We talk a lot about safety here at RIU Central, but your definition of barn safety might be different from mine. I’ve known lots of sticklers in the horse business, and I’ve known relaxed equestrian professionals who don’t sweat the small stuff.
Bottom line, however, is that horse business owners are responsible for barn safety. They must create an environment in which people and horses are unlikely to get hurt, and they have to keep their eyes open for problems.
We might quibble about the details, but here are five barn safety tips without which your stable just can’t survive.
Barn Safety Tip #1: Post Emergency Contact Information
You might live, breathe and sleep horses, but you can’t be at the stable all the time. If something happens when you’re not around, the people at your barn need to know what to do.
Post an emergency contact information sheet in your barn office, tack room, aisleway—wherever it can be easily found. It is best to post it in multiple locations, one of which should be near a phone.
I’ve created a template that you can use for emergency contact information. It includes space for phone numbers of important contacts (some of which are included, such as barn owner, ambulance, fire, etc.) as well as a section for instructions (e.g. always call barn owner first)and for the barn information. Remember that the person handling the emergency might not know the address or phone number of the stable.
Download Emergency Contact Information template (pdf)
Barn Safety Tip #2: Create Designated Areas
This is something that few barns do, and I wish they would change their ways. You can’t assume that everyone who steps foot on your property knows how to behave around horses, or what certain areas are for. If you post signs designating areas of the barn, accidents are less likely to happen.
Number or letter your arenas, for example, if you have more than one, and the same goes for the barn. Let people know when they’ve arrived at the wash racks, the stocks, the tack room, the feed room and the equipment shed, so no one is caught off-guard.
Furthermore, you should post signs warning visitors/clients that they are not to enter certain areas. You might want to restrict hay barns, tool sheds, boarding barns, foaling areas and other places at your facility to employees and/or clients only. Make sure people know what they are and are not allowed to use.
Barn Safety Tip #3: Establish Barn Rules
Every equestrian facility needs a set of rules. These rules clients and visitors exactly what is expected of them, which maintains order at your stable.
Post the barn rules in a highly visible location, then print a copy for each of your clients and get them to sign it before they can participate in barn activities. This way, they can’t later claim that they didn’t know they weren’t supposed to ride double in halters and lead ropes or climb on the spreader.
Barn Safety Tip #4: Keep Track of Kids and Pets
Most barns and overrun with both kids and pets (of the non-horse variety), and your stable needs to take a stand on this issue. Are boarders and other clients allowed to bring their dogs to the barn? How old must children be to visit your stable? And how must adults keep track of kids and pets?
Some barns, for example, require that children be at least ten years of age if they are left unsupervised at the stable. Others might increase or decrease the age, but make sure you have sufficient resources in the way of staff to keep track of the kids on your property.
The same goes for dogs. If you will allow people to bring their pets, require that the animals stay on a leash or impose some other rule that will keep them under control. Furthermore, you must reserve the right to tell a client that his or her dog is no longer welcome at the barn if the animal creates a problem.
Barn Safety Tip #5: Show Visitors the Way
Visitors who come to the barn with their friends or relatives are not necessarily familiar with the equestrian lifestyle. Therefore, they require specific and special instruction.
Have a place for visitors to congregate where they can watch their friends ride or chat amongst themselves. Keep them away from the horses so no one gets hurt, and make sure they don’t enter areas designated for employees and clients.
You might also like:
- Safety Tips for Horse Trainers
- Safety Tips for Teaching
the Fearful Rider - Keeping Kids Safe at the Barn
- Farm Freebies: Barn Rules
- Safety Words for the Horse Business
About the Author: Laura Jane Thompson is the Chief Equestrian Officer of Riding Instructor University and the Feature writer for the horses section at Suite101. She believes that any horse business can succeed provided its owner practices smart strategy.
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Great information as I shared your article on Facebook. Thanks