re: kicking out

["guest@endurance.net" <guest@endurance.net>]

Teresa Van Hove tvanhove@uswest.net
Terri,

MHO - if this horse is kicking when you are mounted and at other 
Mounted horses it is Just as Bad as kicking directly at people and
you'd better nip it in the bud.  I almost (was 50 yds back and 
behind a rise) witnessed a horse break a riders leg at my 1st 
endurance ride this summer- the resulting compound fracture was 
not a pretty sight and that riders season was shot.  Later on that 
same horse kicked at me and my mount and the rider did nothing.  
If it would have been my horse I'd have beat the piss out of it 
at that point - probably would have been too shocked at the time 
of the actual bone breaking to react.  Not that you have to beat 
the piss out of your horse but I would certainly give her a verbal 
warning for laying her ears back and a good swat with a crop for 
kicking - you need to make clear to this horse that she is not 
allowed to kick when people are around - I have found that horses
are plenty smart enough to learn that all people are alpha to them 
and they are not allowed to kick, shove, or otherwise try to assert 
dominance when people are around, they learn to restrict that 
behavior to the pasture when the horse owner enforces the rules.  

Teresa