How to stop cow kicking?

H

Halle2

Member
Joined
10 November 2010
Messages
10
Visit site
I have recently bought a horse and know she has been abused she is 9 yrs from irland. All i know is that she was bought over from irland last yr, has been hunted then rested before i bought her. I also know a stallion attacted her just before I got her. She cow kicks badly when even strocking her near her hind quaters and grooming aswell as putting a rug on. She is not in pain as i have checked this out. Is it a case she has been allowed to get away with it for too long and is being a moody mare and needs her confidence building or is there something else? I have managed to put a bridle and saddle on her and appears to be no pain, its just when you try to approach her back end! Would appreciate any help.
 
Put a stuffed glove on a stick (or use a bit of soft pipe lagging) and stand well forward and gradually train her to get used to being touched over her hindquarters and back legs.
 
Three shots. I like the sound of the glove etc on a stick but abuse or no absuse this horse will get worse the longer she gets away with it.

I am very strict with mine. I started with a short sharp slap and the word no said firmly and loudly and now I don't really need to smack them in any way shape or form because they have learnt that the word "no" means stop what you are doing or you will get into big do do. Happy safe horses!

Being strict isn't the same as being wicked and quite frankly your horse needs to learn some manners and fast before she boots your farrier when he next comes!
 
Mine (also from Ireland) was a demon cow kicker. I spent a lot of time with him and ended up shouting at him etc. The one thing that worked was to show him a bucket (:rolleyes:) and he was then so interested that he forgot to kick. He has not attempted to kick since the first few weeks after I got him and he would get a helluva smack if he did so now.
 
Lol she is a light bay- i love the idea of the glove on a stick will try that today and let you know!
She is a timid horse and at the bottom of the pack, even my friends 2yr old is higher up than her and bosses her around! I think it is going to be a case of time and patience, and i think a firm NO wil be good for her as well! Thanks for all your ideas
 
toffee44 said:
Also in my defence if a horse kicks a horse the other horse will generally kick back much harder than we would or could
Click to expand...

Yes but another horse would usually give many more signs of unhappy communication before kicking back. Kicking a horse is assuming that it is kicking you because it is being dominant over you- not for any one of many other reasons.

Getting it used to being touched trains it not to kick, rather than punishing the horse when the reason it kicks is at this stage unknown. You can always tap the horse with the glove/stick if you think it is required but you are not just wading in with very extreme communication (kicking the horse) when this may be totally over the top or inappropriate.

At the moment it sounds like the horse is kicking out to be defensive for some reason. Kicking it back may not be the right solution
 
Re the glove on a stick you need to work slowly and start away from her back end. Move the glove towards her and remove if no reaction. If she reacts negatively try and keep the glove near her and only remove it when she stops kicking out or moving away. I find it better to do this sort of work with the horse on a long line not tied so they can move but I move with them. Also if there is a threat to kick me I can bring the head towards me sending the back end away.
You can kick her back but I don't know what she'll learn from that except you kick and hurt her. I suppose it might make you feel better but I can't see how it helps her as this sort of behaviour is usually a defense. Ime horses are not out to get us they have only learned to defend themselves by previous human interaction. We're the ones who are supposed to have the 'brains' so surely we can work towards building a trusting relationship slowly and surely without resorting to angry reprisals and just confirming to the horse that they have reason to defend themselves cos we kick!
 
My mare used to do this, I would groom/change rugs etc with a whip and ever time she would raise her leg i would smack it, she stopped pretty much straight away!
 
At the moment it sounds like the horse is kicking out to be defensive for some reason. Kicking it back may not be the right solution[/QUOTE]

I totally agree with this I think she is being defensive but obviously its a bad habit and needs to stop. I would never kick her back I think this would make her worse.
 
When i groom her she is fine just until i go past her withers then she puts her ears back and makes a little noise and brings her leg out! When i put her rug on i throw it over front straps fine but have to run my hands gentle from her neck along her back to get to her strap under her belly! Talking to her gently sometime she wont do it other times she flatters her ears makes the noise and leg come up and out!
 
She may not be in pain but she may be very sensitive to having her sides touched, exacerbated by being ill-treated in the past.

I have successfully used a "hand-on-a-stick" to desensitise my youngsters to having their back legs and feed touch
 
How long have you had this mare?

Now I'm all for letting a kicker feel the sharp end of my boot if they kick out SHOULD they know better but if you have not had this mare very long and the fact that she's had a rough time in the past, the last thing I would consider doing at this early stage is kicking her back or cracking her with a whip, your not going to get any respect or win her trust doing that, you could make things worse.

Give the mare a chance to learn to accept you and trust you first.
 
I have only had her just over a month- she was really bad but like you say i think its gaining trust! I can see she trusts me more and knows I wont hurt her, it could possible be like "domane" said sensitive to being ill treated! I just want to give her the chance I can see she is willing to work
 
thanks for all advise, glove on a stick seems to be the best for her, I think because im not too close to her she is more relaxed and thinks I cant hurt her. She still flinched a bit but seemed to accept it quite quickly. Next step is working on her comfort zone and progressing forward! I am going to try joining up. Does anyone have any tips to do this?
 
I know this thread is old but I've recently bought an ex racehorse who seems to cow kick a lot. She still needs to learn to stand when I mount and on hacks but when I make her stand to mount or tack her up she cow kicks which gets annoying. She also does it when I make her wait whilst riding. I've guessed it's due to being impatient but I'm not sure how to deal with trying to make her stop as I've never had a horse to do this before. :/
 
How has it all panned out, OP? I do hope you took the slow steady confidence building approach.
I consider cowkicking ,or any kicking to be a defensive thing - a happy confident horse just wouldnt do it. I certainly dont see a kicking horse as one trying to dominate - its just trying to defend itself from real or imagined danger.
[ caveat to that would be a horse that deliberately backs up to you and lets fly - now thats a differnet thing!]
So as your horse was new to you the glove on a stick was a good idea, and hope over the years the horse has improved .
 
100% agree with above post. Gain trust first, lashing out just reconfirms for the horse that we are predators and are not to be trusted. (They know the difference between us and another horse, its their self preservation kicking in, best to work with it than against, in my opinion and whats worked for me through trial and error). Research 'advance and retreat', take it slow. The fake hand on a stick is a good idea, make sure it is padded so you don't accidentally 'knock' a sensitive bit. Aim to be able to run your hands all over your horse, eventually.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top