Horses are wonderful creatures and I love them. But they’re not exactly reflective and are entirely emotional in their responses to anything, and they are animals of prey so mostly their responses are “run away, run away.”
Injury is, like it or not, a given of being around horses.
I have always thought people on parade routes should be told to stand back and be a little careful, however. I have seen people with small children walk up and stand right in front of Clydes and Percherons (who could crush you in an instant without meaning it if they got nervous) and it always makes me anxious. I have seen the drivers or handlers tell people to step back. Horses aren’t vicious, generally, but there’s a lot of weight there and when 1000+ pounds comes your way, you’re not going to win.
I laughed out loud when she said, "Do you want to know how to make a small fortune off horses? Start with a large fortune." LOL
Done right...horses are expensive.