Hitting Horses - Poll

sea or pool

  • Total voters
    0
i dont feel that any sort of violence would get a positive reaction from a youngster.

with my 6 year old (not such a youngster) rears up at me in the field i usually wait for him to settle down then change direction and ask him to walk again, he usually carries on without a problem, as well as a hand fulll of mix in my pocket helps.

if he is just being really stubborn i sort of lung him round me so he going forward, iv found with most horses iv had shouting and hitting have never help anything in the long run.
 
Storm we have the least spooky horses imaginable, one always leads our local Carnival which involves going first down a narrow street filled with sometimes thousands' of people with balloons, throwing money into buckets etc.
We deliberately do not creep around and things like diggers, trators etc are all met at close quarters.
As a result when we sell a horse the new owners are thrilled by how easily they accept their new surroundings and are non spooky..
Put yourself in this position.
It's a damp dark afternoon and you have just reversed the tractor complete with haylage bale on aspike inside a barn where waiting are twenty plus horses.
Although they have ample food in the other feeder, the new haylage is of course sweeter so they want it and now. They crowd round you eager to get at it, and you are trying to unwrap the bale in the feeder.
Unless you can create sufficient respect from the whole herd you will be trampled or kicked as they turn and warn each other off the bale.
I have learned to use my voice to good effect and if they do not back off, throw a clod of soil at the backside of the nearest one. This gives me enough time and space to complete my task. Although this doesn't happen often it's a method I know works and leaves absolutely no resentment or spooks afterwards.
As far as they are concerned, my shooing away is exactly what the boss of the herd does to all of them in the pecking order downwards, the boss horse eats first, and the others keep out of his or her way..
To suggest it makes horses spooky is just plain silly.
Tip-toeing round them and reassuring them at every slight noise or distraction might do that, but treating them in the same manner they treat each other doesn't.
I have also been seen to smartly turn round and lift my leg as if to kick, that produces a backing off too..
Discipline either by a smack or growl is not abuse, stand and watch a herd for an hour and see just how evil they are to each other!
And whine? I don't think anyone on here has ever seen me post anything about "How do I do so and so to my horse, or how do I get my horse to?"
As a example one of our rising three year olds helps my husband fill haynets every morning. Without a headcollar or rope it stands patiently waiting whilst he fills five haynets in the barn, allows him to sling four over it's back and follows him back round to the yard carrying the nets whilst he carries one.. Does that sound like a horse suffering from spooking due to me chucking the odd clod at it?!!!!
For goodness sake don't be so self righteous.. and judgemental at that.
 
Personally I would no nothing except move out of the way!

Babies are just that, babies! Obviously I would yell at the horse if it started to do this as a habit but just a one off then whats the point in doing anything to the horse? Your in its play area!!
 
[ QUOTE ]
Jem - this is one of THE most intelligent posts on this thread!

You have completely understood what the point of the thread was. You have completely understood the scenario placed before us all and you have answered it with full comprehension.

[/ QUOTE ]

blush.gif
Thankyou!!
 
As I & many others have said, if you are going to hit them it has to be instant. Years ago I had a colt nip me so I nipped his ear. He never did it again, but I would never assume it was because I nipped him back. Prince is asked to move back everytime I enter the stable after all these months I would expect him to know this, except that other people entering dont, therefore he does not have the consistancy. So is it acceptable to get annoyed with him because he does not always move away as a matter of course? If he bites no matter who I would expect them to tap his nose because if he bit another horse they would retaliate. It is only harmful if the animal cant associate the punishment with the act.
 
I handle a rising 3 year old who will go up in the air - but never out of malice, nor bad manners I hasten to add. I know the situations that cause it, and try and prevent them from happening - but obviously you can't control every situation.

I never shout at her - it would only make her worse. Usually just wait until she's stopped showing me her tummy, and then continue quietly with her.

To be honest, I've never found that shouting at something that goes up works. Unless they're pigs, or babies with youthful exuberance (sp), there's usually some sort of reason why they've done it, and it's quite often to do with stress.

Differnt matter if one comes at you in the field - usually a good yell, and wave of the arms wins - as will a good old clod of earth!
grin.gif
 
Tia your answer was what I would do, start with a yell and agressive body language, if it still did it, I would progress to carrying a long whip and yes it would receive the sharp end hard - hopefully once would be enough.

On the couple of occasions I have had to use a whip, only one needed to get the message twice.

There is a difference between beating a horse and giving one a whack in self preservation. I like to keep myself in one piece if possible and a youngster showing agression will be dealt with if needs be with a whip.

I personally avoid throwing things - I am a terrible shot and could end up throwing something in its eye which would not be the result I wanted.
 
Wow! Long thread!

I couldn't really decide on one plan of action as with horses you have to deal with the situation before you quickly and efficiently.

I have owned a few youngsters and when I think back to how I have dealt with situations it has purely depended on that particular horse as to how I have dealt with him/her.

One filly I had was a very sweet, timid character. I smacked her once and I quickly learned that she couldn't handle that. She was the kind of horse that you could just growl at or look at in a stern way and she would drop her head and walk away from me.

However,,,my boy!! A totally different character indeedy! He was born a thug
laugh.gif
and he has had to have a few smacks in his time as he has put me or himself in danger being thug-like! LOL. However he is now 12 years old and a big softy, easy to ride and a lovely boy all in all (with thug tendancies still in place but well under control)!!

So, I don't have an answer as when the chips are down and your life is in danger I can not imagine or think of one human being who would not lash out for their own protection.

After all we are animals too and deep down we have our own set of animal instincts.
 
I would probably growl and wave my arms at it as soon as it done it or whilst it was still in the air!!!

It also depends on if it was meant playfully or dangerously. If it was playful it would be a growl, if it was dangerous it would be a whack or clump of mud thrown at it.

Senza did this to me the other day (whilst i was hanging on the end of the leadrope) but bucked at me instead as she suddenly decided she didn't want to come in and she meant it to, so she got a few good whacks with the leadrope.
 
An experienced handler will react differently to each situation. An older horse, that is well known to the handler will be treated differently to 5 youngsters in a field. There are a lot of relatively inexperienced people on this forum, and I hope that they will pick up the best bits of the advice being offered. Owning one horse for 20 years does not give you the same experience as perhaps looking after 5 horses for 1 year.
 
When S used to do this to me, I have been known to growl, shout, stamp, wave arms and I normally had a head collar in my hand would I would throw at her back end

She stopped doing if after a while
 
About experience, this is very true as one horse might be an absolute angel for those 20 years but on a busy yard where horses come and go, different or challenging situations are more likely to arise and so more experience is gained.
 
Depends on if I had something in my hand eg - leadrope - in which case I'd aim it under the stomach and shout NO and send it away - as long as I could do it quick enough.

They are most vulnerable under there apparently as it is where a carnivore would aim, so it should bring them down and then send the youngster away, and possibly keep sending it away if possible, until it offers the right behaviour to be let back in - at which point I'd reward (as in a rub not food).

Have had to do this with Ivy - and I'll use whatever I have to hand - not necessarily to whack her with - but as an extension of my arm to send her away without her getting me. Saying that she is much better now and rarely challenges me any more as she's learning I won't back down, I AM boss mare!
 
i used to have a similar problem with one of the yearlings at my old yard, everytime i went in the field to get my horse it would come charging at me and start kicking out at me
id growl throw my arms around in the air and if it still continued id hit it with my headcollar/leadrope on her bum.... trying not to get to close to a pair of feet coming at my head!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top