Re: RC: Cause and Effect, horse accidents happen, kicking horses

[LSimoni197@aol.com]

Rockie,

You are doing your part by continually training your kicking horse, and with 
the red tail ribbon.  Warning the rider who in their excitement follows too 
closely is a wise step to take.
It continually amazes me how we forget the basic riding rule, "Keep a horse 
length between your horse and other horses."
I have ridden with the rider who lets their horse continually bang into my 
horses rear end saying, "I want your horse to kick mine to teach him to stay 
back."
On large trail rides there are the riders who use your horse's rump to stop 
theirs, rather than their reins.
Then there is the rider who circles their horse for disaplin, on narrow 
trails, banging his horses rump, into the other horses near him.
Every horse kicks.  This is a natural horse behavior done for defense.  It is 
also a basic form of horse communication.
Horses have a space, a territory around them that they defend, that should 
not be entered without permission.  (Humans do to, would you let the 
passenger in the seat beside you on a plane or train put their hand on your 
leg?  (Hell No!) They broke the unwritten rule, they invaded your personal 
space.)
Any horse can react with a kick.  It is the responsibility of each of us, as 
we ride our horse, to keep out of the other horses personal space.  Simply 
stated, keep a horse length away from other horses on the trail, around the 
barn, and in vet check lines.

Lynge


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