Is it a big deal if the rider, rides barefoot around a paddock?

I always wear hat, boots and gloves. This evening I rode bareback in shorts with my joddy boots, it was lovely feeling his fur on my legs, but knowing how much it hurts when he steps on my foot with my boots on, no way would I risk barefoot or flip flops.
 
If you read my previous posts you will see I recently had a horse rear up and go over backwards in a freak accident. I had an open fracture of my tib and fib (the bone came out incase you're unsure) and a totally dislocated ankle. If I hadn't had been wearing proper riding boots I probably would have lost my lower leg as my boot was pretty much holding it on.
 
As a paramedic who has had to attend a teenage girl after she "couldn't be bothered" to go and get her boots (from the stable) and consequently badly fractured her foot when pony accidentally stood on it, as ponies do, please wear proper footwear. Had she bothered to wear boots we could have used our time more wisely. Safe to say I didn't have much sympathy for her, especially after I had to go and catch said pony who was trotting around the field with the lead rope dragging on the floor.

Although as a side note, if anyone ever asks you to wear steel toe capped boots around horses, don't do it! A few years ago a heavy hunter stood on a friend's foot, the metal gave way and sliced through her toes. Not nice!
 
so,you break your body-it`s up to you. but
IMO it`s really selfish,if something awful (and preventable)happened ,say you became severely disabled, it would be a big burden on your family/loved ones who had to care for you and pick up the pieces.
 
Riding and handling horses is a risk sport we all know that, most of us take precautions to minimise the risk to ourselves in various walks of life, eg. Wearing a seat belt in a car, a hard hat when riding, and footwear to protect our feet because that's just common sense, as others have said, its your choice, but not one i'd make
 
My biggest worry would be someone riding ,using stirrups ,barefoot or with trainers. The risk of a foot going through the stirrup is very real and can be fatal. In fact I would go so far as to say that the sort of novice who would ride like this will probably fall off in a panic if their foot goes through , then they die. I used to cycle to the local stables as a young kid , through Nonsuch park and every time ,passed an ancient memorial to a kid who fell off and gut hung up by his foot . The memorial was located at the point his pony eventualy stopped.
 
I think it sounds fun to amble round the field bareback in shorts and flip flops. I would no more do it than I would jump in the canal to cool off though, and would never have allowed my children to do so even for a minute - especially without a hat. I have seen (slim) friends work in shorts, short boots and then put long chaps on to ride, that seems reasonable.
Don't delude yourself that you are learning though. If you are as novicey as you sound, you are taking quite a risk and should follow the advice of your farrier/friend.
 
I'm on my real computer now so can put up the photo! Close your eyes and scroll down fast if you're squeamish!

What might happen if you are not wearing shoes!!!!!!

Whathappenswhenyoudontwearsafefootwear.jpg
 
No it's not a big deal. Ride with out a hat if you you'll be fine !!!!!!!..... Until something goes wrong. All it takes is the horse to stumble or a bird to fly out and spook him for things to go wrong. I'm sure you are more than capable of making your own decisions regarding your safety, just consider the nhs and your family as the consequences won't just effect you .
 
im of the *you're an adult and its your choice* camp so for me its no biggie.

ive only recently started to try to remember to wear a hat at home at all, having done 16 years of virtually never wearing one. I dont always manage it though and when i ride before work i tend not to bother so i dont have to wash my hair.

I too have hopped on bareback in a headcollar, shorts, no hat, no shoes, and plinked round the school for a quick w/t/c.

No doubt this will cause abslolute outrage but you presumably wanted honest answers so there you go!

I have a brilliant relationship with the horse and trust him 100% at home, easy he is not but we have a strong bond and both know what the other expects.
 
As kids we sometimes used to ride the poines in shorts, barefoot and bare chested in the hot weather. We often used take the ponies swimming in the river to cool off. (also back then we didnt wear hats when riding)

It's fine riding barefoot, just remember the risks occur as soon as you get off! Not really a good idea unless you can slip straight into wellies.

TBH when the weather is really hot I do swap my hat for a panama with a wide brim. I would rather have a cool head and lucid than a hot head and dizzy.

A week ago I went for a quick hack in shorts and barefoot, though I am extra careful and put wellies on straight away when getting off!
 
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In the summer, I go barefoot everywhere. The two exceptions are doing the garden and doing the horse. Steel toe capped boots for both then. I'd rather have hot feet than no feet!
 
After having my right foot stomped on by three horses within the space of a month, I'm very glad of my short boots. I have two permanent scars arcing across different sides of my foot (and this is from unshod feet!), I feel under protected when I wear trainers, I couldn't think about wearing flipflips.
 
Hmm...I wear all the garb as if in a saddle shorts are a no no - ever been bitten by a stirrup leather, its not nice! As fot the boots....I find my feet worse getting off and landing when wearing boots, but I have to for the ankle support.

As for the hat............Well..........yes I have ridden hatless in my youth but now, I have kids and kinda like being alive.
 
The kids go barefoot a lot but we have the rule that never in the yard or round the horses.

I often shear the sheep barefoot as its a lot more comfortable with all the bending you have to do. I recommend anyone to try this - you will be surprised how much less strain it puts on your back!
 
Not a big deal to me, I often hop on in the field hatless, bareback and in a headcollar. If youre an adult do as you please and enjoy yourself
 
Your head and feet, your choice and all that... But like many others, having seen the possible consequences of actions like these, and you admitting to be learning and this being your first horse so I'd assume you aren't the most experienced person, I'd think you've got rocks in your head to be so capricious about your own safety for the sake of convenience and comfort. Not that I think being experienced is any reason to not wear a hard hat and shoes, but it certainly does mitigate risk of handling and riding horses.


