For the safety conscious among us

diamonddogs

diamonddogs

Active Member
Apr 14, 2008
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Badiddlyboing, Odawidaho
I'm borderline OCD about safety matters around the yard, and I make no apology for it. I won't even sit on a horse without my hat, won't ride in wellies, don't leave my horse tied up for a minute longer than necessary, won't enter a field on my own that houses animals with form for nastiness, won't let my horse wander loose around the yard, won't allow my horse to walk behind me, I hang forks and brooms up if I find them lying around, etc etc, the list goes on.

If you're the same, do you have a problem with other people's attitude, because I do! At best I'm over the top and will drive myself mad, at worst I'm an irritating coward who shouldn't be around horses if I find them that scary!

If you recognise yourself and/or your yard mates here, how do you deal with it?
 
I would be far worse on a livery yard than I am here. I am quite lax, the yard is set up in a way that it is just a series of fields so no yard to walk about on and get themselves into trouble with. The barn has fencing to stop them entering it if they are in the square bit out the front of it and they cannot get down the back of the barn either.

Mine are a happy herd and as they live out in the field together and are always close there is no more chance of them getting hurt wandering out the front of the barn than there is in the field together. Tools etc are put away wheelbarrow isn't nearby.

However if I was on a livery yard I would be different they wouldn't be walking around loose to cool off after a ride because in general livery yards aren't set up in a way that is similar to mine so it wouldn't be sensible to let them.

I don't ride without a hat, my OH and child mean more to me than the random idea some people have that its not cool to wear one.

I am fairly lax about footwear around my horses, I'm will go and turn them out in flip flops on a Sunday if we are going out.

Everyone who rides out with me has to wear hi viz I don't care what they think about it that's my main rule with hacking if you don't like it don't hack with me.
 
At the end of the day only I am resposible for my own safety so I do what I want to do to be, and feel safe. It's not about being scared of horses, it's just common sense to me. Others may see it as OTT but I don't care.

My hat is pretty much permanently on my head particularly when dealing with horses I don't know.
At uni we weren't allowed to even lead horses around campus without hi-viz on so it's second nature to me to wear it out hacking. Also we had to wear hat, gloves and lead in a bridle. Although I wouldn't necessarily use a bridle to lead generally around the yard, I would on the roads and wear my hat too.
 
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I'm quite OCD about safety too - I bring my kids to the yard a couple of times a week, as do some of the other liveries, and we're all (bar one - there's always one!) really safety conscious. I wouldn't dream of riding without a hat and now a BP (although I have been known to forget that oops) - I owe to my children to do whatever I can to ensure I stick around for as long as poss! (Other than not riding at all, of course!)

Maybe I am also more safety conscious as I've come back to riding and horses as an adult after a long break? I'm more aware of what could possibly go wrong, and adults are usually naturally more cautious than kids.
 
I am quite fussy and I think the younger ones tend to think I am OTT.

I have lived and learnt....they haven't.

If someone comes in my space (I am DIY grass livery) they have to abide by my rules. These include being tidy and fully aware of the horses and dangers around them. Mine are all pretty docile but even so it is very important to be aware when you are in the field with them or leading in, feeding etc, things can happen very suddenly so it is wise to always follow safe procedures.

I don't poke my nose into other peoples business though, what goes on in someone else's field with their horse is their affair, so long as the horse is fine.

Very occasionally I have had to step in to avoid someone having a major catastrophe, nine times out of ten, you don't get any thanks for it but at least I have a clear conscience.
 
Always wear hat and hi viz... But I am lax with most things compared to above! Silver wanders on the yard if no one else about, I often put rascal in long grass outside field entrance while I try and catch madam (field is on a steep slope and its dangerous for the three of us if she starts running about. I wear all kinds of clothing and almost always ride in Wellies.

I think it is about knowing the horse in question and who is around - I never let rascal wander on the yard as he wouldn't follow me and would do one! Silver will wait on the yard to be let in stable or follow me nicely tithe gate so we can go to the field.
 
Yard rules you must wear a hat to sit on your horse and ride.
You wouldn't just allow the horse to be loose, its a livery yard with works traffic and people.

Walking only on the yard, not trotting unless trotting up for the vet.
Basic common sense to be honest
 
Having lost all my confidence, I became very safety conscious with Flipo. I have all the police riot gear and have watched on with horror when some folk choose to even sit on a horse without a hat. It's madness in my opinion, especially when it's a youngster and they justify it with 'it felt right and I had to do it there and then.'
BUT.
Recently, my confidence has been growing, and slowly I'm starting to ditch my safety gear bit by bit. It's making me wonder if its not so black and white with what others do. I'm seeing their point of view a bit more and not being so pessimistic. I really don't see me ever not wearing a hat as I still think that's stupid (but those folks' decision so I wouldn't pass judgement unsolicited) but I've so far got rid of gloves, I can wear different footwear now to ride, I don't have to lead with a hard hat (unless going a distance) and the body protector was shelved for my show on Sunday just past and I didn't miss it one iota.
I'm thinking most of it is down to confidence. There are things I'll never do with my horse - leave him tied up and unattended...I'm likely to find the object to which he is tied, trailed across the field if something scares him. But I do let him munch on grass on the verge outside his field and come and go to tidy up my tack etc. that is lax I know, but I feel it's a calculated risk in our set up.
 
I have my standards but they don't match with everyone's.

I will only get on with a hat but I don't wear a BP.

I'm very pro hi viz.

I don't have lessons.

I'm very lax when on the ground with my 2 and have found myself sat under Joy, utter madness!

