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Basic Rules and Safety Tips
- Wear proper footwear– Whether you are riding or not, you always want to have proper footwear on to avoid being injured in the event that you would get stepped on.
- Use your inside voice– No yelling or loud noises. Talk to the horse softly as you approach him, horses get startled easily and they have blind spots.
- Avoid blind spots, so that the horse can see and know where you are. The horse has two main blind spots which are directly in front and directly behind the horse. Stick to the sides of the horse where they can see you. The safest place is near the horse’s shoulder.
- Never wrap anything attached to the horse around your hand. For example, if you are leading the horse with the lead wrapped around your hand and the horse pulls back or takes off, the lead line will tighten around your hand. This can injure your hand and there is a chance you could be dragged behind the horse. It is best to fold the lead back and forth and hold it in your hand instead of wrapping it around your hand.
- Don’t Run. Use your walking feet. Horses spook easily and if you run, they may be surprised, or become frisky.
- When catching a horse, always try to approach a horse from the front walking toward his shoulder. The shoulder is the safest place around the horse. When you go to catch your horse in the pasture for example you don’t want to walk in the horse’s blind spot where you could get kicked or scare the horse.
- Do not go under the horse’s belly to get to the other side. This is dangerous and you could get hurt if the horse got spooked, tried to kick at a fly, walked forward, or backed up.
- If you go behind the horse, stay close with your hand on the horse’s rump as you walk past so the horse knows you are there. The horse will be less likely to get scared or surprised if they know you are there.
- Keep your hand flat when feeding a treat– When feeding a treat with your hands keep your hand flat, fingers together, and place the treat in the palm of your hand.
- Don’t allow horses to sniff noses with other horses. Horses all react differently and the horse may get aggressive, strikeout, squeal or spin around to kick the other horse. It is best to keep the horse away from other horses when handling or riding them.