VISITORS

• Upon arrival each person must first sign a liability release at the office before going to any other part of the farm.

• No bare feet, sandals or open-toed shoes may be worn while on the property. Only closed shoes may be worn while on the property.

• No smoking on the property.

• Please do not pet, touch, reach your hand out towards or feed any horse without express permission of a staff member.  Each horse is an individual and has their own unique background; likes, dislikes and fears.

• Please keep your voice low and do not make any quick or large gestures with your hands or arms.

• If a horse is loose in the open area and walks toward you, please quietly move away from the horse.

• There are a variety of wildlife and insects on the farm.  If you are allergic to insect stings or have a concern about wildlife, please tell a staff member and do not move about the farm.

 HORSES ARE ANIMALS OF PREY

HUMANS ARE PREDATORS

What this means is that humans are hunters and have hands that are used for grabbing, waving, touching, and for catching prey animals to kill them and eat them.  Predators also use their voices; to communicate, to yell, and to give instructions.

 Horses are prey animals.  They are grass eaters who have millions of years of instinctual responses programmed into them.  Instinct tells horses that humans are dangerous because they are predators.

 Horses communicate mostly with subtle body language.  They use slight adjustments and changes to how they hold their head, how they position their body and where they look to communicate what they want to say.

 As predators, we humans naturally like to touch things with our hands, and walk right up to something you want to get a look at.  To a horse, these can be very threatening gestures, especially a horse that has been mistreated by people in the past.

For these reasons, we ask that you do not walk directly toward any horse or reach your hand out at any horse.  Please observe them with your hands by your sides or arms folded, and speak softly to them.

Please do not ask, “What is wrong with this one”, just ask about their story or their background.

 HPAF is a sanctuary for horses that have been subjected to neglect or abuse.  Many of these horses have been hurt by human hands and therefore are quite leery of people.  These horses are often more instinctual than the average horse or a horse who has been raised in a kind environment.

 Even though you may be accustomed to horses that like to have their faces touched or noses petted, at this barn we do not touch the faces or pet the noses of the horses. No more than we would approach you and touch your face, pet your head or stick out our hand for you to smell, it is just not the correct thing to do.

When you do make contact with a horse the correct place to touch them is in the withers area.  This is where horses mutually groom each other and it is an accepted sign that you are friendly and mean a horse no harm.

Here at this farm, everything is done for the comfort, safety and well being of the horses.  Petting or touching a horse may be enjoyable to you but not necessarily for the horse.  Actually the only reason a horse will stick his nose out toward you is to see if your hand contains food.

 We strive to teach the horses language to all people who wish to learn.  It is not an easy language to learn.  Humans are verbal animals and it is not natural for us to use only the positioning of our body to communicate what we are saying and even harder to understand what a horse is saying.

If you are dedicated, you can learn the language of the horse.  There are many excellent books and videos that will help you along the way.

 Volunteers will learn horse body language communications as part of the daily routine.  Another good reason to volunteer regularly.  The more time you spend volunteering the quicker you will learn a new language!

 VOLUNTEERS

• Volunteers must have their own insurance coverage in case of injury.

•  It is recommended to have a current tetanus vaccination.

• All volunteers sign in and out on a time sheet on each visit.

• Boots or hard-toed shoes must be worn when handling any horse.

• All personal items placed in the refrigerator must be labeled with your name and removed when you leave for the day.

• If you open it, close it, especially gates and doors. Gates must be fastened shut in the same manner in which you found them.

• If you use it, you put it away. All brushes used to groom a horse get washed after use (each new horse you groom, use a clean set of brushes).

• When dry, return washed brushes to area where the grooming tools are kept.

• Volunteers may not enter any stall or pasture area that contains animals without express permission of staff/supervisor.

• Volunteers must successfully complete orientation and training before grooming or handling any horses.

• Volunteers may groom or handle only the horses that they have been cleared to handle.

• Volunteers may handle horses only when there is another person present who is aware that you are handling a horse.

•  Volunteers may perform only the tasks that they have been assigned and qualified to perform.

• Long pants must be worn by anyone doing training, seven games, round pen work or riding with any horse.

• Helmets must be worn at all times by riders on horseback.

Please do not bend or kink the hoses, as it will cause them to break.

Send mail to hpaf@bellsouth.net with questions or comments about this web site.
Copyright © 2002 Horse Protection Association of Florida, Inc.
Last modified: 1/09/08