Home » My Horses Do Not Kick!

There is an old cowboy saying and it goes like this:

"Never approach a bull from the front,"

"A horse from the rear,"

"Or a fool from any direction."

Those old cowboys, they have such a way with words. And this is true, of course, when speaking in general terms and when speaking of untrained horses. They will protect themselves.

My horses, however, are highly trained and one of the first things I "develop" with my horses, because it is not taught but rather it is something come upon by mutual understanding, is to respect me - and my space. This is not to say that I "approach" my horses from the rear, however, because I do not. That would not be living by the code - theirs or mine, with mine being self-preservation.

Many people outside the horse world believe that horses are antagonistic creatures who will intentionally kick you, run you under a tree, or just basically try and hurt you in any way possible. Nothing could be further from the truth, however, and these people are forgetting a very important part of our history, as described in this simple, but enlightening poem:

"Look back at our struggle for freedom,"

"Trace our present day's strength to it's source;"

"And you'll find that man's pathway to glory,"

"Is strewn with the bones of the horse." - Author Unknown
 

Horses are creatures who live by a code. If you understand this code, or if you can simply abide by the rules set forth by those of us who do understand the code, then you will have no problem with horses. There are plenty of great horse people out there every day, trying to teach the rest of you how to live by the code in order to have a better relationship with horses.

The first rule, and probably the most difficult for non-horsey humans to understand and overcome is, not to have any fear. You see, the horse is a prey animal and a herd animal. Their very survival for thousands of years and even today in the wild herds, requires that they be dependant on those around them for signs of danger. That is how the horse developed and their species survived, and it doesn't just go away once domesticated. When you walk into a field with a horse, even if he is grazing and not looking at you, I can assure you he knows you are there and he is watching your every move.

When a horse senses fear in a human, it's not that they want to "take advantage" of that fear, as I have heard many people say, it's that the horse is wondering why this human is afraid. That makes the horse nervous and he behaves in ways that he would not normally behave. In this set of circumstances, even the most timid equine feels the need to take over, for in their mind, someone needs to be in control of the situation so they do not get hurt.

When people come to look at my horses, (something I do not usually encourage), I invariably hear one person say to another in their party, "Watch out, don't let him kick you!" I have just been insulted, but I grit my teeth and as politely as possible I say, "My horses DO NOT kick."

It's true, they don't! Why, people ask me? Is it because they are afraid of me? No. "It's very simple, really," I tell my guests, "horses live by a code...when I am in the field, I am the lead mare. They are on their best behavior when they are with the lead mare. They look to me for comfort - for the rules. Horses love rules. One of my rules is, no kicking when I'm with you, not even toward each other."

In an entire lifetime of living with horses, I have only come across one horse who was truly mean spirited. I have come across many horses, however, who have been messed up by humans, either mentally, physically, or even genetically (by inbreeding). Some are fixable, some are not and this is something I have had to learn to accept. And yes, some horses will kick you, usually to put you in your place and have you fall in line with "the code."

There is a famous horse trainer whose name is Pat Parelli and he is quoted as saying, "If your horse says no, you either asked the wrong question or you asked the question wrong." ...That's it in a nutshell.

One of my favorite horse quotes is by John Moore, who said, "Wherever man has left his footprint in the long ascent from barbarism to civilization, we will find the hoofprint of the horse beside it."

I think people forget this. The horse today has become a pet, or a competition animal; some cultures even eat them. But you cannot compare the horse with the cow. Man did not ride the cow through battles, he rode the horse, and the horse fought alongside and under man, many times acting as a willing shield, and quite often taking the sword, arrow and bullet, for his human.

So I ask you to remember, the next time you see a horse, what a powerful role he has played in our history, and ask yourself where would we be without him? Although our livelihood as a society is no longer dependant on the horse, in our history, this is a relatively new development.

 

Be sure and thank the horse - they don't ask for much - a simple carrot or a pat on the neck and a kind word will do. That's all they want in return for all they have given us.

 

"Horses - if God made anything more beautiful, he kept it for himself." - Author Unknown