Would you forgive your horse if it kicked you?

Ned has never made contact *touch wood* but he's come centimeters from my face and chest. He's made contact with a young girl, who was helping me get him in from the field, I wasn't quick enough to warn her not to get to close. I had just opened my mouth when I heard "BANG" He'd got her in the thigh, luckily! I didn't react quick enough to punish him either, so all he got was a slap on the nose.

He's very stroppy around his back end, most know not to go anywhere near, unless it's to grab his tail and brush it. Once you're brushing, he seems to know that's all you're doing :P
There's no question about picking his hind legs up! That just does NOT happen.
 
My sister was running directly behind her retired horse (she was playing with him) and in play he bucked as horses do. Caught her right in the face and split her lip/knocked out some teeth. Made a mess, lucky for her he wasn't wearing shoes.
She forgave him, he tried to 'protect' her from us after he did it as she was laying motionless on the floor and he didn't want anyone near her.
He was only playing and was really happy to see her when she visited him after hospital.
 
What annoys me is when people defend bad temperedness or threatening kicks when a horse is eating say a bucket feed in the stable and say "its their time, there stable, so like to leave them be" etc

Well I'm sorry but its not their time and its not their stable, I want to be able to work round a horse even if it is eating which needs to be taught from day one, after all we are people not horses therefore should not be treated like an fellow equine that they boss around and kick out at in the field, if its nipped in the bud from the start of their education then you won't have an issue no matter what personality a horse has, of course youngsters will try it on and can be forgiven for it after all they don't know any better.
 
I am all for personal space. My old pony kicked me in the field , it may have been an accident as she was squeeling at a gelding at the time but she was chased around the field and not allowed to eat. I do not know who was sweating more but she certaily knew I was not pleased.
My 4 month old colt double barreled me a couple of weeks ago, I used the same tactic I chased him and did not let him stand with the others. I did not hit him just made it clear if he used that behavoir he would be excluded. It seems to have worked.
 
My first pony used to run up to me when I went to catch him, turn round and try and kick me, he only respected grown ups :rolleyes: (he was knocking on 30 and obviously had a fun life with kids :o )

My sisters pony used to kick out v violently when eating, and once I forgot myself and walked behind him. He belted me on my thigh, I couldn't walk on it for half an hour, and had a very impressive bruise!

I have forgiven the horses that kicked me, mainly because either it was an old pony who was obviously fed up with kids (although incidentally fab when you were on him) or because I forgot myself.

I have been out at deliberately by other people's horses, and haven't forgiven them, even though they made no contact - they intended to kick me. I am wary around them :)
 
honetpot said:
I am all for personal space. My old pony kicked me in the field , it may have been an accident as she was squeeling at a gelding at the time but she was chased around the field and not allowed to eat. I do not know who was sweating more but she certaily knew I was not pleased.
My 4 month old colt double barreled me a couple of weeks ago, I used the same tactic I chased him and did not let him stand with the others. I did not hit him just made it clear if he used that behavoir he would be excluded. It seems to have worked.
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Ha I do that if I can't catch them. Exclusion from the herd/not being allowed to eat usually works pretty fast on a savvy horse ;)
 
Yes, I've had my 8 yr old gelding for 6 years and amazingly he has kicked me on the same knee (it would be my dodgy one) twice, exactly one year apart both times on new years eve. The 1st year he was on box rest and I was changing his rug to a heavier stable one. I didn't see it coming and shocked the life out of me. Once I'd picked myself up of the floor I let him know that I was less than pleased by chasing him round his stable swearing loudly. exactly a year to the day I was field checking him and adjusting his rug leg straps and he did it again!! I chased him all round his field this time but I've no idea what caused both of those kicks. I've changed rugs hundreds of times. Ive forgiven him as it is definatly not in his charachter. Perhaps it was his way of wishing me a happy new year... lol!!
 
My boy accidents kicked me whilst having a boo loop when he first started box rest. It made a right mess of my knee but it was accidental. He once threatened me and he got 'told' about the manners of this ~ and has never tried it since.
 
My lad rarely lifts a hoof but if he did it would not be a matter of "forgiveness" he would be reacting to something rather than malicious, he is an animal and I would assume I had missed a signal from him. He is actually a very sensitive, stressy horse but he will always warn. He will lift a leg, then stomp back down or grimace, personally I think it is a matter of knowing your horse and their ways of showing discomfort.

