"Kicks and Kickers"

Types of Kicks

Kicks can generally be classified in two ways,
"the rear kick" and the "cow kick."
The rear kick is self evident. The cow kick is a strike forward
with the hind leg. If you are behind the horse you could receive
a rear kick. If you were standing alongside him at the rib cage,
you could receive a cow kick. There are six primary reasons
a horse will kick. Understanding what they are will help you
assess your situation and take appropriate precautions.

Playful Kicks

The playful kick is also called the "kick that kills."
Horses will often play "Tag, you're it" with a nip or
the flash of a hoof while running past a playmate.
Since horses have good side vision, they usually dodge
the kick and chase the mock aggressor or wheel their
butts around in response. Humans who do not enjoy
lateral vision and inattentive horses tend to get kicked.
Both unwitting horses and humans have been killed this way.
Part of the problem stems from the flick of the foot being
expressed as a form of attention getting gesture,
"Wake up! Let's play!" Thus, if you are daydreaming while
your horse is playing, you could actually invite such
an approach. If you are in an area with playful horses you must
stay alert and wave them off if they approach to "buzz" you!

Exuberance Kicks

The exuberant kicker may fire in excitement when first
released into a play area (e.g., being turned out for exercise)
and accidentally catch the handler who just released him.
A horse which has never displayed this behavior might do so
when turned out with other horses or when something is
present which excites him. We should get their attention
and have them face us when we unhalter them, then hold
them in place with the lead rope around their
neck until we take a couple of steps back.

Fearful Kicks

A fearful kicker is akin to a fear-biting dog.
He feels threatened and trapped and is doing
nothing more than what he feels he has to do
to protect himself. Freshly captured feral horses
and previously abused horses can offer the handler
a fear kick if they are not handled correctly.
These horses will appear tense, their tails clamped
against their buttocks, heads high, eyes wide open
and sometimes nostrils flared. In such circumstances
the handler should be careful not to pressure the horse
into a flight or fight decision, especially if the horse
is cornered or secured and cannot flee.

If I see a frightened horse "loading up," I will yield him some space.
I'm not relinquishing my authority and position by doing this
if I time it correctly. The conversation which is taking place is
the horse telling me, "Human, I can't take much more of this!"

My appropriate response would be to step back one or
two steps to say, "OK, horse, I'll give you a little space
with which to get a grip on your emotions."
What I don't want to do is to push the horse to the
point he has to cock a hind leg and threaten to fire at me.
If I wait that long to yield, he could develop an association
between his aggressive behavior and my getting out of his way.
Once he discovers this "tool," he'll be really difficult to work
with and this will no longer be a problem
suitable for a novice to deal with.

An effective alternative to triggering a showdown is to let
the horse leave and in a controlled environment, put him
to work in a safe endeavor such as longeing in a circle.
He needs to work off his stress and get his emotions
under control before you can do much with him
and longeing gives you an alternative where
you can get yourself out of a tough spot
but still remain the leader.

Disrespectful Kicks

The disrespectful kicker is basically saying "up yours."
He'll cock his rear end toward you and flash you
the bottom of his hoof. Disrespect seldom involves
actual contact, however you can be accidentally
struck and unchecked disrespect often leads to more
aggressive behavior as the horse starts to believe he
is the more dominant of the two of you.

We handle disrespectful kickers with an immediate
aggressive response. This horse typically fires and
runs and we'll pursue him from a safe distance
making it clear in no uncertain terms that we
are angry with his display and we'll make him work.
If on a longe line or roundpen, we will quickly send
him out and make him yield several times
(as an offended dominant horse would),
but at the same time anticipate his asking
forgiveness by his looking in towards us with
a more submissive posture and expression. At that
point we would become immediately relaxed, let him
come in and positively reinforce his decision to behave
himself just as we "negatively reinforced" his infraction.

Aggressive Kicks

An aggressive kicker can be particularly dangerous,
although more predictable than a playful kicker.
The aggressive kicker is likely to confront you
"rump-on / head on." By this I mean he's not likely
to engage in a sneak attack. He's likely to wheel
his butt around and come straight at you. If you suspect
a horse is aggressive you need protective equipment
and you have to know what you are doing.

When I confront an aggressive kicker, I make sure
I'm wearing a helmet and have a 16 foot catch rope
and the layout includes somewhere for me to send the
horse. As soon as he starts to load up to kick me, I'll
go after him aggressively twirling the rope at his hindquarters.
I have to make him uncertain about his aggression and
decide to leave. I will not pursue him.

Committed aggressors will often come after me a couple
of times more to see if they can intimidate me. I have
to not only hold my ground, but take some of their
territory each time they try me out. I will not try to
prolong the tension and I will always
give the horse a clear escape route.

If I am fortunate enough to encounter the horse in a roundpen
or small arena, I will send him off on longe as best I can.
As soon as he has had a chance to blow off his anxiety,
I will cause him to yield several times. The instant he
shows me that he is willing to be submissive, I will back
off and let him rest. Unlike the disrespectful horse
whom I will encourage to come in right away and
be buddies when he shows me good behavior,
I'm going to keep the aggressive horse at a respectful distance
for a few outings until he can demonstrate to me that he can keep
his aggressive tendencies in check, at which point I will
extend some trust and attempt to make friends.

Nuisance Kicker

Incidental accidents occur with nuisance kickers. These horses
cow kick when they are irritated, typically by flies, but they can also
cow kick when they are irritated by the handler's touch. Cow kicks
don't sound dangerous, but they can take the form of sharp blows
although many are little more than very uncomfortable "brush-offs."

Horses which are poorly groomed, fly infested or have dirty
teats or sheaths may be uncomfortable and kick at their underbelly.
When we see a horse displaying this type of behavior, we try to
resolve the nuisance which is causing the cow kicks, bearing
in mind that the horse is likely to bring
a leg forward as we work on him.

Horses similarly can kick backwards at nuisances which
could be nothing more than irritating sweat running down their legs.
Again, observing the horse for a short while before handling him
may reveal the presence of these irritating nuisances.

To be safe, before we handle a nuisance kicker we will attempt
to keep the horse standing square and if he is overly fidgety,
someone can hold his near side front leg up so that the horse
can't cow kick on that same side. (Please note that some
horses can cow kick on the opposite diagonal, so you
need to be on the same side as the lifted foreleg.)
If the horse insists on putting his front leg down,
you should stay clear of the "kicking arc"
when working near his belly or rib cage.

General Notes:

Don't surprise the horse. Let him know where you are
at all times. Stay alert to unusual movements or weight shifts.
Don't let yourself get placed between the hind end of any
unproven horse and a solid object such as a wall or fence.
Little kids can easily disappear into a horse's blind spot,
then pop into view when they make some sudden movement,
startling the horse. Children have been seriously hurt by
horses who have never kicked before when they have
been playing in or have run up into the horse's blind spot.

When grooming around the hind end, stay close to the horse
on either side. It's safer to be shoved than smacked. If you sense
the horse is going to kick, you can push away from the horse
and at the same time move him away from you. Don't linger
directly behind the horse "in the gun barrel." When picking
up feet, notice the "arc path" of the foot and make sure
you don't put your leg or feet in line for a kick
or stomp if the horse takes his foot back.

With unproven horses, pay attention not only to the horse
but to things going on around you. Don't get uptight
about it as that may serve to unnerve the horse, but
be aware and if external things start to happen that you
can't control and that appear to upset the horse, back off
until things subside and you can make a safe approach.