Kicked by someone elses horse

Jenna1406

Jenna1406

Well-Known Member
Joined
20 August 2012
Messages
868
Location
Inverness
Visit site
So, went up to the yard last night to feed and went into the paddock to collect my yearling to take her out to feed as she doesnt get any
peace when eating by the other horses. Caught her and tried to get the other horse out of the way (very in your face kind of horse) and she turned and double
barrelled me. I fell to the ground and ended up underneath Breaghas legs, THANKFULLY Breagha did not panic and stayed very still under I got up.

Im not injured as such but quite stiff this morning but OMG what a fright I got.

I spoke to the owners and said that we are going to have to change the situation i.e the horse will need to go back into another paddock. She spoke with
the livery owner and there is no where for said horse to go and she now wants me to feed her horse at the same time as Breagha but I am still going to have
to take Breagha out as she doesnt eat as quick as this horse and my other mare.

What would you do??
 
Jenna1406 said:
So, went up to the yard last night to feed and went into the paddock to collect my yearling to take her out to feed as she doesnt get any
peace when eating by the other horses. Caught her and tried to get the other horse out of the way (very in your face kind of horse) and she turned and double
barrelled me. I fell to the ground and ended up underneath Breaghas legs, THANKFULLY Breagha did not panic and stayed very still under I got up.

Im not injured as such but quite stiff this morning but OMG what a fright I got.

I spoke to the owners and said that we are going to have to change the situation i.e the horse will need to go back into another paddock. She spoke with
the livery owner and there is no where for said horse to go and she now wants me to feed her horse at the same time as Breagha but I am still going to have
to take Breagha out as she doesnt eat as quick as this horse and my other mare.

What would you do??
Click to expand...

Getting kicked once is one thing; being expected to keep putting yourself at risk is another. I would document the incident, and write a letter of concern to YO and owner, asking them to move her for your safety. Unless they're very very stupid, they should then take on board the risk that if you're injured, they may end up being sued.

If you're still in a position of having to go into the field with it, I would take a lunge whip so that you can enforce some distance if you have to.

Definitely do not accept feeding it yourself. Apart from anything, going in with a bucket makes it more likely to kick you, not less.
 
Very difficult, if you can arrange to be at the field when the other one gets fed you can remove yours and let it eat outside the field.
I have been faced with this, and provided the owner is not about.......... I scare the bully away by whatever means , like carrying a lunge whip, or a schooling whip, or a long lunge rein which you can whirl in its face . None of these tactics will please the owner, but you could have a broken leg, or your yearling gets one.
As one problem is speed of eating, you could try a smaller feed for yours, like a balancer I suppose, but this again requires you both to be there at the same time.
Even if the owner is there, I would leave the feed bowl out of sight and take the yearling out for a little walk in hand. This might allow you to train the yearling to come to you, but not the bully. I would always carry something to make sure the bully gets the idea that you don t want it near you.
You can have the youngster in a headcollar and lead it by this, till you get to the gate, this youngster can then be let go, but should come back to you if it knows you have a treat in your pocket.
I am afraid that it is often the "victim" who behaves reasonably, and the other person just "does not make the effort".
I agree with the letter business, unfortunately this may have you being marked as "awkward" and being asked to leave [yes this happens]
 
Last edited:
TBH the yard owner should be meeting you at feeding time and helping until you find a way of managing this .
Can you meet the owner and feed together ?
Can you make an electric fence pen to put the bully in so you can remove your horse safely ?
 
Could you ask for a very small area (say 15ftx15ft) to be sectioned off with electric fencing or something, then take your yearling in there to eat?

Glad you weren't seriously hurt. although I fully agree that you ought to be able to defend yourself which could involve taking in a lunge whip , the fact is that this won't go down well with the owner and if you can work your way round it somehow, so much the better!
 
pennyturner said:
Getting kicked once is one thing; being expected to keep putting yourself at risk is another. I would document the incident, and write a letter of concern to YO and owner, asking them to move her for your safety. Unless they're very very stupid, they should then take on board the risk that if you're injured, they may end up being sued.

If you're still in a position of having to go into the field with it, I would take a lunge whip so that you can enforce some distance if you have to.

Definitely do not accept feeding it yourself. Apart from anything, going in with a bucket makes it more likely to kick you, not less.
Click to expand...

The owner of the horse is trying to put something else into place but lack of space is stopping this. I did say that we could make her a small paddock in my paddock but she wasnt so keen as she would have to fill water up for her horse (which I think I am going to suggest again) as I dont want Breagha getting a fright as she is only a baby.

