Teaching a horse to hack in company without kicking

[mynutmeg]

Another thread got me thinking my mare is very good to hack and once both she and I are fit I would like to do some pleasure/endurance rides with her - however - she is bad for swinging her butt round into any other horse behind her and she will cow kick out at another horse coming up behind her. She hacks fine in company as long as I keep her either at the back or with a lot of space between her and any other horse (she's fine with my sister's cob who she lives out with and has hacked with for 4 years but he's the only one)
When in work we regularly hack out with anywhere from 1 - 5 other horses.

Obviously whenever we are at a show/event she does wear a red ribbon in her tail but I would like to work with her to improve this but don't have a clue on how to teach her that it's ok for other horse's to be around her butt when we're riding. She is also touchy about another horse walking behind her when she's tied up etc.

The way I handle it at the moment is when I feel her swing her butt over I put my leg on and ask her to move over as well as bending her head towards the other horse, I also tend to growl at her (my 'don't you b***dy dare' command ) which she does understand. Smacking her with a whip is not going to help the situation - she does not respond well to that at all.
Personality wise she's quite a strong willed cob mare but very genuine and she does always try to do whats asked of her.

Thanks in advance for any suggestions or insights and sorry for the long post.

 

[Passtheshampoo]

My mare did the same. She had been bullied in the field as a youngster by 2 ponies and I think if another horse got near to her back end she was expecting more of the same so got the first word in. She was ok in company once she knew the horse we were riding out with but it was always a bit of a problem out and about if we met strange horses. I always warned oncoming riders to give us a wide berth and stuck her bottom away from them.
Think what you are doing is right but your mare may always have a tendency to protect herself.

 

[Passtheshampoo]

My mare did the same. She had been bullied in the field as a youngster by 2 ponies and I think if another horse got near to her back end she was expecting more of the same so got the first word in. She was ok in company once she knew the horse we were riding out with but it was always a bit of a problem out and about if we met strange horses. I always warned oncoming riders to give us a wide berth and stuck her bottom away from them.
Think what you are doing is right but your mare may always have a tendency to protect herself.