We have all heard the age old adage of ‘safety first’. This adage especially rings true when it comes to the horse industry.  If you ride, as I do, you probably have your own checklist of safety items that you simply wouldn’t mount without. For me, my number one safety item is always my helmet.

For those participating in the horse industry’s signature competitive racing event, the Kentucky Derby, other people, such as race organizers, industry regulators and track management will make those safety lists and guidelines for you. Those safety lists and guidelines keep getting longer, especially given last year’s publicized fatality during the Kentucky Derby.

Moreover, for other organized horse related events and competitions, the National Horse Show Commission and other organizations, are setting forth guidelines to ensure safety. For example, the Tennessee Walking Horse has an activist organization called Walking Horse Advocates to promote protection and humane treatment during competition and otherwise.

What does your safety checklist include?

Tags: horse industry, horse racing, horse riding, horse shows, horses, risks, safety

This entry was posted on Wednesday, March 25th, 2009 at 1:03 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.