Risk Reduction Standards

Introduction to NAHA Risk Reduction Programs

The North American Horsemen’s Association was formed in 1987. One of the key purposes of formation was to develop common sense, low cost risk reduction standards for most segments of the horse industry.  The first standards were written in 1987.   This book represents the seventh update of NAHA Risk Reduction Standards and Contract Models.  During the first eight years, the standards were updated every two years because changes were so sweeping.  Since that time, the standards are updated every four or five years.   The task of doing the updates to the standards (and the contracts) is daunting, time consuming and expensive.  Originally, developing contract models was an afterthought, but this has become important too, since we estimate NAHA model contracts are used in some form or part by 50% of the horse industry at this time.  My focus in this introduction will, however, be on the Risk Reduction Standards.

The criteria and process used for updates remains the same as for the initial development.  Liability insurance statistics and other statistical data are reviewed so that commonly occurring incidents can be isolated which cause injury to people and horses.   Many specific injury and incident cases are studied.  Some of the most safety conscious operators in the country review the standards and provide their input, a critical part of the process, of course.  We constantly learn from those in a changing industry.  Also reviewed are changes in laws and legal climate that effect or could potentially effect the horse industry and similar industries –such as changes in bicycle helmet laws, equine and other types of tort reform, common standards on fencing imposed by states or locale, trends on acceptability of release agreements and warning forms, and much more. 

Why do this?   The answer is simple:  To make the industry safer, stronger, and more insurable.  The intent in 1987 is valid and still the same in 2005.  If a group of insured equine business operators would try to consistently follow the standards it would result in the group’s improved level of accident frequency resulting in far fewer serious injuries, such as lowered rates of head injuries and back injuries, for example. 

Prior to 1987, NAHA founder, Linda Liestman, had ten years of experience in Equine Liability Insurance, eleven years training horses to ride and drive and in riding instruction, and 30 years of riding and horse handling experience.  A few critical safety ideas were then obvious:  1. If people stopped falling off of horses so easily and so often, far fewer injuries would happen to them.   2.  If people fall off anyway, as eventually they absolutely are sure to do, and they are wearing a properly fitted and fastened ASTM Standard Equestrian Helmet, this action could help them avoid serious head injuries, brain function deficits, costly medical bills, and even death.  (Note that helmets of this standard were not available until 1989.) 3.  If people avoided alcohol use when around and handling horses or while being a passenger on a horse or horse drawn vehicle, an impressive percentage of injuries would never happen. 4.  If people would stop riding double, particularly with small children, serious injuries and some fatalities could be avoided.  5.  Using properly fitted tack and equipment for both horse and rider and checking its condition, effectiveness, and fit regularly would cut down on (but not eliminate completely) equipment related incidents.  6.  Using horses that are suitable and well-trained and tested for the intended purpose, and then watching those horses for changes to patterns of high risk behavior will keep people safer.  7.  Maintaining strong, suitable perimeter fencing, and second barrier fencing will keep horses out of roadways and thereby stop most auto – horse collisions from happening.  (Note that some operators and owners do not have the room or cannot afford to provide extensive second barrier fencing.) 8.  Providing very controlled rides for children age one to age seven, with ponies controlled by an adult and with a spotter present, and only performed while inside of a small enclosure, keeps the little ones far safer than any alternative.  (The alternatives which seem to more easily allow for injuries to children are “ponying” a child on a pony on a trail; child rider in control of the pony either inside or outside of an enclosure; double riding a child with another child or with an adult.)  9.  Just warning people about the nature of the horse, and characteristics of horse behavior is a good reminder about safety, and often makes people think twice before trying to do something with or on a horse that is not smart.  These are all simple, but powerful ideas when it comes to reducing accident frequency and severity of injuries to people and horses.  Of course, there are more.  

Have the programs been successful?   The short answer is “YES”.  The standards are respected and have been well received and tested by much of the industry.  Have the standards been effective in reducing frequency and severity.  The short answer is again “YES”. Statistics and accident studies show they are very effective, and while the performance of the safety control group is obvious, the standards have also helped make the industry safer, even though many of the standards are higher than those common to the industry.  Have the standards helped to keep insurance available for horses and horse operations.  Again, the answer is “YES”.  For these reasons, the development, updating and publishing of the standards remains the most important thing NAHA does. 

