> it was purely a staged photo op!  Good Lord I would have never put a
> three year old on curly ray loose!  The mom was standing there and
had
> hold of her waist.




That reminds me-in the 80s, Whistle (our ferocious little racking
gelding who could rack at 30 mph-hence his name) was tethered in a
side field and when I walked down to check on him and move him to
better grass, there was city couple, their car parked nearby, posing
their 13 month old baby ON WHISTLE'S BACK. Nobody was holding the
horse's head, and the parents were taking a picture!! Whistle hadn't
moved-maybe he was too taken aback.

Horrified, I casually eased up and took hold of Whistle's halter,
quietly explaining to the now indignant parents that it wasn't SAFE
to put a baby, or anyone else, on a loose horse in a field. I noticed
that they kept hanging around, waiting for me to leave so they could
resume their folly, but I stayed with Whistle until they drove off in
a rage, gravel flying.

When I finally let go of Whistle's head, he exploded in a bucking,
galloping frenzy (as he was wont to do), streaking to the end of the
tether, nearly knocking me flat with the rope, since I had been too
distracted to keep my guard up. As I picked myself up, I realized
that if I hadn't come along when I did, it could have been
disastrous, and the parents probably would have sued ME, although
they were trespassing on private land.

Later I read that thoroughbred breeders near Lexington had
experienced similar incidents from passing tourists wanting to pose
their children on colts and even studs, until the owners had to put
up high double electric fences to protect themselves from lawsuits.
Unbelievable, but I suppose many people who haven't been around them,
tend to think of horses as "big doggies."

Rachel from E. KY
>


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