Kicking/Flicking out- what to do?

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Grey_Showjumper

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I am slightly worried about Barneys behaviour...
Since the snow he has kicked/bucked out twice, not as in im going to get you kick, it has been when the horse has come up behind him.
I think he has sort of personal space issues (lol- sounds silly, i know!) but he always pretends to bite other horses when they come to close, but never actually bites them.
Hes not kicking out nastily, and hasn't caught them, more just a lift of his bum with a flick... but the problem is i CANNOT get cross with him. As soon as you kick him hard he goes mad, he runs around the arena all over the place... really scared. I think this is something to do with when he was younger, he was rapped etc. and hes also headshy. So its really hard to tell him "no" is i hate upsetting him in such a way as he literally runs in blind panic, which is not really necessary in my view.
Any suggestions as to what i could do? He has never done this in the 3 years i have had him, he is feeling VERY well- obviously as hasn't been ridden much due to ice and snow and i think he just doesn't like horses coming right up behind him...
I think maybe its just down to him feeling well, but its so hard to tell him off for it when it just leads to him being scared, and with him i cannot let him get like that as it upsets him a lot- as in for a day or so.
suggestions please
I'd like to add he has never shown any nastiness towards me or anyone else, i trust him completley and he has never thought of kiicking out at anyone whether or not they are behind him...
 
Why do you 'kick him hard'?

If he is only kicking out at other horses and not at humans etc he is warning then to stay out of his space - normal behaviour for a horse!

I have an Irish cob who is the most well mannered horse to handle/deal with but in the field he will warn other horses to stay away (from his haylage/grass) never actually makes contact as the other horses know this means 'stay away'

Must admit not actualy sure what your problem is with this?
 
I don't "kick him hard" but what i mean is if you get cross with him and tell him no then he panics...
I do not want a kicking horse, I hunt him and do not want a kicker as it is a pain...
yes it is normal behaviour- but a) he has never done it before this and b) it is not something i want him to do at all as i do not want to get sent home out hunting...
 
Does he do it when you are riding him? My cob only does it in the field and has no problem when being ridden.

When he is hunted tho I do pop a red ribbon in his tail just in case (not something I like tho!!)

When he was kicking out was there food involved ie hay piles etc?
 
no it was when i was riding...
first time i was on the road, a group of 3 of us, one of the horse came up behind him on the right and he flicked out
and then again today in the arena i was cantering a c20m circle in the middle and another horse came right up beside/behind me and he did it again...
i know at competitions he gets quite upset about being squashed...
obviously if it was in the field i wouldn't worry! thats normal horsey behaviour really, but as its when im riding i do worry a bit, and really don't want to put a red ribbon on as i feel you should stay at the back then, which really isn't a possibility on him... :s i hope it is just because hes feeling full of beans...
 
Sorry I think I missunderstood your first post!

I couldn't understand why it was a problem if it was in the field but Yes I agree it is a problem when riding!!

I will do some more research.....
 
There are other ways to let him know that kicking out at other horse is unacceptable, other than 'kicking' him. A sharp loud 'NO!!' and possiby a tap down the shoulder should do the trick. If you can't do that to him then there are more serious trust issues going on between you and him!
 
its not trust issues at all, its just from previous treatment that he has had causing him to be head shy and very responsive to emotions... i don't know if you have ever worked with horses that have been abused but i have had 2 and no matter how much trust you have for each other some things they will never get over... we know he was rapped and he is head shy to strangers and some things i don't think he will ever get over fully, he trusts me fully, but he doesn't trust other things totally- say people standing by a fence he panics a lot about- the rapping...
frown.gif

I will try a loud "no" and a tap if he does it again- hopefully he will not.
sashpip, sorry shuld have said when being ridden lol, wouldn't care if he did it in the field- all horsey behaviour etc.
smile.gif

thanks
 
I'd have various horses with 'issues' - that's why I had them! One was so headshy you had to take the headcollar to bits to put it on her, if you could even get it near her! One was an ex-trotter who'd been hobbled and would blindly panic if he unexpected had his legs touch. Another horse's answer to everything she didn't like was to rear and lash out. Current horse is a right wilting pansy overly-sensitive Drama Queen who would totally freak if you so much as raised a voice to him.

However they could all be 'told off' when their behaviour warrented it. The level of 'punishment' needed to be tailor to their personality and a 'telling off' for the Rearing Horse would have caused Headshy Horse and Current Horse to explode! They could still be made to know that their behaviour was unacceptable, without freaking them out.

The fact he freaks when people are standing beside a jump has little to do with the price of cheese - the trust issue with YOU arises if he won't accept a telling off from YOU - I'd guess because he doesn't know where it's going to lead. Which he should, if the level of pressure is right, and he trusts you.

As for hunting - put a red ribbon on him. If they're stupid enough to ram their horse up his red-ribboned backside then they probably deserve a kicking!
 
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