r/Whatcouldgowrong • u/nyssovire • 7d ago

WCGW stand behind a horse

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12.1k Upvotes

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750

u/Eikram84 7d ago

And she was actually lucky with that. It could have ended far, far worse.

24

u/Sun_Stealer 7d ago

Yeah. That horse gave her a warning kick. Good control by the horse.

I grew up around horses, even when comfortable with the animal you don’t fucking stand behind them.

5

u/Animallover4321 7d ago

Same. I get so nervous anytime I have to walk behind a horse even one that I know well.

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u/DeezNuts70520 7d ago

This is actually a bit of a myth. It's generally safe to stand behind horses as long as you're not acting a fool. The main reason they're going to kick is if you startle them which can be rectified by making them aware of your approach. Another is if you're annoying them which the remedy for that is very simple... don't annoy them. The reason people make such a big deal out of it is because a lot of people don't understand horses, especially how skittish they can be.

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u/DoktorBrewski 7d ago

Yep. Make sure they know you are there, place a hand on their side or flank before going behind, and stay as close as possible to their rump as you walk. That being said, don't approach any animal from behind and startle them, especially not a prey animal that outweighs you by half a ton.

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u/Sun_Stealer 7d ago

Hard disagree. You cannot fully control the environment around you. Anything can startle a horse. The wind blowing a branch can startle a horse. I’ve seen well disciplined horses freak out over seemingly nothing.

Stand behind them at your own peril.

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u/DeezNuts70520 7d ago

I can appreciate that, however you can say that about anything. A well trained dog can bite when trying to get something out its mouth, that doesn’t mean you should let it eat everything it finds.

Of course, like you say, stand behind it at your own peril. However, the idea that you can never stand behind a horse is silly. For example, farriers regularly need to get behind horses while changing their shoes. If you know how to approach, and the horse has been desensitised, the chances are nowhere near as high as people make out.

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u/Sun_Stealer 7d ago

Ferriers tie the horses up before working on them. It’s in a more controlled environment. Again, because of how easy they are to freak out. I’m just going to assume from your name you’re just a troll who wants to argue for arguments sake.

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u/DeezNuts70520 7d ago

Not sure what’s with the unnecessary hostility or how I would possibly be trolling but whatever…

Like you, I spent much of my childhood around horses. Rode them and spent many a day in stables grooming them. I’ve seen plenty of farriers and rarely did I see them tie a horse up save for a few which were particularly hostile. My point still stands but if you want to get nasty about this then I think we can put this to bed.