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What do you do to stay safe?

From the lens Safety Around Horses.

  • Logos-Design Apr 1, 2011 @ 5:56 am | delete
    i love ridding!! and this lance is very helpful to me! Thanks
  • Annamadagan Mar 17, 2011 @ 6:30 pm | delete
    Nice lens!
    "You just got a "Lucky Leprechaun Blessing"
    blessed by a Squid Angel!
  • Light-in-me Feb 6, 2011 @ 11:20 am | delete
    Very impotant advice for people to consider before riding.
    Nice job, blessed by a Squid Angel..
    Robin:)
  • ChrisDay Jan 16, 2011 @ 11:00 pm | delete
    Congratulations on the purple star!
  • ChrisDay Jan 16, 2011 @ 10:59 pm | delete
    This is vital stuff - thanks for putting it out there and so well.
  • Ladyfyre-Graphics Dec 2, 2010 @ 2:30 pm | delete
    What a great lens, it's all to easy when you are used to your neddys to get blase about their strength and size, and although I wouldn't dream of riding without a decent riding hat (had a bad head injury in the past and probably wouldn't be here but for my jockey skull!) I gave a friend a lead rein lesson last year and for some unaccountable reason my mare went berserk, rearing and running backwards, I couldn't let go as the poor girl was terrified... I ended up with severe burns to my hands, I usually ware gloves but thought as we were only plodding around they weren't a necessity... So thank you for your lens, hopefully it will help people avoid the pain I went through! x ~Angela~
  • tssfacts Dec 1, 2010 @ 4:04 pm | delete
    Very good article and some great safety tips. I haven't been around horses too much in my life although I have ridden several different breeds of horses.
  • 2muchtrash Nov 24, 2010 @ 1:14 pm | delete
    You have a very valid point in lens. When I was 18 I had a horse and didnt ride with a saddle because I hate them...lol. So riding bareback as you can imagine I hit the dirt a few times. Important note: Horses will NOT deliberately try to hurt you unless mean-spirited, and will in fact do everything they can to avoid hurting you. The worst thing that happened to me was being run along a barbed-wire fence and having it rip my calf up a bit and ruin a perfectly good pair of boots and pants, AND once I was wearing flipflops and he spooked and mashed my foot. THAT hurt for days because bones were broken in the foot and Doc said cant do anything, just let it heal itself. Horses are marvelous, gentle creatures on the whole, and I have found them to be damn good listeners when I have a problem I need to air. There are too many tragic accidents that could be avoided, and thinking you have 100% control over an animal of that size 100% of the time is foolish. Great lens!
  • HorseHelper Nov 24, 2010 @ 8:55 pm | delete
    I completely agree that horses will do everything in their power to avoid hurting you, except of course, the rare meanie. Most injuries and deaths are completely avoidable if simple precautions are taken.
    I used to ride bareback quite a bit too. I remember many summer days where I'd ride out into the pasture with just a halter and lead rope and sit on my gelding while he grazed. It was so peaceful. They are marvelous listeners aren't they? Their manes are great for wiping up tears too.
  • SereneSea Nov 23, 2010 @ 9:09 pm | delete
    Awesome lens, hope people who ride horse will take precautions.
  • Squidster Nov 22, 2010 @ 8:01 pm | delete
    You have sound advice for horseback riders here. The daughter of a friend of mine died in a horse accident. It shattered the whole family. I used to ride and just *hated* wearing a helmet, but after this experience I'd never dream of going "topless" again.
  • HorseHelper Nov 22, 2010 @ 9:01 pm | delete
    The last time I rode without a helmet was when I was starting a horse I'd been given. One of the times I went to ride him he started crow-hopping immediately after I mounted, I hadn't even put my foot in the other stirrup yet. I fell off and somehow landed underneath him while he was in the air. I remember seeing his front hooves just a few inches above my head before I turned my head aside. I don't know how, but he managed to pivot his whole body a full 90 degrees to avoid crushing my head. The most amazing thing is how fast he did turned himself, I think only a second elapsed between me hitting the ground and him twisting to avoid me.
  • Tipi Nov 21, 2010 @ 9:56 am | delete
    I've lensrolled Safety Around Horses to my Everyday Health Ledger lens, thank you!
  • HorseHelper Nov 21, 2010 @ 11:27 am | delete
    I think I should be thanking you!
  • Tipi Nov 21, 2010 @ 9:54 am | delete
    What amazing life saving counsel you have here and it all makes such good sense. Your medical experience with these potential injuries is quit evident. I've rarely seen or heard of anyone wearing a helmet riding. I would guess many now wish they would have had one on, after the fact! The boot advice really took me by surprise, especially the toe amputations with steel toed boots! Your numbers tell a sobering story.
  • HorseHelper Nov 21, 2010 @ 11:41 am | delete
    I worked as a riding instructor for many years and we had strict rules about helmets and footwear. Over the years I've met a lot of people and heard a lot of horror stories.

