Horse Care

Safety Equipment for the Horse and Rider

Horse are wonderful companions for us, whether on the trail or in the competition arena. You must remember, though, that they are large, strong and potentially unpredictable and precautions must be taken to maintain a safe environment. The following are important considerations:

  • Horse. Safety for both horse and rider begins with a good match between the two. If you are an intermediate rider looking to purchase a first horse, you need to look for a "Steady Eddie" type - well-schooled, used to working in a variety of situations and with a tolerant, unflappable personality. These animals may not be beautiful, but they are worth their weight in gold as enjoyable partners. Later on in your riding career, and after additional instruction, you may be ready to take a young thoroughbred from the race track and turn him into a successful three-day event horse.
  • Helmet. No matter how experienced you are and how well trained your horse is, never mount without an ASTM-SEI approved helmet securely fastened on your head. Accidents can happen to anyone, usually when they are least expected. I've been walking on a loose rein, cooling out at the end of a flatwork session, and had my very sensible horse lurch sideways when a deer unexpectedly jumped out of the woods just behind us. A broken leg will heal, but a broken brain probably will not. Many different styles and shapes of approved helmets are available. For pleasure riding and trail work, a plastic model with air vents is nice. Show ring work in hunters, jumpers and dressage requires a solid black velvet type. Event riders can use a colorful silk cover on cross-country. Even if you compete in saddle seat or Western events, a safety helmet can (and should) be worn and is permissible under show rules. Judges cannot penalize you for this.
  • Boots. Riders should always wear boots with a heel - tall dress boots, paddock boots or Western boots. The heel helps prevent your foot from sliding all the way through the stirrup. If your foot slides through as you begin to fall off, you could be dragged a long way. Stirrups with rubber bands as the outside portion are also available in which the band snaps off and frees the foot in case of a fall.
  • Gloves. Gloves are a sensible piece of safety equipment. If your horse gets strong, gloves allow a better grip on the reins. And if you are taking a long ride, they will prevent blisters in the summer and frozen fingers in the winter.
  • Body Protector Vests. Event riders are required to wear body-protector vests for the cross-country jumping phase. These are made of strong but lightweight foam panels sewn inside nylon cloth. Although not designed to prevent all possible upper body injuries, they lessen the impact of a fall to the ground or onto a jump. Most models can be fitted with shoulder pads as well. Once you get used to riding in your "crash vest," it will feel no more unusual to you than wearing a down vest in December. Many riders put their vests on whenever they jump, whether it is schooling over stadium jumps in the ring or galloping over the stone walls in the field.
  • Identification. You wouldn't drive to the grocery store without a driver's license, so don't head down the trail without some sort of ID card in your pocket Name, address, phone number, emergency contact - just jot it down on an index card. Let someone know which direction you're headed and approximately when you will return.
  • Tack. Safety during the ride is important for your horse, too. Make sure that his tack is comfortable, well-fitting and in good repair. Rubber reins are great for rainy weather or in the hot summer (sweaty horse neck) to give you a more secure grip. Bell boots, polo wraps and/or galloping boots are very helpful at preventing injuries. Use what your horse's style of movement and work for that day require. For example, a horse with a naturally long stride and a lot of overstep (hind foot hits the ground in front of the front foot's footprint) should probably never leave the barn without bell boots.

Note: pull-ons are harder to use but stay on and do not chafe the horse's pasterns. Bell boots prevent heel bruises and cuts and lessen the chances of pulling off front shoes from an overreach. Galloping boots give additional protection when jumping. Polo wraps should be reserved for ring work because if a bush out on cross-country snags them, they could start to come off and cause a serious accident. Polos also get soggy when you cross a brook.