I'm not fussed about things being left on the yard and wouldn't be able to stay on the farm if I was as nobody else is. If my 2 tit about and knock something that's their lookout.
 
Always wear a hat riding, always wear safety boots, always wear gloves long lining. Horses never loose on yard anyone's loose horse is immediately caught by whoever is closest and tied back up or stabled. Not convinced about hiviz at night though, driving down the lane one dark night the only thing that told me there were horses in the road was Susie's white feathers! All the hiviz worn by the horses and riders was invisible above the headlight beam! Either have hiviz boots or carry lights.
 
cwb said:
Always wear a hat riding, always wear safety boots, always wear gloves long lining. Horses never loose on yard anyone's loose horse is immediately caught by whoever is closest and tied back up or stabled. Not convinced about hiviz at night though, driving down the lane one dark night the only thing that told me there were horses in the road was Susie's white feathers! All the hiviz worn by the horses and riders was invisible above the headlight beam! Either have hiviz boots or carry lights.
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Oh, thats odd you wrote an another thread you would happily turn someones horse loose if it dared be tied up outside your stable!
 
Gimp said:
Oh, thats odd you wrote an another thread you would happily turn someones horse loose if it dared be tied up outside your stable!
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I thought he'd barge past and get the person and their horse a good kicking from his horse!
 
I don't comment on others on the yard, unless it is likely to put me/my horses/my dogs in danger.

I am also very OCD about certain things at the yard, and it never ceases to amaze me that even people who have owned horses for years can be so naive about dangerous situations!!
 
A lot depends on whether I am working with other folk's horses or not. If I am at my Driving instructor's yard I do things by the book, until I get told otherwise. All her horses are so well behaved, easy going and balanced though. I can treat them like my own to a huge degree, but don't because they are not mine (if you see what I mean)

Normally, you would not lead 4 17hh coach horses to their field on your own. She was happy that they were all mannerly enough for me to take them single handed....It;s what we do with ours all the time, 4-6 in a little bunch of balloons......other folk's horses, no, I would never do that.

Things like forks and rakes lying about, common sense says you keep tripping hazards to a minimum. Blocking stable doors with wheelbarrows is something I see folk do on big yards, and I suck my teeth......but if any of mine climb out over the barrow, I shrug. Mine are not thin skined air headed warmblood/TB types that damge easiy. Generally they will think about what it is they are about to do and do it to entertain themselves at my expense.
 
cwb said:
...Not convinced about hiviz at night though, driving down the lane one dark night the only thing that told me there were horses in the road was Susie's white feathers! All the hiviz worn by the horses and riders was invisible above the headlight beam! Either have hiviz boots or carry lights.
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Could be wrong here, but isn't it a legal requirement to carry a light with white forward and red behind? You used to be able to buy lights that attached to your stirrup and others you put on your arm. A rider would be on a very sticky wicket without lights in the event of an accident.
 
diamonddogs said:
Could be wrong here, but isn't it a legal requirement to carry a light with white forward and red behind? You used to be able to buy lights that attached to your stirrup and others you put on your arm. A rider would be on a very sticky wicket without lights in the event of an accident.
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Being safety conscious I wouldnt ride at night or in very bad visabilty, thats madness ! According to the goverment website...

At night. It is safer not to ride on the road at night or in poor visibility, but if you do, make sure you wear reflective clothing and your horse has reflective bands above the fetlock joints. A light which shows white to the front and red to the rear should be fitted, with a band, to the rider’s right arm and/or leg/riding boot. If you are leading a horse at night, carry a light in your right hand, showing white to the front and red to the rear, and wear reflective clothing on both you and your horse. It is strongly recommended that a fluorescent/reflective tail guard is also worn by your horse.
 
I certainly wouldn't ride in the dark because I think that is just stupid.

I always wear hi viz to ride in because drivers are stupid, have x ray vision and are able to see around bends where no other person could, and their feet seem to be stuck down on the accelerator pedal.

I would never take a bucket of feed into a field of horses because that is stupid, and so is allowing horses to take themselves into a yard without being led 'because they always go into their stables'. I saw a horrific accident where that was the ethos and they went the other way onto the main road, collided with one of those x ray vision drivers, the foal broke its leg and had to be destroyed and I held the mare whilst she had a huge amount of stitches across her chest.

Horses are unpredictable flight animals and no matter how well you know them, they should be kept safe.
 
sjp1 said:
I certainly wouldn't ride in the dark because I think that is just stupid.

I always wear hi viz to ride in because drivers are stupid, have x ray vision and are able to see around bends where no other person could, and their feet seem to be stuck down on the accelerator pedal.

I would never take a bucket of feed into a field of horses because that is stupid, and so is allowing horses to take themselves into a yard without being led 'because they always go into their stables'. I saw a horrific accident where that was the ethos and they went the other way onto the main road, collided with one of those x ray vision drivers, the foal broke its leg and had to be destroyed and I held the mare whilst she had a huge amount of stitches across her chest.

Horses are unpredictable flight animals and no matter how well you know them, they should be kept safe.
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oh how terrible :( - Bloody hell though how irresponsible to do that if they have access to a main road !:frown:
 
Gimp said:
oh how terrible :( - Bloody hell though how irresponsible to do that if they have access to a main road !:frown:
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Yes, but down the end of a very long track in the opposite direction to the yard.

Proved a point to me - no matter how much we think 'oh he loves his food/bed/human - it can and does happen that they just lose the plot for whatever reason. Those mares and foals had come in that way loose, with just a gate open for months - that day, something spooked them, or was different.
 
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