MrsD123 said:
Very difficult, if you can arrange to be at the field when the other one gets fed you can remove yours and let it eat outside the field.
I have been faced with this, and provided the owner is not about.......... I scare the bully away by whatever means , like carrying a lunge whip, or a schooling whip, or a long lunge rein which you can whirl in its face . None of these tactics will please the owner, but you could have a broken leg, or your yearling gets one.
As one problem is speed of eating, you could try a smaller feed for yours, like a balancer I suppose, but this again requires you both to be there at the same time.
Even if the owner is there, I would leave the feed bowl out of sight and take the yearling out for a little walk in hand. This might allow you to train the yearling to come to you, but not the bully. I would always carry something to make sure the bully gets the idea that you don t want it near you.
You can have the youngster in a headcollar and lead it by this, till you get to the gate, this youngster can then be let go, but should come back to you if it knows you have a treat in your pocket.
I am afraid that it is often the "victim" who behaves reasonably, and the other person just "does not make the effort".
I agree with the letter business, unfortunately this may have you being marked as "awkward" and being asked to leave [yes this happens]
Click to expand...

This is what I am worried about, me getting hurt worse than what I did (she got the top of my leg and arm as I must have put it in the way), she doesnt have back shoes on which is a bonus as I wouldnt like to know what I would feel like today if she did.

I think I will be taking a whip with me tonight, as she can be in your face even if you are taking the other horses in for other reasons.

Goldenstar said:
TBH the yard owner should be meeting you at feeding time and helping until you find a way of managing this .
Can you meet the owner and feed together ?
Can you make an electric fence pen to put the bully in so you can remove your horse safely ?
Click to expand...

I finish work earlier than the owner of the other horse and generally I am up and away by the time the owner is even there.

I think I am going to resuggest the pen idea and I think I have a H2 GO back somewhere they can use to fill buckets up for her.
 
SadKen said:
Could you ask for a very small area (say 15ftx15ft) to be sectioned off with electric fencing or something, then take your yearling in there to eat?

Glad you weren't seriously hurt. although I fully agree that you ought to be able to defend yourself which could involve taking in a lunge whip , the fact is that this won't go down well with the owner and if you can work your way round it somehow, so much the better!
Click to expand...

That is another idea, making a pen maybe around the gate, as that might help me get her out the main gate of the paddock easier.

YasandCrystal said:
Make sure that you are carrying a whip into the paddock when you catch yours and I wiould be donning my hat too. Stay safe OP.
Click to expand...

I am thinking I might need to wear a hat. I have never been double barrelling before like that. Been kick etc by my old horse but what I fright.
 
Are you in a situation where this horse can see yours going out and eating? You mentioned your mare - how does she get fed? In the field with this horse? Could you tell us a bit more about what you do and what's happening?
I feed three in the field every day, and it works really well as a result of feeding in order of priority in the herd, and the quantities being fed (ie the bossy horse gets loads of chaff in hers so she doesn't push the others off their dinners). If the others weren't being fed then I don't think I'd take the one who is lowest priority out every night and feed in front of the other two. Natural equine behaviour would come into play, they would be able to see the feed and in the natural order of things, they would push and fight to get first chance at it.
You see, a pen is a good idea in some cases, but I'd say be cautious if it's for the purpose of taking the youngster out and feeding her. The others will be able to see what's going on, and as time goes on they will anticipate the situation. If I wanted to feed at the field I would probably set up a pen, start every evening by opening that gate and ushering the lead horse into it, feed them there and then the others in the field. Give your mare her feed, then young horse hers, then put a headcollar on your mare and hold her so that she doesn't eat the youngster's food.
 
Last edited:
Tinypony said:
Are you in a situation where this horse can see yours going out and eating? You mentioned your mare - how does she get fed? In the field with this horse? Could you tell us a bit more about what you do and what's happening?
I feed three in the field every day, and it works really well as a result of feeding in order of priority in the herd, and the quantities being fed (ie the bossy horse gets loads of chaff in hers so she doesn't push the others off their dinners). If the others weren't being fed then I don't think I'd take the one who is lowest priority out every night and feed in front of the other two. Natural equine behaviour would come into play, they would be able to see the feed and in the natural order of things, they would push and fight to get first chance at it.
Click to expand...

My mare gets fed in the field as no one gets to touch her food. Yes, the other horse can see my yearling getting taken out and fed outside the paddock.

