Oh the rules of the horse, so many things to remember and so many things to take for granted.
I have introduced many people to Pistol in our first year together (yes it has officially been one year!) and in that process I became aware of some things I just take for granted. I assumed there were some common knowledge things, that simply are not common. So in an effort to be more aware of all the things I need to tell a 'new to horses' person, here is a short list of safety tips - the real list is so long that it cannot be written, so just roll with this as a starter
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| Pistol July 2019 - Just Chillin in his New Halter |
1. Meeting the horse - Pistol makes it look easy because he is kind and self confident, he has no issues with strangers walking right up into his personal space and touching his face. He is not the norm. Most (non lesson program) horses do not want you to invade their bubble to rub their nose. It is safer to approach from an angle, try to aim yourself between nose to shoulder and your first touch should be in the neck/shoulder area. If you want to pet their nose let them bring their nose to you, so be close enough but not too close - a good measure would be one BIG step away, not a tiny shuffle, but an actual full on step, this gives you room to move away if needed and room for the horse to put their head out to you.
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| Google Image |
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| Google Image |
2. Giving the horse treats - like a puppy, the horse really wants the snack in your pocket and if you let him he will bully you into giving it to him. The horse is aware of how big he is but only in the vaguest of terms, meaning if the horse really knew how much bigger he was, there is no way you'd be in charge, but he does know he is big enough to push you around, so it is a balancing act. So stand your ground, but keep that BIG step rule in mind, you want to be able to move yourself out of harm's way quickly if needed. To actually let the gentle giant have his snack, place the treat in your hand, fingers out, palm up, hand flat - you're making a little plate for the treat with your hand. I know it's scary because you think, 'but my fingers are exposed, won't he bite them'. You are a billion times more likely to get bit if you don't use this method, also being bit hurts, but they are not carnivores they aren't going to chomped off your digits with a grin. If they bite you they are just as startled as you. Remember too, they use their lips to tell them about the world, their lips are like our fingers, groping and grasping to feel and understand, so give them space to do this. Treat time should be fun for everyone. So keep your fingers away from teeth, let their lips rove on your palm, and stand your ground about treat distribution.
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| Google Image |
3. Picking up something in front of a horse - It happens, you drop a lead line, a carrot, your keys, your sunglasses, a brush, any number of things can tumble from your hands when you are working around your horse. First thing is first, in this situation, realize whatever you dropped may not make it out of this alive. Horses are big, they can be clumsy and they can be little brats. A horse can easily stop on the thing you dropped either intentionally or accidentally. Yes, I can assure you 100% they do some times break/throw/slobber on your stuff just for the fun of it, because they can. So always realize anything you take near them has entered a hazard zone.
So how do you retrieve said item without being bashed in the noggin? You always look at their feet, this takes practice but you have to always face their feet when stooping to pick up things. Don't bend, but stoop, a bend is too hard to move out of, and your spine is way too exposed, while stooping, you can pivot on your feet, you can jump straight up and do all sorts of maneuvering that you thought was only in comic books. Also always keep an eye on their face/ears, their head will tell you a lot about what to expect next. Don't forget, the legs bounce around all the time especially in fly season, so watch out and keep an eye on those hooves.
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| Google Image |
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| Google Image |
4. Walking around the horse - Any time you are walking around or near a horse you are relying on trust between strangers. If you come to meet Pistol, I will watch him and move him in ways to work with you, but still you and he are strangers. A horse is a prey animal, so think of him as a HUUUUGGGGEEE bunny, if he gets startled he is going to jump straight out of his skin. But unlike Peter Cotton Fluff, he isn't a small fluffy cute puff that will hop up and down and make you laugh when it's scared. He is well over 1000 lbs, at his shoulders he is 5 feet tall with a long thick neck attached, his feet aren't clawed little fuzzy poofballs, they have hard hooves that can be thrown directly at you with up to 2000 lbs of pressure per sq inch, and don't forget that whip like tail that they can swish with a single minded focus at whatever they want. So what do you do?! Well for starters, NO LOUD NOISES, NO SUDDEN MOVEMENTS, NO FLAILING OF HANDS, NO SHOUTING, NO BARK LAUGHING, NO HITTING, NO RUNNING and NO DISRESPECT.
Most horses have no desire to harm, if he hurts you it will be by accident. So it is your job to make sure you are being the best visitor you can and keep things as safe as possible for him. If you are going to walk behind a horse, talk to him, touch him, let him know you are there. In a large enclosure with several horses, give everyone room to move, don't crowd anyone - I try to use a 1-2 horse distance between me and the pasture horses that are wandering around me. Be mindful, keep yourself out of the danger zone and stay calm.
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| Google Image |
5. Leading a horse - yay you've not been maimed and someone is handing you a lead rope! So even here there are ton of things that could go wrong, so let's focus on the things you should do. You should stay roughly at the jaw of the horse, so on the left side parallel to the ears. Left side is common practice for all things with a horse (lead, mount, dismount, etc) however it is acceptable to use the right side, just not common. I prefer the left, leading from the right side puts my non dominant hand close to the horses face and makes me feel weird. So lead from the left side, your right hand holding the rope close to the face, your left holding the slack, the rope between the hands runs perpendicular to your body. Lightly hold the rope, do no clench or yank or attempt to drag the horse with the rope - learning to make a stubborn horse move comes later. Never let the excess rope drag, never drop the rope on the ground, never let the rope near the horses head drop all the way to the ground. Always be mindful of how the horse can step on the rope and scare itself, so always keep the rope in a useful position for you but an out of the way position for your horse. Also NEVER EVER EVER wrap the rope around your hand. Always keep it so that by opening your fingers you can drop the rope completely in less than a fraction of a second. This safety tip keeps you a live and in one piece while leading. Remember this is not a dog and the rules are different, you are guiding and leading with the rope, so keep everything light as possible.
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| Photo via Google search |
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| Photo via Google search |
I know it's a lot, and it's just the beginning of all the things to remember, but the experience of being a horse person is well worth learning it all!
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