Risky Business

Horses are very large animals that can do immense damage to both person and property. And damage and injury can be completely unintentional on the part of the horse or it may be purposeful. Everyone is aware of the potential for injury in the event of a fall. As such, helmets are generally mandatory for participation in most organizations and facilities and most also have riders sign waivers. Just look at Christopher Reeves (Superman) who is a quadriplegic after falling off a horse. And he was wearing a helmet!

Granted there is inherent risk in anything we do from driving in a car to standing in a bathtub. But some activities are just inherently more risky than others. Horse riding and being around horses is such an activity. Beyond the obvious dangers such as falling off, there are several ways to minimize the risk of injury.

Horses kick; horses bite; horses buck. Horses are just unpredictable so you need to be cautious.

For example, open-toed sandals are not idea foot attire around the barn. One accidental misstep by the horse and… Besides, horse manure and hay is not all that comfortable between the toes. Also, when leading a horse with a lead line, never wrap it around your hand because if the horse spooks and runs, it could take you with it or give you a serious case of rope burn. You’re no match for a 1200lb-1500lb+ animal.  

But sometimes things happen even to those who are most careful. My dressage daughter has had her fair share of events and I have had my fair share of close calls that could have been much more serious. Below are a few examples for thought. First, my daughter was bending over in front of her horse stall putting his evening food down for later feeding. And the horse, trying to get her attention, just nipped at her. Unfortunately, and completely by accident, the horse caught her ear. Well the ear was cut and bleeding.











The doctor glued and taped it. Fortunately, she was wearing a head band because it was a pretty cold day or a doctor might have had to stitch it back on. But she's pretty proud of this "battle wound"!
 

 

Another time when she was seven, she was carrying a saddle and walking beside a horse that was in the cross-ties. The horse cow-kicked her (kicked out to the side), catching her leg at calf-level and giving her quite the bruise. Luckily, it missed the knee.

Finally, I was helping to load a rather cantankerous horse onto a trailer by tapping it on the rear end. Once on the trailer, I quickly closed the butt bar and started closing the door. I was momentarily standing behind the horse at close range – big mistake! The horse kicked out and, if I hadn’t had the door already part way closed, it would have shattered my knee. Luckily, it just kicked the door. I learned a very valuable lesson that day – if at all possible, never, never, never stand directly behind a horse! One kick is all it would take.

So this is just a cautionary tale that people need to be careful around these animals. A good dose of common sense will go a long way. But even with that, sometimes, s**t happens. I guess that’s why we have insurance (horse, injury and liability, health, etc.).

DDD