Mares v geldings and kicking

[fofo]

Stan, never in his sweet life kicked out.

Teg will very occasionally cow kick or very very occasionally backwards kick, not at me but just at nothing.

So, I'm wondering if it is more prevalent in mares?

[smellycat]

Nah, i think it depends on the personality of the horse. My stan will kick out at people or horses, not all the time and he never kicked at other horses when he was in a herd.
He would kick out at me when I first had him, and now if he's tied up outside his stable he might half-heartedly kick out at a horse being lead passed him but this is quite rare.
He can a bolshy boy on the ground and he can also be a dope on a rope but I never fully trust his back legs!!

[eeek]

I think mares are more prone to kicking than geldings. They've got hormones, geldings don't (although some have rather good memories).

I can't think of a gelding I know who was a real kicker. They will all kick when their place in the herd is under threat, or they're in a situation which they don't like and can't get away from (eg. Vinny when you try and spray anything on him - after a few warnings he will start aiming half-hearted kicks at you). I can think of plenty of mares who kick though.

Perhaps I'm biased because Megan is the only person here who kicks and really means it, and she's also the only mare - but she's also the only one of the four who has had such insane levels of abuse :(

[injioho]

Scooby's not really a kicker. He occasionally kicks out at me (very half heartedly) but only when I'm doing something he doesn't like such as hosing his back legs or fly spraying. He also kicks at the farrier sometimes when he gets impatient :devil: We always get warnings first though, he's never kicked out at anyone out of the blue or for no reason and he never means it nastily.

With other horses he's pretty much the same. He'll put up with a lot but if there's a horse picking on him or trying to steal his tea he really does stick up for himself! Again, with several warnings first then a massive boot for not listening :lol:

He's much more careful with people than other horses luckily! I think mares are often more unpredictable and can do things with less warning or reason sometimes!

[Gix]

Raife will try kick out if the farrier doesnt let him "rest" on him lol lazy horse. He has never kicked out at me tho, if I am doing something he doesnt like, he prefers to dance around being a pansy.
Gandalf will lift a leg if I spray too high up on his legs with any sort of spray, just a warning, annoyance really, has never followed through with kick even when i carry on with what i am doing.
Alfie is a typical shitland, if he doesnt want to do something he lets you know, which is a lot lol, he also plays havoc with farrier if he cant lean (I have lazy equines lol)

[fairyfeet]

I've known a great many horses and ponies both sexes and all ages and I can honestly say mares are far worse at kicking than geldings or even stallions.
I'm always far more wary of a mares legs until she's proved herself whereas geldings I tend to trust more.
Max would never ever kick anyone but Freya would and has and meant it.
As has been said, they do suffer with continual changes in their hormones and they don't have the name moody mares for nothing.

[Zeitgeist Mom]

I definitely think mares are worse for kicking! I know of so many mares who could be funny about other horses close to their back ends, but hardly any geldings. I think it makes sense really, they need to protect their lady bits.

None of my geldings ever kicked, all of my mares have.

[beks the artist]

Nope, I dissagree - I have owned mares and geldings - so far I have been kicked by Jakes (a gelding), felt the wind go past my leg (Taran) and nearly sat upon by Flash (who was a colt at the time) Never once felt scared around the three mares I have owned / had on loan...

I think all horses are different, or is it the fact I have WELSH COB geldings?! ;)

[fofo]

Well, judging by the posts it looks like it depends on the horse and that, in the end, most horses will kick once in a while and you get the occasional one that never does. Lol!

Cheers to Stan the Man for the non kickiness. :love:

And Respect to the Teg-mares footsies.

[Guesstimation]

Never saw dollar kick or seen Tigger kick unless in play my old mare lily did now and then at others and once got me under the chin when I was picking her back hoof out and a horse came to the gate and sniffed her! Lots of blood ensued. I've found mares a pain in the bum and temperamental so I avoid them ;-). In the herd its usually the mares kicking off

[Equinox]

I would say mares; I have been kicked at more by mares than I have Geldings and in fact am finding it hard to recall ever being kicked at by a gelding, although my mum got double barrelled to the stomach by a riding school gelding many years back and suffered internal bleeding.. other than donkeys who seem to enjoy kicking things and it never seems to matter if they are one or the other so are pretty much 50/50 in my book (although they do warn you).

I do know that I am more wary about mares than I am geldings. One of the reasons I prefer to buy youngsters I guess as I will spend a heck of a lot of time at their back ends when they are growing up scratching them right above the dock where their mums would. lol

[CityLights]

Not at all, shes a baby horse, both King and Kizzie when younger would occasioanlyl kick back when eating their feeds, they dont do it so much now, kizzie never King only if he is a bit hungry and grumpy, been kicked far more times by geldings than mares

[carn77]

Hmmm interesting never really thought about it....
Carn will stomp his feet in annoyance being ickle pony his stomps bearly noticeable the tail swishing face pulling give it away hes stomped his feet..
Bobby has never kicked out with his back legs at me or anyone else around him...
He will kick out in the field during pecking order disputes but never any other time
He is an absolute *** for punching out with his front feet he does it when hes annoyed hes got me out a couple of times aiming at me hes got a swift kick back from me but i cant break his habit!
Jazz was terrible for kicking out he was however a stallion before i got him and very quick with his feet...i'm still sporting the dent in my thigh nearly 3years on from his kick to my thigh!
My friends gelding was spiteful ****** he would cowkick intentionally to catch you when he was annoyed...horrible horse he was!
But currently around my friends mare and shes forever kicking out for the slightest reasons!
Guess it depends on the horses personality...

[FlyFar]

My mare never kicks at anyone! And my geldings can run staright into her in the field and she doesnt have them either!

[north-mcqueen]

Northy never so much as put his ears back to me! :innocent:

But with the other horses at the yard, there were a couple that were VERY prone to kicking/biting/barging.. they were all mares. But it could have just been coincidence.

[Ambers Mum]

Willow is still a kicker aged 25+ years old he is very nervous though and will give you both barrells and kicked Hannah in the face when she was little.

Kosha broke a friends front teeth kicking out when she was trying to pick his back feet out, but he has only done it as a youngster.

Mony would do a half hearted hop if she was displeased lol, we used to laugh as she never really meant it and no one was ever really hit with her feet. Even when she was in extreme pain she would run away rather than kick out at the vet.

Sov was never a kicker, she had impeccable manners apart from barging when we first got her.

Star has never ever kicked anyone or anything, she is sucha lovely mare to handle.

Finally Amber! She was a kicker with the people who had her last but after speaking to the RDA and the lady who had her straight from the RDA she never lifted a foot to anyone or anything. When I got her I was warned about the kicking but I haven't had much of an issue with it apart from when she first arrived and I think she was testing the boundries as there were a few things the previous home said she did when handled on the ground (another was barging and then being stubborn) because after she realised I wouldn't be bullied in to giving her her own way she has settled down and only kicked out once and got a tap on her leg as soon as she did it.