I have been asked to feed this mare at the same time I feed mine but at the same time, I would still have to take Breagha out the paddock or the other two will chase her away and eat her feed. Darcy (my other mare) tends to get a feed with more chaff in it to slow her down. I have said that I will feed her tonight but I know that this horse has kicked out at the owner before for no apparent reason in the paddock and also when she has been tied up inside.

They also have adlib hay so they are all getting a reduced feed.
 
One of my liveries is nervous around groups of horses in a field. When she goes into the field to her horse she ALWAYS brings a schooling whip. The only other horses in the field are all mine. I have no objection to this. If my horses are being bargy and frightening her, then they need to respect her personal space. My horses don't surround her now when she goes into the field (even though she has a pocket full of carrots), so i'm sure she's used it. I prefer this to the alternative which is her getting kicked or trampled.

Disgraceful reaction by the owner and YO. If my horse kicked someone and I had nowhere else to put the horse, i'd make sure to be there at feeding times, or offer to feed the OP's horse if I couldnt make it up at the same time as the OP, until I found an alternative place to put my horse.

In your current situation I would put the feed for the horse in through the fence, away from the gate, then grab your yearling and take it out of the field to feed.
 
It is the food that is the problem, not the horse really. the horses are just being horses. Could you take your horses into their stables to eat out of sight of the other mare?
Our horses live at home and have a specific order for coming in, if we want one that is lower down the 'pecking order', we bring them all in and then put back the ones we don't want. I know it is easier when all the horses belong to you but even at a livery yard, you still have to remember that they are horses and work round their natural behaviour.
I would ask the YO to go to the field with you to hold the other mare while you get yours out.
 
What would I do?

I'd carry on as normal and tell the other livery to feed her own horse.

You also need to take your horse out of the sight of others when you feed it.
 
Really scary for you OP.

I would hope that the YO will come up a sensible solution. Is there a stable you can use for feeding purposes?

As with Pearlsasinger, mine live at home and usually live out but I bring them in to their stables twice a day, in the same order, to feed. I messed around with bulking up the feeds of the dominant ones to allow the 2 yo to finish without hassle but it never worked reliably. If I was to take the 2 yo out and feed her outside the field but in full view of the maxicob, I have no doubt but that he would have a go at her when she went back in. As it is though, they all get on pretty well.

Definitely have a whip and a hat if you still have to have dealings with this mare.
 
I would definately take your yearling out of sight to feed her, look at it from top mares POV she (yearling) is being put above her in the pecking order.
I wouldn't feed top mare myself - I can't see how taking a bucket of food into that situation would help anyone.
I feed all mine together at home with verying amounts of chaff to slow them down, but I appreciate that doesn't work in a livery situation.
YO NEEDS to be there every night for a few days to help you get your youngster out of the field safely, if the others don't realise she is being fed once out they should calm down. I am surprised they haven't all kicked each other while watching yours eating.
 
Jenna1406 said:
The owner of the horse is trying to put something else into place but lack of space is stopping this. I did say that we could make her a small paddock in my paddock but she wasnt so keen as she would have to fill water up for her horse (which I think I am going to suggest again) as I dont want Breagha getting a fright as she is only a baby.



This is what I am worried about, me getting hurt worse than what I did (she got the top of my leg and arm as I must have put it in the way), she doesnt have back shoes on which is a bonus as I wouldnt like to know what I would feel like today if she did.

I think I will be taking a whip with me tonight, as she can be in your face even if you are taking the other horses in for other reasons.



I finish work earlier than the owner of the other horse and generally I am up and away by the time the owner is even there.

I think I am going to resuggest the pen idea and I think I have a H2 GO back somewhere they can use to fill buckets up for her.
Click to expand...

I was not suggesting the other horse lives in the small paddock that's clearly not an option I was suggest you put the other mare in there when you catch your mare .
I agree that you must not feed your horse in sight of the others that's asking for trouble .
And the YOer needs to make sure shes there that's her job.
Horses are horses it's a YOers duty to manage stuff like this , it's just normal stuff.
 
There are 3 horses in the paddock, my two and the other mare. Now I tried to feed said horse at the same time as mine before (only reason she was moved into my paddock to help out) but owner of the horses son, wants to ride at nights. So, I neve know what time they are coming up.

I know that the feed last night was the fuel for what happened BUT this is not the first time that this said horse has lifted her leg to me whilst trying to take my youngster out for other reasons - thankfully, she doesnt come near when I am taking my other mare out as she is top dog so to speak.

