"SAFETY AROUND HORSES"
Part Three

Protective Attire: 1) To prevent injuries, you should purchase and wear a well-fitted helmet, hard hat or similar protective head gear which fastens securely under the chin, while working around or riding horses. 2) You should always wear hard-soled, fully enclosed shoes or boots and socks to protect feet, and long pants to protect legs while working around or riding horses. Shirts with sleeves are also advised. 3) You should not ordinarily carry food treats for horses in the pockets of your clothing as you could be bitten by a horse looking for a snack. The Nature and Physical Characteristics of the Horse: While domesticated, well trained horses are usually obedient, docile and affectionate, it is important to understand that their survival instincts are what has allowed them to survive from prehistoric time to the present day. 1) You should know that horses are unpredictable by nature, with minds of their own, as are all animals both domestic and wild. The horse is excitable, high strung, and nervous by nature. Horses are extremely strong and physically powerful. Horses are extremely heavy weighing from 600 to l,300 pounds on the average. (That means some horses weigh even more than 1,300 pounds!) These characteristics deserve a human being's utmost respect and caution. 2) You should know that when a horse is frightened, angry, under stress or feels threatened, it is the horse's Instinct to jump forward or sideways and to run away from danger at a trot or gallop at speeds up to 35 miles per hour. 3) You should know that if a horse is frightened or feels threatened from behind, it may kick straight back, sideways in either direction or even forward with either of its hind legs with tremendous force. 4) You should know that if a horse is frightened or feels threatened from something or someone above it or on its back, it may hunch Its back and buck in a way that could throw a rider to the ground with great force. A fall from a horse will usually be from a height of 3 to 6 feet. 5) You should know that if a horse is frightened or feels threatened from the front, it may naturally react by rearing up with its front legs, strike with one or both front legs, bite with its teeth. throw its head up or from side to side or run directly over whatever it fears in front of it. 6) You should know that a human must always approach a horse calmly and quietly and cautiously, preferably from near its shoulder or lower neck while talking soothingly to the horse. 7) You should know that loud and/or sudden unexpected movements, dropping of or waiving of objects near a horse, approaching vehicles or animals or people, ill-fitting equipment or physical pain can provoke a domesticated horse to react according to its natural protective instincts. 8) You should know that the first signs of anger or fear in a horse are the sudden tensing of the muscles of the body, possibly laying its ears fiat back against it's head, or quickly tossing or raising its head, swishing its tail or sudden snorting through the nostrils accompanying at least one other warning sign. 9) You should know that a horse can see independently with each eye, actually looking in one direction with one eye on one object somewhere in front of it. Usually the direction the ear is pointing will tell an observer where the eye is looking on the same side, and consequently what the horse is probably concentrating on at the moment. 10) You should know that a horse has two blind areas where it cannot see. A horse cannot see directly behind it, nor what it is eating. This is the reason it is best to approach a horse close to the shoulder, and never to surprise a horse from the rear or to reach first for the horse's mouth. 11) You should know that while a horse is very sure-footed by nature, it may accidentally step on an object such as a human foot when it is balancing itself or turning about. Due to the horse's vision limitations, sometimes it simply may not see where your feet are and my step onto your foot. Also, if a horse is ridden or worked on unstable ground or slippery grass or other poor footing, or simply take an awkward step, it could fall down injuring a rider or handler. A horse might even fall onto the rider or handler.

For a related information, please see:

Gentling Wild Horses - 101
(Approaches specifically for wild horses)

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