Trail Horse Riding Safety

Safety at the Barn

There are many ways to keep your trail horse safe in the barn. Much of it is common sense, some of it are hidden pitfalls not so obvious at first. Injuries to your horse are devastating, especially if they happen right on "home base". One great danger are things that stick out in the stall, paddocks, and pastures. This can involve faulty gates, light fixtures, fences, ceilings, and floors, to stall doors, door latches, loose boards, electrical fences, and protruding nails and hooks. In the pasture there might be sink holes, poisonous weeds, and things they can get hung up, or trapped in should they play, or run and panic, such as thorny under brush, barbed wiring, gaps in fencing, or feed holes that are too large.

Stall door latches can be a real hazard to your horse, as many people forget to pull the door latch completely back, and invert he hook end into a "safety" position when the door is open. An improperly set stall door latch can easily catch your trail buddy's skin, and rip open its side as it enters or exits through the stall door opening. They also need to be secured when closed, because some horses are escape artists and quickly figure out how to open latches to leave the stall when they wish.

Safety on the Trails

Kimberly Bunch states in her article 5 Excellent Horses for Trail Riding: "Trail riding is so much fun but for safety reasons we just can't go out there on any old horse. It could be an awful experience, a day ruined by choosing the wrong breed for your days excursion, and also dangerous." Others disagree, and will tell you that size, color, gender, and looks do not matter on the trails. The only prerequisite for a good trail horse is soundness and a good mind, and one that you can easily mount from the ground. Even the old(er) horse can make a WONDERFUL trail horse.

Reading the Signs

No, not those signs nailed to trees, or posted along the road! Here are some of the behaviors that indicate that your, or someone else's horse is presently not a "happy camper" so you can proceed with caution when you see the following signs:

• head is in the air, whites of eyes are showing
• back is pressed down, head raised
• open mouth, or loud snorting through nostrils
• rearing, shying, bucking
• tail is tucked in
• horses that shove and press against each other
• horse is sidestepping or stepping backward hastily

Do not run up behind another rider, and do not pass other riders without alerting them first. When riding at a faster pace, such as trot, or canter, insist that everybody maintains a reasonable distance, and their position in the group, as to not encourage the horses to race, or spook.

It may be a good idea to also carry a portable GPS navigation device, your watch, a flash light, and a loud sports whistle so you can make noise in case you get lost, or fall. Saddle bags, or saddle packs to stow away your extra gear, provisions, gadgets, and gizmos are essential.

Safety Gear and Tack

Always wear a fitting helmet and proper riding gear, including riding gloves and appropriate footwear, such as riding boots that resist dirt and water, and provide ankle support. Use a pommel bag, fanny pack, or saddle bags to carry a folding hoof pick, a spare boot in case the horse loses a shoe, bandages, a couple rolls vet wrap, small spay bottle of insect repellent, chap stick, extra rope, and a picket line... and naturally, the Knot Eliminator Picket Line Tie doohickey to make tying a cinch.

Cell Phone and Gadgets

Keep your cell phone where you can reach it, best in a cell phone holder, and make sure it is fully charged. Also, bring a fly whisk, sheer fly mask, netting, and sheets, natural sea sponge on a rope (must-have for long hot rides), and a water bottle. Wear a bright vest, reflective helmet decals, Lumistick light sticks, and chose a reflective breast collar, leg bands, tail guards, or bridle parts, s.a. Horse-e-lites Browband Cover flashing LED lights for high visibility when riding on roads, especially after dusk, or during hunting season in the woods. Always remember, being prepared and safe when riding the trails is one of the most important things.