Posts Tagged ‘accidents’

If you have a horse that kicks, either occasionally, periodically, or habitually, it is wise to find out the reasons behind this behavior. Sometimes there are practical reasons a horse will lash out. He may be protecting himself or trying to relieve pain. In other situations kicking is a bad habit that must be addressed before some one gets hurt.

To figure out what your horse is trying to tell you with this potentially dangerous behavior you need to observe his body language and what are the circumstances leading up to a kick. Horses are usually trying to communicate one of six messages when they deliver a kick.

A horse may kick because they feel threatened. Kicking is a weapon horses will use to defend themselves. Being an instinctive response this may be seen in the most pleasant and easygoing horses. This type of kick can be recognized by what precedes it. A horse that is scared will try to move away from the perceived danger. If that does not work he will try pinning his ears or raising his hind leg as a warning. If these fail then he will deliver the kick.

Sometimes a horse will kick in response to pain. A horse with a sore back might “cow kick” when a saddle is placed on his back. If a horse kicks at his belly he may be telling you he has gut pain. Usually a horse that kicks in pain does not threaten or posture before kicking. He just kicks when it hurts. When the pain is relieved the kicking typically stops instantly.

Horses will sometimes kick out because they feel good. They are being playful. This kicking is not intended to be harmful but accidents can happen. If you happen to be turning out a rambunctious horse do so cautiously for your safety and the safety of other horses. This is not something that necessarily needs or can be corrected. Just use common sense.

When a horse kicks when you are riding he is probably reacting to another horse or even another animal that is too close to his hind quarters. Horses can be strict when it comes to their personal space. They can find it offensive if another horse comes too close to their hind end. Mild warning kicks normally precede the “tailgating kick”. This type of kick under saddle should not go uncorrected even if it seems justified. Kicks can be powerful enough to break the bones of who ever might receive the impact of the kick. Instantly correct your horse to let him know this is not acceptable behavior.

Kicks delivered due to frustration of the horse can be pretty easy to discern. If you are found to be slow, in his opinion, at delivering your horse’s grain ration you may recognize this type of kick. These kicks are usually accompanied by body language that you cannot miss. The horse will not seem frightened just impatient. Pinned ears, flipping the head, rearing slightly, and lunging forward are the preceding body language normally associated with this type of kick.

Feeding this horse first may be a workable solution. You may choose to simply ignore this type of kicking providing the horse is not hurting himself or others. Some people have tried hobbles to help eliminate this behavior. Hobbles only work if they are on. A horse may stop when the hobbles are on and start up again when they are removed.

The kick to take most seriously is the horse that kicks to say “I’m in charge”. This horse, somewhere in his life, has learned bullying is an acceptable way to deal with people. There are bigger training issues with the horse that tries to achieve dominance over his human handler. Before they kick they will threaten and posture with pinned ears and show a “mean face”. Usually they turn their rump toward you and raise their hoof before the kick.

These bossy kickers do not try to escape the situation. Often other aggressive behaviors will be displayed by these horses such as showing no respect for the space of others. These horses have gotten away with this behavior in the past. A bossy kicker will act this way because it works for them. Reforming this type of a kicker can be very difficult. It very well could require a professional trainer to reestablish ground rules and the chain of command when it comes to personal space.

When a horse kicks it is a call for an investigation to find out why. A kick can be an effective form of communication. It can be a powerful weapon against predators. Kicking does serve the horse very well. However, kicks can inflict injury. It can be one of the most dangerous behaviors a horse can display.

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Author: Fran Mullens
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Most horse trainers often say that it is critical to learn the language of the horse. If you realize how to talk with horses, you can readily calm them whenever they feel uncomfortable. In horse training, you should have the capacity to calm your horse when the need arises.

There are times when the horse gets frightened. It’s really amazing how the owner can calm the frightened horse. You could be questioning what made the horse calm – could it be the tone of the owner’s voice or could it be the words being used? The answer is both.

