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Kicking Horse Information and Videos
Kicking Horse: A horse can kick at you or another horse or animal from behind or with a "cow kick" which is a forward motion with the hind leg. This type of behavior can be very serious and can occur for the following reasons: playfulness, fear, disrespect, aggressiveness, and irritation.
When letting a horse out to pasture or paddock area, always release when the horse is facing you-teach your horse to move off in a respectful way to avoid accidentally kicking you.
Horses that kick out of fear, disrespect, and aggressiveness will often cock their leg to give you warning they are going to let you have it so be aware of these cues.
This type of behavior should be corrected as soon as it occurs-ground work works wonders in regaining respect and establishing boundaries between you and your horse. A horse that becomes accustom to being touched and desensitized is less likely to continue with this problem.
Notice in the first video with the little boy how the horse cocks his leg several times and pumps before he actually kicks-thank goodness the boy didn't get hurt!
Here are a few tips to avoid getting kicked by a horse:
Always let the horse know where you are when working around them
Don't walk between a strange horse's hind quarters and a hard surface or wall
Watch for unusual movements or cues in the horse
Stay close to your horse when grooming-the closer you are the less power behind a kick
