And why we need to keep calm and carry on.
There’s already too much misunderstanding about how “horse riding is dangerous”. So far be it from me to chuck petrol on the flames, writes ETN editor Liz Benwell.
However, here’s a real-life near-miss that I’d never have thought possible, yet is easily avoidable…
Last week, a friend and I were hacking along a bridleway banked by wild flowers. It had rained, but now the sun was out. What could be better?
Riding in front, I ducked under a low-hanging branch and called out to my friend behind to do the same. As my horse and I walked on up the bridleway, I heard a panicked cry - and turned to see what on earth was going on…
The hood of my friend’s coat had caught on the overhanging branch and, as her pony had continued to walk forward, she was being throttled as the front of the coat tightened around her throat.
Fortunately, her pony - a wonderfully calm and obedient soul – stopped and stood still when asked. But she still had quite a job to extricate her hood from the branch.
The consequences of this happening at speed, or on a less obliging equine, don’t bear thinking about.
A freak, one-in-a-million chance happening? Well, yes, perhaps… but why take the risk? All my hoods are now neatly folded away while I’m riding.
Interestingly, my favourite lightweight Mountain Horse jacket has the hood attached by quick-release press studs. I like it even more now!
Keep calm and carry on, please!
Let’s hope the current pockets of equine flu aren’t allowed to dent an already precarious equestrian economy.
It’s so bad for business when people stop going out and enjoying their horses. And with fuel prices remaining high, another excuse to stay put and forego spending on all those extras is not helpful.
Of course, equine health and welfare must always come first. But vets seem to agree that keeping vaccinations up to date, monitoring horses’ health and being sensibly cautious is the way to go.
It’s clearly stupid to allow horses from different yards to share buckets at shows. But, apart from the obvious risks, a horse’s chances of catching equine flu is apparently in the lap of the gods.
As vet Alan Hough pointed out in Horse&Hound (28 May), the airborne flu virus can travel three to five kilometres given the right conditions. Therefore, keeping horses at home doesn’t necessary keep them safe.
Quite why some owners don’t vaccinate their horses is beyond me. Fully vaccinated horses are less likely to suffer clinical symptoms and – importantly for other horses’ sake – shed less virus.
The ‘deniers’ who scaremonger on social media about the side effects of equine flu vaccination would do well to remember that these licensed medicines are the subject of millions of pounds worth of research and safety authorisation.
So, I’ll say it. Any owner who doesn’t have their horses vaccinated for equine flu (unless their vet has specifically recommended otherwise) is selfish and inconsiderate. Just do it!
Meanwhile, please encourage your customers and contacts to keep calm and carry on. There’s a good summer ahead.
