Accidentally surprising a horse can lead to sudden injury and/or hilarious internet videos. When moving around them, it’s a good idea to talk quietly to them (or to yourself) so that they can hear you and know where you are. if you have to get up close to one, gently place your hand or forearm against them as you move past.
The same advice works if you are around someone concentrating on a physical task like cooking, construction, soldering, etc, especially if they are holding something that could hurt if it poked you. You want them to know where you are without breaking their concentration.
It’s actually best to stay in contact with a horse if you’re moving around near it. Approach from where it can see you, say hello and pet it, then keep your body touching its body while you move around its backside. That lets the horse know exactly where you are, and if it does decide to kick you, then you’re right up on it and it’ll just push you away rather than gaining full momentum and cracking your skull.
Also good advice. There’s an area my buddy affectionately referred to as “the kill zone” which is just the right distance away that a kicking hoof can be at full velocity/force; this is precisely where you do not want to be if a kick happens.
but the best advice is to learn things like this from someone In Real Life around horses, because you can see which ones are totally chill and which ones are fucking bonkers. [Insert reference to various kinds of people here.]
Half a lifetime ago I worked as a wrangler, in charge of 16 horses. They were all retired race horses, full bred quarter horses. I’d teach people horsemanship, and then take them on a 10 mile overnight ride at the end of a week’s worth of instruction. Most of the horses were pretty chill, but there was one that just wanted to fucking fight everything. It tested literally everything you did, and it would fuck you up if you didn’t know how to handle ornery horses. Needless to say, I made sure I was always the one riding that horse, and also told people to stay the hell away from it. I never took my eyes off that bad boy whenever I was near him.
“Always let a horse know where you are.”
Accidentally surprising a horse can lead to sudden injury and/or hilarious internet videos. When moving around them, it’s a good idea to talk quietly to them (or to yourself) so that they can hear you and know where you are. if you have to get up close to one, gently place your hand or forearm against them as you move past.
The same advice works if you are around someone concentrating on a physical task like cooking, construction, soldering, etc, especially if they are holding something that could hurt if it poked you. You want them to know where you are without breaking their concentration.
It’s actually best to stay in contact with a horse if you’re moving around near it. Approach from where it can see you, say hello and pet it, then keep your body touching its body while you move around its backside. That lets the horse know exactly where you are, and if it does decide to kick you, then you’re right up on it and it’ll just push you away rather than gaining full momentum and cracking your skull.
Also good advice. There’s an area my buddy affectionately referred to as “the kill zone” which is just the right distance away that a kicking hoof can be at full velocity/force; this is precisely where you do not want to be if a kick happens.
but the best advice is to learn things like this from someone In Real Life around horses, because you can see which ones are totally chill and which ones are fucking bonkers. [Insert reference to various kinds of people here.]
Half a lifetime ago I worked as a wrangler, in charge of 16 horses. They were all retired race horses, full bred quarter horses. I’d teach people horsemanship, and then take them on a 10 mile overnight ride at the end of a week’s worth of instruction. Most of the horses were pretty chill, but there was one that just wanted to fucking fight everything. It tested literally everything you did, and it would fuck you up if you didn’t know how to handle ornery horses. Needless to say, I made sure I was always the one riding that horse, and also told people to stay the hell away from it. I never took my eyes off that bad boy whenever I was near him.