Horse show safety tips. Part 2

Horse show safety tips – more points from an article I wrote several years ago- tips for a young coach, preparing riders for that first show of the season!

  1. Clear the decks. Around the stable area, and grooming area at ringside, continually have your people check if there’s any equipment within radius of the horse that he could step into and cause a wreck. I’m constantly drawing riders’ attention to step stools, tack boxes and lawn chairs  – accidents waiting to happen.
  2. Be careful where you tie. “Tie ‘em high and tie ‘em short,” is one of my favorite sayings. I am always amazed at how and where horses are tied (to stall doors and other things that move, low enough that they could get a foot over the lead, to trailers with drooping hay nets or swinging doors) As a judge, walking through the show grounds, I have to put my blinkers on and hope that their coach will take action before Murphy’s Law does.  Not only is it a real danger to have your horse break free at a horse show, but it is a waste of everybody’s time and energy, and really embarrassing to boot!
  3. If in doubt, don’t do it! At horse shows, you don’t have to look far to see the safety envelope being pushed. Riders sitting sideways, riding bareback, little kids being led around in the crowded practice ring. I’ve seen people riding in the barn aisle, trotting back from the show ring to the stable, handlers changing the bridle without the rider dismounted.  I’ve corrected my students for bandaging their horses in the stall without having them tied up, or, similarly, picking out the stall with only the wheelbarrow across the door opening.

    • Making your riders aware of horse show rhythms and routines in advance, will relieve you of feeling like the party pooper or drill sergeant, making for a lighter, safer atmosphere.