Kicking

Do you know how to teach a horse to kick?

You do three things simultaneously - pull your reins - squeeze with your legs - and apply some negative stimulation on the hindquarters such as a swat! The moment the horse starts to think about kicking relax and rub him all over. Start the procedure all over again in that exact order and reinforce his behavior every time he starts to kick. Not only will the horse learn to kick on cue, he will learn to kick when you just do steps one and two - hold the reins so he can't go forward, squeeze with your legs and, voila, you have got a horse that kicks on cue!

The reason I told you this is so you will realize the dynamics often involved when horses kick while being ridden. Here's what usually happens. Another horse comes close to your horse's hindquarters, which provides the negative stimulation. The rider then pulls on both reins and squeezes with their legs to try and prevent the kick ...and the horse kicks and says, "Thanks for helping me be in the right position!"

Can you see the similarity in these two simple cases of cause and effect? Kicking comes naturally to horses. It's part of their dominance games and also a self-protecting action when they lack self-confidence. In my programs, I not only teach people how to behave like horsemen, but the horses actually learn to become more confident, less defensive and more respectful when with their rider.

This is a process of developing a relationship of leader and follower. If a horse does not perceive you as his leader, he will think he has to watch out for himself. If he does perceive you as his leader, he will be calm and confident and not feel the need to lash out.

I have ridden horses that people called chronic kickers and had no trouble. Conversely I have had other people ride my horses and my horse ends up kicking!

Some things that can help

• Horses cannot kick with their noses! Instead of pulling back with two reins in the "Oh no!" situation, try using one rein to turn your horse's nose toward the other horse for just a moment. This will accomplish two things. First, it moves the hindquarters away and secondly, it redirects the horse's thinking. Pretty soon they stop thinking about kicking things that come up behind them because the pattern is to turn and look at it. This actually eases their anxiety about the situation.

• Think fast! You know this is a tendency in your horse, so be aware of what is approaching. Don't wait until you feel your horse loading up, tip his nose with the one rein to diffuse things and keep on going with a relaxed seat and a smile on your face.

• Learn to read the body language of horses. If you see a horse that is tied up, is agitated, swishing it's tail or looking around anxiously... stay out of range! You cannot expect horses to know they shouldn't kick people. If they are keyed up, their sense of threat is heightened and lashing out is a reflex reaction, not necessarily a premeditated action. Same if you are riding behind an unsettled horse, keep your distance. All dogs bite, all kids are brats and all horses kick - POTENTIALLY! Lashing out is the behavior of an unconfident horse and therefore any kind of punishment would not be just. In any case, punishment is not effective for prey animals. They don't understand it. Horses live in the moment and unless the consequence is immediate (as in while the behavior is occurring, not even a split second after!), the horse will not learn. Also, punishment is often accompanied by an aggressive attitude. Horses do not handle aggression very well and they can become progressively more belligerent as a result. I believe in prior and proper preparation for the horse so he doesn't feel the need to kick.

• Develop a strong leader-follower relationship. There's no way I can teach you this in one article. That's why I have a Savvy System! It's about developing so much savvy around horses that even horses know you know what to do. The formula is "Attitude - Knowledge - Tools - Techniques - Time and Imagination."

With these in place, you'll have a lot to offer a horse. Have you heard the expression, "I'm looking for the perfey patct man/woman?" Well, your horse is in search of the perfect horseman. I encourage you to learn to become one!

 By Pat Parelli