I have been kicked many times by different horses, most times it has been my fault, forgetting they can't see behind them and walking without thinking. Luckily I've never been really hurt.
FDC
 
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Ha ha! Just replied on other thread re being injured! Got kicked in the groin by my 8 mo colt this evening. By the time I recovered, I couldn't really tell him off, but it was partially my fault as he has been so good I was a bit too relaxed and let my guard down and boom!

Can't not forgive though tbh, he is a baby and I seriously learnt from it!
 
I would forgive if the circumstances permitted. When I was a teenager I had a super competition pony, but he was horrible. He would try to bite you all the time and would lift a leg to threaten daily. He never did do any thing to me, but he doubled barrowed my mother right in the guts while loading him into a horse trailer. I gave him such a hiding, poor mum was embarrassed as we were at a one day event. But he never tried to kick us ever again, I think he knew he'd gone too far. Maybe that was all he ever needed, he made me so wild seeing my mother getting kicked like that. If he had done it again, I wouldn't have kept him, no matter how good a pony he was.
 
Kenzo said:
What annoys me is when people defend bad temperedness or threatening kicks when a horse is eating say a bucket feed in the stable and say "its their time, there stable, so like to leave them be" etc

Well I'm sorry but its not their time and its not their stable, I want to be able to work round a horse even if it is eating which needs to be taught from day one, after all we are people not horses therefore should not be treated like an fellow equine that they boss around and kick out at in the field, if its nipped in the bud from the start of their education then you won't have an issue no matter what personality a horse has, of course youngsters will try it on and can be forgiven for it after all they don't know any better.
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Aye this.

Topical actually. My yearling is fine with his back feet being picked up when he's tied up / standing in the field. Tonight I was checking him over while he ate his dinner (unmolassed chaff and a little unmolassed sugar beet because the others get fed :rolleyes:), was a bit fidgety with his front legs, then lashed out when I ran my hand down his back leg as far a his hock. Not intended to make contact, just a complaint about my doing while he was eating. I just repeated, caught his fetlock as he raised it again, held it and released. After a couple of repetitions, he realised it wasn't worth the hassle, let me handle it, pick it and the other one up without fuss. I won't tolerate him behaving like that. If any of the others tried it on like that they would get a slap. I doubt he'll do it tomorrow, he's a quick learner...
 
I believe so.
My TB narrowly missed my chest by kicking out, the first and only time he has done. He had a drastic change in routine whilst he was still very new to me and he became stupidly spooky in the field. Even approaching his was very tricky. I tried to catch him one day and he spooked and ran off towards the gate, I went over to him again nice and slowly speaking to him but he panicked,ran past me and kicked out. He has never acted like this since, he had his eyesight tested etc and nothing was found and he became normal again after that. I do wonder if something or someone had caused him to turn like this.
I think it would take a while for the trust to come back but I would be able to forgive him.
 
xspiralx said:
I can't be sure, but it sounds like you've been too soft on your horse and he's pushing you further and further.

If a horse ever kicked me and there was no good reason for it (fear, a mistake erc), it would get a bloody good hiding and realise it is absolutely unacceptable to behave like that.
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^^^THIS^^^

I would then forgive it, as I'm sure it would forgive me!
 
Both mine have kicked me.

BH I snuck up on with the clippers the first time he had ever been clipped and I totally don't blame him. Poor sod jumped out of his skin, I don't know what I was thinking! He's never even threatened before or since so totally forgiven as it was my own silly fault. He still got an absolute wallop for it but we made up shortly after.

Nits kicked me on Friday. She is three, she is on box rest and has been for weeks, I am suddenly meant to walk her in hand. I don't like her wanging her legs around and I pull her up for it but honestly, do I blame her? Of course not. I'd be going stir crazy too if I was her. She was jumping around on the end of the rope again tonight. The situation is what it is. Until she is mended there isn't much I can do about it apart from carry on.

I don't see what the alternatives are to forgiveness. What, you sell the horse? You never speak to it again? It's a horse. It's a dumb animal. You reprimand it suitably and then you continue as if it had never happened surely?