    A girl I knew in college competed in eventing (that's the sport that riders do at the Olympics) and while going through the cross country phase, she feel off after a jump and hit the ground so hard her helmet (a top quality one!) split in half. She lived to tell the tale and show off the helmet. Can you imagine what would have happened to her head if she wasn't wearing a helmet?

    One of my college instructors worked for many years as a horse trainer and had a particularly nasty-tempered mare come in for training. One day she was bucked off while riding this mare and her foot got caught in the stirrup because she was wearing lug-soled shoes. She knew if she didn't get her foot out that the mare would kick her to death. Thankfully, the shoes were slip-ons and she was able to kick her foot free of the shoe, but she broke her back in the process.

    I have all sorts of these kind of stories, including some dumb ones of my own.
  • Tipi Nov 21, 2010 @ 1:03 pm | delete
    Oh my goodness. I have to think about what happened to Superman here. Accidents happen so fast too, that we just can't do much about it some times. Horses do have their temperaments, I got bucked off one many years ago. My whole right hip was black and blue. All I had to put on it was horse liniment, which really did help a lot.
  • raphaelo Nov 19, 2010 @ 1:04 pm | delete
    Nice lense for horse lovers. I like it :)
  • HorseAndPony Nov 19, 2010 @ 12:25 pm | delete
    Safty is important. Thanks for sharing these great tips.
  • CCGAL Sep 20, 2010 @ 1:54 pm | delete
    I don't ride horses, LOL. My sister, however, is a horse lover and has 3 of her own. I can hardly wait to show her this lens. Kudos!
  • Light-in-me Mar 24, 2010 @ 12:58 pm | delete
    Hello, Great lens lots of information,The low heels tip is something I would have never thought of, if I was going to go horseback riding I probably would have just slipped on my tennis shoes. Now I know better!
    Thans for sharing,
    Robin
  • HorseHelper Mar 26, 2010 @ 12:07 pm | delete
    Tennis shoes can be so dangerous if you don't have a deep heel and secure lower leg. I will admit occasionally riding in them, but I did it mostly when I was riding bareback so there weren't any stirrups to risk getting my feet through. I see a lot of people riding in hiking boots thinking that they have bought riding boots.
  • d-artist Mar 24, 2010 @ 8:28 am | delete
    Greetings from a Squidoo Greeter! nice informative lens...5*...most people get hurt around horses because of their own stupidity or lack of knowledge...I gave classed on safety around horses to 4H kids and would not allow any activity till they passed the safety course....thanks for sharing your insight on safety.
  • HorseHelper Mar 26, 2010 @ 12:03 pm | delete
    What a great idea! I had never heard that the 4H had an equine safety course. That's wonderful and I wish that more instructors would do something like that when they are teaching kids to ride.
  • WildFacesGallery Mar 24, 2010 @ 7:54 am | delete
    Some amazing stats. As a horse owner I know how easy it is to become complacent around my bombproof boy. But I also know horses are animals of instinct and they will hurt you if something happens to trigger their instinctual side. Gool lens about safety gear. It's an important subject.
  • HorseHelper Mar 26, 2010 @ 11:58 am | delete
    It is easy to become complacent. That's why we need to set a good example for those we teach or even for riding buddies.
  • GonnaFly Mar 24, 2010 @ 3:01 am | delete
    This sounds like a message that needs to get out there. Thanks for the great info.
  • HorseHelper Mar 26, 2010 @ 11:56 am | delete
    You're welcome! So many people today don't care about their safety or the safety of their children, and that is such a shame.
  • Vp Mar 23, 2010 @ 11:24 pm | delete
    What a great lens! Very informative.

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HorseHelper

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