The case of a Kentucky politician who was kicked in the face by her horse is a reminder that the one thousand-pound animal can be dangerous. State Senator Amanda Mays Bledsoe of Lexington released a statement saying she was injured Friday and required emergency surgery. Longtime rider instructor Vicky Esquivel isn’t familiar with Bledsoe’s accident, but said horses are sensitive creatures that can sense fear in humans.
“Horses can feel insecurity. So you need to be, first of all, you need to be confident that you're doing the right thing, you need to have some good instruction so that you can have a good foundation, and then you'll be okay.”
Esquivel has been training people how to handle horses for 40 years. She said we need to remember while horses are many times our size, they’re still prey animals.
“If he feels like he's in trouble, or he feels frightened or insecure, he has two options, he can either flee, which means he will try to run away and get away from the danger as quickly as possible, or he can fight.”
In her statement, Bledsoe said while her injury was serious, she believes she’ll make a full recovery with no long-term damage and looks forward to returning to Frankfort.
** WEKU is working hard to be a leading source for public service, fact-based journalism. Monthly sustaining donors are the top source of funding for this growing nonprofit news organization. Please join others in your community who support WEKU by making your donation.