As a horse trainer and owner, you should have the trust in handling them properly. Your voice should have a soothing, gentle, and pleasant tone. Try to imagine calming your horse with an intimidating tone. Your horse will not relax and your voice will only frighten him even more.

The text you use to relax your horse may not mean anything to him but with regular training and use of such words, your words can be associated with quiet down, few things are going to happen to you, everything will be alright’.

The repetition and rhythm of how you say the text can mesmerize your horse. It can be in comparison to poetry or music. Here’s a very good example. When humans are troubled, worried, or distressed, hearing poetry or even music seem to calm their considerations. The words and music seem to grab and reach out to you. You right away find yourself taking note to what you’re hearing. Your options are diverted to the poetry or music and somehow you feel calm and relaxed.

When a horse is excited or frightened, it can be dangerous and now and then, life threatening. If you’re capable of calming your horse, you will love a safe and fun ride free of any severe accidents. A lot off the techniques used by some horse trainers are 300 Peck Pigeon’ and the head down’. The duration of the execution off the technique is in addition important. Another method to calm your horse is to bring the head of your horse toward the side. When the neck is stretched, the tension is relieved. Nevertheless, you should be cautious in executing this technique as it can trigger a bad effect; the horse will see you as a predator taking him down. So try to be extra cautious and do not use too much force.

As a horse trainer, you should not panic. You could be calm in order to calm your horse. Keep your posture non-threatening and avoid abrupt movements. Your face should have a grin or laugh perhaps. This shows your horse that you’re not irritated by his movements. Determine what caused your horse to panic. You can say your horse to reduce its head or you can wipe the neck and withers.

Always have hay nearby and try to give it to your horse; now and again giving your horse food calms him. If you can make your horse not move, face him and exhale through your mouth but don’t blow. Follow the breathing pattern of your horse. After a couple of minutes, your horse will calm down.

During horse training, you can make use of these various techniques just just in case your horse panics. The techniques are effective specially when executed correctly. Just be confident and think that you can handle the situation.

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Author: Dorian Hester
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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Before the ultimate goal of saddle training can begin it is necessary to complete some important groundwork with your horse. You will need to take your horse from trailer or barn to the tack area, tack up, and then you’ll ride. You can’t begin to teach point B if you’ve not first mastered how to get there from point A. The two of you can only act as a team if your horse cooperates with you. This cooperation begins with your ability to approach, catch, and halter him first. After that you can use a halter and rope to lead your horse.

Teaching a horse the boundaries of acceptable behaviour is done with the primary objective of safety in mind. He will need to be taught that his natural tendency to pull against the lead rope, for example, is not allowed. A horse should never be allowed to invade the personal space of whoever is holding the lead rope. Accidents can easily occur if proper consideration to teaching basic safety manners to your horse is not given before moving on to more advanced training. Whilst a good equine insurance policy may cover you for accidents that happen in training, it’s obviously far more preferable not to have to find this out!

The three Ps of horse training – patience, persistence and positive reinforcement – come into play when leading your horse. You have probably already discovered the 3Ps to be effective if you have accomplished haltering.

Ideally you need to begin lead training with your horse when he is still a foal. Basic ground manners should be taught from an early age, before the horse is old enough to worry about saddles and riding. Cooperation will still be required from the young horse during vet or farrier visits, as well as for the various other people he may come into contact with.

If you happen to have the dam – the foal’s mother – present, lead training will be easier as he will naturally copy her behaviours. If not, any horse with which the foal spends time will also work. Young horses naturally learn from the older ones in the herd. For example, you don’t need to teach a horse in the pasture how to graze or go to the water and drink. They watch the other horses to learn these things. If your student is older, you can still use another horse’s example by haltering and leading the other horse first. As you do this you will notice your student watching and paying attention to these events occurring around him.

Start off by leading two horses – the foal and either it’s dam or a more experienced horse – side by side with you in the middle. The safest place for you to stand is to the left of your student’s shoulder, with the older horse to your left. A young horse could suddenly decide to bolt or to kick his heels, so make sure that you don’t wrap the lead rope around your hand or anywhere else that makes you vunerable. The last thing you need at this stage is complicating the process with an injury for which you may need to claim on your horse insurance.

