devcode
To lock or not lock stable doors
Do you lock the door while you are working in a stable or don't you? This is an important issue for your safety and the safety of the horse.
Sometimes a horse may react violently to a treatment and we want to avoid being hurt in the process. Your trainer will guide you regarding their policy for locking stable doors.
Some people prefer to keep the stable door open
So they can get out easily if anything goes wrong.
Horses that are distressed are looking for
An escape route, if they see a door is open or can see daylight they may struggle and attempt to escape.
It depends on the type of doors, age of horse and handling job
As to how safe it is to lock yourself in with the horse.
Full length sliding doors
Can be left slightly ajar so you can escape but the horse can't fit through the gap.
The bottom half of split or dutch doors
Usually have to be shut properly because the horse can easily open the door by bumping or pushing.
To discourage a horse from trying to jump out
Sometimes the top half of split or dutch doors has to be closed.
© Commonwealth of Australia 2012 | Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Australia License