1. Tie your horse with
a Quick Release Knot. Always tie your horse with
a quick release knot in case your horse spooks, pulls back, or you
need to quickly move the horse. This way, with a simple tug on the
end of the rope, the knot is undone and your horse is not in danger
of hurting itself or you! If you do not know how to tie such a knot,
have a knowledgeable person show you how, and practice until you
can do it yourself!
2. Wear appropriate boots
and clothing. Your average horse
weighs around 1100-1200 pounds and most wear iron shoes. Always
wear boots in case you get stepped on-while they may not mean to
hurt you, getting stepped on in sandals, bare feet, or tennis shoes
could mean spending awhile in a cast! It is also wise to wear long
pants, especially when riding in case you pass through trees, branches,
or brush that might cut you. It will also keep the bugs away. And
always wear gloves when longing your horse-even the most laid back
horse will occasionally kick up it's heals on the lounge line. Gloves
will save your hands from getting rope burned.
3. Always run your stirrups
up when dismounted. Many accidents
can be avoided by running your stirrups up the leathers when you
are not mounted. Horses can catch loose stirrups on things while
walking by, or even get their mouth caught in a hanging stirrup
when biting at a fly.
4. Check your tack every
time you ride. Even tack that
is cleaned and oiled regularly will require repair and replacement
over time. Make it a practice to check all your tack before you
ride. Check for cracked leather that could break, particularly on
stirrup leathers, bridles, girths. A broken girth or stirrup leather
could cause a bad fall, and a broken bridle could mean losing all
control of your mount! Check for tears and loose or frayed stitching
and broken buckles, or a broken tree in the saddle. Also be sure
to check for proper fit, as horses tend to change shape as they
are in training, which can affect how your saddle fits. As saddles
get older, the stuffing can pack down and change the fit of the
saddle as well. Poorly fitted tack can cause painful problems with
your horse so if you are not sure if it's correct, find someone
to help you who knows what they're doing.
5. Lead your horse from
the left side with both hands on the lead rope.Coil
the lead rope in your left hand in a figure 8 coil, in case your
horse bolts so your hand won't be caught in the lead rope. With
your right hand grasp the lead about 3 inches from where it snaps
into the halter. This will give you the maximum control over your
horse. NEVER let your horse trail behind you on a loose lead-if
it spooks it can run you over. If you have trouble controlling your
horse with a regular lead, have someone knowledgeable show you how
to use a stud chain. It is very important that you always have control
of your horse.
6. Don't duck under your
horse's neck. Instead, to get to the other side, walk as
closely behind it as possible, and talk to it so it knows you're
there. This way, if it kicks at you, it will more likely just nudge
you out of the way. The more space you leave between you and your
horse when walking behind is more room for him to land a hard kick,
so be extremely careful. Or walk far enough away from its hind legs
that it can't possibly reach you if it were to kick. Walking in
front of a tied horse is just as dangerous, leaving you vulnerable
to being struck by a front foot or giving you no place to go if
your horse pulls back or spooks.
7. Use common sense.
Many
things can and will go wrong if you spend time with horses. Keep
you and your horse safe by using common sense. Think how your actions
could affect your horse, if there is a chance it could cause a problem,
don't do it! Many bad wrecks can be avoided if you use a little
extra caution and think things through.
