Horse kicked me in the field

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chesnutcraze

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We’ve recently moved my horse to a new yard, where he shares a field with one other mare after previously being on individual turnout. He’s the boss of their little pair.
He’s been there about a week and yesterday when I brought him in to ride he was very bolshy because the mare was calling him, but I told him off and afterwards he was fine.
Today I went in the field to put hay down, and they both came and crowded me. I tried to shoo them away but the mare was being quite cheeky, then as I moved to the side to get out of her way he turned round and full on booted me. Luckily I was right at the gate so managed to drag myself out, waited till I felt a bit less sick and went back in, gave him a whack when he came to snatch some hay and then he walked off and waited nicely while I put it down.
He’s always been really well behaved - waits for his food, and in the year I’ve had him he’s never even thought about lifting a leg to anyone, biting, rearing, anything like that. Now I’m not unconfident, but I’m worried if he did it intentionally because he’s now the ‘boss’ or if I was just in the middle of them at the wrong time..
 
I know I was stupid, but I already knew the mare and her owner beforehand and she’s always been fine with putting hay out. I need to be careful now they’re together..
 
The Fuzzy Furry said:
You are very lucky not to have been hurt badly!
Putting fodder out with loose horses can always be fraught, but to attempt to do it with 2 who are only just getting to know each other is pretty daft!
Put some out over the fence 1st if you have to.
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I realise now I’m stuck in bed how stupid I was! They knew each other for a few weeks beforehand, and had been loose in the school together. I think I’m going to bring one of them in, put the hay out, then put the other one back out from now on!
 
chesnutcraze said:
I know I was stupid, but I already knew the mare and her owner beforehand and she’s always been fine with putting hay out. I need to be careful now they’re together..
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Indeed. Hat and BP would also be some protection :)

Hitting horse after the event when you returned with more hay, wont have had much effect, it's something that needs to be done immediately.

Hope you can work out a plan for safety onwards :)
 
Cortez said:
I always carry a long whip or lunge whip if I go into a field with a herd of horses, or I do for as long as it takes to teach them to keep out of my way. There's very few things as dangerous as an over-friendly group of horses.
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I was actually thinking that next time I go in there with both of them I’ll take a lunge whip, regardless if I have hay or not, just to be on the safe side until they learn to stay out my way
 
chesnutcraze said:
I was actually thinking that next time I go in there with both of them I’ll take a lunge whip, regardless if I have hay or not, just to be on the safe side until they learn to stay out my way
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It's never a bad idea to teach horses to wait for their food, even in the stable. My lot are pretty good at taking a respectful step back whenever I go in to the box - can't stand pushy, bargy buggers. In fact they won't come out of the stable until told, even if the door is open.
 
The thing is though he’s always waited for his hay and feed, he literally looks the other way until I put his feed down and tell him he can have it, same with his hay. I should’ve thought a bit more about him being defensive over his food with the mare, and when she was crowding me he joined in because he wanted first dibs.
 
chesnutcraze said:
The thing is though he’s always waited for his hay and feed, he literally looks the other way until I put his feed down and tell him he can have it, same with his hay. I should’ve thought a bit more about him being defensive over his food with the mare, and when she was crowding me he joined in because he wanted first dibs.
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Yes, that happens. I have been bitten by a horse that wanted to bite another one that was annoying them, I just got in the way. Be careful!
 
Cortez said:
It's never a bad idea to teach horses to wait for their food, even in the stable. My lot are pretty good at taking a respectful step back whenever I go in to the box - can't stand pushy, bargy buggers. In fact they won't come out of the stable until told, even if the door is open.
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My stables have chains as well as doors (unusual design - no kick bolts) when the new chap arrived I opened the door and he tried to barge out - but the chain was up it hit him in the chest and you’dve thought it was electrified ! Since then he doesn’t go anywhere near the door without permission - fastest horse I’ve ever had to learn this rule ... I thoroughly recommend!
 
Always put a pile down, and then move a good distance away to put the next pile down, and so on. Two horses equals a minimum of four well spread out piles of hay. That way you avoid unpleasantness towards you, and the horses to each other.
 
cauda equina said:
When I've been putting hay out in the field and anticipated a melee I've put the hay in a wheelbarrow; you can hide behind it, or drive it at a rude horse and see them off
Hope you are ok OP
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Dear God - a recipe for an even bigger disaster! Why on earth do people take wheelbarrows into the field with active horses. Have you never seen an injury caused to a horse by a wheelbarrow?
 
amymay said:
Always put a pile down, and then move a good distance away to put the next pile down, and so on. Two horses equals a minimum of four well spread out piles of hay. That way you avoid unpleasantness towards you, and the horses to each other.
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But without going into the field with the first 2 piles at least. You are asking for trouble with the first pile, otherwise.
 
I would also not turn a single gelding out with one mare, I sadly predict he will become a nappy, bargey monster.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
But without going into the field with the first 2 piles at least. You are asking for trouble with the first pile, otherwise.
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I've never had a problem, tbh.

