Avoid being kicked by a horse
Posted by Bill on Oct 02 2006 at 10:38 am | Tagged as: Horse Health, Horse Lifestyle
As Mikki mentioned, Moonshine injured her hoof a little while ago and we’ve been treating it several times a day. Each treatment consists of cleaning out the wound, applying an antiseptic spray and then packing it with an antibiotic. The treatment calls for close personal contact with my horse’s left rear hoof, exactly the kind of position that leaves a human vulnerable to serious injury from a kicking horse.
Everytime I’m around a horse, I’m always especially careful around the rear legs, both beside them and behind them. I’ve read that you need to read the horse’s body language and pay attention while you’re walking around them. I’m not scared, mind you, but I am cautious. Part of it is because I’m new to horses, part is because previous injuries have taught me to be cautious around anything dangerous. And part of my nervousness is from the video below. I saw this video before we ever seriously considered buying a horse. And while it seems most people find it funny, it reminds me just how powerful horses are and just how quickly something can go wrong. Now even if you’re not planning on branding your own horses (I’m not), there is still a lesson to be learned here. WARNING: there is some audio, in which is an implied expletive. The video is 3 seconds long so it won’t take long to load:
Did you see how fast that horse was able to kick? We don’t get to see the damage (thankfully) but I’m sure at the very least it hurt alot.
So here are a few simple tips I’ve learned so far for avoiding injury when working horses’ legs and hooves:
- Spend a few minutes with the horse before touching its rump or legs. Even if you’ve had the horse for a while, you need to know what kind of mood it’s in, if it’s spooked, nervous or upset.
- When walking beside and around the horse gently pat and rub it as you go and notice any apprehension on the part of the horse.
- Don’t take your eyes off of the horse when walking closely to the rear end, in particular. Pay attention to its body language and what it’s doing with its feet.
- Don’t walk directly behind the horse. Give yourself at least an arm’s length of buffer room.
- Be mindful of things that could spook your horse. A barking dog down the road, a car driving by, other horses, you sneezing, an evil plastic bag blowing in the wind, a snake in her stall, etc. If you’re in the wrong spot when your horse is spooked, it takes a fraction of a second for the horse to react and that could mean serious injury or death.
I’m sure there are many more practical tips but these have so far kept us from being kicked.
OUCH!
Man he/she had good aim!
My little girl got kicked - in the stomach area!! - just last weekend. We were taking pics out in the pasture w/my horse, and he has always been dead quiet, so I guess I got complacent..a reminder not to become so!!
ANYTHING can happen, and I have been around horses since I was 2 and should have known better. I feel soooo bad but thank goodness, and miraculously, she was ok. He was turned away scratching himself, I was taking the pic, and when he turned back around I guess he saw her out of the corner of his eye and startled, and kicked out. I really think that at the last minute, he saw her better and softened the blow. It just grazed her, but it was very scary. It wasn’t his fault. He was in a new place and had been with unfamiliar horses for a few days and probably thought one was coming up to bug him. Again, I should have been thinking about this and known better - I still feel so guilty, and that she would be scared like that too. I don’t want to turn her off of horses. But a lesson learned and a reminder to never get complacent no matter how dead broke the horse! And no kids and cameras in a pasture!! Kicking my own self still!! : /
Like your blog! Please see my MySpace for info on the fight against horse slaughter!!!!
also, HUGE hearted horse folks here that are doing great things for our favorite creatures!!:
http://forums.delphiforums.com/timwoolley/start
www.timwoolleyracing.com
Join us!
Wow - that’s a good lesson for the rest of us there. I think it’s really easy to get complacent, especially with a horse that’s always been gentle. We are so glad your little girl is okay, and hope she won’t have any “horse issues” because of it.
Thank you for the links. There’s some good info on all of those. I registered at Tim Woolley - look for me, I’m MeNValentine.
Hi,
In your suggestions about how to avoid being kicked, you mention leaving an arm’s length between yourself and the rear end of your horse. It might be better to be right next to the horse, so that he can’t deal such a blow. Either that or stay far enough away that the hooves can’t reach you.
Linda Cox is right.
Horses have what some people call the “death zone”; this is the kicking range. It is more than an arms length. When going around, behind a horse you either need to be right up against its rump, with your hand on him/her at all times (Your hand should be on the horse before you start walking behind it), or you need to walk a wide berth, way out of kicking range. With the before mentioned approach the most the horse can do is push you(He can not kick you with full force). With the latter, he cannot reach you.
