KEN'S COLUMN
Good intentions aren’t the complete answer’!
Like a lot of people, I feel overwhelmed - disenfranchised – my personal liberty invaded - by some of the situations that are perceived as health and safety hazards. It does seem that we have ridiculously stringent guidelines covering so many things – so much so that children are suffering more and more restrictions that affect many of the things enjoyed by people only a short while ago. Playing ‘conkers’ in the autumn is frowned upon, even forbidden….climbing frames are being dismantled in some school playgrounds…adventure playgrounds are not as popular as they should be…and so on. I am not a doctor, nor a dietician – but I do wonder if some childhood obesity – I hasten to say, patently not all – doesn’t have as much correlation with enforced inactivity as it does with inadequate diet!
Having said all that, there are some equine-related situations where I believe awareness and complying with the accepted rules is fundamental to safety. As an individual who has had years and years of equestrian experience – and as a Society of Master Saddlers’ qualified saddle fitter – I feel very strongly about riders wearing appropriate clothing – most especially on their head and their feet.
The best-schooled, well-mannered - normally calm - horse can do something unpredictable and totally out of character. Thus – when I go to fit a saddle I want the horse’s rider – irrespective of their age – to be properly equipped with a well fitting hat. By the same token, I don’t want them to ride in trainers – shoes with a high heel (I promise you, attempts have been made!) or heavy Wellington boots. Riding and jodhpur boots cannot in themselves prevent an incident – but they can help to prevent an incident turning into an accident. As an example: a pony bucks – the rider loses her seat and falls off unencumbered by footwear that jams in the stirrup! On the other hand, the rider wearing inappropriate footwear could so, so easily suffer a very nasty accident because her foot was stuck in the iron.
Just two-three weeks’ ago I was asked to equip a young horse with its first saddle. The owner said that she would lunge the horse as a preliminary – which I thought quite sensible …until! The lunge rein was attached to the bit! The youngster’s legs weren’t protected with a single boot or bandage. Not a lungeing roller or cavesson in sight! The owner wasn’t wearing either a hat – or gloves – and she intended lunging an un-backed youngster in an open field! When I expressed dissatisfaction (fairly strongly) she asked me if I didn’t intend fitting a saddle – and was evidently very surprised when I said – adamantly – ‘no’.
Over regulation is, in my opinion, a bad thing. At the same time, I think taking stupid risks that could result in totally unnecessary injuries – maybe even fatality – is senseless. Another incident that I didn’t witness – but dealt with the consequences – related to a young horse that was in the process of being backed - not in an enclosed space but in a large open field! Apparently the owner put on the saddle – and the horse remained calm. She adjusted the girth – and the horse was still calm. Something then caused him to jump in surprise and fright. The girth wasn’t correctly adjusted – and the saddle shot under the horse’s belly. Not too surprisingly, he went berserk and broke away. That youngster spent two days and two nights in the field without anyone being able to get near him!
The fact that the saddle was a write-off is irrelevant.. Fortunately (and amazingly, considering the way he cavorted and reared and bucked in his endeavours to free himself of the saddle) the youngster didn’t sustain any physical damage. The same couldn’t be said about the trauma he suffered. It took a very long time – and an enormous amount of patience – to restore the animal’s confidence. Yet, what could have been a very, very serious accident need never have occurred had the owner applied basic safety rules.
Having illustrated my point with two fairly extreme situations I simply must refer to something that I come across time and again! The young rider who has been equipped with all the right type of gear – but the fitting is totally (dangerously) inadequate. The worst offences occur in the case of hats and back and body protectors that have been deliberately bought on the large side so that the youngster ‘can grow into’ them.
I wouldn’t like to guess at the number of times I have explained to a parent that equipping the child with ill-fitting gear is sometimes even more dangerous than not providing it at all! ‘Good intentions’ aren’t the complete answer – they must be accompanied with common-sense!
KEN LYNDON DYKES is an ex-international level three day event rider. A qualified Society of Master Saddlers’ saddle fitter, his specialities include competition horses and ‘difficult’ fittings. KEN CAN BE OBTAINED AT HEAD OFFICE (01622 844440) OR ON HIS MOBILE: 07973 501873.
