At 08:41:53 on 02.05.11, Flicka wrote:
I've just read in the news that a 13 year old girl in Cumbria has been trampled to death by her horse when she was tending to him in a field-they think the horse became frightened and stood on her chest. This sad accident has occurred not long after another girl was killed when in a field with horses. I've always thought that we worry about falling from our horses but we're far more likely to get hurt when on the ground. I've been knocked to the ground when two horses have started fighting, and could probably name a lost of near misses I have witnessed which with a bit of thought could have been avoided. I just wondered what other people thought about this subject and what steps you take to stay safe when handling horses?

At 21:27:10 on 02.05.11, NMH wrote:
I always try to avoid being on the 'escape' side of a submissive horse in the field, with a more dominant horse the far side of it. Also never be on the 'escape' side of a flighty or excited horse; you can often (but not always) tell which way they'll try to escape towards if scared. I try to be very cautious indeed when feeding horses at grass, never get in the way. Insist they stay away till you have an escape route yourself. Never surprise a horse, even one you know well.

At 23:52:00 on 02.05.11, kibby wrote:
My friend just got kicked in the back cause she turned her back on a breaker where she works when feeding.. Never take your eye off them for a second!

At 00:07:14 on 03.05.11, JessAndGrenville123 wrote:
See i will never be scared or cautious around horses from fear of being hurt or i would have no fun i take it as it comes, i mean you have all heard my story of my accident with grenville and it is proof that yes anything can happen but it isn't always for the worst. Also more people die from being around horses every year than people do from bull riding but is that going to stop us? I should hope not. At my yard we have a rule - no under 14's go into the field without an adult and everyone must ride with a hat. Our turnout field is big and the horses often gallop through the fields past you when you lead your horse away (our turnout fields consist of 5 fields, a stream and woods with 3 narrow gateways wide enough for two horses) this creates two problems 1. if you keep hold of your horse you will get trampled or dragged so you have to let go and 2. if you are in a gateway the horses want to get through you probably won't get out the way in time... Its really dangerous but i still love going to get grenville in and walking through the miles of fields without checking over my shoulder every 5 minutes to see if we are being followed, if we are i unclip grenville and try to get as close to the fence as possible. We can't iliminate the risk of being around big animals but we can reduce it but that doesn't mean being on your guard all the time or you would be a nervous wreck! I mean grenville can do lots of dangerous things when he is scared or excited but if i was going to take out the risk i would have to take the horse out of the equation so yes i think measures should be taken to an extent without going too far or making people afraid... God i rant on lol... Oh i just thought of the perfect example of why we shouldn't be afraid! Ross and Ed! Or ross and pip now but imagine if he was wary when he had ed or his parents feared for his safety so much they had sold ed, i bet he wouldn't be half as confident as he is now. I agree very dangerous but i think a few of us are drawn to horses from the danger factor... I know i like the unpredictability of horses

At 13:36:02 on 03.05.11, Em28 wrote:
How awful what a tragic accident. Agree with NMH, just having awareness around horses is important and their behaviour etc. Although you can never predict everything. If I was handling a young/difficult horse I would wear my hat to lead, gloves, steel toe caps and make sure I had an appropriate head collar/bridle and long lead rope. Although, tragically this accident sounds like a girl handling her horse that she had grown up with in a normal everyday situation.

At 22:57:31 on 03.05.11, Cowboy wrote:
I think that no matter how many precautions you take, something can always happen. I mean, Stewy could have killed me when he threw me a couple years ago, as i landed just to the right of my temple. And i've been riding since before i could walk. It's hard to judge what should or shouldn't be done with horses, or around them, because every tolerance level is completely different.

At 10:12:59 on 13.05.11, Part Arab wrote:
Sienna gave me a reminder today that she is a horse and I should take care! Chatting away to her, I took off her halter while standing between her and her feed bucket (it was dinner time) and she turned directly into me hitting me in the head with her muzzle and nudged me out of the way. What a shock I got. Horses are big, beautiful creatures and should be respected at all times :)

At 14:51:37 on 01.06.11, NoraPieterse wrote:
some horses get scared and hurt people without meaning to. I have an amazing bond with my mare, but when we were doing pony rides for a fair she got spooked and reared up at me and could have really hurt me. After that she was fine and did her best to be calm and i think she was sorry. We can't always live in fear of getting hurt or killed. Just be careful and trust your horse. Don't enter situations knowing you and your horse could be in danger. that's what i think anyway!

At 16:36:42 on 11.10.11, WannaHorse wrote:
I'm 13 and I can take my horse anywhere. I spend time with him in the paddock where he often gets scared or starts running while playing wtih another horse but he always runs by me or stops if possible. Once he even jumped over me! I was lying on the grass in the paddock and reading a book (wich I often do) and he started running, so when he saw that he was getting close to me he decided to jump over me instead of passing by me. It took few seconds for me to get aware of what happened, but it was a great feeling! Also, if he starts fighting with a horse, all I have to do is make some sound and he'll just stop and move away.. I couldn't reach this level of confidence with him if I hadn't taken some risks.

At 12:55:45 on 22.10.11, jellyb wrote:
if a horse is agressive or very hot y would u go and try to put a halter on it for no reson! i have had to ask this as i have seen somebody tie a horse up for running and bucking in the paddock! the horse was just in high spirets and cuse i was tied up it started to pull on the halter and kick it kicked the owner and suffered a deep cut from the halter!