Originally posted by GoldenRetrLuver
wouldnt hurt anybody
Hmmm...I hate to say that, but that statement isn't 100% true. Generally/most of the time, they are very gentle, but they can change tempers in a second. Especially if they sense you are tense, scared, or nervous... that makes them weary of you, and can use your actions as an advantage.

I have been kicked in the shin, and I still have a bump on my bone, this happened last June. I have also narrowly escaped being kicked in the head. I have been bitten too, that hurts! And of course I have been stepped on hundreds of times, that's nothing new.

Then again, I have been around horses that wouldn't hurt a fly. It all depends on the horse and the human.

If you stay calm, relaxed, and easy tensed on the horse, there is nothing you really should fear. If you are calm, relaxed, and easy tensed the horse will be calm and relaxed. If you are tense, nervous, and scared, the horse will sense that...and that is when you need to start your worrying.