Saddle Seat Wednesday
P is for a healthy concern for safety, not an obsession, not at all. If you are joining me from Blogging A To Z, welcome! Since the blog is already daily, with topics for each day [About: Schedule], there is no specific A To Z theme. I may even skip a few letters. Gasp. Clutch the pearls. The goal for this year is less crazy, more visiting. [Ze State of Ze Blog 2014]
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A while back, I was at Stepping Stone, getting ready for my lesson. The grooming stall is full of SSF brushes and material, so I leave my brush box just outside, in the aisle. (Yes, I bring my own brushes. Your point?) As I was about to reach down to get a brush, I saw a horse being led up the aisle.
From an excess of caution, I stood up & stepped back, waiting for the horse pass by. As he got level with me, the horse suddenly kicked out with both hind feet. I was looking at the bottom of a set of hooves from about a foot away. At least, it felt like 12 inches. Probably was more. I was perfectly safe where I was.
What if I had been a step closer, bent over? Shudder.
Thank you for reading,
Katherine Walcott
Virtual Brush Box 
it’s never fun to see the bottom of hooves! This weekend, I was at my sister’s house for Easter and went out to take care of her horses. One of them is an elderly Arabian with arthritis in his back legs. Every so often he will raise one back leg and kick it back. He’s just stretching but I still wouldn’t want to be in the way!
Lisa / Tales from the Love Shaque
Yes, I always say horses no-matter how well behaved are still animals and can be unpredictable.
That is a really good reason for barn paranoia. Sometimes it is best to learn things the easy way.
Scary!
đŸ™‚
Since the post was timeless, it hung around for a while as backup. Even now it gives me a serious case of the what-ifs. I suspect that on some level I recognized the temperament of the horse in question, which is why I have him a wide berth. Still, any horse is capable of anything at any time.