Well thank goodness we don’t do business then. Not only do I carry a million dollar insurance policy god forbid a horse in my teams care ever gets injured, but I have lovely health insurance. Please find another braider with an insurance policy? Bet you can’t! And heck I love my flops!
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omg that made me lol for real. i bet that was a sight!
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What?
I know the braider I use has insurance.
No matter how much insurance you have, flip flops around clients horses is bad horsemanship. Period.
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Actually I have been ridiculed by other braiders for having insurance. Not health insurance but I carry essentially a CCC policy if anything happens to the horse while in our care. And duly noted my footwear is ill advised per you.
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No, it is ill-advised as per decent horsemanship, 4H, Pony Club etc. etc.
Why on earth are you so smug about basic equine common sense? In your own barn you can do you. In another barn, you practice good horsemanship and demonstrate your good horse sense = good business practices.
I used to pull manes for others - because I was really good at it and even the most sensitive horses calmed down after I had started… and I would have never thought of wearing flip flops. I guess I just like my feet unmangled 
- and it only takes a second for something to go awry… horses are involved after all. Never say never! 
Google “horse steps on foot in flip flops”… and then tell me it is not a big deal. The photos make me cringe…
One example:
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I really don’t care about the flip flops. It’s her feet. Legally, she’d be the negligent one for wearing them, and she understands the risk.
Clients aren’t going to see it anyhow, because braiding is so often done in the middle of the night. The braids look good.
How do you get them so even, Kate? I want a mane pulling and braiding tutorial thread, because I do my own braids! I am good at sewing in dressage braids, but the hunter ones are so tiny. Please?
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As an 8 or 9 year old kid, I had my pony in our back yard; ignored the advice (rules?) of my parents and brushed the little guy whilst I was barefoot.
He moved, accidentally stood on me and my big-toe toenail was clean ripped off.
It hurt like heck - but I was more afraid of my mother’s wrath so I ran into the outside laundry to wash away the blood that was pouring out. My punishment - along with a BIG learning curve - was that I had to squeeze that agonizing foot into school shoes!
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I did that a coupon of years ago except I had boots on, decent horse-approved boots. Broke the toe too.
I did the classic equestrian move of not taking the boot off until I finished feeding because I knew it would be bad. My boot was so full of blood I threw it away.
It was pretty nasty!
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That was also my thought re the flipflops, I just noted that it is something that many equestrians would pick up on because it’s so ingrained into some of us as a no.
The braids are nice though. Hunter braids make my hands hurt just looking at them (I have some hand issues).
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My mom had to pull her black lab off of a school bus, while wearing a see-through nightgown. He ran on after the kids and played dead in the aisle.
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Same here - I used to be good at braiding… but some broken fingers and assorted mileage later… my fingers cramp badly after just a few and I am useless. 
That definitely beats my mom chasing our beagle down the snowy street in her long pink flannelette night gown and her head full of rollers! 
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Beagles and labs. Between them, they will put you in some awkward situations. Lol.
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Ugh good point. I hate it.
I’ve had to chase my beagle in underwear and a bra less tshirt. Kids accidentally let him out the house. This was in NoVa, so I’m sure plenty of people got a sight full driving to work in the morning. I got honked at. Lol.
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I know several braiders with umbrella policies and health insurance.
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I’ve also chased 4 loose horses down a busy road, braless, in bright yellow fuzzy pj pants with emojis on them shoved into muck boots (without socks because they were put on in a rush because, well, loose horses) and an oversized t shirt. Some random dude who drove by stopped and asked to take a picture of me leading the horses back in this outrageous outfit because it was “the funniest thing he’d ever seen.” I hope he still has that picture somewhere and gets a laugh out of it.
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At least he asked! Lol.
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Yep! I couldn’t begrudge him the photo. It added some levity to an otherwise exasperating situation!
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Before we moved to the full care facility we’re at now, it wasn’t uncommon for me to stop at the barn to change blankets, still in my work clothes. There’s one that really sticks out because I’d gone in early for a Board of Trustees meeting and hadn’t planned on stopping at the barn that night but then the temps dropped. There I am changing a blanket in my cashmere & flats—was not the safest thing I’ve ever done!
On the flip side, I have also broken a foot doing turn out in my tall boots. And a thumb @ the joint changing blankets.
Ah, horses.
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Hilarious PJ stories aside, my toes are curled up/cringing for safety in my shoes. ACK! I lost a big toe nail twice by being stomped on (spooking horse) - through leather boots. I wore flipflops to the barn once to feed quick and was quite afraid for my toes… can’t imagine them as regular footwear in the barn.
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