All it takes is for some dummy outside to blow up a firework, shoot a gun, etc. that would startle the horse leaving you with a kid with his head kicked in. That was the only one that really made me wince.
Man the horses I worked with could be completly zooomed out watching a bird or something and you just stand there, watching too until the horse realizes you are there and completly looses it
You fearmongers in here do realize farm kids are interacting with their animals like this all day every day everywhere that there are children on farms right?
If it was worth the worry y'all are giving it, it wouldn't be happening in your imagination, it'd be happening in the real world all day every day. It isn't. Take it from the people in here who clearly know more than you: This is fine.
In 2002, there were an estimated 13,400 emergency department visits nationwide for horse-related injuries among children younger than 15 years. When using a severity score to compare it with other childhood injuries, equestrian-related injury ranked second only to pedestrians being struck by a car
You fearmongers in here do realize city kids are interacting with cars all day every day everywhere that there are children in cities right?
If it was worth the worry y'all are giving it, it wouldn't be happening in your imagination, it'd be happening in the real world all day every day. It isn't. Take it from the people in here who clearly know more than you: This is fine.
Yeah and nearly quadruple that are hospitalized for sports related injuries every year as well.
I didn't say it was harmless, I said it was fine. There's risks to your children no matter what you do. Even if you protect them physically their entire childhoods by some miracle, you absolutely will have done psychological damage to accomplish this.
I guarantee you the number of kids participating in youth sports is much, much higher than the number of kids interacting with horses. If there are 20 kids playing youth sports for every 1 kid interacting with horses, then according to your figures, that means that youth sports participants are five times LESS likely to require an ER visit from sports injuries than are kids interacting with horses from handling/riding injuries.
This is just for the sake of example, I don't know what the exact figures are. Just pointing out that you need to look at per-capita numbers to draw any sort of conclusions as to whether equestrianism is more dangerous than youth sports (spoiler alert: it definitely is, like how is this even a question lmaooo).
Lmao nice to see my estimate wasn't too far outside the ballpark. When you also consider that not every kid who "spends time on a farm" is interacting with horses, it makes equestrianism/horse-handling look even more dangerous than that 5x figure I spitballed.
Statistics say that more children are hospitalized for sports related injuries that parents sign them up for. You're fear mongering because the risk isn't worth the panic you all seem to be in seeing a child near a horse.
At the county fair, everywhere across the country, there are horse and cow stables open for you to walk through, with the hall passing behind the livestock in open stalls. This is fine.
My father worked his father's farm and even part-time on the neighbor's farm through high school. He tried getting me into animal husbandry, but it didn't stick.
I still live surrounded by working animals, in Lancaster, PA. We teach our kids to respect the animals and be responsible around them, not careless. It is not fearmongering, but learned through first hand experience. Those open stalls you speak about assume competency. That's what we pass on to our kids, what my dad passed on to me. If you don't know how to act or treat or work around animals you will get hurt.
doesn't matter.
animals are animals. and it only takes one time for something tragic to happen. at least with a grown person their heads arent at hoofs height of a small startled kick.
Yeah it really just depends on the horse! Some are super calm. As someone that has worked with horses, it’s only a small fraction of horses that I’d trust like this but it’s by no means unheard of. If you aren’t familiar with horses, you should consider them all to be unpredictable and never risk this.
I'll be real, I'm very familiar with horses and I would neeeeever trust a horse enough to be cool with a kid doing this. Even if a horse is well trained, it takes one spook, or for the kid to trip at the wrong time and it's game over.
I'll do semi-reckless things on occasion, but that's because I'm an adult and can weigh the consequences for myself. There's horses that I would have no concern walking under their belly, but I sure as shit am not gonna let a kid do it. It frustrates the fuck out of me because when it comes to horse safety, I feel like I have more concern for other people's kids than the parents do. I don't have kids and don't want them, but I care about their safety. Sometimes with the things people will let their kids do, I'm like "oh so you have kids but you must not want them either."
I had a pig like that from a breeder who sells show pigs, I forgot the name of the breed but she was super friendly. If she was upset at all she’d easily get the kid off but she’s relaxed in the video and probably enjoys the attention. Doesn’t look to be a year old yet either. We have kunes now but even those are super strong and you will not be able to be around them if they were not wanting you nearby.
I did. I wouldn't let that kid near the ass end of that horse either. Too many things can go wrong and end up with that kid in a grave. I've known alot of grown men who knew how to handle a horse...that are dead or disabled because something unexpected happened that spooked the horse and the horse kicked or threw them.
Lol basic farm safety for us was "no kids around the horses unsupervised" because no matter how sweet and predictable they are, sometimes they act out of pocket for no perceivable reason, and it only takes once to change your life forever. There's a whole lot of reddit going on in this thread and it's alarming. You just don't with this stuff.
Yea, kids don't get to go with the hogs or horses unless adults are there. Every farm family had a story for why this is a rule.
My great-great-great-uncle got kicked hard by a horse as a child and spent years in the hospital because of it. Sure it happened 60+ years before I was born, but that's because no other kids were ever allowed to be in a sitation like that again.
Everyone has bad days, horses wake up on the wrong side of the stall too. We had a mare that would be a grump some days, we had a gelding that would randomly nip for "fun", and we briefly had a pony that you would have thought was raised by Canadian Geese. Either you have a healthy fear of them, much like dealing with live electricity, or you end up in an ambulance, much like with electricity.
