Am I being picky?

khalswitz said:
I'll be honest, we leave our headcollars tied to twine and hanging when we go off to ride - but if ours were so long they were lying on the floor our horses wouldn't be tied up tight enough!! I second that if your horse is close enough to their headcollar to get feet caught, then your tie up places are ridiculously close together... one thing if tying a another horse up where a headcollar is already hanging, but if your tie up places are far enough apart to prevent kicking she shouldn't be getting her feet caught? And if she's one that breaks off and then gets caught, then I would say put her in a stable rather than tell everyone else off...

This is a very common thing to do, and quite honestly I'd be a bit peeved if a new livery on my yard moved my headcollar while I was riding and told me I was being unsafe.
Click to expand...

my horse was tied up short, as she always is. the other pony had been tied to a different ring diagonally opposite, so the headcollar was on the ground within feet of my horse. there is no stable. i would not have tied mine up there had another horse been tied to the other ring. mine was tied to have her feet hosed, even if i had a stable, it wouldnt have been an option.
when i was a new owner and made a mistake, i appreciated being told, so that i could learn. are you suggesting that if i see a child on the yard doing something dangerous, i should turn a blind eye in future?
 
My thing is stable implements left lying around. I lost count of the times I had to remove a fork left outside a stable door in my last livery yard, and at the current one, wheelbarrows with their "arms" sticking out into the way we lead the horses in from the field, or in the middle of the yard.
 
horserider said:
Thank goodness you said that. I was thinking commonsense had left the building.

I'd be a little peeved if people started moving random headcollars while the horses were away being ridden. It's not very H&S to be wandering around looking for a headcollar that someone has decided to move while you have a horse in tow.
If its a problem to anyone, then secure the headcollar and wrap the lead rope in the correct way but leave it where it is.
Click to expand...
i dont recall saying that i moved them away away from the tie up area, i picked them off the ground and hung them on the fence post where they were tied! so your suggestion to secure the head collar and leave it is exactly what i did. commonsense is alive and well, thanks!
 
Love it! You told them it was you who hung the headcollars up.

I'm mulling this over and I think every one of my liveries does this. Nothing to do with me whether they tie up their headcollar or leave it on the ground. If it was in my way I'd fasten it up, if not, I'd leave it where it is unless it was raining and then I'd put it up off the ground. It wouldn't occur to me to tell them it was me who hung it up though, I think they're all bright enough to figure it out if they so desired, most likely it wouldn't cross their minds.
 
Spring Feather said:
Love it! You told them it was you who hung the headcollars up.

I'm mulling this over and I think every one of my liveries does this. Nothing to do with me whether they tie up their headcollar or leave it on the ground. If it was in my way I'd fasten it up, if not, I'd leave it where it is unless it was raining and then I'd put it up off the ground. It wouldn't occur to me to tell them it was me who hung it up though, I think they're all bright enough to figure it out if they so desired, most likely it wouldn't cross their minds.
Click to expand...

why on earth would i not tell them? i told them that i had done it from a health and safety pov, not as some kind of confession. when my kids are doing something unsafe i would hope someone would tell them. i have also told a child not to walk behind a horse, should i not have?
 
smokey said:
why on earth would i not tell them? i told them that i had done it from a health and safety pov, not as some kind of confession. when my kids are doing something unsafe i would hope someone would tell them. i have also told a child not to walk behind a horse, should i not have?
Click to expand...
We're not talking about a child walking behind a horse. You view the halters being on the ground as a safety hazard, I don't. Simple as that. If someone leaves their halter on the ground attached to a lead rope hanging down it isn't a safety hazard on my farm. Maybe your yard needs rearranging so that things like this aren't a safety hazard.
 
Spring Feather said:
We're not talking about a child walking behind a horse. You view the halters being on the ground as a safety hazard, I don't. Simple as that. If someone leaves their halter on the ground attached to a lead rope hanging down it isn't a safety hazard on my farm. Maybe your yard needs rearranging so that things like this aren't a safety hazard.
Click to expand...

