Horses are beautiful animals, but they are also very big and heavy. The average horse can weigh as much as 1000 lbs or more! When around horses, you will need to keep some safety rules in mind. At Flying G we take great effort to find the calmest, gentlest horses we can. However, they are large animals and accidents can happen. They can accidentally bump you or step on your foot. We are going to talk about ways to stay safe while enjoying horses.
The first thing you need to bear in mind is to stay alert. Don’t put yourself between an unmoveable object (tree, fence, wall etc.) and the horse. If the horse steps towards you, you might get penned between the horse and the object. Always make sure you have the room to step backwards and move around.
Avoid sitting on the ground near a horse. You might not have enough time to get up and move if the horse steps towards.
When the horse is tied, don’t duck under their neck or crawl underneath them. They may look like they are standing quietly, but if they move suddenly, you could be trapped or stepped on.
Horses can startle at something unsuspected just like you can. Please no running or shouting around horses.
Do not stand directly in front of or behind the horse. Horses don’t see close-up things directly in front very well. If you stand directly behind a horse, you are in the “kick-zone”. If you need to pass behind a horse, either walk about 6 feet away or gently rub or tap their hind-side as you walk behind. They will feel your hand and know you are there.