Christy Landwehr on Safety

Another golden gem from the archives of the late Howard Hale, this one on safety.   Christy Landwehr is the CEO of the Certified Horsemanship Association.   There's a program to get people who are working with people and horses as professionals certified. What are some of the problems you run into there?   "I would say some of the biggest things is we get very, very comfortable around horses when we've owned them for a long time. So sometimes we slip as professionals in the safety area, and that's our primary goal in certifying. We don't say that there's a CHA way to teach. We say is the lesson safe? Is the lesson effective? Did that lesson actually have an impact on that student? And finally, is it fun? You can't be hollering at your students. They have to have a level of fun for them to want to return. So with that safe, effective, and fun concept in mind, if you've been around horses a really long time, you start doing things like ducking under the lead rope when the horse is tied. You start doing things like forgetting to put your helmet on when you're going to go ride, let's say, especially if you're going to go jump or what have you. And if you are not a good role model and a good mentor, regardless of if your student is a child or an adult, then how are you going to convince that person to do those safety things as well?"   Christy Landwehr, the CEO of the Certified Horsemanship Association.