IMO it is a danger, if you feel it not to be that is entirely up to you. im assuming that you have never tripped up, and have never seen a horse caught up. things left on the ground where they shouldnt be are a hazard, rgardless. my grandson left a toy on the stairs a few days ago, he got a huge telling off,and an explanation as to why it was dangerous. as far as i can see,telling a child that their actions could be dangerous is more responsible than leaving them to continue until someone gets hurt.
why on earth would we re arrange a whole yard rather than pick something up when it shouldnt be there?
 
smokey said:
IMO it is a danger, if you feel it not to be that is entirely up to you. im assuming that you have never tripped up, and have never seen a horse caught up. things left on the ground where they shouldnt be are a hazard, rgardless. my grandson left a toy on the stairs a few days ago, he got a huge telling off,and an explanation as to why it was dangerous. as far as i can see,telling a child that their actions could be dangerous is more responsible than leaving them to continue until someone gets hurt.
why on earth would we re arrange a whole yard rather than pick something up when it shouldnt be there?
Click to expand...
As I said, a halter tied to a lead rope is not a hazard on my farm therefore I couldn't care less if any of my liveries hung their halters up or leave them on the ground. If it is a hazard at the stables you board at then it sounds like you don't have enough space for the horses to be tied up and there's probably far worse that could happen having horses tied so close together tbh. Your yard does not sound like it has been set up with much thought. Incidentally none of my horses panic if they are caught in anything; they have been taught to stand still until they are freed, so even if my horses were on a yard such as yours, it still wouldn't be a hazard to them.
 
Spring Feather said:
As I said, a halter tied to a lead rope is not a hazard on my farm therefore I couldn't care less if any of my liveries hung their halters up or leave them on the ground. If it is a hazard at the stables you board at then it sounds like you don't have enough space for the horses to be tied up and there's probably far worse that could happen having horses tied so close together tbh. Your yard does not sound like it has been set up with much thought. Incidentally none of my horses panic if they are caught in anything; they have been taught to stand still until they are freed, so even if my horses were on a yard such as yours, it still wouldn't be a hazard to them.
Click to expand...


let me explain, as you seem to have the impression that my horse was tied too close to the other ponies. tie up area is an L shaped fenced area, with concrete slabs. each side of the "L" is approx 12ft long. there are two tie rings on each length. there where no other horses tied up. the two ponies had been tied on to opposite length, facing away from where my horse was. i tied mine on the ring nearest the corner, so she was close enough to the headcollar to step into it if she stepped to the side. all four rings are not intended to be used at the same time, max two at a time.
i am glad that your horses are sensible enough to stand if caught up, mine is pretty sane as well, i just dont think its worth the risk if it can be avoided. its also a trip hazard for humans, and id rather not fall under the feet of a clydesdale!
 
I agree with you OP, doesn't happen with me as I have my own place so when I leave to ride I do leave my headcollar dangling but there are no other horses to get caught in it. If I was on a livery yard I definitely would not leave a headcollar dangling where other horses could get tangled in it.
 
Horses can get themselves in a pickle in the most unlikely circumstances. It takes two seconds to pick a headcollar up so why not do it?!
 
If it were in my way or a hazard to my horse then I would just hang it up if not I wouldn't be fussed.

My advice is to stop worrying about what other people are doing and chill if you want to have a nice time at the yard :p
 
I haven't read the whole thread but it's clear that a lot of people don't even see this as the basic safety issue it is - same with empty haynets left dumped on the ground outside stables.

Clearly some prefer to learn the hard way...
 
smokey said:
i dont recall saying that i moved them away away from the tie up area, i picked them off the ground and hung them on the fence post where they were tied! so your suggestion to secure the head collar and leave it is exactly what i did. commonsense is alive and well, thanks!
Click to expand...

Others mentioned removing the headcollars and putting them away. My reference was not to you. You did what I'd do with anything that was in the way.

smokey said:
why on earth would i not tell them? i told them that i had done it from a health and safety pov, not as some kind of confession. when my kids are doing something unsafe i would hope someone would tell them. i have also told a child not to walk behind a horse, should i not have?
Click to expand...

As the headcollars were still hanging on the same ring, they wouldn't have been wandering around looking for them, so informing them on their return that their action was a health and safety issue is a little priggish. It's not a big deal to pick them up if you feel they're in the way, so why not do what most people do on a yard, have a silent mutter to yourself, sort it and ask them if they had a nice ride.
Then when someone does something that really is hazardous, voicing a concern will have more effect.

It's really a good health and safety to teach your horse to stand still and not panic, if it gets something wrapped round its feet.
 
dorito said:
I haven't read the whole thread but it's clear that a lot of people don't even see this as the basic safety issue it is - same with empty haynets left dumped on the ground outside stables.

Clearly some prefer to learn the hard way...
Click to expand...

Why would either of these be a particular issue unless there are loose horses wandering around? I'm not saying you should not move it if you were to tie up next to it but otherwise can't see a major issue except an untidy yard which it the YO/YM's business not the yard busybody. And I'm as PC and H&S as it pretty much gets :)
 
sussexbythesea said:
Why would either of these be a particular issue unless there are loose horses wandering around? I'm not saying you should not move it if you were to tie up next to it but otherwise can't see a major issue except an untidy yard which it the YO/YM's business not the yard busybody. And I'm as PC and H&S as it pretty much gets :)
Click to expand...

