GUELPH – For Canadian Agricultural Safety Week (March 10 to 16) EquiMania and TheHorsePortal.ca are offering free online games and resources until the end of the month for youth about staying safe around horses on the farm.
Adopting “Stop Think Act” initiatives can help prevent serious accidents by taking the time to think about the possible dangers and to prepare for them.
Youth learn safety practices from drawings illustrating smart protective gear choices to use while riding, how to be safe around farm equipment and when handling horses.
Handling horses and understanding a bit about their behaviour go a long way in preventing injuries.
For example, by learning more about how horses see and hear, youth develop an understanding of how the prey animal is likely to react differently than humans to the stimuli around them.
Kids can become danger detectives with an online scavenger hunt to identify hazards on the horse farm by visiting equimania.ca.
Those are just a few of the interactive games young horse enthusiasts can complete while going for a Safety Pledge Certificate.
A Horse Portal course aimed at youth ages 13 to 17 may also be of interest for:
– youth taking on more responsibilities for horse care, or are currently taking riding lessons and want to learn more about horse behaviour and safety;
– young horse enthusiasts interested in a career in the equine industry; and
– new horse owners, or those who are thinking of getting a horse and want to learn more.
Register for the on-demand course by visiting: thehorseportal.ca/course/on-demand-horse-behaviour-and-safety-youth-course-ages-13-17/.
