Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

lynn, it was a tragedy, indeed.  tough to put it behind you i am sure.  but please, it will serve no purpose now to start a war over it.  i lost one of my mares earlier this year, got kicked, broke a rear leg and had to be put down.  i had leased her to some friends, told them not to put her in with their horses, but in a pasture by herself.  what did they do?  about a half hour after i left, they put her in with two geldings.  she wasnt in there 10 minutes before one of them kicked her.  are they still my friends?  yes, but they are much smarter friends now, and i am a little smarter too.

should those horses who have been known to kick wear a red ribbon in their tail?  yes.  should the rider of such horse verbally warn others that the horse has been known to kick?  yes.   will this eliminate all episodes of horses kicking other horses or perhaps people too?   no.      some responsibility goes both ways.   i try real hard not to get close enough to get kicked by other horses.  if they cant reach you, they cant kick you.  it is sometimes easy to get caught up running in a pack, but a rider has to understand the dangers and "drive defensively".   kind of like driving on the highway.   i like to stay back at least 2 horse lengths, even when my horse knows the other horses.     ed