Will any standards keep people totally safe while around or on horses?  “NO” they will not.  The nature, size and usage of horses by imperfect humans in an imperfect world make this impossible.  Even the best trained horse is perhaps only 75% predictable.   Like the use of Safety Belts in autos, in most accident situations they will protect a person, but sometimes they will not.  The same goes for practicing the best of standards by people with horses.

NAHA statistics show that the most common occurrence of injury happens when a rider loses his or her balance and falls from a horse when a horse is moving according to its nature, which may not always be straight ahead.  And for those who wonder, a percentage just jump off.  Things usually happen extremely fast in a horse related accident.  Many times there is little anyone could have done to prevent the incident from happening.  For example, one moment a horse and rider are going placidly along a trail.  The next moment a pheasant runs off to the side in the grass; the horse hears it before the rider does and spins a half turn or just jumps sideways in one second flat.  The rider isn’t ready, and doesn’t have his or her legs solidly enough against the horse’s barrel.  The rider loses his or her balance and is suddenly on the ground.  If landing on grass, and the rider is not obese and in good physical condition from regular exercise and adequate nutrition, the fall may be soft and the rider may not get hurt.  But, if the rider makes a snap instinctive decision as he or she is falling to hang onto the reins, it could cause a serious back, neck, shoulder, arm and / or hand injury.  If the rider is not in good physical condition, the injuries can be more severe. (Actually, most riders do not get hurt in a fall, while a small percentage can have quite extraordinary injuries.)  I repeat, most horse accidents happen so fast one has only a second or two to make what hopefully will be the right decision to avoid injury.  In my own personal experience I have suffered a few moderately serious injuries with horses in my lifetime, usually riding green horses, and most of the injuries occurred when I made a “wrong” instinctive split-second decision.  These are things we have so little control over, if any at all.  None-the-less, we should always try to do better – try to apply as many “best management practices” and good habits as we can in our daily handling of horses and working with people around horses who want to enjoy them for recreation and learning.   We can then, more frequently get lucky and make better split-second decisions when it counts.

In the past 18 years, the horse industry has had to take a giant leap forward into more heightened professionalism and safety awareness in a country of people who expect it.  This is in spite of the fact that managing, keeping and handling horses has not become very high-tech or sophisticated and probably never will.  Heightened safety awareness came just in time, because prior to 1985, people were not very litigious, i.e. “law suit conscious”.  What changed was that attorneys began advertising on television around 1985.  Also, the criteria for what constituted negligence became less exact and blurred, and everything changed.  Within a few years, law suit activity in the horse industry increased by four to five times the pre-1985 records.    As our country has moved away from the agriculture era and into the industrial age and now into the technical information and services age, the general public understands horses less well.  Many people think the government is “sanitizing” everything for them and they expect that riding and working around horses must be safe or the government would not allow people to do it.  Herein lays the challenge.  The nature of horse has not changed, and people are still hugely attracted to their beauty, charm and usefulness. 

All who love horses hope that people will continue to be attracted to horses for eons to come; that there will always be land available on which horses can live and flourish and on which horse activities can take place.  And we hope that horses will never be seen as too dangerous to exist for human use and enjoyment.  

Therefore, horse industry members must continue to grow in their safety consciousness and awareness and ability to teach others about horses and safety.  We can’t create a perfect world.  But by looking for and practicing common sense procedures with some consistency, we can more often protect ourselves, other people and horses.  And this will help to ensure that the horse will always be a part of the landscape and a recreational option for man, and be kept for a time in the future when perhaps man may have to again depend on the horse for some menial tasks.

Please review the standards carefully.  Try to understand the reasons they are included and take them to heart.  If you don’t understand, call NAHA for an explanation and to discuss them.  This should not be your final list; you should add your own standards to these.  Thank you for having more than a passing interest in safety with horses.  The future of the horse depends on it.

Linda L. Liestman, President of NAHA

List of NAHA Risk Reduction Programs: