Any horse that has proven itself to be a kicker should have a ribbon on it's tail. I was kicked by a mare, no ribbon, on May 31st of this year. I was lucky that it was not my head she got but just my arm. She warned me by doing a small "round-house" that clipped my left knee and by the time I was almost out of her way, she had "double-barreled" and got my left arm. It could have been so much worse. I ended up with 25 or so internal stitches and 30 external. She "filleted" my arm. I have a 5" scar that is a constant reminder of how much worse it could have been. This occured at the first 4-H show of the season. Had it been a child she had kicked, the outcome could/would have been so much worse. Had I been a foot closer, it would have been my head. This horse was expelled from 4-H and Pony Club. The owners were new to the horse world and did not understand the importance of marking their mare as a known kicker. It is the responsibility of the owner to make others aware of a horses tendency to be aggressive. If they are not willing to do that, they and their animal should not be allowed to associate with others. Beccy in Ut.
