You can recognize a fear kick by what precedes it. A horse who is truly scared will not kick immediately. First, he'll try to move away from the threat. If that doesn't work, he'll likely try to intimidate the threatening presence by pinning his ears or raising his hind leg in preparation for a kick.
Parelli's Answer: Horses kick for two reasons: fear and self-defense, or as an act of dominance. A fearful kick is usually quick and tends to happen when a horse feels cornered or trapped. A dominant kick is more of a premeditated attack and not quite as quick; you can see it coming as the horse backs toward you.
Why Kick when You're Behind Them. Horses kick out when someone stands or walks behind them because they feel threatened. Horses cannot see behind them, so their instinct as, a prey animal, is to assume any surprise outside of their line of vision is a predator about to attack.
If he kicks out, don't panic. Just keep soothing him with your voice and stroking him, until you can stroke a little way down the leg without him lifting it. Then stop and let him rest. Chill-out time is a must to take the pressure off.
Horse kick injuries tend to be severe, because the transfer of energy from the end of the hoof, with a small cross‐sectional area, to a small field, leads to internal organic injuries that are more severe than predicted, similar to a handlebar injury.
Description. Striking occurs when a horse uses its front feet to kick at people, other horses or objects. In some horses it becomes a dangerous habit, not only for handlers, but also for the horse because of the damage that can result to the hoofs and legs of the horse.
Striking occurs when your horse uses its front feet and legs to kick. This kicking can be towards other horses, objects or even people. Many times, striking becomes a habit that can cause dangerous situations for your horse and for yourself.
It's a lot like dancing, give a little bit, then let your horse give a little bit, then give a little bit again. So when a horse is coming to you to show you affection, let it. Be still in the moment and soak up the attention you're getting.
In addition, a horse's kick can transfer a force of more than 10 000 Newtons to the body, causing fractures of the skull or other bones as well as devastating damage to the intestines.
A kick to the arm or leg can cause a fracture, the bone will show deformity and the casualty will tell you where it hurts! A nasty kick to the chest or stomach could result in internal bleeding. Find out more about dealing with horse kick injuries and internal bleeding by attending one of our first aid courses.
Horses may defend themselves by kicking when they feel another horse is getting too close to its food, its foal, a special herd mate, or if another horse is acting aggressively towards it. In the wild, horses use powerful kicks, often with both back legs at the same time, to ward off predators.
A horse is bucking when he puts his head down and kicks his back legs into the air. What is this? Report Ad. It's normal equine behavior and part of their “fight or flight” response to a threat. In this case, the “threat” is the predator on his back (his rider) – and a buck is his version of “fight”.
The jaw strength (masseter muscle) of a horse is about 500 psi (pounds per square inch) Humans are usually less than 200 psi, while a Pit Bull measures 235 psi (#3 dog breed in jaw strength). Horses are prey animals who eat low protein food – grasses – all day long.
In fact, zebras have the most powerful kick of any animal on the planet, and they've been known to kill lions with a swift kick to the head.
Most horses kick by lifting the hind legs forward and kicking back in a sideways motion.
Horses don't naturally and normally trample people. They can and do occasionally, but it's not a natural inclination for them. Most of the time a horse running over a person will just step or hop over them.
Horses stomp to indicate irritation. Usually, it's something minor, such as a fly they're trying to dislodge. However, stomping may also indicate your horse is frustrated with something you are doing, and if you don't address it, he may resort to stronger signals.
Believe it or not, horses often bite out of fear. Most biters I've worked with use their teeth to defend themselves, kickers too; defending themselves from a current or a perceived threat, causing them to experience fear.
Give Up On Kicking!
Kicking your horse only stuns, disturbs, imbalances, and hurts. Although kicking might be a useful way to start out for a beginning rider, once you have better balance in your seat and a more consistent contact with the bit, aim toward using your legs with more refinement.
Standing behind a horse is also unsafe, as they have a blind spot there as well. When standing close to the horse, standing next to the horse's body is the safest. When standing still with the horse, point your feet toward the horse's neck or shoulder. This allows the handler to maintain eye contact.
Binocular vision allows the horse to use both eyes together to see directly ahead. The visual adaptations in horses are remarkable because they allows horses to have a “panoramic” view, with small blind spots directly in front of and behind their bodies.
Bucking is how a horse gets rid of a predator, and some horses, when they buck, are intending to get rid of the rider.
Practice relaxing your body, softening your tone of voice, and opening your palms so the horse can come over and check you out. The important thing is that you make space and allow for all the fear that you feel. And your relaxed posture will help to relax the horse. 5) Keep your eyes open!