It's funny, I did originally put in my post that you never know when a horse may get loose...that is the point, pre-empt trouble before it happens. Basic H&S. Deleted it as it seemed like stating the totally blimmin obvious.

As for the idea that it's basic H&S to teach a horse not to panic if it gets caught up -
LMAO!!!
 
I do think the don't panic/hobble type training is something that we sort of miss out in this country.

I also think that sussexbythesea may have meant if all your horses are in their stables.. so not even tied up.
 
The thing is you can drive yourself nuts worrying about stuff that you cannot control (other people) and where the risk is minimal e.g. I use a haynet in the stable - possibly more of a risk than leaving one on the floor outside of your stable should it come loose or my horse rolled near it or pawed it and got his leg stuck. There will be people on here who have had a bad experience that would never use one for this reason - I do because my horse has to have hay rationed because the alternative is he gets too fat or goes hours without forage. If he were young and/ or prone to waving his legs about I wouldn't use one.
 
I think, from the way you describe your tying up area as being described, that it would actually be quite inconsiderate to leave a headcollar hanging. In our set up, the tying places are designed to be used all at once, so any hanging headcollar isn't going to be within range of another tied up horse - hence my earlier reply. However in your scenario, it could potentially be a health and safety risk - although tbh more by the set-up than anything.

A word of advice though - telling the kids they are being dangerous has to be done carefully. They aren't your kids, and treating them differently than you would adults by telling them off will just make them resentful, especially as you haven't got any duty of care etc. Try just mentioning that you would appreciate it if they could tie up their headcollars, as this would make your life easier due to your tricky mare. Then they feel they are helping you rather than being told off, and makes them think about the risks of the head collars lying around without you directly blaming them and making them defensive. Just something I've found when teaching kids is that they respond much better this way.
 
smokey said:
let me explain, as you seem to have the impression that my horse was tied too close to the other ponies. tie up area is an L shaped fenced area, with concrete slabs. each side of the "L" is approx 12ft long. there are two tie rings on each length. there where no other horses tied up. the two ponies had been tied on to opposite length, facing away from where my horse was. i tied mine on the ring nearest the corner, so she was close enough to the headcollar to step into it if she stepped to the side. all four rings are not intended to be used at the same time, max two at a time.
i am glad that your horses are sensible enough to stand if caught up, mine is pretty sane as well, i just dont think its worth the risk if it can be avoided. it's also a trip hazard for humans, and id rather not fall under the feet of a clydesdale!
Click to expand...

Ditto that it is also a trip hazard for humans, it may perhaps not always be your problem, if someone else happens to trip over something that you've left behind, but if you're sharing a stable yard with other people, showing some consideration for that you're not the only one using the yard is always nice. Besides, on a shared stable yard, unless everyone have their own tie up rings, that only they need to use, to leave your horse's headcollar lying on the ground tied to the tie up ring, surely must make it more difficult for others to use that tie up ring, until you've returned and removed your things. :confused3:

Also, in the OP's case, if I've understood it correctly, it seems to be the area where you hose off or bath your horse on that yard, so hypothetically, if all four tie up rings are left with lead ropes tied to them and headcollars lying on the ground, a fifth person comes to give their horse a bath, ties their horse to one of the already used tie up rings, doesn't view the headcollar as a trip hazard so leaves it where it is, and just proceeds with giving their horse a bath, so then when one of the first four persons comes back, their headcollar and lead rope might be wet, and possibly also with shampoo remnants on them. I doubt that will make the owner of the things happy, but presumably that is still okay-ish with them, since they left their things there in the first place.
a050.gif


Anyhow, it isn't only the trip/get caught hazard that makes it sound, to me, like as if it in some situations can be a less sensible habit.
 
Last edited:
I hate headcollars left dangling. And I am quite a messy person by nature but I'd just rather avoid an accident. Mine is in horsepital after a freak accident with a gate (her fly rug got caught on latch as I walked her through) so accidents will always happen but I'd rather avoid them where possible!
 
risky business said:
Whenever I used to tack up I'd usually loop my head collar through the tie ring and do it up and leave it hanging up like that.
Click to expand...

If I'm on the busy yard side I do this but my stable block has two tie rings out side and its just us and one other livery so I don't bother.

Most of the other livers tie up their head collars.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top