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  • From: Una Smith <una.smith@att.net>
  • To: Mounted search and rescue <msar-riders@lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [MSAR] Training mares not to kick
  • Date: Wed, 16 Mar 2005 12:39:56 -0700

On Wed, Mar 16, 2005 at 01:38:02PM -0500, Lyne Peterson wrote:
>[Quoted complete messages deleted. -Una]
>
>Good comments on behavior. Thanks. My mare is more aggressive than defensive
>when she decides to warn off an annoying horse. Yes, I can correct her IF I
>am paying attention to her so I can prevent it.

>One thing I do NOT want to do is eliminate the warning
>signals with training so the kick comes "unannounced".

I would not worry about this, and I would correct threats,
for two reasons. 1: Ignored threats escalate into acts.
2: Part of your responsibility to your teammates is to
ensure that your horse's behavior is civil, not just non-
violent. The problem often starts with other people's
horses, horses who are not civil to yours, inciting yours
to act. You also have a responsibility to your horse, to
protect her from other horses. It would be unreasonable
for you to expect your horse to ignore overt threats from
others. So...is your horse just being touchy, or is she
responding to some actual insult or threat from others?

My polo mare is extremely civilized in company with other
horses. But she is deeply upset by uncivilized behavior
from other horses toward her; she has learned from many
years of polo to expect civil behavior from other horses,
at least when she is working.


>she is supposed to put up with annoying colts or stupid
>horses or scared horses that may crowd her

There's a difference between "put up with" and "not kick".
I maintain a no kicking rule, but if my mare is disturbed
by another horse's bad behavior then she is free to move
out of the way. In fact, I expect her to do so, keeping
both of us safer.

So the key to training, as I already mentioned, is to do
the training in company with other horses who are civil
or can be made to be civil. One of my favorite books on
training horses is Noel Jackson's "Effective Horsemanship",
now long out of print but reprinted many times, so used
copies are numerous. He recommends on page 303 of the
edition I have, schooling in a crowded arena while others
school too. Or doing drill team exercises in such close
formation that the horses' sides touch. There simply is
no room then for one to kick another, but you will have
to watch your horse and the adjacent horses for attempts
to bite each other.

Hope this helps,

Una




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