door kicking

[lizzieuk1]

follwoing on from a comment iabout electric collars i noticed a comment about teacning horses not to kick the door. my 4 y.o has started pawing and kicking at the door at breakfast time, just wondered if anyone has any ideas how best to discourage this before it gets too much of a habit?

 

[Judie]

Mine use to do that, damn annoying, I put a chain across the doorway and left the door open - if it isn't there he can't bang it!

 

[lizzieuk1]

have thought of a chain but am alittle worried he may try to escape through it as is only a baby - big though!

 

[Sooty]

We tried that - horse tried to limbo under chain, scarey as thought she might break her neck. Moved chain down - she climbed over it. Could do with two chains really! We put coconut matting on the inside of the door, it muffles the sound a bit. If anyone has a solution I would love to hear it!

 

[vic07]

did you see the water spray thing, where if they kick the door they get a squirt of water up the nose! I have a door kicker, scrapes if his door is open, with a chain! Could never be so mean though. We just give in to him and give him what he wants - usually his food!

 

[Snowberry]

I'd love to find a solution to this too. Our new pony is a door kicker and everytime he does it the stoopid liveries reward him by giving him some more hay

He also paws the ground quite a bit, its a bloody pain when you are standing holding him whilst child walks the course and he start pawing the ground!!

I stupidly stood in front of him to talk to someone at weekend and he did it and kicked me in the leg!!

 

[lizzieuk1]

not looking promising so far then since we all seemt o have the same problem but no solution

 

[Capriole]

i like the look of that door-water-pistol thingie

its a fab idea and id use it

 

[lizzieuk1]

where did you see it?

 

[flyingfeet]

Mine is out in the field, but has made a huge bare patch where he stands and paws the ground because apparently I am not being quick enough with the grub.

Solution would be not to feed, but not practical (have to get his supplements into him)

 

[so03]

I've posted this somewhere else. Can't remember where now.

I watched a Richard Maxwell or Monty Roberts video (can't remember which one).

They raised this problem and said

you need to get a leather strap and put some ballbearings(sp) or similar metal objects (not too heavy) through it so they hang. Attach the strap around either above the knee or around the pastern. When the horse paws the ground the metal balls bang on the bone and it is uncomfortable (not painful) for the horse so it stops pawing the ground. They say it works. I've never tried it so do not know if it really does work.

 

[Tempi]

you can get those canvas things you can stretch over the door way so you can leave the door open. But then they will no doubt start scraping the floor...........

 

[lizzieuk1]

sounds interesting will have to look into that option.

 

[calon]

friend of ours cob ruined his legs kicking door by banging himself everytime he did it ended up with huge spilnt like lumps on both legs she tried alsorts in end got rid of door and put a chain across just regrets not doing it sooner ruined her show cob

 

[lillie07]

Lol it sounds mean but we used to squirt Bailey with a water pistol from a distance where he couldnt see us, because even turning round to tell him off he was getting what he wanted- attention. He has now stopped except for feeding times but we leave the door open then. Megan sometimes kicks the door but we just try to ignore her completely, or leave the door open so she has nothing to kick. If I got her with a water pistol she would have a panic attack and probably freak so it depends on the horse how you go about stopping it.

This is what I use across the stables

http://www.robinsons-uk.com/products/ProductDetail.asp?ProductCode=42704

Its fantastic.

 

[vic07]

think I saw it in horse ad hound.... But really not sure. Couldn't do it to mine - he would cry and ring rspca!

 

[Emma123]

My pony used to kick the door, best cure for it was the dogs at the yard! If anything kicks the door they jump up at the door and bark, but never bit him! Stopped him in the end

 

[SSM]

My stable door is still padded with a great big wad of foam and then covered in carpet which we put up to hush Stinkerstonkers kicking, and it worked she stopped. PSD so far has never kicked her door.

