This tip is fairly obvious for those that have
been around horses for a while but it is something that isn’t always on the forefront with people that are new to the horse world. Always make sure that you wear appropriate closed in shoes while around horses. Any type of footwear that exposes any part of your foot is a BIG NO NO! Horses are super heavy (500kg approx) and if they stand on your foot you can expect to get well over 150kg of pressure placed upon your foot. If you have no protection on your feet then you can pretty much almost guarantee a trip to the hospital for a break or laceration. However having a good set of shoes will give your foot the best fighting chance against a horse’s foot. It will still hurt but hopefully will give you enough protection that no major damage is done.
This photo is from a video on YouTube where the child approaches the horse from behind and touches its hind quarters and the horse kicks out and gets the child in the leg. Full reference is on the photo for those wanting to see how quickly and dangerous horses can be if they are handled wrong. Have fun and be safe everyone!