kicking the stable door, anyone actually cure the problem????

B

beaconhorse

Well-Known Member
Joined
22 August 2004
Messages
576
Visit site
I have heard lots of so called cures over the years but never known whether they work or not

The YO has a couple of times closed the top door and he stops, but this is not something I like doing and when I take him home there is no top door. she also threw water over him just as he did it but again that did not work.



anyone actually cured the problem?
 
Mine goes through stages of door kicking. We keep him at home, so its an attention thing when we are in the garden.
He knows what electric fence is all about and has a great respect for it so, The way my stable is set up i tie one end of the tape to the door hinge and the other end is on a hook about 2 ft down the other wall to make a triangle, at chest height. I have never had to connect the electric to it. This way he can see out, but will not kick as he thinks his leg will get zapped.

I tried a chain he just barges under it.
 
I read somewhere that a dressage rider (damned if I can remember which one) used to put electric fencing across the door. Horse soon stopped!!
 
Ive seen a 'bracelet' advertised here in Italy. It is fitted around the fetlock and when the horse kicks the door the 'bracelet' hits his coronet and hurts. he soon learns that kicking = pain, so he stops. Now if its true, I will be buying a couple-I HATE DOOR KICKERS with a vengence
mad.gif
. Dont mention setting up leccy tapes like I did-the BH's will have you on a side plate
tongue.gif
! M.
 
Pump action water pistol or big syringe full of water. Lie in wait and squirt when kicking. As you are standing away from them they don't associate you with the squirt and eventually associate it with the kicking. Don't squirt enough to soak - just a little slosh will do. Old YO swore by the technique - nothing in the yard kicked doors after her 'cure'.

p.s. don't aim at the horse's face - aim just below the top edge of the door.
 
[ QUOTE ]
you could try putting some rubber matting on the door so he cant make a noise?

[/ QUOTE ]

i did this with carpet on the door. he soon stopped when he knew no one could hear him. and the main thing you need to do is IGNORE him!!! its probably an attention thing than a stress thing. ignore him and hel soon realise no one cares that hes making a racket!!
ets- just read mairi's post, you can make one of those by getting a synthetic spur strap and putting nuts and bolts on it and tying it loosley around there fetlock.
 
the worse thing i can do for my boy is give him attention, hes just 10 times worse when you move away again, this also goes for shouting at him across the yard, he just carries on. I would put some old carpet on the back of the door and shove some straw down it so hes just banging a big cushion, he'll soon get bored when he cant make a racket!
 
I agree with Miss Buffay (though i admit it can be hard to ignore them sometimes, especially when they sound like they're about to knock the place down!

At the yard where i work one of the horses is a door kicker so his owner bought him one of those quit kicks that Jess suggested, it is basically a box with sensors that goes on the door and whenever the horse bangs the door it gets squirted with water. His one is put inside the door (not sure why, i guess because yard thinks it would look untidy outside). As a result poor horse is always tood at the back of his box when it's on as he's too scared to go near the door. He always looks very anxious and i feel really sory for him
frown.gif
I'd imagine it would work better outside but beware, they are very sensitive, I've been squirted a few times just from gently opening the door!
 
My horse never used to do this until a woman from my yard - a Parelli worshipper - insisted on going over to him and giving him polo's and cuddles everytime he made the slightest attention seeking gesture, now he is a total nightmare....cheers, Parelli!
 
Yes. Well, I can't actually say I cured the problem because I know he's doing it at his new home but I stopped him doing it when he was here.

I took the door off and fitted a couple of planks across, too high to get a leg over, too low to duck under. Nothing for the beggar to kick on so he gave up.
 
I use rubber matting on the door so can't hear it so much/doesn't damage door/doesn't damage his legs!, and then i just ignore him. He gives up after a few tries.
 
I wasn't able to ignore my door kicker as the stables here are only a few yards from the house and he can wake the whole county in the middle of the night once he starts. If you prevent him from kicking the door he starts stamping on the floor.

I know its not a cure as such but my solution is to yard Mr. Kicker and also I have left both my horses turned out 24/7 as much as possible through the winter. Only time I brought them in was when one of them had a stone bruise and when the field turned into a swamp for a while. I left one horse in his stable with the door shut, taped up the yard around the stables and left Mr. Door Kicker with his stable door open so he could go in and out as he chose. Strange thing is he is quite happy to stand in his stable with the door open peeping out or else he lies down in there. Occasionally we hear him clopping around the yard in the middle of the night and then he goes quiet again. The arrangement has worked very well and prevented divorce. I think my horse just doesn't like to be shut in.

I know its probably not possible to make an arrangement like this if you're on a big yard but I do know a couple of riding schools who yard their horses rather than stabling.
 
We stapled a big bag of insulation stuff to the door. They stopped when it didn't make a noise, and after a while we removed the padding and they were fine. Had a few over the years and it worked on all of them.
 
My horse used to do it and kept getting a big swollen knee.
We used a piece of good quality hesium backed carpet and srewed it to the door over a piece of 2 inch thick foam. We used washers so the carpet didnt rip through the screws.
It worked!
 
I bought one of those Quitkick boxes for my eventer and he stopped kicking the door straight away. I thought it was amazing and know of others who think the same. I can't believe some idiot has put it inside the stable. Of course the poor horse is scared of it. My horse is not at all shy of the door. I thought it was great value as it is a genuine cure for a genuine problem.
smile.gif
 
we left the stable door open and he bent his foot round the doorpost and still banged on it!

We just ignore him now, and either put him straight out or do something with him.

When I get on the yard, if I stop and chat to anyone he squeals at me so I know where he is and he needs me!

He is soo sweet I just pamper him. Yes, I am fully trained to his needs. He is 22 years old. bless.
 
The horse in the adjoining stable to mine used to kick the door which was steel, even though I had fed him. He just wanted to be the one getting the attention. One day I'd just had enough and he got the biggest surprise going. I had my boots with steel toe caps on and as soon as he started I went over and kicked seven bells out of the door and screamed and yelled at him. He shot to the back and cowered while I ranted and raved. It did the trick though, he never kicked the door again with me present. He was very spoilt and not disciplined properly, and had obviously learned to dominate humans. Met the wrong one with me though!
 
The grill across the top of the door worked for a day or two with my mare. After that, she learned that she could turn diagonal to the door, bend her neck away from it, and still reach it with her hooves...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top