kicking in his stall

[Vee]

I'm the new owner of a 17 year old thoroughbred gelding who's been happily settling down in a new barn for the past 3 months. He's gained weight, acted the perfect gentleman and has remembered 4th level dressage training! i know he'll teach me a lot but I'm worried about two things:

1. He won't stand still for me at the mounting block. He steps away if I'm at the top step. Doesn't do this for my trainer, of course. And, if I come down the block, lead him away and then return, he'll evetually stand still for me but I have to repeat this 3 or 4 times before he "decides" to stand close and still.

2. He's starting kicking the walls of his stall. HTe barn manager now has a kicking chain on his right hind leg so that he won't do this and hurt himself. Anyone have any ideas on why he might have started doing this?

Thanks for your help,

Vee

 

[Sarah]

hello!

Glad to hear that you are getting on well with your new horse.

You need to think about why he is reacting as he is to being in his stable and being mounted. With the being mounted problem, he is fine with your trainer but not with you. Is it a case of he knows he can get away with it with you and not your trainer or is it something else - like perhaps his saddle doesn't fit perfectly, are you a bit unbalanced while riding him, is this behavior he learnt with his last owner? Can you get on when you aren't on the top step of the mounting block? by leading him away when he moves away, you are effectively teaching him to move away. Can you get someone to hold him when you get on to stop him moving?

With regard to the stable problem, is your yard a rat free zone? Horses often kick out if there is a rat in there stable (and yes rats are a very common problem at most yards!). Was he kept in at his last yard or was he kept out? Does he get turned out at all during the day, if not it could be due to frustration and pent up energy. it could be a way to get attention - he kicks out, and people rush over to tell him off, a strage way to get attention but it works! he also might be kiking out as he likes the noise it makes, this can be helped by haviong really high banks in the stable to deaden the sound (and protect his legs).

i hope there is something in this post to help, do let me know how you get on.

bye!

 

[Vee]

Thanks for some ideas on both the mounting block problem and the kicking in his stall. As to the mounting, we've checked the saddle and are now using a much heavier pad AND a gel pad, too. My trainer is of the opinion that he just knows he can get away with this with me so I'm working on just mounting him from a lower step or, if someone is around, getting them to stand beside him and prevent him from moving away. Do you think a treat like sugar would be a good reinforcement if he stands quietly? I do use my voice to praise him when he does it right away for me.

As to the kicking, he does get turnout every day for about 6-8 hours in the daytime. I think it's the noise and attention and maybe the kicking chain will stop that part of it. It does seem cruel to me but then I don't want him to hurt his legs doing this, either. Any opinions on the chain?

Vee

 

[Sarah]

hello!

Did your saddler recommend the use of the gel pad and the thick pad? If he had fitted the saddle to your horse with just a thin saddle pad under the saddle, the increased bulk of the two pads could be making the saddle tight across the horse's back.

That is great that you are working on getting him to stand still. Does he stand still when you are around him on the ground in general, or does he tend to move about a bit when grooming, etc. if so, you caould work on trying to get him to stand still during other things like grooming. Do this by really praising him when he is still. treats do work as a method, but after a while the horse gets used to always having treats and can get cross when they don't get them one day or can always put their mouth towards any hands which means they can end up eating stuf fthat isn't for them or scare people who think they are going to bite them.

Glad to hear that your horse has turnout during the day. The kicking chain should stop him kicking with time, but it is only trying to stop him kicking by stopping him kicking, not because it solves the trigger of the kicking. Is the kicking chain a sort of bracelet that he wears round his leg just above his hoof, like a string of metal beads? If so, it shouldn't do him harm, but you will difinitely need to check his legs VERY carefully twice a day to see that he hasn't damaged himself with it.

Another thing that might be making him kick is if he feels threatened by other horses in stables near him. Watch him when he is turned out and see how he interacts scocially with the others. Try to be a detective to see what triggers his kicking then hopefully you will be able to work on that.

Does he only kick out when there are people outside the stable or does he do it at any time? He could feel threatened by people outside his box.

let us know how you get on.

bye!

[This message has been edited by Sarah (edited 09 December 1999).]

 

[Vee]

I've beendoing some investigation about the kicking Max does in his stall. It happens during the evening feed time (he's fed 3 x a day, hay plus a grain & special suppliment mix for older horses). As the horses down the aisle are fed, he starts kicking! I know food is important to him (like VERY important) and he's gained nearly 200 lbs in the 3 months I've owned him. But he only does this in the evening, after being turned out all day. He's in a dry paddock with a very gentle mare, 19 years old, and has no hassles over feed there. I've watched the mid-day feeding and these two get along just fine.

yes, the kicking chain is an ankle cuff with a short chain attached. If he kicks, he gets stung with the chain and doesn't do it at all when wearing it.

Other than this, he always stands perfectly still for grooming, the farrier, even to have his sheath cleaned.

I do feel like a detective about his but at this point, I think he probalby should wear the kicking chain so that he doesn't injure himself in the stall. However, I do worry that it's cruel.

Vee

 

[CLAUDIA]

I don't know if this is an option for you or not, but I've known people who pad the walls of their horse's stall because of kicking. It deadens the sound and the force of the impact. It seems to be some sort of rubbery material.

 

[Myrmex]

We had a pony at the yard who used to kick for attention (his owner wouldn't turn him out), usually just in the doorway where the wood made a good noise - we hung an old mattress on the door, later replaced by carpet - this deadened the sound, stopped him driving us crazy and stopped him hurting himself. Old carpet has many wonderful uses - and it's cheaper than buying specialist rubber wall coverings!

 

[Sarah]

hello!

Why don't you ensure that his breakfast is made ready at dinner time and that he is fed first so that he doesn't have to wait and won't kick. Then you can take off the chain so he doesn't hurt himself.

bye!