You could also use the pony method if you have a calm horse which the foal will be comfortable following. This is done by simply towing the student horse behind using a longer lead rope. It makes sense in fact to teach the lead in this way, as it’s natural for a young horse to follow an elders lead.

If you don’t have the luxury of having other horses close by from which your student can learn, you will need to rely heavily on your skills of patience, persistence and positive reinforcement. Don’t be discouraged if it takes longer than you would like for your horse to understand what it is that’s expected of him.

After satisfactory progress, it’s time to try it alone. Again, standing to the left of your young horse’s shoulder and with both of you looking straight ahead, gently walk forward and as you step out, tug very gently forward, then release any pressure on the rope as soon as the horse makes any motion to go forward. Understanding that release is a reward to your horse is a valuable tip used by professional trainers. It tells your horse he’s doing something right.

When he can successfully walk with you in straight lines, try a slight left turn whist maintaining the space bubble. If he crowds you, use your right hand to push him out away from you and hold your arm out to the appropriate distance. Then try turning to the right with the same safety distance between the two of you, still using your right hand to guide him into the correct zone. You will need to reward him by releasing the pressure on the lead rope each time he steps in the right direction.

A large amount of patience is required to successfully complete lead training with your horse. Big improvements will soon be made if you can just stick with it. Work every day if possible for short periods and you’ll be pleased with the results; then you will be moving closer to the time when you can saddle up and begin riding.

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Author: Stephanie Andrew
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
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When looking to buy a horse, one of the first decisions is whether to get one which is untrained, partly trained, or fully trained. Most people, especially if it is there first horse, will be better off getting a horse which is already trained for whatever they intend to use if for. For example, if one intends to use the horse for basic riding it should already be trained for riding, whereas if you are using it for show jumping, it should already be trained in show jumping.

Of course, after looking at horses for sale, one can purchase an untrained horse or a partly trained horse. Such a horse will be less expensive to buy. Also, you can instruct a trainer on exactly how you want the horse trained, and you can have the experience and pleasure of participating in this. However, against these advantages, there are a number of disadvantages:

• Training Expenses. With an untrained horse, training is an additional cost which one has to factor in. Aside from the direct costs of the trainer, unless the trainer comes to you there is the additional cost of transporting the horse to the trainer for each lesson, or stabling the horse with the trainer. The exact costs of training depend on individual circumstances, but they are under-estimated far more often than over-estimated. Frequently, once one factors in the final total training costs, it would have been cheaper to have purchased a horse that was already trained.
• Accidents. Accidents can easily occur during training, even with a good trainer. These may result in vet costs or worse.
• Incorrect Training. Some trainers are not as good as others. In addition, many trainers will rush training or under-estimate the amount required, to get the contract at an acceptable price. This may result in an incompletely or incorrectly trained horse.
• Riding Feel. Horses are individual living creatures, with their own characteristics. Two horses, with identical training, will behave and feel different to a rider. Consequently, one cannot predict precisely what an untrained horse will feel like after it has been trained, so buying a trained horse which you’ve already ridden is more predictable.
• Health Examination. A trained horse is easier to evaluate for injuries or other defects as one can ride it and one can watch it carefully while being ridden in each gait. Although one can examine an untrained horse, the examination by necessity is less complete.

Because of these factors, buying an already trained horse is often less expensive, less risky and less stressful than buying an untrained or partly trained horse and then having it trained up.

Unless you are a professional trainer (or working under the close supervision of one), you should not train a horse yourself. Otherwise there is the risk that the horse will acquire bad behaviors or habits, which can be difficult and expensive to correct.

Be wary of purchasing an incompletely trained horse on the basis that the seller will complete the training. Far too often in these circumstances the remaining training is rushed and not done to the highest standards. Insist on the horse being trained up first and pay no more than a holding deposit until this is done and you’ve ridden the horse to make sure that you are fully happy with the result.