Think before you ride or work a horse..........

[FarmerChick]

I never allowed anyone to ride my horses.
I can count on one hand how many times I allowed that over my 20 years of having horses.

I never wanted my horse hurt by someone else, let alone the liability possibly from an injury.

My horse, my butt in the saddle...lol

 

[ducks4you]

No one rides alone....even myself and I have been training for several years to say the least... Sorry for the long rant, but I hope someone who reads this gets a little smarter and stays a little safer.

AMEN TO THAT!!!

 

[dianneS]

I never allowed anyone to ride my horses.
I can count on one hand how many times I allowed that over my 20 years of having horses.

I never wanted my horse hurt by someone else, let alone the liability possibly from an injury.

My horse, my butt in the saddle...lol

I totally agree with that. I don't understand why my family doesn't get it though. Both my siblings and my inlaws think I'm being "mean" by not letting them ride my horse. They also think I'm being rude and seem to think that I'm implying that they are not skilled enough to ride my mare. Well, they're not for one thing. Some of them have only been on the occasional trail ride and could count on one hand how many times they've been on a horse. My brother and sister were both clueless when they were younger and had horses, they also haven't been on a horse in nearly 20 years!

They seem to think I'm trying to indicate that I'm some sort of expert rider and I think I'm better than they are, when I tell them that they can't ride my horse. I just don't know why they don't understand it is a safety issue for both them and my horse?? Plus, my mare is just really sensitive. If she has a bad time on a ride, she'll have a bad attitude the next time she is ridden. She's very soft mouthed and doesn't require much rein and mostly seat and leg cues. A person who thinks that you pull to go left or right, pull back to stop and kick to go is going to make my girl miserable!

They just think horses are some big recreational toy that everyone should be allowed to take for a spin every time they come visit! Its so frustrating! Sorry, that's my rant. I've been frustrated with this issue for some time.

 

[freemotion]

I never allowed anyone to ride my horses.
I can count on one hand how many times I allowed that over my 20 years of having horses.

I never wanted my horse hurt by someone else, let alone the liability possibly from an injury.

My horse, my butt in the saddle...lol

They just think horses are some big recreational toy that everyone should be allowed to take for a spin every time they come visit! Its so frustrating! Sorry, that's my rant. I've been frustrated with this issue for some time.

Yeah, and its not just with the horses. You should be a licensed massage therapist. Yikes. Everybody wants a freebie. When someone asks about massage (I had a stranger lay down on the rug in front of me, pointing to her back, at a party once!) I give them my phone number and say, "I don't have my appointment book with me, but you can call later to set something up." Works every time.

When I had horses, I would tell people a variety of things....she's at a certain point in her training and my instructor says she shouldn't be ridden by anyone else right now. That worked when I was younger. If they insisted, I would just shrug and say, "Sorry!" and walk away. Now that I am older and wiser, I would recommend to a youngster in the same situation that they add something like, "Sorry! Let's go (insert fun activity here.)"

For rude people, I would recommend the local stables that let you take a horse out on a trail ride for a fee. Something like, "ABC Stables has some great trail horses! It's pretty darn cheap, too, compared to the per-ride-cost of owning a horse!"

Horses are like underwear. Some things just aren't for sharing.

 

[Countrymom]

And if you do allow them to ride, you all are right that the horse is affected. Maybe not just once, if the horse is basically dead broken been there done that, but eventually you have to keep the horse tuned up. That is why I charge to ride my horses and ponies. Sure come on, but you have to have it in a lesson, and no one gets outside the arena period. However, I have some horses that no one is allowed to ride. Period. It takes a special horse with a stable mind to let anyone ride. I have a few that would freak too.

 

[FarmerChick]

Horses are like underwear. Some things just aren't for sharing.

_____________


I so agree. You got to be a horse lover and owner to understand you don't want anyone touching your baby! LOL

Horse are very personal items actually (well, not really items but you know what I mean)

Horses are part of the body when you ride, an extension of yourself....others don't get that who want that occasional horsey ride...

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

I especially cringe when my dad goes trail riding by himself. He still does it and I yell at him every time. One time he went trail riding alone with my mare five years ago and it resulted in her having to be put down. That was the most horrible experience in my life, and it wouldn't have happened if he had gone riding with a buddy.

I've done a lot of stupid things around horses since I began riding. I'm lucky I haven't been killed. I like to think I'm wiser now, but after my mare was put down, I didn't really ride for about three years. I'm definitely out of practice, but I try to be as safe as possible. Unfortunately with horses, you always take the risk of being injured, no matter how safe you are.

 

[horsen4me]

Some of the best riders and horse handlers graduated from the school of hard knocks. lol
I know I did, but I am extra cautious now. I have a boarding barn and some of my boarders bring hyper kids out that will run screaming behind a horse they don't know and the parents seem to have no clue. I tell them from the start about running around the horses but I am not their mother. It is her job to be the nag, not me.
I hate to see a child get hurt because some may never go near a horse again. I suppose you are either a horse person for life of just passing thru. You can never be sure what a horse will do. Use caution and keep your children safe, horses will spook, step on toes, nip a finger and even kick if surprised. I love them all and they are like people, they want to survive and will react if they feel a danger is present. I just try and share my stories of broken toes, concussions, and spinal misalignments from a quick and swift movement, at the sight of a round bale wrapped in plastic. Hopefully, that way they can learn from the "been there, done that" it hurts less that way.
As for the father that tells his children to find them standing on the horses backs, I'd pray...a lot!

 

[dianneS]

I never allowed anyone to ride my horses.
I can count on one hand how many times I allowed that over my 20 years of having horses.

I never wanted my horse hurt by someone else, let alone the liability possibly from an injury.

My horse, my butt in the saddle...lol

They just think horses are some big recreational toy that everyone should be allowed to take for a spin every time they come visit! Its so frustrating! Sorry, that's my rant. I've been frustrated with this issue for some time.

Yeah, and its not just with the horses. You should be a licensed massage therapist. Yikes. Everybody wants a freebie. When someone asks about massage (I had a stranger lay down on the rug in front of me, pointing to her back, at a party once!) I give them my phone number and say, "I don't have my appointment book with me, but you can call later to set something up." Works every time.

When I had horses, I would tell people a variety of things....she's at a certain point in her training and my instructor says she shouldn't be ridden by anyone else right now. That worked when I was younger. If they insisted, I would just shrug and say, "Sorry!" and walk away. Now that I am older and wiser, I would recommend to a youngster in the same situation that they add something like, "Sorry! Let's go (insert fun activity here.)"

For rude people, I would recommend the local stables that let you take a horse out on a trail ride for a fee. Something like, "ABC Stables has some great trail horses! It's pretty darn cheap, too, compared to the per-ride-cost of owning a horse!"

Horses are like underwear. Some things just aren't for sharing.

Ha!! I am a Licensed Massage Therapist! I used to get people expecting freebies all the time, especially when I was just out of school. They acted like they were doing me some kind of favor by allowing me to work on them! I don't get too many people expecting freebies anymore. I've been doing it ten years, I charge top dollar now due to my experience and most people know better than to expect a discount or a freebie!

 

[1/2DozenWings]

Wouldn't it be great if more people could understand that, just because you own horses, that does not give other folks license to bring their little kids over to plop on the back of one of your horses!

I'm not popular with relatives nor with some would-be friends as a result.

All horses are unpredictable, as are all humans.
I live in PA, which has no limit to equine liability litigation, and I live in an area where there is an overabundance of attorneys.

Just a pet peeve of mine.