Horse Riding Safety - Every Parents Top Concern
When our daughter started Horse Riding we were very worried about her safety
, but parents,please take heart, the safety of your child is one of the top concerns for everyone involved in teaching your child horse riding.
Riding, as with all sports, has its own set of inherent dangers. By enrolling your child in a lesson program that adheres to proper safety standards, you convey the importance of acting prudently around horses. A combination of equipment, education, instruction and experience will help protect the safety of your child as they learn.
Equipment is the best way to protect the safety of your child as they learn to ride. Simply purchasing equipment is not enough; items bought need to adhere to specific standards and be properly sized. A trip to a local tack shop is typically the best way to make initial purchases. Here, knowledgeable sales people will help measure and offer suggestions for brands that best fit. Parents will find helmets come in standard sizes; however, fit varies by brand. In addition to a helmet, boots with a heel are another important investment. Optional equipment purchase, for the conscious-minded parent, is a safety vest. As with any sports equipment, in the unfortunate incident of a fall with head impact, the helmet should be replaced. Damage may be not be visible yet the structural soundness of the helmet compromised. The cost of a replacement is negligible compared to the safety and well-being of your child.
Education and instruction will be the secondary components of protecting your child's safety and well-being while learning horse riding. Instructors and riding school/barn staff should work from the start to educate your child in safe practices around horses. Safety starts on the ground and simple directives including slow and planned movements, not walking directly behind their mounts and learning to read body language are important first directives.
As there is so much to learn about riding, children often become overwhelmed with the details. It is incumbent on instructors, parents and barn staff to continuously remind children of the rules. Providing explanations to accompany instructions can be a helpful tool. Simply telling a child to not walk behind a horse may not elicit the same response as describing the swift kick that may result from walking directly behind a horse. As your child learns the basics of riding, they will also be instructed in correct position that helps protect their safety. Learning to keep heels down will be one of the first points that helps prevent a foot from slipping through the stirrup in the case of a fall.
Experience is typically the third component of protecting a child's safety around horses. Time spent around knowledgeable equestrians and horses, coupled with observation is the best way to learn best practices. Here novice equestrians can see firsthand the value of following direction and being comfortable with their mount. Instructors typically expose students to safe and controlled situations. Most students will learn on quiet, trusty mounts familiar with starting new riders. Building positive experiences from day one will help build confidence. If you find your child is being mounted on a wild-eyed crazed horse, you are probably not in the right environment for learning and should rethink the planned lesson. Children should also learn to speak up, when they feel nervous. Many an injury could be prevented by practicing the basics or reassessing a situation.
Safety is one of the most critical lessons a child will learn as they progress in horse riding lessons. Parents can do their part to make proper equipment purchases and start their children with skilled instructors. The safety of your child will be protected through proper equipment usage, instruction and simply experience around horses.
by: David W Lee
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