment that doesn’t fit
or is inappropriate for what they want to use it for, riding a horse that isn’t
matched for their skill level or asking it to do something before physically or
mentally ready, asking the horse to do something that the rider has no idea how
to teach….. the list can go on. I too have been in those same situations
throughout my learning journey with horses, and have sometimes paid the price
for not knowing any better. Sometimes
these situations have resulted in injury to me or my horse, or some unintended
behavioral negative consequence from my horse, such as bucking, biting or
kicking. Most of the time, things turned
out alright but I shudder to think of how many times I put myself in a
dangerous situation or interacted with my horse in a manner where I could not
clearly see what the outcomes could be. Many safety improvements can be made by
horse owners which are quick, easy and simple modifications, others are more
subtle and complex but having awareness of what an unsafe situation is, can
help horse owners seek the changes necessary to improve safety with their
horse. An example compromising safety
during saddling is when riders who use western saddles that have both front and
back cinches, buckle the back cinch before tightening the front cinch, or
leaving the back cinch too tight or too loose.
Buckling the back cinch before the front cinch leaves the saddle strapped
to, but not secured, to the horse. If
the horse were to move around too much before the front cinch was tightened,
the saddle could slip and slide underneath the horse’s belly, still attached to
him. Most times, the horse will panic in
this situation, explode, and will run off bucking and crashing into or through
whatever is in his way, including fences and people. I’ve seen this happen several times, with one
occurrence sending the rider to the hospital with a broken arm. Always put the back cinch on after the front
one has been secured. When unsaddling,
unbuckle the rear cinch before loosening the front cinch. In addition, if the back cinch is put on and
left too loose, a large gap results between the cinch and the horse’s belly,
which a back foot could potentially get trapped in. If the back cinch is put on too tight, it may
feel like a bucking strap to the horse.
I have listed a few Do’s and Don’ts that may make your interactions
with your horse safer and more effective:
DON’T assume that your saddle fits your horse. Many people buy saddles based on the way they
look, the color, the tooling, how comfortable it is to sit in and the
price. Little regard is given to the
saddle tree (or frame) and how it fits the horse’s back and shoulders. Ill-fitting saddles cause all sorts of
problems including lameness, reluctance to turn or bend, bucking, rearing, head
tossing, going too fast and dancing around excessively just prior to saddling. Purchase criteria for saddle selection should
begin from the underside (the tree) and end with rider fit and comfort. If you aren’t sure your saddle fits your
horse, find a qualified professional who can assess that for you. Sometimes it is necessary to buy a different
saddle.
DO inspect your tack and equipment every time you use it for tears,
weakened leather, missing parts or screws and its’ general condition. Check bits for any sharp metal points that
may have developed. I had new bit a few
years ago that I found a sharp metal edge on after about 5 uses. Had I not been in the habit of checking my
bits every time I used one, that one could have severely cut my horses tongue
and may have gotten me thrown off.
DON’T expect your horse to immediately understand what you are asking
of them. It is very easy to get excited
and push for more than your horse can deliver when asking your horse something
for the first time or even for the first time on a particular day. One example of that is when teaching a young
horse to move laterally (sideways) off of my leg pressure, I expect a certain
amount of resistance to my request, only because I have never asked him to and
he doesn’t know exactly what to do. I
may also see the same response two weeks later after the horse knows what to
do. If I don’t recognize his lack of
compliance as a sort of “mental lapse”, then I might become frustrated and ask
with too much pressure and wind up scaring him to the point of bucking, rearing
ir running off.
More DO’s and DON’Ts
next month!! Stay tuned…………..
Send questions or comments to
Happy Riding!!!
Comments and feedback are always welcome!
Leslie @
Falcon Creek Farm
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