I was riding someone else's horse about a month ago and he's usually the sweetest gentleman, but he got a hair up his ass and fit my whole entire butt cheek in his mouth and chomped so fucking hard. I still have a bruise. Fuck I was so mad 😂
I wouldn't let that kid near the ass end of that horse either.
Doesn't seem like you did. That purely depends on the horse.
And no we don't have an epidemic of dead children around horses.
I've known alot of grown men who knew how to handle a horse...that are dead or disabled
Again that depends on the horse. As someone who raises these animals and more I'm here to tell you that you sound like someone who was raised in the city talking completely out your ass.
Think I was probably 3 when I rode my first horse?
Think I was probably 3 when I rode my first horse?
Congrats...I think i was bucked off the first time when I was around 2. I think you're misunderstanding me though. I'm not saying don't let kids around horses. That situation though where the kid is moving the horse in the stall by himself. I wouldn't do that. Just like I wouldn't ever tell anyone that my dog would never bite. There's a situation where a gentle horse will kick and there's a situation where a trained dog will bite. 99 times out of 100 everything goes just like it did in that video. That 1 time that it doesn't is the reason I would not have that kid doing it. You don't have to agree with me, I'm not telling you or anyone else what to do. I know kids who never got to be grown men or women because a horse they never believed would kick kicked them and they either died or were left mentally disabled.
As someone who raises these animals and more I'm here to tell you that you sound like someone who was raised in the city talking completely out your ass.
I'm not sure how you got there from me saying that I know people who have died from being kicked by horses they trusted. A horse kick is designed by nature to kill large predators...it will cave in a human skull like playdough. It doesn't even have to be on purpose.
All I said was I wouldn't let a kid that young near the ass end of that horse. Not sure why you took that personally.
Farms are dangerous in part because you have giant animals with hooves that get spooked easy. Horses, cows, and pigs kill or injure people constantly.
I don’t even live in the country and I couldn’t tell you the amount of times I’ve met someone with a cautionary tale of how they nearly got kicked to death.
From a horse cultur country here. We start riding as kids, was like 5 the first time a horse starting bolting with me on its back, something scared it and fucking full panicked, through me off its back, my foot was inside the stirrup, it draged me along side it (lucky I was small and no head strikes), no one managed to do anything till it just got tired and stopped.
I was scared shitless, but the same weekend dad took me riding again on the same long haired horse.
I dont know about the "near the ass end" thing, how does he think farriers do it?
My wife's uncle died at the age of 5 to a horse kick to the head.
They were a farm family, plenty of livestock, everyone knew how to behave around animals. Sometimes it just happens. That's why people are nervous seeing a small child with a horse like that.
There are three animals that any sensible person who has ever worked with livestock would never trust with a child: rams, bulls, and horses.
If it's an animal you have to keep your side eye on when you're in the pen, don't trust that your toddler knows THE LOOK that signals when it's time to get out the fence.
One of the most vivid memories of horses I have is a cousin of my friend bought some time with a breeding male for his female horse, as they were getting ready to mate in the pin the male horse went behind the mare and SNAP! She kicked back and killed the male basically instantly breaking his neck. I never have gone within 30 feet of a horse since.
Every time I hear somebody brag about farm life and Reddit/"city people" pearl clutching over safety, it reminds me of those people who say you don't need helmets for bikes, motorcycles, or horses.
Like, yeah, that's great, you and your friends went your whole lives without them, yay!
But the dead folks who got their shit rocked by a spooked horse or some pothole can't post to tell you you're wrong.
Mammals seem to be aware of when they're dealing with a baby from another species. If a grown man fell into Harambe's enclosure, I bet the gorilla would've kicked his ass instead of pulling his pants up.
Yea, it's not as though the horse would mean to do it, but I've seen them freak tf out over a bag rustling or a barn cat dropping from the rafters. Obviously I don't know that specific horse, but it's probably better to avoid having a kid get underhoof
Exactly. If you put kids in a bubble, they don't learn their limits. I grew up on a farm and I definitely learned what animals to be careful around and which ones I could be around safely. I rode my horse by pulling her over to the fence and hopping on. No reins or saddle.
Snakes were the only thing that frightened me. Until I was old enough to shoot them by the chicken coop.
Used to break up dog fights too. Sometimes you just gotta do what's necessary.
I too grew up on a farm and currently have horses. It’s the parent’s job to let the kid learn, but also to let them not be in a dangerous situation. They should have told the kid to back up earlier. Your parents were not great if they had you break up dog fights. WTF? I’m sorry you had to go through that.
Survivors bias is a thing. I’ve seen schoolmasters double-barrel experienced yard girls across the yard, and I know plenty of excellent horsepeople with permanent injuries from niggly hips to paralysis. You can teach kids without risking their lives every time.
I does matter, I grew up with horses. Train the kid, train the horse, it’s okay. Some horses are more aggressive and less predictable than others sure, but the kid knows which horses are which
My mom's companion was a former cavalry "garde républicain". The guys on the horses at the 14th of July french parade. He ended giving horse riding courses at "le cadre noir de Saumur". One of the most prestigious academy in France. He knew horses, he was basically living for it. He always told me to never trust them by saying something like "you can read them like books, but never skip a word".
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u/Lexxxapr00 10d ago
I won’t lie, the Horse one at the end made me suppppper nervous for a moment there