I was kicked by a horse about a year and a half ago. Considering
myself an experienced horsewoman (I've owned and ridden horses for about 20
years), I knew it was inevitable, but wasn't expecting it to happen that
day. The accident was a valuable
reminder that animals are unpredictable!
In this three-part series, I will explain why and how a horse kicks,
where you should be if you don't want to get hurt, and what happened to me.
In this first blog entry we'll discuss why horses kick in
the first place. After all,
understanding the root cause is usually one of the best ways to avoid a
problem.
Prey vs. Predator
Horses are prey animals – meaning that they are a food
source for other animals that are predators.
Like most large prey animals (think African plains animals like zebras,
giraffes, and gazelles), they are constantly on the lookout for whatever could be
out to "get them".
Horses use the senses available to them to stay alert for
predators.
- Eyes – Nearly 360 degree monocular
vision allows horses to see just about everything in the surrounding
environment.
- Nose – Good sense of smell.
- Ears – Ability to rotate the ears to listen in
all directions, as well as listen with one ear each way.
- Skin – With skin that can wriggle to flick off a
fly, you know it's sensitive!
Most of us learned about "fight or flight" in Biology 101; some
animals fight when attacked, while others flee the scene. Horses are "flight" animals as they are
graced with speed, but they also have a powerful set of hindquarters designed
for kicking as well as accelerating.
This mechanism is used when they are confined or otherwise unable to put
the "flight" idea into use.
Health and Mood
Just like any animal, a horse is entitled to have a bad
day. A variety of factors can influence
how a horse feels physically or mentally. General signs like laid back ears,
worried eyes, or swishing tails are important, but there are overall things to
watch for, too:
 Illness – One of the
symptoms of Lyme
disease is a change in attitude.
Some of the horses I ride were diagnosed with and treated for this
ailment. As soon as the treatment
cycle ended, the cranky attitudes and habits went away, and they were
sweet and willing to work once again.- Sour Attitude – Think
about your routine. Do you get bored
doing the same thing every day?
Horses do too, especially when they're drilled on the same things
in the riding arena. If the thought
of what's coming isn't pleasant, they react accordingly.
- Pain – Some horses suffer
from back, hip, hind leg, or other pain that is exacerbated when the
saddle is put on or a hoof is lifted to be cleaned. In order to avoid pain, a horse may kick
out.
- Fear – We talked about how
horses avoid becoming a meal, but these animals also have long memories
(kind of like elephants) and hold on to past fears from prior abuse,
accidents, or scary moments.
Kicking out is a reaction that may be automatically triggered by
the memory of such a fear.
- Warning – Although horses
are herd animals, there are times when they do not like other animals (or
people) in their space, especially in the blind
spot right behind them. Kicking
can also be a way to establish dominance.
- Playfulness – Sometimes
horses aren't hurt or upset at all – they kick out because they feel good
or want to play! Horses don't
realize, however, that a kick from a 1,200 pound animal is not always
interpreted as a playful sign.
Note: Read Part 2 of this series on CR4!
Resources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fight-or-flight_response
http://www.training-horses-naturally.com/horse-behavior.html
http://equisearch.com/horses_care/health/behavior/whyhorseskick_012307/index1.aspx
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Re: Mechanics of a Horse Kick – Why? (Part 1)
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