See also LIABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY and TAKING GOOD CARE OF HORSES
TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF
RULES AND RECOMMENDATIONS
- Use helmets. We have two bicycle helmets available and insist that you use them.
- Most falls with bad consequences happen at a gallop. Gallop is bad. Horses are not designed to gallop unless chased by a tiger. There are no tigers in the vicinity of the village of Dubrovki.
- Stretching and warming up before riding to significantly reduce the risk of dislocations on the part of humans. The same applies to horses - see Taking care of the horses.
- Learn to keep balance without relying on stirrups. Broken stirrup leathers result in sudden and thus often disastrous landings head first. Stirrups are there for your convenience only and just a tiny bit of extra support.
- Horses and excessive alcohol consumption don't go well together. My observations suggest that total abstention is not good either. We recommend 50-60 ml (2oz) of vodka before going into the fields, and about the same amount upon return.
Glasses break or get lost when you fall off a horse. Leave them out, or use glasses that are not of a major value. In Moscow you can buy OK glasses for $10, no prescription requires, no hassles.
- Slow down to a walk on ice.
- Snakes (vipers) are numerous and quite aggressive in April and May. If bitten by one expect to be sick for a day or two if you are in good health. Review your life and make your last wishes known otherwise.
- Remember that a hospital - don't let the fact that it is a good one cause you to relax - is one hour away.
- Although the fear of kicking and biting is probably more dangerous than kicking and biting themselves, I sort of feel it is my duty to remind you of teeth and hooves and the fact that horses merely tolerate and not like us, as many would like to believe.
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See also
LIABILITY AND RESPONSIBILITY and TAKING GOOD CARE OF HORSESMain Next