>>> Bruce has retired from a job where it was required that he wear >>> steel-toed boots. When I bought a nice pair for myself and had a horse >>> stomp on the toe, I received a very nasty cut plus smashed toes.
Cary had a horse step on his toes while wearing steel toes, and they helped a lot. On the other hand, three years ago, someone dropped a steel bar on his foot - behind the steel toes, naturally - and he broke his foot. Most industrial-mandated safety equipment is rather hit-or-miss in its effectiveness. One of the few pieces of safety equipment that I don't think has many drawbacks is the riding helmets - I just can't think of any good reasons not to wear a helmet. Karen Thomas, NC