The horses soon learn what's expected of them. One pile goes in which is shaken around. They tuck in to that whilst the rest of the hay is taken in.
 
I hope you aren't too badly injured and probably a horrible fright for you I would think. To be honest I think through lack of experience or just plain not thinking through the new addition to the field and possible repercussions until they are truly settled into a routine, you just found yourself in the middle of some power struggle over food between them both while they are still establishing the hierarchy between them.

Due to your fault not theirs, they were just behaving like newly introduced equines, you were still behaving like your horse was on individual turnout and didn't adjust routines appropriately. Not having a go, just saying this is how so many very nasty and serious accidents happen but very much a rooky error IMO - the number of people injured by thinking its grand to go in a field and feed their horse tidbits etc. and then wonder why other horse's in the field get aggressive - and same sort of thing when you throw down a pile of hay - they will fight and if you are in line they will get you too! When I had several horses I always had hay piles dotted everywhere at field feed time - usually at least 3 more piles than horses and all piles put out while the herd other side of electric fence then allowed them through.

Oh and please never ever chastise/hit whatever a horse so long after the event - that will just make him bad humoured and distrustful of you - no benefit what so ever in this instance.
 
chesnutcraze said:
I was actually thinking that next time I go in there with both of them I’ll take a lunge whip, regardless if I have hay or not, just to be on the safe side until they learn to stay out my way
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A word of caution, this made my friends horses worse and just escalated the whole feeding experience to one of great stress all round.

I would just put a sizeable portion over the fence before you go in so they’ve no need to crowd you. That’s what I do when I do my friends horses.

I have two geldings and two mares and don’t have this problem but mine have been together a long time.
 
Clodagh said:
I would also not turn a single gelding out with one mare, I sadly predict he will become a nappy, bargey monster.
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I have to disagree, often done this over the years and never had an issue with either the gelding or the mare. both retained very good manners and were always polite and nice to handle in the field or out. Had the same with mixed herd, never had an issue, ever. perhaps I was just lucky
 
amymay said:
I've never had a problem, tbh.

The horses soon learn what's expected of them. One pile goes in which is shaken around. They tuck in to that whilst the rest of the hay is taken in.
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That is fine when you know the horses well and they know you and the boundaries that you set. If you just take a pile of hay into a field with horses that don't all know you and each other well, why do you think that they will all stay round the first pile, while you move on to the next one, with your hay? Novices need to be aware that taking hay into a field can cause trouble, horses may start fighting over the hay, while you are next to it, as happened in OP, before they have 'learned what is expected'. If you put plenty of piles out with the horses out of the field, they are less likely to fight when they return to the field. If you throw hay over the fence, you won't get caught in the middle.
 
MrsJingle said:
.

Oh and please never ever chastise/hit whatever a horse so long after the event - that will just make him bad humoured and distrustful of you - no benefit what so ever in this instance.
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I think the OP gave him a whack because he then went on to snatch some hay from her afterwards, rather than a belated whack for the kick.

Power struggle it would seem, hat and BP on at minimum - this won't just happen when you are feeding, it may progress to whenever someone is in the field, until they find they're hierarchy.
 
AShetlandBitMeOnce said:
I think the OP gave him a whack because he then went on to snatch some hay from her afterwards, rather than a belated whack for the kick.

Power struggle it would seem, hat and BP on at minimum - this won't just happen when you are feeding, it may progress to whenever someone is in the field, until they find they're hierarchy.
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yes I think you are right - I have just re read OP's post and it does seem it was not a delayed reaction to getting kicked but an entirely separate new 'event' that prompted her response to her horse. My apologies - must NOT skim read :oops:;)
 
MrsJingle said:
I have to disagree, often done this over the years and never had an issue with either the gelding or the mare. both retained very good manners and were always polite and nice to handle in the field or out. Had the same with mixed herd, never had an issue, ever. perhaps I was just lucky
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Interesting, it never worked when I tried it, the gelding used to fall in love big time. I mainly had mares, and more than two, but the two times it was a pair it got very boring.
 
Cortez said:
It's never a bad idea to teach horses to wait for their food, even in the stable. My lot are pretty good at taking a respectful step back whenever I go in to the box - can't stand pushy, bargy buggers. In fact they won't come out of the stable until told, even if the door is open.
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There was a young lady who had two horses stabled at my previous agistment whose horses would not leave their stable unless allowed. One day I walked into the barn to grab my feed and have a natter, and this young lady whose name I forget was mucking out her horse. Top and bottom door open into the barn where we stood. No feed popped in as yet. There stood this big huge beast, bay I think he was, on the threshold. My jaws stopped moving. I glanced at the hay that was waiting to be inserted into the stable, the horse who was waiting to insert the hay into himself, and the owner who was quietly going about her business (while talking with me).

"Ah... how come [horse's name] is not escaping?"

She'd trained him. I can't remember her words. I was in shock.
 
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