by Mary Knetter

Created on: May 16, 2008   Last Updated: June 16, 2010

It's easy to forget sometimes that horses are flight animals, ready to fly the moment something jumps out at them. In those short moments, horses can quickly hurt themselves, or us. Here's how you can stay safe around your horse.

KEEP SOME DISTANCE

When leading a horse, don't allow them to walk right next to you or have contact with you. It only takes one bad step for both of you to get your legs tangled and most likely you'll be the one on the ground.

Maintain a distance between one and a half to two feet away. Use the lead rope to walk the horse by holding it about six inches from the shank. Only hold the halter when you need extra control and use the end of your rope to "swish" the horse away from you.

Also, keep buckets, brushes, hoof picks and other equipment out of the horse' range of motion or keep small items in your pockets or a grooming apron. This will also save wear and tear on your equipment.

MOVE CALM AND SLOW

Horses have a dislike for birds, bunnies or anything that can "pop out" at them. Naturally, in the wild, that's where things that "pop out" want to eat them.

So don't throw your hands up in front of your horse or wave things in their face. Not only will you turn your horse headshy, but you could also teach the horse that it's acceptable to toss their head around. That's a dangerous act on the ground and in the saddle.

KEEP CONTACT AND TALK

Horses cannot see directly in front of or behind themselves. Nor can they see their sides very well. It is likely they can see a rider's legs when in the saddle, but their side vision is limited beyond that.

Through feel and sound a horse can tell how far away an object is. Keeping a hand on the horse while you groom or standing with your body in contact with theirs is the best way for them to know where you are. If you are too far away to touch the horse, talk to them and keep them aware of your location.

When walking around a horse, walk closely enough to keep one hand on the horse at all times. If you walk behind the horse, hold the end of the tail walk far enough away from the hind legs so you won't get kicked.

WATCH OUT FOR THEM

With poor binocular vision and a long body, horses can't tell distance from the side. Whether it is 3 feet or 30 feet makes little difference to them. So as much as they are watching out for you, you need to watch out for them also.

Watch the horse's body language, the ears especially. A turned head and a cocked ear tell you the horse is looking at something and isn't paying

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