horses that kick

When Lizzie arrived I spent time getting to know her. She seemed very sweet - doesn't she look it? I loved her personality, as she always seemed happy to see me, and very interested in her surroundings. Some horses have a somewhat dull personality, but not Lizzie! She had what is called joie de vivre in people. She always appeared happy, eager, and full of life.

After a few weeks, however, once she became comfortable in her new surroundings, another side of her personality started to reveal itself. I'll never forget the first time I tried to get her into a wash stall. No way was she going in! A friend of mine came along and tapped her on the flank, just to urge her in. Zap! She kicked him right in the knee! Luckily he was not seriously hurt.

As time went by, Lizzie's true nature came to light. I discovered she liked to rear (with me on her back!), all the way up, not just a half rear! Luckily I never fell off. I discovered she HAD to be first if I went trail riding with friends. If she was not in front, I had a terrible ride because she jigged and jagged and constantly pulled on the bit. I discovered she hated getting into horse trailers.

And yet most of the time she continued her sweet ways. People were always commenting to me how sweet she was, and I would reply "you don't really know her".

When she was in heat (about once a month) she was virtually unapproachable. You took your life in your hands if you tried to groom her or ride her. It was downright dangerous! Even professional trainers told me so. Her symptoms during these times were so severe that I spent a bundle getting her checked out at a major veterinary hospital to make sure she did not have ovarian cysts, which can be very painful. She did not.

Eventually, we placed her on a medication which prevents mares from coming into heat. That solved one problem of many.

Meanwhile I looked at various training programs hoping to find a way to re-train my beautiful mare and stop her bad behavior. One of these, clicker training, was easy and worked for certain behaviors like standing still while being groomed. Clicker training is used for dogs, but it works in horses, too. It's easy to learn and implement, and I found it very useful.

I borrowed other training techniques from various sources, and worked hard to form a solid relationship with Lizzie in which I was the alpha "mare", not her.

Eventually we became partners. I learned how to handle her and remain safe. I had many years of happy riding on Liz in the beautiful Massachusetts woods. We moved to Arizona 12 years ago, and she loved every minute of the cross country trek. She seemed to love trail riding in the desert, as do I.

Eventually, however, Lizzie developed sore hocks (back knees for you non-horse people). We tried various treatments but none worked, including injections. She became very grouchy when I rode, which was so very opposite of the happy horse I knew. I had to make the hard decision to retire Liz about 5 years ago. But this story has a happy ending. Lizzie is now living a life of leisure in my small ranch. Her large pen is attached to a turn-out, so she can be in under the shade or out enjoying the breeze. She has 3 other barn-mates which she keeps in line, and all in all, she still is the same sweet horse I fell in love with 18 years ago.

For a complete training guide from A to Z, I recommend this complete video library:
Natural Horsemanship Training

Gentle natural horsemanship is a simple and effective way for horse lovers to train their horses regardless of experience or skill level. By learning to think and act in ways a horse intuitively understands, you'll learn to become a kind and gentle leader for your horse, eliminate any bad behavior, and build the kind of relationship with your horse you've always dreamed of. This system was developed by master horse trainer Eric Bravo-and he can teach you everything he knows.

Or, learn from old time horsetrainers through this updated e-book series:
Train your Horse and Cure Bad Habits

These training methods are drawn from the experience of old time horsemen who lived in an age when their livelihood depended on well-trained horses. These were truly expert horsemen who were influenced by knowledge from ancient cultures in which the relationship between man and horse played a very central role in life and survival.