Personal Protective Equipment When Working With Horses

May 1, 2011
Chris Thomas

Horses are Unpredictable Animals - Kathie Thomas

Horses are large and unpredictable animals prone to flight and can be quite dangerous to work with. Personal protective equipment can be beneficial.

Personal protective equipment or PPE comes in many forms for the horse handler. The idea of PPE is to provide protection from harm that could arise from handling horses, working around them and riding them. PPE shouldn’t restrict the movement of the worker in any way as this could do more harm than good.

Types of Personal Protective Equipment

There are some forms of PPE that may not be recognised as falling under this category. These include long sleeved shirts, hats and sunscreen. When working outdoors with horses, these protective measures can be necessary to ensure the safety and well being of the persons involved. Other forms of PPE may include:

a riding helmet
back protector or riding vest
long pants
steel capped or other closed toed shoes
gloves

Although not an exhaustive list, these items are fairly commonplace and of value in the horse industry. Many may think of using a helmet to protect their head when riding, but this can also be used when handling young and boisterous horses, lunging horses and when holding a mare for a service. The Australian Thoroughbred industry in the past few years has recognised the worth of such a practice for breeding horses and also encourages the use of a protective vest for stallion handlers.

Steel Capped Shoes or Otherwise

There is debate about the value of steel capped shoes in the horse industry, with some workers having been detrimentally affected by these shoes when trodden on or jumped on by a horse. The steel in the toe area of the shoe at times has resulted in wounds to a toe, or even cutting off a toe. For this reason, some choose work boots without steel caps in them.

Gloves can be of great benefit to the rider, worker or horse handler. They can minimise the likelihood of rope burn from a horse taking off or pulling constantly on the reins as well as provide protection from the cold, wet or substances that could burn, such as lime. Rubber gloves can also be important when administering medications to horses so that certain substances don't get on one's skin.

Whatever forms of PPE are used, it is worth the horse worker knowing what is available to them and why personal protective equipment may be required. Safety of horse and handler should always be considered and the items above can help with effective handling and in some cases, result in saving a worker’s life. PPE shouldn’t be taken lightly.