Re: RC: help with kicking horse

[Jim Holland <lanconn@tds.net>]

The horse's environment in the pasture is irrelevant to his behavior
under saddle. 

I have seen many horses, particularly mares, who will kick any horse who
invades their space in the pasture (particularly if they are
Chief-Mare-In-Charge) but will allow another horse to crawl all over
them under saddle.  Two different things entirely.

A horse that kicks with a rider aboard means that:

a. The horse does not recognize the rider as "herd leader".

b. The rider needs to spend more time training the horse to pay
attention to the rider and not what's going on around him.  Basically,
this means that the rider must give the horse "work to do" when the
horse's attention is not on the rider. It's much too late to teach this
at a ride.  The is part of doing your homework and training your horse
to respect you, your space, and "listen" to you before you go to a
ride.  If a horse does not listen during training, then fer sure he will
not listen during the excitement of an Endurance Ride.

You better be able to pick up the reins, say "aaan't!! or "Hey!!!!" or
whatever word you pick and you better see the ears go back toward you
and the attitude go to "Ahhhh, Duh..I didn't mean nothin'" no matter
WHERE he is or WHAT the circumstances. The "WORD" means quit whatever
you're doing right now and look at me or I'm gonna rip the meat off your
bones and feed you to the dogs. (Figuratively, of course...it's the
aggression in your "body english")

I have spent so much time doing this with Sunny that I can be on my deck
above the pasture and say "aaaann't' and he will throw his head up and
look at me trying to figure out what he was doing wrong.  This also
helps with spooking.  He will "look" at some invisible thing in the
woods, start to spook...and the "word" with the right inflection will
get his ears back to me, his attention off whatever it was, and he'll
trot right by it.  Be aware it doesn't happen overnight.  May take 10
times, may take 10,000 times...depends on the horse. It's something you
teach constantly, every time you ride.

This is a fixable problem, just like biting is a fixable problem.  IMHO,
"kickers" are unacceptable horses at Endurance Rides, never mind the red
ribbon in the tail.

Your horse's behavior is YOUR responsibility....he's that way because
you haven't taught him otherwise.  There is too much close contact
between riders, the pace is too fast, and in many cases, the trails are
too narrow to deal with this.  It is nothing more than a lack of
training and discipline.  Both kicking and biting are inexcusable.

Jim and Sun of Dimanche (Duh, Whut wuz it you wanted, Boss???)



"guest@endurance.net" wrote:
> 
> Vicki Wheeler dwheeler@icx.net
> I'm posting for a friend without Internet access, so bear with me while I try to get this right.
> 
> She has a new horse (approx 11yo Arab gelding) that did his first 50 last weekend.  She started late & was going
> at a 5-6 mph pace.  It didn't take long before the 25 mile leaders caught up & sped past.  Storm kicked out (yes,
> he was wearing a red ribbon) & dumped her.  Thankfully he returned to the scene & they completed.  He has cow-
> kicked before (reason for ribbon) but never this violently.  Monday night she went out to check on the horses (4
> geldings turned out together) & the herd leader was chasing Storm around the field with ears flat & teeth barred.
> Storm was kicking at Star to ward off the attacks.
> 
> She knew the horses didn't like each other but she didn't realize it was this bad.  She doesn't have the space to
> separate the horses &, obviously, Storm will continue to kick Star when attacked like this.  She believes (& it seems
> viable to me) that Storm was reacting to the horses running up behind him as if Star were running/attacking him.
> 
> Now for the question -- how does she train Storm not to kick when there is a rider on him?  I've never had a kicker so
> I'm lost here.
> 
> TIA for all tips/suggestions.
> Vicki Wheeler
> Knoxville, TN
> 
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