If you have been around horses for some time, then probably at some point a horse kicked you or bitten you.
When it just hurts, you have been lucky.
So what should you do to make sure you do not get horse kicked again?
If your horse kicks you or bites you, you should punish him as soon as possible. Hesitating and only trying to do something in a minute is useless. Your reaction should be instant.
Usually, its good to just use whatever you have in hand at the moment. A rope, a halter or you can spank your horse with just your hand of course. It doesn’t matter what you use, but it’s important for your horse to realize that he cannot be doing that.
It’s not about beating your horse up for five minutes straight. Just immediately giving him one or two smacks is enough.
Stay safe, always keep these rules in mind
Don’t forget that while you smack your horse, you need to give him some room for escape.
Even if you have your horse on a lead rope, he should be able to step back and move away from you at least a little bit.
And this is very important actually.
If you push your horse to the corner, and then start trying to smack him for biting you, he might panic as he would not be able to move away from you, and go against you. And that’s the last thing you want.
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What are the early warning signs that you might get horse kicked?
Before any horse kicks you there are always a few things you did wrong, and there are also always a few signs from your horse that can show that he might kick you. So rather than focusing on how to deal with it when your horse already kicks you, it’s better to focus on recognizing the early signs and not getting kicked in the first place.
The best way to prevent it from happening is by gaining your horses respect. You can start with the most basic things.
These are the 3 signs, if you have issues with any of these three things you are more likely to get kicked or bitten
- When you walk with your horse on a lead rope, he should never walk next to you, or in front of you. He always needs to be walking behind you.
- Your horse should be backing up in front of you easily, and react on low pressure, you should never have to wrestle with him.
- You should also be able to get your horse to stand still when you want him to be standing still.
When you teach your horse those things, which should not take too long, you will already have very low risk of getting kicked or bitten. It also means that you will have some of your horse’s respect and that you are on a good way. Then you just need to continue and build on what you already achieved. Focus on getting your horse to react better and better on your aids.
The better your horse reacts, the more respect he has towards you.
Don’t forget that if you want your horse to listen to you, you need to be calm and decisive. Your horse needs to understand what is it that you want, and he needs to be capable of doing it.
Horses are generally scared animals and they like to have strong leaders that act predictably.
If you are going to be inconsistent, indecisive and you will be confused about what is it that you actually want from your horse, he won’t feel safe with you as his leader. If your horse doesn’t feel safe with you, then he stops respecting you. Then, if he starts feeling like you got in his way, he might kick you or bite you despite you want the best for him.
Follow the rules outlined in this article and you will very significantly lower the risk of getting horse kicked.