  • Show tack and halters look nice with fancy brass nameplates. On your everyday equipment, consider getting a plate with your name and address. That way, if your horse ever escapes (broken pasture fence, open gate, fall on the trail), whoever catches him will know where he belongs.
  • Clothes. If you are out in the woods during the fall and early winter, don't forget about hunting season. Blaze orange for you and your horse may not be a fashionable color choice, but you will be seen. You can even fit one of those reflective yellow and orange jogging vests over your parka.
  • Trailer. Your horse will often spend time in the trailer just to get to your riding destination. Shipping wraps or boots that cover his legs from the coronary band (the site most likely to be injured) up to the knee/hock are a must. Always carry a spare halter and lead shank, first aid kit, tool kit, water and buckets. You never know what sort of emergency or delay might happen when you are away from the barn. For more information, please read Guidelines for Safely Trailering Your Horse.
  • Turnout. For your horse's turnout areas, make sure that the gates and fencing are secure with periodic inspections. Is the fence tall enough for its occupant - 30-year-old Welsh pony or warm-blood show jumping stallion? If you are going to leave a halter on your horse, please make sure that it is made of leather not nylon. Horses always manage to get their halters caught on something, or their hind foot stuck in the throat latch when they scratch their jaws. When it gets pulled on hard, leather will break but nylon will not. Do you want a broken halter or a broken horse?
  • The Barn. Around the barn, there are several steps to ensure the safety of both horses and riders.
    • A telephone is a necessity, not a luxury, and should have emergency numbers posted next to it.
    • Each horse should have a halter and lead shank hanging on his stall for emergency evacuation.
    • In a large boarding barn, stall cards giving horse and owner information can save precious time in case of colic or severe injury.
    • The barn should have at least two exits wide enough for horses.
    • Keep equipment put away in a safe storage place - you won't trip over the broom and the spooky young horse won't get tangled up with the wheelbarrow handles.
    • A clean barn not only looks nice but is also safer. Cobwebs, especially those close to the light bulbs, are a big fire hazard.
    • Don't overload electrical outlets. Keep the use of extension cords to a minimum.
    • Make sure everyone knows where the fire extinguisher is.
    • Manure piles have a lot of heat buildup inside, so site them away from the barn.

Horse ownership is one of the most fun and rewarding ways to spend your time. But in order for both you and your equine partner to be able to spend many happy years together, you have to play the game safely.

How to Choose the Best Saddle

After your horse, your most important purchase probably will be your saddle. The choice of a saddle can make or break the riding experience you have with your horse. With a properly-fitting saddle, you and your horse will feel more comfortable when out riding, making the time together more enjoyable. A poorly fitting saddle, on the other hand, can cause your horse extreme discomfort and pain.

"A horse that is being ridden with a saddle that doesn't fit may show his discomfort by inappropriate behavior such as balking, rearing, head tossing, bucking, refusing transitions, head shaking, ear pinning, biting and/or kicking," says Sandy Arledge, a horse trainer and a breeder of American quarter horses in San Diego, CA.

Saddles don't come cheap - at least if you want one that will last for more than a few months. You probably will have to spend a minimum of about $250, or you could spend a couple thousand dollars or more for a top-of-the-line saddle. Because it is a big-ticket item, you should make sure you've chosen the saddle that best suits you before you buy it rather than discover later that you should have bought another one.

If you've visited some tack shops or checked out a mail-order catalog or two, you may feel somewhat overwhelmed at the variety of saddles that are available.

Tips for Buying a Suitable Saddle

Make sure you're comfortable with the riding discipline you choose before you invest in a saddle. Saddles vary, depending on whether you ride English or Western. If you choose English, you may want to go with dressage, hunt seat or saddle seat. Western riders would choose from roping, reining, stock or pleasure saddles.

Research the brand names of the saddles made for your discipline. Contact the manufacturers and ask about the features of their products. Visit their Web sites. Consult with tack shop owners and get their perspective. Talk to other riders in your discipline to see which brands they prefer and why.

Buy the best saddle you can afford. "Spending money on a quality saddle now pays off down the road," Arledge says. "If you spend two or three thousand dollars for a well-made saddle, it could easily last 20 years or more with proper care. If you figure out the cost over the life of the horse, it isn't that much per year compared with your total horse care expenses." A good quality saddle, she adds, will be more comfortable for both you and your horse, and will eliminate some behavior problems due to ill-fitting equipment.

When shopping, sit in the saddle to make sure it fits your backside properly. Saddle seats come in a range of sizes, which for average-sized women usually is a 15- or 16-inch seat. Be prepared to sit in a lot of saddle seats before you find the one that suits you best.

Choose a saddle that fits you and your horse. "A common mistake that people make is buying a saddle that just fits themselves or just fits their horse - but a saddle has to fit both," says Carol Timmerman, owner of Timmerman's Ranch and Saddle Shop in Island Lake, IL.

