Here are some of the safety tips he mentioned:

1. He said that when you are going around behind a horse that it is best to stay as close as possible to his hind quarter while your hand runs along the side, then butt, then to the other side, this way if the horse decides to kick, you are most likely going to get a “warning” by feeling the horse begin to move. Basically if you walk around the back of a horse, you are safer very snug against the horse’s body or 10+ feet away.

2. He said that when tying a horse, never tie them lower than their mid neck height and never tie them with a permanent knot if at all possible, always use a quick release one. And never give more than about a 2 foot length of rope between the horse the tied end.

3. He said that to approach a horse always do it from the side, best is from the side and slightly front of shoulder area and that you should talk to the horse when you approach him/her. Horses have 2 blind spots, directly in front and directly behind them.

Rocco won’t use anything else.

He also hates those nylon rope halters, like below, for anything other than looks. He says they can easily cut into the horse’s skin if the horse bolts while tied, they basically have no give. He says there are people that think this is a good tool to teach with, but he doesn’t think so at all.

(picture from the internet, not my horse)

5. No horse is truly completely safe to be around. Even his appaloosa, which he has had and trained since it was a baby. Even though he can touch it, walk anywhere near it, rub on it, undo and redo it’s halter, snug up the girth, have the horse follow his every move and so on and so on, when Rocco took his cowboy hat off and threw it at his horse, the horse flinched and stepped back. He said the horse trusts Rocco, but not that flying hat, so do not think your horse is a perfectly safe horse to be around. Always be aware.