Help! My horse is learning to door kick

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I have recently moved my horse to a different stable yard on DIY and the horse next door to us is a really bad door kicker. I didn't consider this a problem (although it is very annoying!) until my Appy started copying him! :eek: I have tried telling him off but it doesn't seem to make much difference as he stops and then starts again. He isn't in much at the moment but I'm worried that in the winter this is going to get worse and want to try and nip this in the bud now before it gets worse. I have bought a water pistol so will see if this works... anyone else have any suggestions? Moving stables is not an option as my Appy is very attached to my ISH so they have to be stabled next to each other and we are limited as to what stables we can go in as yard is predominantly Full and Part Livery. I was always under the impression that horses can't 'learn' vices but after witnessing this I can say they definitely can!
 
When does the door kicking go on (e.g. at feed time, when others are turned out etc.)?
 
Oh dear I hear your frustration!

Something to deaden the noise, carpet perhaps?

Top door made of see through mesh ?

Probably lots more ideas to be posted .
JC
 
fix brisel broom heads to the door so when you horse brings it knee up to bang the door, the brissels will hurt( just a little ) this has worked for us with and old timer who had done it for years.
 
He does it for attention - if he sees me further down the yard for example and he is frustrated that I am talking to somebody else! :rolleyes: I might try the chain across the door idea as I don't think he will escape - will keep a close eye on him though!
 
Horses only do something if it gets them something they want. It's more likely the way the yard works that's making both your horse and their neighbour kick their doors.

Either they want interaction, and they get that by kicking, or they are anticipating feeding and the person feeding doesn't realise that delivering feed during or shortly after door kicking reinforces it.

Don't punish it unless you can punish every single time they do it - otherwise the punishment not only has no effect, but actually makes the kicking more likely.

What you need to do is work out what the horse thinks they're getting by doing it, and stop that - so if it's attention, you WAIT until there's a slight pause in the kicking, and go over and make a fuss of your horse. The benefit of this (reward) approach is that you don't have to catch every single good behaviour for it to work (unlike the punishment approach, which doesn't work if a single door kick goes unpunished). You just need to do it fairly consistently.

If it's feed - same applies. Whoever is delivering the feed has to WAIT for a pause and silence, before approaching the stable. If this means walking forward and back until they get long enough, that's what has to happen. You can speed this approach up by having someone standing beside the horse with a few carrots, and while the dinner is visibly approaching, the carrot person delivers carrots for silence and standing quietly and none for pressing forwards, leaning out, or kicking.

You might get some more info on what leads up to it by reading my blog post on the topic ;) Most of the posts come from "my horse has started doing..." on HHO ;) http://horsesunderourskin.wordpress.com/2013/05/02/superstitious-minds/
 
Try an old-fashioned coir doormat on the inside of the door. Deadens the noise and is a bit spiky but not damagingly so.
 
Brightbay said:
Horses only do something if it gets them something they want. It's more likely the way the yard works that's making both your horse and their neighbour kick their doors.

Either they want interaction, and they get that by kicking, or they are anticipating feeding and the person feeding doesn't realise that delivering feed during or shortly after door kicking reinforces it.

Don't punish it unless you can punish every single time they do it - otherwise the punishment not only has no effect, but actually makes the kicking more likely.

What you need to do is work out what the horse thinks they're getting by doing it, and stop that - so if it's attention, you WAIT until there's a slight pause in the kicking, and go over and make a fuss of your horse. The benefit of this (reward) approach is that you don't have to catch every single good behaviour for it to work (unlike the punishment approach, which doesn't work if a single door kick goes unpunished). You just need to do it fairly consistently.

If it's feed - same applies. Whoever is delivering the feed has to WAIT for a pause and silence, before approaching the stable. If this means walking forward and back until they get long enough, that's what has to happen. You can speed this approach up by having someone standing beside the horse with a few carrots, and while the dinner is visibly approaching, the carrot person delivers carrots for silence and standing quietly and none for pressing forwards, leaning out, or kicking.

You might get some more info on what leads up to it by reading my blog post on the topic ;) Most of the posts come from "my horse has started doing..." on HHO ;) http://horsesunderourskin.wordpress.com/2013/05/02/superstitious-minds/
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At the risk of being unoriginal - THIS. I agree with every word of the above. Reward the desired behaviour - being quiet, not banging, etc., and ignore the unwanted behaviour. The trick, though, is getting everyone else on the yard to do the latter - if other people react to his banging in your absence, it will make your job harder. I'd be putting a note up by his door asking that people ignore the banging - not even a verbal reprimand - and talking to whoever feeds him about the above approach (or, if possible, feed him yourself in the immediate future while you're retraining him).

P
 
PolarSkye said:
At the risk of being unoriginal - THIS. I agree with every word of the above. Reward the desired behaviour - being quiet, not banging, etc., and ignore the unwanted behaviour. The trick, though, is getting everyone else on the yard to do the latter - if other people react to his banging in your absence, it will make your job harder. I'd be putting a note up by his door asking that people ignore the banging - not even a verbal reprimand - and talking to whoever feeds him about the above approach (or, if possible, feed him yourself in the immediate future while you're retraining him).

P
Click to expand...

You wont have a chance in hell to make this work in a DIY/livery yard OK if you have the horse at home in a private yard.
As said before a spiky door mate or Broom heads ,work or the Gorse .The horse wont be harmed but wont get any reward & will soon learn.
 
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