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Horse kicking woman in the head video


Aloha,

I found you by Google (searching for) 'what causes a horse to kick'. I was watching this video shown here http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=f01_1334997411 and this horse kicks this woman in the head. Could have easily killed her...the two of them seemed to be having such a good time.

Just curious, what did she do wrong or why did the horse kick her? I read all the comments.

Thanks Fred

The horse probably was being playful, as horses often like to play and be a little active. The girl seemed to be using a lot of treats. This amps things up higher than we might like for such active play. She took her own safety and the horse’s seemingly respectful playing for granted. Once that animal began to lay its ears back, that added another dimension to the game that the girl ignored. Even in play, a horse with its ears pinned back, can exhibit rough behavior or begin to simply play too rough. Horses tend to pin their ears during fast movement frequently.

Aware and knowledgeable horse people mostly take heed of these body language communications. Unless you are very, very close with your horses and have high level relationships with them, it is always best to not assume things about them, especially during this sort of play. This kick was not the fault of the horse. The girl was over confident, too excited, using too many treats and not paying enough attention to the body language of the horse (tail swishing, head shaking, etc.) and her position in relationship to the horse during the game made her vulnerable. Things just got too exciting for the horse. Playing games like this while maintaining a calmer energy, makes them a whole lot safer for horse and human and is very doable.

A last comment about horses hurting humans. In the movie 'Buck,' an aggressive stallion bites a cowboy in the head while attacking him. It was totally the fault of the cowboy who was aggressive and over confident with the horse. The horse's owner says she will put this horse down as it is simply too dangerous. Buck's comment is that "Humans failed this horse!" He is right on and they continued to do so in the movie. The owner, even after Buck talking to her didn't seem to get it. This horse still had a chance actually. A dart could lay the horse down safely and long enough to get gelded. Then some good training could have begun. The owner still wanted to put a 'BAD' label on the horse and kill it. Rather than looking at what could be learned and what could help, seems she opted for the fastest solution. Well, she stupidly had 18 stallions in her field and something to prove (as did the cowboy). Go figure.

Yes, accidents happen. Most often, with horses there is an obvious reason and for humans to not take responsibility and then to learn something, is a waste.......Just my thinking on this whole thing.

Thanks for your question.

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