And there is a certain level of arrogance, I think, in people that think accidents can’t happen to them so they don’t need to take normal precautions. Horses are unpredictable, accidents can happen to ANYONE.
 
it may be your head/feet but totally selfish idea-think of the burden you would be if the worst came to the worst and you were paralysed from the head down------some1 would have to look after you :(
 
Marydoll said:
Riding and handling horses is a risk sport we all know that, most of us take precautions to minimise the risk to ourselves in various walks of life, eg. Wearing a seat belt in a car, a hard hat when riding, and footwear to protect our feet because that's just common sense, as others have said, its your choice, but not one i'd make
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There was an interesting article in H&H recently that said that you are AS likely to sustain a head injury by handling your horse from the ground as you are up top . . . you can look at that two ways: 1) Huh, the risk is no worse on him than off him, so I won't bother taking precautions to keep myself safe; and 2) Huh, horses are big, flightly, potentially dangerous critters, I'd better make sure I'm safe and wear appropriate equipment when I'm around them.

It's up to you, but I wouldn't be handling my boy without shoes on and I wouldn't be riding him without wearing a hat . . . he's an angel to lead and handle, can sometimes be a dope to sit on, but he's still a prey animal with an impressive flight reflex and weighs half a tonne - I value my limbs and head too much to be taking that kind of chance.

P
 
It is extremely hot where I live and the whole summer I spend wearing flip flops or running around the farm in bare feet ... but NEVER when I'm on the ground handling the horses. I wear shorts all summer and I ride in them. When handling the horses on the ground I wear short boots and socks. I have ridden however, in bare feet; either in the arena or when we are swimming with the horses. I take my boots off only after I've mounted and place them somewhere that I can put them back on again before dismounting.

I am totally for people making their own choices in life. We all have to weigh up the risk factor and make appropriate decisions for ourselves. Mine is that while riding barefoot is acceptable to me, being on the ground with 1,200lbs of horse flesh next to my feet, is not; no matter how quiet and well behaved my horses are.
 
I feel quite strongly that people should wear hard hats but beyond that I suppose it is a question of how much you value your limbs and how free you are to stay on a sofa for weeks while fractures heal. It is of course the other people who literally have to pick up the pieces I feel sorry for, they didn't tell you to place yourself at added risk there is of course risk in having anything to do with horses but not using common sense and mitigating the risk as far as possible is unreasonable. It also gives horsemanship a dreadful safety record when people are reckless making insurance etc more expensive
 
Personally I wouldn't as I have two displaced bones in my feet from having horses standing on my foot - and that's while wearing my very solid boots. I would be open to what SF does, but tbh I'd rather just have sweaty feet.
 
I' still wearing my winter (fleece lined!) riding boots as the zip on my normal pair is broken. Even though they are fleece lined, I don't get too sweaty and I am someone who gets hot very easily!

I'm not sure I would even fancy riding barefoot, let along be barefoot on the ground. I suffered a freak accident years ago where I was riding my friends horse in the school, we had a disagreement where I wanted him off the track, he wanted to hug the rail and I ended up clipping my foot on the fence post. I soon found out that I had actually hit a bolt coming out of the fence post and it had completely ripped by jodhpur boot open. Luckily as it was winter I had a pair of normal socks plus a pair of thick riding socks on. The bolt caused a massive friction burn on my foot below my little and 4th toes. This was pretty grim and I ended up with a fairly big haematoma.In addition, all my toes, the side of my foot and my ankle went black. Luckily I had the boot and socks on!
 
Elbie said:
I suffered a freak accident years ago where I was riding my friends horse in the school, we had a disagreement where I wanted him off the track, he wanted to hug the rail and I ended up clipping my foot on the fence post. I soon found out that I had actually hit a bolt coming out of the fence post and it had completely ripped by jodhpur boot open. Luckily as it was winter I had a pair of normal socks plus a pair of thick riding socks on. The bolt caused a massive friction burn on my foot below my little and 4th toes. This was pretty grim and I ended up with a fairly big haematoma.In addition, all my toes, the side of my foot and my ankle went black. Luckily I had the boot and socks on!
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I had something similar-ish happen once . . . friend's horse panicked while tied up, pulled back hard, baler twine didn't snap but brass clip on lead rope did, firing a large chunk of brass directly into my leg . . . it tore a hole through my boot and left me with a gash and a nasty bruise on my shin - if I hadn't been wearing my winter muckers (this was in the summer), it probably would have broken my shin bone.

P
 
Prince33Sp4rkle said:
im of the *you're an adult and its your choice* camp so for me its no biggie.

ive only recently started to try to remember to wear a hat at home at all, having done 16 years of virtually never wearing one. I dont always manage it though and when i ride before work i tend not to bother so i dont have to wash my hair.

I too have hopped on bareback in a headcollar, shorts, no hat, no shoes, and plinked round the school for a quick w/t/c.

No doubt this will cause abslolute outrage but you presumably wanted honest answers so there you go!

I have a brilliant relationship with the horse and trust him 100% at home, easy he is not but we have a strong bond and both know what the other expects.
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Of course, your decision, I agree with that.

I'm not Mrs health and safety where horses are concerned and I never have been, however I do think the probability of an accident barefoot/flip flops is a lot more likely than your average ride hatless on a horse you know.
 
I think my only major concern would be if you are riding in a saddle with stirrups and your foot slips through it and gets stuck. It is the reason that you should always ride in boots with a small heel and I can't imagine that it is any different with no shoes. I have see some awful accidents when people have got caught up in a stirrup and been dragged, very nasty.
 
Even the title of this thread made me wince. No, no, no....

So, yes, it's a big deal. I have it as one of the rules in my livery contract that everyone must ride in hard hat and adequate footwear.
 
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