Thoughts On.....Safety
How many times in our riding careers have we done something that some people, including ourselves would consider an unsafe thing to do? I am sure that we have all done things that we have gotten away with although they were not the smartest or the safest way of doing something. Leading the mare in from the field with no shank , hoping that today, she won't spook at the tractor and get away from you!
Jumping on the old pony bareback with no helmet just to save yourself steps in from the field are a couple of things that we have all done and gotten away with. Nothing has happened, no one has been hurt.
Unfortunately though, not every one gets away with these things. People get hurt and so do horses. It really is worth the few extra minutes it will take to do something in a safer manner. That few minutes you try to save may end up being a lifetime of regret, and surely that is something that none of us want on our shoulders.
Instructors and barn owners and even adult riders need to set good examples for the younger folk who look up to people they consider to be good riders. Adults have a responsibility to be a good example not a poor one. So we should all make a point of doing things in the safest manner possible.
After my last "Thoughts on…" about helmets a lady wrote me a very nice letter saying how good it is to encourage young people to wear their helmets. What she did not understand though was why one sees "Professionals" at the horse shows riding without the proper harness on their helmets, or schooling without a helmet. It would be nice for them to reflect for a minute on safety, not their own so much as the youngster, who goes out the next day without their helmet on, or properly secured because they watched their favorite rider at the show school without.
There are ways to contribute to another persons safety without even knowing it.......just by setting a good example.
First published 1999.
How many times in our riding careers have we done something that some people, including ourselves would consider an unsafe thing to do? I am sure that we have all done things that we have gotten away with although they were not the smartest or the safest way of doing something. Leading the mare in from the field with no shank , hoping that today, she won't spook at the tractor and get away from you!
Jumping on the old pony bareback with no helmet just to save yourself steps in from the field are a couple of things that we have all done and gotten away with. Nothing has happened, no one has been hurt.
Unfortunately though, not every one gets away with these things. People get hurt and so do horses. It really is worth the few extra minutes it will take to do something in a safer manner. That few minutes you try to save may end up being a lifetime of regret, and surely that is something that none of us want on our shoulders.
Instructors and barn owners and even adult riders need to set good examples for the younger folk who look up to people they consider to be good riders. Adults have a responsibility to be a good example not a poor one. So we should all make a point of doing things in the safest manner possible.
After my last "Thoughts on…" about helmets a lady wrote me a very nice letter saying how good it is to encourage young people to wear their helmets. What she did not understand though was why one sees "Professionals" at the horse shows riding without the proper harness on their helmets, or schooling without a helmet. It would be nice for them to reflect for a minute on safety, not their own so much as the youngster, who goes out the next day without their helmet on, or properly secured because they watched their favorite rider at the show school without.
There are ways to contribute to another persons safety without even knowing it.......just by setting a good example.
First published 1999.