When we handle horses every day it is easy to become complacent, especially when you are handling your own horse. A recent incident at our yard really highlighted to us how easily things can go wrong and how important it is to make sure you have things in place for if something does go wrong.
This accident has really made me think about how much time I spend at the yard by myself. While there being someone else there might not stop an accident from happening, it would mean that I would get help soon. I always try and ride when there are people at the yard, or when I know they will be there soon. But I regularly turnout or bring in by myself when there might not be anyone else due up for hours. Sometimes this is unavoidable, but whenever possible, I am trying to do my jobs when there are other people at the yard.
I don’t often go out hacking by myself, but I am seriously considering investing in an app like Horse Rider SOS where if you do have an accident out hacking, it will text your emergancy contact with your exact location. We are pretty good as a yard at letting people know where we are going hacking so we have a rough idea of when to expect them back and can retrace their steps if we get worried.
But it’s also made me think about what plans I have in place if I was injured. I am lucky to be on a lovely yard where I know that everyone would help if I wasn’t able to look after Scottie. They know his routine, his feed, his vet and farrier. But what about the more specific things like when was his last vaccination? When his teeth are due? And is them looking after him a long term solution? Probably not.
If anything happened to me where I would be out of action for a long time, I would realistically need to pay someone to look after him full time, even if it was retirement livery. I do have some rider insurance on Scottie’s policy which would give me some cover if I was badly injured handling Scottie. But when his policy is up for renewal I am considering swapping this for a more extensive accident cover as it would just be one less thing to worry about in these situations.
Last Updated on 12/07/2022