YO isnt always available as she has a day time job as well away from the yard and isnt always home when I am up to do anything with my horses.

At the moment, I am going to feed the mare along with mine but it still leaves me with the problem, that this might not be a one time thing (I sure hope it is).

The mare has also kicked out at owner for no apparent reason when it was in a paddock on its own (next to other horses), so its not always fuelled by feed.

I appreciate what everyone is saying about taking my horses out the way to feed, which I will probably have to do until the other horse is moved but obviously when you only have a short amount of time to feed some nights, id be pushed to take them both in etc.

Thanks for the comments. :D
 
Problems take time to solve , that's horses .
Why is acceptable for the YOer to do nothing it's her responsibility to run the yard reguard less of whether she has another job .
 
MrsD123 said:
Very difficult, if you can arrange to be at the field when the other one gets fed you can remove yours and let it eat outside the field.
I have been faced with this, and provided the owner is not about.......... I scare the bully away by whatever means , like carrying a lunge whip, or a schooling whip, or a long lunge rein which you can whirl in its face . None of these tactics will please the owner, but you could have a broken leg, or your yearling gets one.
Click to expand...

This is what I would do and have done.

Funny how I 've never been kicked by one of my own, it's always someone else's!
 
Goldenstar said:
Problems take time to solve , that's horses .
Why is acceptable for the YOer to do nothing it's her responsibility to run the yard reguard less of whether she has another job .
Click to expand...


I am going to speak to YO tonight and see what we can come up with as I am generally at the yard on my own at nights and although I was unhurt last night - up quicker than I went down, it could have been alot worse.
 
This is obviously a dominant mare, I would definitely not start feeding her as she will always look to you for a food source and probably get more pushy and aggressive as she will expect to be caught and fed before your yearling. Whenever I have been in a similar situation I carry a lunge whip, and take a dominant stance so the culprit knows to back off, I have never hit another horse but the crack of the whip is normally enough. Good luck and keep safe.
 
So if your going to feed the other horse, what about the remaining one? Because you're still not solving the problem - if anything you'll make it worse.

Just remove your youngster. Take it out of sight and then feed it.

It really isn't a difficult situation to manage.
 
Yeah, mine are not kickers but they will mug anyone with food so when someone had to walk through their paddock with food I told them to take a stick with them. They didn't have to use it, just show it to them and that was enough to keep them at bay.
 
amymay said:
So if your going to feed the other horse, what about the remaining one? Because you're still not solving the problem - if anything you'll make it worse.

Just remove your youngster. Take it out of sight and then feed it.

It really isn't a difficult situation to manage.
Click to expand...

This!
 
I sympathise with you, Jenna. I was in a similar situation. I had to take mine out to get them off the grass, as the YM wouldn't allow sectioning off of the field - they were being put into the stable for a net of oat straw. The mare in question had caused problems with another livery before I arrived there. That livery had to wear a hat and take a whip in with her to get her horse out. It was just an ill managed situation. Mare was very hormonal and distressed that horses were leaving her, yet she was put into the field with my gelding, who she pestered for sex at every opportunity (a whole other issue, but she did it with every gelding!). I was alone in the evening, as nobody else went up (YM was always gone by 5 at the latest and lived far away) and I had this mare trying to attack me AND my ponies. In my case I couldn't even get into the field on one occasion. That was when I flipped and said that something had to change. YM acted as though I'd made the whole thing up, despite the mare's history and so I was gone two weeks later. That's all I can suggest if nothing is done. This sort of thing is easy to manage with your own land. I've had three on more than one occasion and fed them all peacefully and never been kicked. However, on livery, if your YO or M won't change the set up and the other owner won't assist (I knew that this mare's owner had been asked to assist when the other livery was having problems and had been too bone idle to drive 5 mins to the yard), then speak with your feet. One option for you might be for the other owner or YO to leave this mare in a separate paddock at the end of the day, so that when you arrive up, you can feed yours without removing them. After feeding, put the other mare back in.
 
Chestnut horse said:
This is obviously a dominant mare, I would definitely not start feeding her as she will always look to you for a food source and probably get more pushy and aggressive as she will expect to be caught and fed before your yearling. Whenever I have been in a similar situation I carry a lunge whip, and take a dominant stance so the culprit knows to back off, I have never hit another horse but the crack of the whip is normally enough. Good luck and keep safe.
Click to expand...

I never actually thought about the mare looking to me for food, that is a very good point. Thanks

amymay said:
So if your going to feed the other horse, what about the remaining one? Because you're still not solving the problem - if anything you'll make it worse.

