| I get a lot of horse training questions about | | | | contact with his legs and those parts of his body |
| stopping a horse from kicking. The kicking habits | | | | aren't broken) his first inclination is to kick it out of |
| of these horses range from the horse kicking at | | | | the way. |
| virtually anyone to kicking at only the husbands. | | | | The trick is to break a horse in a way that the |
| It's a daunting problem that lots of people have | | | | habit never occurs in the first place. Too many |
| no idea how to cure. That being so, I want to | | | | people think a lesson will be enough to educate |
| share some insight to horses kicking. | | | | the horse to be ready to go. But if you're driving |
| First I want to relate some causes of horses | | | | your horse and he gets caught under the tail or |
| starting in the habit of kicking. Because a horse | | | | the cross pieces of the shaft touch his |
| kicks is no reason to think he is naturally bad or | | | | quarters...and those parts are unbroken, it would |
| unmanageable. I don't think there is a horse alive | | | | likely frighten and excite him enough to cause him |
| that is "naturally" vicious. In fact, they're made | | | | to kick. |
| that way due to bad management or ignorant | | | | And the worse part is this: Once started, there is |
| handlers. | | | | an increased inclination to go on kicking until |
| Admittedly, there are some horses that inherit | | | | confirmed in the habit. |
| the characteristics of their ancestors. But one | | | | So the cure is prevention. You must make all |
| should never start to break a horse without first | | | | parts of his body submissive to sensitivity of his |
| taking into consideration the nature, disposition, | | | | extremities. One way to do this is using a |
| and understanding of a horse. | | | | technique called poling. Essentially, you take a light |
| For instance, there are some horses that are | | | | pole and start at a horse's nose, rub it over the |
| naturally predisposed to have a "not so good" | | | | mane, back, belly, quarters, and sensitive parts of |
| disposition. There are certain physical | | | | the body, until all muscles become relaxed. |
| characteristics you can spot on a horse that | | | | But what if you have a horse confirmed in the |
| indicate what his disposition is like. | | | | habit of kicking? |
| Jesse Beery, a famous horse trainer from the | | | | If that's the case, I can give you three possible |
| 1800's, was brilliant at deciphering a horse's | | | | answers. |
| disposition. He even wrote extensively about how | | | | One is to sell the horse. If you feel it's not fixable |
| to do it. You can read about it at | | | | then it's not a good idea to keep the horse |
| Anyway, now we can handle the horse according | | | | around. You're going to get severely injured if |
| to its disposition. We can get it very nearly equal | | | | you're not extra careful. |
| with a good dispositioned horse. All the difference | | | | Two, get a professional trainer to help you. A |
| in the world is due to the management and | | | | trainer will charge anywhere from $400.00 per |
| training of the colt. A horse with a "not so good' | | | | month to $900 per month. Is that worth it to get |
| disposition will require more patience and thorough | | | | your horse to stop kicking? Only you can decide. |
| work. | | | | Third, you can learn to do it yourself. There are |
| All animals in nature have a self defense of some | | | | solutions out there that are pretty good. Jesse |
| sort. A horse's self defense is kicking. After all, if | | | | Beery, which I mentioned earlier, has a permanent |
| you work with a horse that gets badly excited by | | | | solution to stop it. |
| some cause (such as ropes or chains coming in | | | | |