HORSE SAFETY: WORKING ON THE GROUND

Did you know that most people are injured by horses not while mounted, but on the ground?  Or that most of these injuries are caused by gentle horses instead of known-to-be-difficult ones? 

Most people are hurt when horses respond from fear, rather than malice or anger, so desensitizing horses to as many potentially frightening stimuli as possible is very important. We must also- whether we are a casual rider, novice owner, or seasoned professional- work around horses in a way to minimize intimidation and provocation of fearful reactions.

There are two places we can place ourselves physically in order to be safe from injury from a horse. One is very far away, the other is very close. Think about it: If a horse bucks with us while we’re in the saddle, we don’t get hurt. We get hurt if we leave the saddle. When we work with horses, we want to be close to the horse. Grooming, saddling, bridling, cleaning feet, or treating the horse should all be done while maintaining close body contact. Even a small horse is stronger than we are. They can also move faster, a quality necessary for survival in the wild.

Those of you who are engineers and architects will understand Dr. Miller's "Three Points of Contact” concept. Three points of contact form a triangle; a geometrically stable form.  When working with horses, always try to keep three or more points of contact.  Many people work at arm’s length cleaning feet, taking a horse’s temperature, haltering, or grooming, sometimes to prevent soiling their clothes. It also makes them feel safer, but it’s not. If you’re at arm’s length, you’re within a horse’s kicking range.

Press your body against the horse, so you can feel him, and he can feel you. With your hip, hands, arms, elbows, and shoulders, keep at least three points of contact with the animal. It reassures him, because he worries about what you are doing, and can only see you with the peripheral vision of one eye (an attribute of all prey animals- predators have vision that allows them to look ahead in order to spot prey). 

Close contact also provides you with stability. As a vet, Dr. Miller wants close contact when he is injecting or palpating, doing dentistry or treating an eye. The same principle applies to you for everyday activities such as grooming, foot care, saddling, or worming. Always remember these key points when working with a horse on the ground:        

Winter is just around the corner; click here to watch a clip from Dr. Miller’s Safer Horsemanship DVD on desensitizing your horse to a rain slicker or jacket

To order DVD, click here.