Just remove your youngster. Take it out of sight and then feed it.

It really isn't a difficult situation to manage.
Click to expand...

I would be feeding all three that are in my paddock, thankfully I dont have to go in to pass the feeds to the horses but again, the post above she will look to me for food.

I will be taking my horses out tonight as I will be riding one and spending time with my youngster, so hopefully, she wont be bargy when I am taking them out.

marmalade76 said:
Yeah, mine are not kickers but they will mug anyone with food so when someone had to walk through their paddock with food I told them to take a stick with them. They didn't have to use it, just show it to them and that was enough to keep them at bay.
Click to expand...

My horses are not kickers at all, will sniff a treat out a mile away but wouldnt dream of kicking. My older mare can pull the worst faces etc but wouldnt raise her feet to you.
 
Fransurrey that situation is nothing like the op's.

And if the yo were to do anything it should simply be to tell people to bring their horses in if they wish to feed them.
 
Last edited:
Fransurrey said:
I sympathise with you, Jenna. I was in a similar situation. I had to take mine out to get them off the grass, as the YM wouldn't allow sectioning off of the field - they were being put into the stable for a net of oat straw. The mare in question had caused problems with another livery before I arrived there. That livery had to wear a hat and take a whip in with her to get her horse out. It was just an ill managed situation. Mare was very hormonal and distressed that horses were leaving her, yet she was put into the field with my gelding, who she pestered for sex at every opportunity (a whole other issue, but she did it with every gelding!). I was alone in the evening, as nobody else went up (YM was always gone by 5 at the latest and lived far away) and I had this mare trying to attack me AND my ponies. In my case I couldn't even get into the field on one occasion. That was when I flipped and said that something had to change. YM acted as though I'd made the whole thing up, despite the mare's history and so I was gone two weeks later. That's all I can suggest if nothing is done. This sort of thing is easy to manage with your own land. I've had three on more than one occasion and fed them all peacefully and never been kicked. However, on livery, if your YO or M won't change the set up and the other owner won't assist (I knew that this mare's owner had been asked to assist when the other livery was having problems and had been too bone idle to drive 5 mins to the yard), then speak with your feet. One option for you might be for the other owner or YO to leave this mare in a separate paddock at the end of the day, so that when you arrive up, you can feed yours without removing them. After feeding, put the other mare back in.
Click to expand...


Poor you! I hope this does not continue as I like the yard I am at but capacity issues is preventing this to be stopped.
 
amymay said:
Fransurrey that situation is nothing like the op's.

And if the yo were to do anything it should simply be to tell people to bring their horses in if they wish to feed them.
Click to expand...

I shouldnt have to take my horses in to feed them tbh! I let the other mare come into my paddock so I could help them out but this hasnt really worked due to them, not telling me when they are up and when they are not up etc.

I was feeding this mare along side mine before but because there was confusion as to when they were up and riding, It had to be stopped to do feeding then riding issues.

My other issue is that this mare has gone to kick me whilst taking my youngster in, without food in the mix.
 
I still think you've either got to take food out of the equation, or feed all three and deal with it properly. This "dominant" mare is used to seeing your mare fed in the field with her, and your youngster taken out to be fed in her sight. Of course she gets agitated. And on the nights when you take yours out and don't happen to feed them, she gets agitated then as well because normally when you handle them she watches them eating. I think it's really simple and that calling her dominant implies some sort of intent and aggression that can be misleading. Horses compete for food, and the horse that's at the top in that particular group will be used to getting to it first. You are just incidental and getting in the way.
I don't think it's fair on any horse to be in this situation really, and I think that some things need to be done to calm it all down. I feel the key is to remove boss mare in some way from the situation before she starts to get involved in it. So I'd be putting her in a pen and feeding her every night (even if it was a token feed), then dealing with my two. On nights when your two come in without being fed, I'd still put something down for her for consistency.
People often have a lot to say about how horses respond well to routine, that applies here as well I think.
My pony mare is very determined at feed time, she's in charge and she will start kicking and causing a fuss if she thinks the others are too close to her. She will also push them away from their feed. Depending on the field I deal with this by either taking her out into a pen as I walk into the field. Then feeding them all at the same time. Or I chuck a little wedge of hay out for each of them on arrival, which keeps her happy while I mix feeds. That's because I go for the easiest, time and labour saving option...
What I'm saying is don't blame the horse, all of this is created by the situation they are in.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top