Do you reprimand ALL kicks?

little_critter

little_critter

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This morning my horse kicked me.
I was scratching an area I thought she liked being scratched but must have touched an area she didn't like because she kicked me - fairly gently, it probably won't even bruise.
I was surprised - she is normally very well mannered so I gave her a half-hearted slap on the bum and let her be.
Did I do right?
Should I have made it absolutely clear that she must not kick?
Or was I right to accept that I'd obviously touched a nerve and she was just telling me to get off?
 
I'm afraid I'd have been down on her like a ton of bricks!

If I do something they don't like they are welcome to pull faces, and I will notice that and respond by changing what I'm doing. They do not kick or lift legs to threaten and those that have tried in the past are made very aware that I am boss and they do not do it.
 
Sounds like you did O.K. I would've also done some approach and retreat on that area so she learnt there was nothing to fear:0)
 
May I ask how you tell them off?
Do you smack them? Do you put on a big 'dominant' show?
This behaviour is new to me (and hopefully won't happen again - it's not in her nature)
I immediately stopped scratching that area but went back after a few minutes and gently worked my way towards that area, keeping an eye on her expression and stopping (but not backing off) when she started to look grumpy.
I let her be once she was allowing my to place my hand on that area and not looking grumpy.
 
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In the days of old it was taught that we should.

I've since learnt another way.

Now I can usually find out pretty sharpish why the kick was offered and can take steps to reduce the chance of it happening again. There is only one horse I can think of that we are struggling with (owner and self) and I am pretty certain there is an underlying problem we haven't sorted because the horse often seems mildly colicky.

You said the kick was relatively gentle. If the horse had wanted to really get you she could have.

I'd accept if for what it seems to be - you touched a sore spot.

My own mare got into deep trouble (the meat lorry) because of a simple failure on the part of many humans to realise she was in pain. And because her attempts to communicate were ignored she was forced to go from quiet 'please don't do that' to what I call shouting (full blown kicks).

Remove the pain and she is very sweet natured.

I see similar scenarios time and again. So no, I never reprimand a horse which does this.

But good luck and take care
 
ditto the above. horses are perfectly capable of giving warning shots, and gentle reminders, before using the big guns. they don't miss, they choose not to hit you...
tbh if i get a warning, i heed it, rather than reprimand immediately... i don't want to seriously pee off a 1/2 tonne animal armed with 4 sledgehammers. ;) ;)
it sounds as if she nudged you with a foot, if it won't even bruise. i'd be glad she was so polite with her first comment about what you were doing, basically.
although, it depends hugely on circumstances, on what i was doing and where it happened... if a horse kicks out at me in the field, say, high jinks as if i'm a field-mate to play with, i'll come down on it like a tonne of bricks - i'm not there to have pot-shots taken at me.
glad you're okay.
 
Depends, if for example you picked at something that was sore (lets say your removing mud fever scabs) and the horse flinched and caught you because you ignored the warning signs that you were causing the horse discomfort (a waive of the leg and ears pinned back etc) and so caught you next time, then that's totally different in my eyes to a horse kicking out and meaning it in a nasty way, yes I'd growl and tell them to stand just so they have not had 'the last word' but I wouldn't smack them, after all it's your own fault.

Anything else, hell yes, if horse kicks me, it dam well knows about it and it's not often I'll get booted twice.
 
See this is the thing. Horses use body language like that to tell us that there is something wrong. If we repress that then surely we are asking for trouble in the long run - I see similar things with dogs, they are taught not to growl so they go for the full on bite when they are trying to tell us something.
Obviously there is a difference between "ouch, that hurts" and "I'm going to get you" and an experienced horse person should be able to tell the difference.
OP's horse was not trying to hurt her so I would have left it as she did.
 
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