But Capt Charlie, it all happens so FAST. And I don't have the knowledge of equine psychology that you have. All I know is that my children are in jeopardy. It isn't a matter of a mean horse or anything like that at all. It's a matter of putting down a threat. Of course, a handgun isn't going to do much to a horse, but that's beside the point. The instructions that you are giving amount to a safety/survival lesson in the given circumstance but not everyone knows that or is willing to risk it.
Interesting that the topic has come up, though, because I WAS injured by a horse at the circus when I was a child. It was in a panic and was fleeing away from the cause of the panic and I was just a little kid that it didn't even notice. Nothing major but it could have been worse.
Would a horse injure someone in the given situation? Would the advice work? I hope we don't have to find out.
How about a lion escaped from it's cage at the zoo? Are you a lion psychologist, too?
