These articles will help you learn how to be safe with your horse in a variety of situations from grooming and leading to riding along roadsides and trailering. Learn to stay safe with your horse and have fun.
1. Staying Safe While Handling Horses
The quietest horse or pony can wreak havoc if it panics or you make a mistake and inadvertently get in the way of a stomping hoof. These basic rules will help you stay safe while you are handling your horse in the barn or paddock. These are rules that anyone who even gets close to a horse should know--even if that horse is a dependable police horse on the street, carriage horse or backyard pasture potato.More »
2. Riding Along Roads Safely as Possible
I like to avoid riding along roads if possible. I monitor online RSS news feeds for news about horses. An alarming number of news stories of injury or death of horses or riders/drivers involve motor vehicles. In most places, horse riders or drivers may have the legal right to be on roads, and some traffic laws prohibit motor vehicle drivers from doing anything to disturb a horse. But many drivers do not know this. Ignorance and sometimes even malice on the part of automobile drivers can cause some scary situations for horseback riders and drivers. If you must ride on the road, please be careful.More »
3. How to Tie Your Horse or Pony Safely
I'm always surprised at how many unsafe tying situations I see, especially at horse shows. Tying too low, with too long a rope is one of the most common safety blunders I see. It's very important to your horse and to the people around the barn or at an event, to learn to tie in the safest way possible.More »
4. Horse Riding Arena Etiquette
If only the skies would always be sunny so we could always ride outside! That's just not the case however, especially in climates where snow and ice blankets the ground for several months of the year. Arena riding takes a little safety sense. Here are tips for making everybody's ride in an arena or ring a little safer.More »
5. Safe Horseback Riding at Night
I can't deny the appeal of a moonlight ride. I do understand that it does come with some safety risks however. Our horses see better than us in the dark. But we can't rely totally on them to keep us safe. Here are some tips for staying safe at night.More »
6. How to Fall off of a Horse
What goes up, must come down. Call it an unscheduled dismount, getting dumped or eating dirt, any time you come down off of a horse, you want to do it safely. While there's no guaranteed way to fall off in perfect safety, these tips may help ease the landing. More »
7. Horse Trailering Safety
A lot of people don't think it's important for a horse to know how to load and stand on a trailer. But you never know when you'll have to make an emergency run to a veterinarian clinic or there is an evacuation due to a natural disaster. It's also important for you to know how to make the trip as comfortable and safe as possible. Here are some tips, from my experience on how to make trailering safer.More »
8. Safety Tips for Horseback Riding
These basic horseback riding tips will help you stay safer while you are riding. Find good advice about getting lessons, riding a suitable horse and wearing safety equipment.More »
9. Safety Tips for Driving Your Horse
Driving your horse is a lot of fun. But adding a vehicle into the mix can create some hazards not encountered while you're just grooming or riding. Learn how to make the most of your horse driving experience by keeping it safe and fun.More »
10. Safety and Courtesy on Multi-Use Trails
When we ride or drive out amongst the public, we become ambassadors for all horse owners. Riding on public trails like the Trans-Canada Trail, rail trails or state parks trails takes responsibility on our part. Many people are intimidated by horses and many are offended by horse manure. Here's how to make sure we are being courteous to other trail users and safe to all.More »