Kicking out free schooling

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Betty01

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Just wondering what thoughts are on horses kicking out towards you when loose in the arena, I viewed a youngster yesterday, very sweet on the ground and typical for the age but when we turned him loose in the school he did a couple of canter circuits with some very deliberately aimed side kicks towards us as he passed. It was very much high jinx and I never felt concerned that he was trying to make contact but it was clearly aimed at us! I don’t really like using arenas for burning off energy (prefer for them to be associated with calm workmanlike energy!), but how would you correct this behaviour? My gut is that it was a dominance behaviour? Interested to hear anyone else’s thoughts :)
 
I would see it more as an expression of stress, resentment, frustration, or similar.

What was the setting of the turning the youngster loose? Ie What had happened to him on the lead up to putting him in the arena? For example, if he had started off in a field, what happened in his day from there?
 
nothing very stressful, been brought in, viewed in stable, walked around yard and arena very calmly, pottered about a bit when set loose and when he was encouraged to move had a nice trot and canter about. After a couple circuits (and those strategic kick outs) he settled immediately, easily able to approach and catch and he stood quietly whilst we chatted for about 10 mins. Definitely wouldn’t say it was stress, more like when youngsters are playing rough? It’s just a hard behaviour to correct when they are loose!
 
Just verbal and driving with body language, no lunge whips, but no idea if he’s been chased with a whip before
 
How “young” are we talking? Young horses do kick out at each other in play - it’s how they learn to hone their defensive skills (same as kittens/ puppies jumping and biting each other), so it could have seen you all as a target of play, especially if adrenaline was up due to being encouraged to show its paces. This isn’t anything unusual.
However, if the horse was coming AT you, nose curled, eyes wide, ears back, body tense and then kicking out I’d be more wary.
 
They usually do this when they’ve been chased around with whips. It wouldn’t put me off buying him. If he charged at me with ears back, then that would put me off!
 
I wouldn't take it as a sign of malice, but I'd be wary about what other bad manners he'd been allowed to acquire, as a sensible owner would have put a stop to that sort of behaviour at the start, even if that meant no more loose "schooling" (quoted, as there's generally very little in the way of education going on when people do this).
 
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