And those who know me will know I'm no fluffy bunny and I don't take it lightly that they've both caught me.
 
My girl has trust issues due to past experiences, I bought her knowing this and she tried to kick me whenever I tried to pick out her back feet, and even if I went near her behind. We've built up a great bond of trust now, but she still tries to kick the farrier into oblivion even under heavy sedation!

I always forgive her, she kicks out of fear, not malice - and I'd love to get my hands on the knob that made her so scared of having her feet handled.
 
We are so lucky in that not one of our 14, even the stallions, kick. Having said that we have one gelding that can be a bit difficult with the farrier, OH held him on one visit and got cross because he was messing about moving around. OH smacked him, something I have never had to do, and promptly forgot about it - unlike the pony!!! The next night after bringing in OH and I passed behind the pony and his stable mate, as we walked behind him I saw him turn and I swear he measured the distance before landing a belter on OH's thigh, he clearly made sure it was OH and not me that he got, then turned and continued eating his hay. I was so glad that I saw what happened because if I hadn't been watching I would have worried that we now had a kicker on our hands. He was simply getting OH back for smacking him and he has never done it again.

I was bitten by the big mare in February last year, she was aiming for a pony but I got in the way, even though I know it wasn't really meant for me I don't trust her and I can't get over it. I still have a huge lump on my buttock that is painful to the touch and actually visible through my clothes. I had never known pain like it, to the point that I almost fainted and had to drag myself through knee deep mud bawling like a baby. So, I'm not sure I could forgive a kick if it was deliberate (and if it hurt!!)
 
The major issue here is that if your horse has a history of kicking that it is your moral obligation to ensure that no one else gets kicked by your horse.

Please also ensure that you hold full third party public liability insurane to a level of no less than £10,00,000 (Ten million pounds) so that in the event of an incident you have full insurance cover. A recent court case demonstrated that this level of cover is required so check that your policy does meet this - many don't.

Gold membership of the BHS provides this level of cover.
 
I don’t think it’s a question of forgivness, more one of could you still trust him. A genuine mistake, or one where they had given warnings of discomfort is very different from one booting you out the blue when they know its wrong and just didn’t fancy being caught/groomed or whatever.
 
honetpot said:
I am all for personal space. My old pony kicked me in the field , it may have been an accident as she was squeeling at a gelding at the time but she was chased around the field and not allowed to eat. I do not know who was sweating more but she certaily knew I was not pleased.
My 4 month old colt double barreled me a couple of weeks ago, I used the same tactic I chased him and did not let him stand with the others. I did not hit him just made it clear if he used that behavoir he would be excluded. It seems to have worked.
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I've done this in the past as well also done it in the stable when a horse tried to take a pop at me, he was a huge 17.3hh thug who pretty much intimidated most people and the people that were frightened of him were still allowed to work with him making him worse, can;t even remember what happened now other than he tried to kick me, I had a broom in my hand at the time and chased him round the stable with the broom waving (never actually hit him with the broom), never had any problems with him since, he seems to think I'm a bigger psychopath than he is (probably true!!!) and he's decided that he's not brave enough to find out (typical bully).
From the OP's original post it sounds like the horse has only kicked her once and whilst yes if I had been on my feet I would have been inclined to kick it back not sure if the OP was in a position to do this, I also don't agree with smacking them 30min after the incident as i don't believe the horses memory works that way, you either have to discipline straight away or move on and beaware of what could happen next time so you can react and discipline. Don't like horses being hit round the face, however I have also done this if they have bitten me as well (can't remember the last time I had to discipline my own horse for anything, last time she done anything was after 2 months box rest, trotted up for vet inside barn no problem, outside on surface kind of exploded, but after 2 months box rest I should have put a bridle and lunge line on, not used a headcollar and leadrope, my fault and a few sharp words got all 4 legs back on the ground)
 
My horse bucked at me (didn't hit me) in the field when I first got her but this has stopped now. She used to think that she could play with me in the field like she does with other horses!

If I lost the trust of my horse I would get someone to come and work with me and my horse to re-establish boundaries and teach us both how to work together. My instructor does ridden and ground work lessons.

I don't think it is case of forgiveness, it is a case of being able to trust your horse not to do it again.
 
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