Tryon, NC -Emergency Awareness in Equine Programs
When something goes wrong around horses, people want to do the right thing. But in many programs, they haven’t been shown exactly what that looks like in the moment.
That’s where preparation matters.
In real equine settings, these moments are not rare. They happen quickly, and they do not announce themselves ahead of time.
A rider comes off during a lesson. The horse moves away, and the group turns to look. The instructor steps in, others begin reacting, and for a few seconds, there is no clear, shared response guiding what happens next.
In another situation, a horse gets loose. Multiple people move at once, each trying to help. Voices overlap. The energy rises. What could have been contained quickly begins to expand, simply because no one role has been clearly established ahead of time.
Sometimes it is quieter. A rider says they do not feel well and begins to lose balance in the saddle. There is a moment where someone needs to decide what happens next. Those decisions feel very different when they have already been thought through and practiced.
These situations are familiar to anyone who works around horses. They are not the result of people failing. They are the result of moments that have never been clearly defined in advance.
People often believe they will figure it out if something happens. In reality, those first few seconds are shaped by what has already been discussed, practiced, and understood by everyone involved.
The Equine Safety and Success Guide™ introduces a structured approach to Emergency Awareness that helps programs prepare before those moments occur.
“One of the things we’ve seen is that people often recognize the situation, but they don’t always have a clear, practiced response to follow,” said Laura Kelland-May, Canada, Founding Advisory Board Member of the Equine Safety and Success Network™. “Emergency awareness starts before anything happens.”
At its core, this approach is simple and practical.
Written plans outline what to do in common situations such as a rider fall, a loose horse, or a rider becoming ill. These plans are not lengthy documents. They are clear, accessible, and designed to be understood by staff and riders.
Defined roles ensure that when something happens, someone steps forward and leads, while others know exactly how to support that response. This reduces hesitation and prevents multiple people from working against each other in the same moment.
Rehearsal brings these plans to life. Talking through scenarios, walking through responses, and using consistent language allows both staff and riders to recognize situations sooner and respond with more clarity.
“When you’ve talked it through ahead of time, everything changes,” said Darla Walker-Ryder, U.S., Founding Advisory Board Member of the Equine Safety and Success Network™. “People don’t panic the same way. They recognize what’s happening and step into their role.”
These are not complicated systems. They are practical steps that fit into everyday equine operations and can be adapted to lesson programs, training barns, and guided riding environments.
As part of this work, a series of structured toolkits is currently being finalized to help equine professionals apply these concepts in their own programs.
This work is informed by patterns seen across equine programs, including situations that later become part of legal review. In many cases, the issue is not a lack of caring people or capable staff. It is the absence of clearly defined and practiced systems that support consistent decision-making under pressure.
“Emergency awareness is not about reacting perfectly. It is about giving people something clear to rely on before the moment arrives,” said Randi Thompson, founder of the Equine Safety and Success Network™.
Emergency awareness is not about reacting perfectly. It is about recognizing sooner, responding more clearly, and creating consistency across people and situations. That is what helps protect both riders and horses.
This is a conversation the industry is ready to have.
Equine Safety and Success Network™ (ESSN)
The Equine Safety and Success Network™ brings together equine professionals committed to raising the standard of care across riding programs, training environments, and equine businesses.
The Equine Safety and Success Guide™ provides structured, practical frameworks designed for real equine programs, including guided trail riding operations, riding lesson programs, training barns, and boarding facilities.
These frameworks support consistent, real-world decision-making by focusing on rider awareness, horse awareness, communication and shared language, trigger-based evaluations and follow-through, and continuity and documentation.
Media Contact:
Randi Thompson Founder Equine Safety and Success Network™
Tryon, North Carolina
randi@randithompsonlive.com
www.randithompsonlive.com