 

[eohippus]

I found the best way was to reinforce the good behaviour rather than the kicking. If the horses kicked at I insisted that they were ignored completely, frustrating I know, but by trying to stop it by acknowledging it with a shout or going over is getting the horse attention for the bad behaviour. (a bit like kids really) A feeding times a lot of people quickly give the horse their feed to stop them kicking, but I find this is reinforcing the behaviour as it is a reward for it.
I found that by doing the opposite it helped stop the kicking, For example, when feeding I would stand approx four feet from the stable if the horse kicked the door I would continue to stand, if the horse stopped I would walk towards him and say good boy/girl, if he/she started again I would stop etc etc. I found that over time the kicking became less and heshe learnt that by standing still they got the reward (food) quicker.
It took time and patience and doing it constantly at every feed to reinforce what I expected but it did work on a number of horses at the yard.
Hope this helps

Dawn

 

[Laafet]

Quit Kick all the way - thats the device you are all on about - works when you are not there so your horse does not associate you with bad things - ***(wanders off to find website)***

 

[lizzie_liz]

[ QUOTE ]

This is what I use across the stables

http://www.robinsons-uk.com/products/ProductDetail.asp?ProductCode=42704

Its fantastic.

[/ QUOTE ]

We have just got this for our mare who is a real banger and dad will be putting it up this weekend. But a horse at the yard all ready has one and has made such a difference.
We also told people to stop feeding her, as everytime she banged they would throw her some hay! Since the note has gone up she has been alot quieter but the real test will be from the weekend onwards when they have to come in at night.
We also have rubber matting on the door so has reduced the noise she makes

 

[juliehannah58]

When we got our 18month old filly in Feb, she was a terrible door kicker. Also my new horse who we have only had for 1 month used to do it too. Now neither of them do it at all, I always do the same thing. My door kickers used to do it mainly around feed time, so if they kick their door instead of giving them their feed, I feed everyone else first then put their bucket in front of their door. They don't get it until they don't bang for a whole minute, when they have done that I give them the feed and really pat them and praise them, if they don't then it will sit outside all night! I always put it right in front of them so they can see I'm not letting them have it. If when I'm preparing the feed they don't bang, they get dinner first. Sounds mean but always worked for me, they soon seem to learn they get dinner much quicker if they shut up!

I totally don't agree with just feeding them first to shut them up, this is what causes the problem so you are encouraging it!

Also the hose works well!

 

[Happytohack]

Tilly started to do this, just as it got light (my neighbours must have loved me). Friend told me this tip and it works. Put a bucket of water (without handle) inside just where horse would kick door. Every time she kicked the door, she splashed herself. She soon stopped kicking the door. However, she still has to have the bucket as she soon worked out that when it isn't there, she doesn't get wet. This method is completely safe and they don't associate you with anything nasty. Give it ago!

 

[henryhorn]

There is a hidden side to door kicking we found out about the hard way.
Our senior stallion had always kicked his door and it wasn't safe to stand him with a chain. We used a chain inside the door but using sheer strength he frequently broke it. Eventually we gave up and he door kicked for years, worse if he was in and he wanted to go out, he was clever enough to know that it eventually it would irritate us enough to do something.
We put heavy rubber on the door but it turned out it was too late, the foot he kicked the door with was Xrayed and found to have arthritis in, and the vet decided it was due to door kicking. He had to retire aged 14 from a promising career.
I would do anything now to prevent door kicking, and chains are used on horses that do it, if they igore that, we put thick rubber on the door. It makes them very heavy but if that silly horse hadn't kept kicking he could have been ridden for a lot longer. We have also tried balloons full of water, bristles on the door and carpet..
the chain keeping them back a foot works best.

 

[jcberry]

oscar does that.... we put carpet across the door to stop him hurting himself... if we see him kick the door we tell him off! That not much help though!

 

[teapot]

Either carpet on back of stable door - muffles the sound

Or try and get EVERYONE on the yard to ignore it. And try to praise the good behaviour

 

[Ecila]

We just dont feed the horses until they stop kicking the door!! They eventually learn that it doesnt work and stop! Everytime mines kicks her door she gets sent to the back of her stable!