Working Around Horses Safely

  by Robert N. Oglesby DVM

Horses at their very best are heavy, fast, and reactive. Most horses react unexpectedly to sights, sounds, and even odors. Horses at their worse can intentionally attack with a number of weapons that include their teeth, feet, head and body. Fortunately horses that are dangerously aggressive towards people are rare. In spite of the generally kind nature of horses, when you work with a horse on the ground you have to be aware that you never know when a horse may jump unexpectedly. Though most horses are not aggressive, exposing him to adverse stimulus, like an injection, may cause him to resist or fight. Where you are standing and how you have that horse restrained will effect whether you are hurt of not. This article discusses handling horses safely on the ground. Links to articles on how to deal with training issues or problems are provided. Note : when we use the term shoulder in this article, we are talking about the point of the shoulder of the horse.