Side note: Another variation on walking up against your horse up is to have your arm at your side to protect your ribs instead of up on the horse. Either way you are in close contact with the horse. I learned the other way first, so that is the way I usually do it. Though sometimes I do it the second way as well. Just something to consider.
Thank you so much for your site. I am going through your archives right now, trying to get up to speed. I wll write later about how I found it and how much I’m enjoying it. I was going to wait until I had finished reading everything you have written so far before commenting on anything, but this one was a safety issue.
Thanks for the comments Linda and Lisa!
I agree with Linda Cox as well, my dad always taught me to either stick real close or stay out of the way. This I think is something that needs to be taught young. So now for me anyways it’s just second nature. One of the times that we were all going riding on our farm, my sister-in-law and her two kids were down at the corrals seeing what we were doing. My old horse was so trustworthy and he wouldn’t hurt a fly. My neice who is 5 years old just comes running up to us, and I slightly scold her and tell her that you can never run up to a horse, you must walk and walk in their sight (don’t come up from behind). I was floored when my sister-in-law who says she grew up around horses as well said to me “what’s the big deal? It’s just Porky.” And I had to explain to her that Porky isn’t going to be around forever and that her daughter needs to learn how to act around all types of horses, not just old quiet ones! I was so shocked! My nephew who was born and raised in the city even knows better than that!
Excellent point, Shelly. Kids need to be taught to respect the power of a horse, regardless of disposition. I honestly don’t think my sweet horse, Moonshine, would intentionally do something to really hurt me but I also don’t think she’s always actively watching out for me, either. Just like with cars, all it takes is a brief moment to cause major damage. Compared to horses and cars, we humans are actually pretty small and delicate. In my post “Close call with a flying hoof“, I mentioned a situation where I was very quickly and without warning in “the wrong place at the wrong time”. Fortunately for me it turned out okay. If it was a kid in that same position and not paying attention, that kick would have led to a head injury.
These points are all so important to note. Unfortunately, I have another one. Two days ago, the vet was out and asked me to hold the twitch while trying to dye my mare’s left eye (she has an ulcer on her cornea)…I should have known better as it has been years since I did this and I just got her 6months ago. Anyway, I asked the vet, ‘how should I hold the twitch if she starts to move?’ he said I was doing fine…He squirted something in her eye and all I recall is that everything went black, I could feel my face swelling and then regained my vision. I am so blessed that I have no broken bones at this point. I have a follow up CT scan next week to recheck after the swelling has reduced. I do not blame my mare, she reared up and kicked out in defense of her fear. I should have told the vet no or not been in that situation. I have already called and requested an assistant always attend the vet with my two horses unless we are doing standard vaccinations. When working with their eyes I will be sure a mild tranquilizer is given to relax them. I have bruising, swelling and pain but know that I am blessed and reminded that I have to speak out and not trust someone else’s comfort level!
Oh my gosh, Gisele, that could have been even worse. I’m glad it wasn’t and that you’re able to “forgive” your mare. Your note reminds me to trust my instincts, despite that “comfort level” others might have.
I rescued this horse and he’s VERY kicky with his back hooves. I’ve been knocked around quite a bit as I stay “close” to him to pick up his back feet. Then yesterday when I bent to pick up his front hoof he kicked forward from his back hoof and clipped the side of my head!! I was shocked. It smarts but no real damage was done — that time. I am definitely investing in a helmet even to pick out his feet. Heck, I think I need a whole suit of armor!!! He’s a 16 year old Arab with barbed wire scars on his back legs, so I get that he’s been through some stuff and I’m trying to help him, but after two months of gently firm handling, he’s still trying to kick me. I’m thinking about tieing his back legs to control the length of his kicks. Has anyone ever done anything like this?
I took a pretty incredible blow to the leg a couple of days ago by a very stable and mature gelding. I was moving through the strike zone when a friend’s mare bit him in the neck. He struck out and made contact on my middle left thigh. The blow hyper-extended my knee and put me on the ground quick. I didn’t even know what happened because the strike was lightning fast. I have a horrendous bruise on my thigh and knee and am walking with a limp. It will all heal up in time but I was fortunate. Complacency got the best of me. Needless to say I will be much more careful in the future!