From: Lara
Dear Jessica, I have a question that no body at my barn has been able to answer to my satisfaction. I am counting on you to give me a real answer! Horse-sense is an amazing service and although I have a riding instructor and take regular clinics I think of you as my mentor.
Here is what happened: I regularly ride my horse on trails near our farm. About two months ago, I took a different horse out, my young horse that I am training. He is four and has some experience on trails, but not a lot of experience with groups of people, especially small people (children). My two friends and I had dismounted in a flat grassy area to let the horses graze, and a group of adults and children came up to us and were very excited to see the horses. They weren't rude or even terribly loud, but several of the children just went right up to the horses and started petting them. I told them to get away from the horses, and explained that horses can be frightened by sudden movements and unfamiliar humans, and finally got them to leave us alone. My horse wasn't nervous, because I got the people away in time, but my question is: HOW can I keep people from being so rude and inconsiderate? These were children accompanied by their parents, and yet their parents had obviously not bothered to teach them any manners. They ran right up to the horses and began to touch them! I know that I can't control the way other people raise their children, but mannerless children like these are a danger to themselves and others, and could cause a horse to spook and injure them! Is there anything I can do other then tell such people "GET BACK!" and warn them that I won't be liable or responsible if their bad manners frighten my horse and he hurts them?
Thanks -- awaiting your response! Lara
Hi Lara! I'm glad you enjoy horse-sense, and thank you for the compliment of thinking of me as a mentor. ;-) In this case, however, you may not like my answer...
It's true that many children are badly brought up. It's also true that horses spook, and that sudden movements, strange humans, etc. can cause them to spook. BUT, having said that, I must say that you are not in a position to change either of the above! You have no input into child-rearing unless the children are your own; you have no input into horse instincts and nature. These are not factors that are under your control. Even yelling "Get back!" may not serve you, as the yell may spook your own horse or another horse -- just what you want to avoid! -- and if you should encounter a child with a hearing impairment or one that doesn't speak English, even a really loud yell might have no effect on the child.
What you DO have some input into, even some control over, is your own horse's training, behaviour, and expectations. If your horse is going to be a trail horse, try to get him accustomed to children who want to pet him. Borrow some neighbor children and practice spontaneous horse-petting scenarios! You probably prepare your horse for other potentially frightening aspects of trail-riding by introducing him to people on bicycles, bicycle bells, motorbikes, hikers with staffs and backpacks, and all of the other predictable "spook-factors" -- why not just add children? It won't guarantee that he will never spook, but if he can be made to feel at ease in the presence of swarming children, he will be much less likely to spook when he meets some on the trail. And at the least, this should buy you a few extra seconds in which to explain to the children and their parents that they need to stand back and come in one at a time to pet the horse BY INVITATION ONLY. But say it with a smile, please! We do need to share the trails, and it's natural for children, and even adults, to want to pet horses. I agree that it isn't always appropriate, and I agree that they should wait to be asked, but we both know that this just isn't always going to be the case, and we can't count on other people being either well-brought up, or wise in the ways of horses.
As for the liability issue, this is something that you would need to discuss with your insurance agent. These matters vary a good deal. But it's best to assume that since you and your horse are on a public trail, it is your obligation to ensure that no harm comes to anyone because of your horse, even if he was severely provoked by an eruption of small excited children. A horse, like a car, is a large, heavy item with quite a lot of potential for causing injury. The children and their parents may not have any understanding of THAT concept, but you do -- and you won't want to live with the knowledge that preventable harm came to any child on the trail because your horse was there on that day. You need to "ride defensively" in the same way that you "drive defensively" -- always with an eye to what COULD and MIGHT happen, and with an idea of how you would deal with any situation. Of course you can't predict every possibility, but you CAN offer your horse, and yourself, and the children and adults that you may meet, a modicum of protection by preparing your horse at home.
Police-horse training is wonderful for this! You don't have to go as far as teaching the horse to stand while you fire a pistol from the saddle, but dealing with crowds, noise, kites, balloons, backpacks, and umbrellas should be part of every horse's education IMO. It's especially important now that there are so many children AND parents who have, perhaps, never even SEEN a horse closely, and whose impression of horses and their riders may be changed forever by your reaction. Take the opportunity to educate them a little -- and tell them how you have had to educate your horse. They'll be interested, they'll appreciate the information, and the chance to pet the horse with permission, and they'll remember what you taught them when they next encounter a horse and rider on the trails.
Jessica
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