CT Supreme Court weighs 'viciousness' of horses

[TheFlyingFilly]

Originally Posted by Kasept

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-...urt-to-decide/

Case being watched closely with insurability hanging in balance..

Farms in IL and KY are required to have "horses are inherently dangerous to work with or be around, blah blah" liability signs clearly posted on-site. Is the same true of CT? I am assuming so.

Even so, it's fairly idiotic (and that's being nice) for visitors (whether with or without horse sense) to assume that horses are 1,000lb teddy bears and "what can possibly go wrong if we approach this strange horse and tempt him with grass blades and stand within easy reach of teeth and hooves".

And, while stallions are more likely to bite, geldings can be very mouthy (usually in a playful way, but teeth can be involved). It's not unreasonable to assume the horse was nuzzling the kid's head (horses can find human hair fascinating) and decided to get nippy. And mares will nail you if they are in the mood and get a chance, but they always warn you first. Source: I'm a mare owner!

[GenuineRisk]

Originally Posted by TheFlyingFilly

And, while stallions are more likely to bite, geldings can be very mouthy (usually in a playful way, but teeth can be involved). It's not unreasonable to assume the horse was nuzzling the kid's head (horses can find human hair fascinating) and decided to get nippy. And mares will nail you if they are in the mood and get a chance, but they always warn you first. Source: I'm a mare owner!

I'm really curious about how old the kid was (I don't remember from the article) and where he was reaching to pet the horse. My elderly gelding is a very kind horse around kids, but I always make sure to supervise, especially my 3-year-old, who stays in my arms when he goes to pet him. He especially loves horses' big shiny eyes, so I have to make sure his little fingers stay away from the horse's eyes. Because frankly, I'd bite someone who poked at my eyes, too.

And they're all just such individuals. My uncle has a gorgeous Tennessee Walker, without a mean bone in his body, but you can't pet him in the stall because he bites. Not out of meanness; he just bites anything that comes within reach of his mouth. His previous companion was a warmblood that would threaten to bite (though never follow through- he was all threat, no action), and the Walker was so young he just picked up this very bad habit, but actually does bite, even though he isn't annoyed or anything. You can hold his halter and pet him all you want, and he's kind and quiet to ride, but you can't hang out at the stall with him the way you can with my gelding (who, fortunately, is much too old and smart to pick up the Walker's habit. He's already got plenty of habits of his own. ).

[TheFlyingFilly]

Originally Posted by GenuineRisk

I'm really curious about how old the kid was (I don't remember from the article) and where he was reaching to pet the horse. My elderly gelding is a very kind horse around kids, but I always make sure to supervise, especially my 3-year-old, who stays in my arms when he goes to pet him. He especially loves horses' big shiny eyes, so I have to make sure his little fingers stay away from the horse's eyes. Because frankly, I'd bite someone who poked at my eyes, too.

And they're all just such individuals. My uncle has a gorgeous Tennessee Walker, without a mean bone in his body, but you can't pet him in the stall because he bites. Not out of meanness; he just bites anything that comes within reach of his mouth. His previous companion was a warmblood that would threaten to bite (though never follow through- he was all threat, no action), and the Walker was so young he just picked up this very bad habit, but actually does bite, even though he isn't annoyed or anything. You can hold his halter and pet him all you want, and he's kind and quiet to ride, but you can't hang out at the stall with him the way you can with my gelding (who, fortunately, is much too old and smart to pick up the Walker's habit. He's already got plenty of habits of his own. ).

Very true about them all being individuals. They can behave differently with different people as well. I can do virtually anything with or around my mare but only because after 17+ years with her, she places a lot of trust upon me. But she will get nervous if other people walk around her carrying shovels, manure forks or buckets. She is also very sweet, generally, with people but will nail another horse if it's nearby. And if you're in the way--oops, you just might get bitten or kicked by accident.

In a pasture/fenceline situation as it was with this kid, another possibility is that one horse went after another one approaching from the flank and the kid's head was unfortunately in the way. People that are clueless about horses can misinterpret this as direct aggression.

[Danzig]

what it all comes down to is respecting other people and their property, and taking care of your kid.

you don't just waltz up to horses, especially strange ones, and expect them to be like the family pet. fences are to keep them in, but it's also to keep others out.
i would recommend, in this day and age of a litigious and careless society, that you double fence your horses and clearly mark the line with no trespassing signs.

or a moat...a moat with gators. i want one of those!