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Child Safety and Farm Animals

Animals are a big part of why children love the farm, and a leading source of injuries too. This guide covers general safety around livestock, horses and pets.

Why do animals injure children?

Farm animals are large, strong and act on instinct. A kick, push, bite or step can hurt a child badly. Animals can be frightened by sudden noises or movement, and mothers with young can be protective.

Children are often at the same height as an animal's head or hooves and cannot read the signals that an adult might notice.

Poultry, goats, sheep and pigs can also hurt children. Even small animals can bite, scratch, knock a child down or carry germs.

What are the general rules around livestock?

Children should not enter pens, pastures or stalls with large animals unless an experienced adult is present and the animal is known to be suitable. Keep a barrier between children and animals whenever possible.

Avoid standing between an animal and its young, its feed or an exit. Move calmly and let the animal see you. Ask a veterinarian or livestock specialist about the temperament and handling needs of your own animals.

Animals change with age, season and health. A calm animal in summer may be difficult in breeding season or when injured. Review your own animals regularly.

• Barriers between children and animals
• Experienced adult present
• Stay out of the animal's blind spot
• Never come between a mother and her young

What about horses and ponies?

Horses can be gentle and still unpredictable. Children should be supervised by a knowledgeable adult, wear protective gear recommended by the riding instructor or manufacturer, and learn from a qualified teacher.

Specific helmet and boot standards come from manufacturers and riding organizations, so ask your instructor rather than relying on a general rule.

Keep gates and latches working so that animals cannot escape and meet children in places that are not safe.

How do you prevent illness from animals?

Animals can carry germs that make people sick. Teach children to wash hands with soap and water after touching animals, feed or fences, and to avoid putting hands in their mouths. Keep eating and drinking out of animal areas.

The CDC publishes guidance on healthy contact with animals. Young children and people with weak immune systems are at higher risk, so ask a doctor about particular precautions.

Never allow children to ride animals that are not trained for it, and always supervise any ride. Teach children what a calm animal looks like and what a tense animal looks like, using your veterinarian's description for your species.

How should supervision work?

Supervise young children whenever animals are near, and do not leave a child alone with any animal. A supervising adult should watch the child, not be busy with other chores.

Give children jobs that keep a safe distance, such as filling a feed bucket outside the pen or checking water from the fence line.

Include animals in the farm emergency plan, so that an escape or an injury is handled calmly. At fairs and petting events, supervise children closely and follow the organizer's hand washing rules. Animals are more easily frightened by crowds and noise.

What should you teach children?

Teach children to ask before touching an animal, to move slowly, to speak gently and to leave an animal alone when it is eating, sleeping, hurt or with its young. Teach them to back away calmly if an animal seems upset and tell an adult.

Explain that animals are not toys. Respect for animals makes children safer and animals calmer. Keep notes on any animal that behaves aggressively, and talk with your veterinarian about whether it can be handled safely or should be moved away from children.

Hay, feed and manure areas near animals deserve attention too, since children may play or climb there while an animal is close. Fence them off and treat them like pens.

What if a child is hurt?

Call 911 for a serious injury, and get medical care for any bite, kick or wound. Do not move a seriously injured child unless there is immediate danger. Keep the animal and other children away.

Talk to your veterinarian about any animal that has injured a person, and learn from what happened.

Be careful with bottle-fed or hand-raised animals. They may lose their fear of people and act pushy, which can knock a child over, so teach children to keep their distance anyway.

Last reviewed: November 12, 2026. Written by the Farm Safety Editorial Team. See our editorial policy.