Take the saddle home and try it out on your horse before making a final decision. Most tack shops give saddle shoppers at least 24 hours to make sure it fits and feels right.

Carefully observe how the saddle sits on your horse. "A properly-fitting saddle will not press down on the withers, and no part of the saddle will touch the horse's spine directly," Timmerman says. After you're done riding and you take the saddle off, she says you will know the saddle does not fit your horse properly if he is sweaty or has dried spots on his withers.

If you can't afford a new saddle, consider a used one. "Your money will be better spent on a high-quality used saddle than a poorly built, inexpensive new saddle," Arledge notes. "In addition, good, well built saddles do not loose their value, and usually can be resold with little or no devaluation."

Whether you purchase a new saddle or a used one - you can't go wrong with a quality saddle.

The Basics of Selecting a Bridle

Once you've purchased your saddle, probably the next piece of equipment you will want to buy for your horse is a bridle. The bridle consists of three parts: the headstall (the headgear used on the horse), reins and a bit.

There literally are thousands of types of bridles on the market, ranging in cost from $20 to $200 or more.

"They all do the same basic job; what varies is whether they are English or Western, and what type of decorative touches have been put on them," says Sue Herbes, manager of the Libertyville Saddle Shop in Libertyville, Ill. "In the long run," she says, "a $20 bridle should last you as long as a $400 bridle."

Do Your Homework

Don't just walk into a tack shop and buy a bridle on an impulse. You should do some homework first. For one thing, you need to decide whether you will be riding English or Western and how you plan to use your horse.

"Most riders have two or more bridles for different riding disciplines or purposes," says Pam Hunter, a riding instructor in Washington State. She says you may want to have a silver, more elaborate bridle for showing, and a plain, less-decorative bridle for trail riding. If you're just going to have a backyard horse for the kids you may want to skip the more fancy bridles altogether.

You also need to consider what kind of bridle has been used on the horse in the past. "If you are about to purchase a horse, ask the sellers what type of bridle the horse is used to, and then try to buy that same type of bit and headgear," Herbes suggests. Make sure you know how the bit works and how to ride the horse with that bit, she adds. "You shouldn't buy a snaffle bit if you only had riding lessons with your horse using a curb bit."

Size Matters

Another factor is the size of your horse. Obviously it's important to choose a bridle that fits properly. Off-the-rack bridles come in basic sizes: Pony, Cob/Arabian, full-size horse, and oversize for cold-blooded horses such as Clydesdales.

"In all those sizes, however, there are overlappings, so you could have a medium-sized pony with a relatively large head, and a full-sized horse with a relatively small head, and both of them may wear the same size bridle," says Herbes.

Your best bet is to take your horse's measurements before you head to the tack shop, and once you're there, you can look for a bridle that matches your horse's measurements. Carol Timmerman, owner of Timmerman's Ranch and Saddle Shop in Island Lake, Ill., says you should measure your horse for a bridle from one corner of the mouth, over the top of his head, behind his ears, and over to the other corner of his mouth.

"The bridle straps are usually adjustable in length, so if you get a bridle that is the correct size for your horse's head, once you adjust it, the fit will be about the same as if you have a custom-made bridle," Timmerman says.

If possible, take the bridle home and try it on your horse before making a final decision to purchase. "A lot of tack shops will allow buyers to bring the headgear home for 24 hours to try it on their horse to make sure it fits, and if not, they can take the bridle back or exchange it for another," Timmerman says. She adds that this is for the headgear only. Most tack shops will not allow bits to be returned - for health reasons - once they have been in the horse's mouth.

Looking Good

Last but not least, Herbes says, "You should pick out a bridle that you think matches your saddle and looks good on your horse. It's kind of like choosing a watch for yourself: You want something that works well AND looks good."

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WARNING

UNDER TEXAS LAW (CHAPTER 87, CIVIL PRACTICE AND REMEDIES CODE), AN EQUINE PROFESSIONAL IS NOT LIABLE FOR AN INJURY TO OR THE DEATH OF A PARTICIPANT IN EQUINE ACTIVITIES RESULTING FROM THE INHERENT RISKS OF EQUINE ACTIVITIES.

Read the law here.