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this post was submitted on 18 May 2024
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It's actually best to stay in contact with a horse if you're moving around near it. Approach from where it can see you, say hello and pet it, then keep your body touching its body while you move around its backside. That lets the horse know exactly where you are, and if it does decide to kick you, then you're right up on it and it'll just push you away rather than gaining full momentum and cracking your skull.
Also good advice. There's an area my buddy affectionately referred to as "the kill zone" which is just the right distance away that a kicking hoof can be at full velocity/force; this is precisely where you do not want to be if a kick happens.
but the best advice is to learn things like this from someone In Real Life around horses, because you can see which ones are totally chill and which ones are fucking bonkers. [Insert reference to various kinds of people here.]
Half a lifetime ago I worked as a wrangler, in charge of 16 horses. They were all retired race horses, full bred quarter horses. I'd teach people horsemanship, and then take them on a 10 mile overnight ride at the end of a week's worth of instruction. Most of the horses were pretty chill, but there was one that just wanted to fucking fight everything. It tested literally everything you did, and it would fuck you up if you didn't know how to handle ornery horses. Needless to say, I made sure I was always the one riding that horse, and also told people to stay the hell away from it. I never took my eyes off that bad boy whenever I was near him.
a) that sounds like an awesome job.
b) you did right making sure that you rode Asshole Horse.
c) Knowing that people keep asshole horses on purpose kinda drives me, in the same way as when people keep asshole dogs when there are perfectly decent dogs being put down. I've seen a bunch of unwanted standardbred racehorses that would have made perfectly fine riding horses. Breeding for temperament needs to be emphasized more.
Yeah this dude was just naturally ornery. But once you earned his respect he was awesome. Since I rode him every day, he and I developed a real bond. I could steer him with my knees, and he often knew what I wanted to do before I consciously communicated it with him. I also knew what he didn't want to do and would go out of the way to keep him happy.
It was a fun job. It was definitely hard work, and under-paid, but it was satisfying in a way that few jobs are. It was perfect for summer employment as a young man, since it included room and board, in addition to the meager wages.
I gotta say, that sounds pretty decent to me. Forging a mutually beneficial working relationship with a smart horse is something most people will never do. Kudos to you for it.