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  Discussion on Filly kicks
Author Message
Member:
Smcfarm

Posted on Thursday, Jan 22, 2004 - 1:55 pm:

I have a 3 year old Morgan filly that kicks in her stall especially when eating. When she is given her hay, her head goes down to reach the hay then she swings her head back as if to bite her flanks and kicks out with that leg. Then she goes back to eating normally. She was in driving training and shown lightly as a 2 year old. she started the kicking behavior while in training. She did have one acupuncture treatment while in training. She came home in late September and has been out during the day and stalled at night. The vet examined her and found her to be sore across the lower back. She was adjusted and given Adequan and did not exhibit the kicking behavior for a month. She was adjusted and given Adequan again in November. She was observed to kick again. She was adjusted again inDecember and has continued to exhibit this behavior more and more. We tried a course of Cimetidine to rule out ulcers. There was no change on cimetidine. We just drew a Lyme test yesterday. The trainer thinks it is behavior but at home she is not being asked to do anything and still kicks. She does not show any signs of colic, seems okay outside and has plenty of energy. She is out side with two pregnant mares. Any ideas?
Member:
Rjbraun

Posted on Thursday, Jan 22, 2004 - 2:45 pm:

Hi I got a 20mo old filly that does the same thing when I grain her ,kicks at the horse next to her stall.Still kicks even if the horse is there or not.Sometimes I think he nuts its been going on for mo.s.
Member:
Christos

Posted on Thursday, Jan 22, 2004 - 3:06 pm:

Does she only do it when you are there? Will she switch swinging side and kicking leg if you stand on her other side?
I think it is just a gesture to tell you to buzz off when she's having her grain.
You do not have to ask her to do something, just staring at them when they're enjoying their grain gets some horses pretty annoyed. That's exactly what she's telling you, either do/ask something or leave me alone!
I think she's right!
Member:
Rjbraun

Posted on Thursday, Jan 22, 2004 - 3:26 pm:

Hi Christos,no she does it if I am there or not when I leave I can hear her kicking .She broke her water and two grain buckets .I got a steel bucket now , she bent that one now.Shes young I keep hopeing she out grows it ?She does not kick at me when I feed her.
Member:
Gafarm

Posted on Thursday, Jan 22, 2004 - 3:48 pm:

I have had a few horses that did this or something similar. Seemed to be behavorial. I believe they just found some way to make a loud noise to ward other horses away from their food! The fact that you had her out with some brood mares may have caused her to feel she has to compete for her food this way. We broke one mare of doing that by putting a 2X4 on each stall wall and nailing on a stall matt. It deadened the sound so she didn't get the response she wanted which was to make the horse next to her move away. Smart mare though because then she started running over and biting on the stall screens which scared her neighbors away.
Member:
Christos

Posted on Thursday, Jan 22, 2004 - 4:16 pm:

Call me crazy, but I love these horses with "character", as far as they are not a danger to people, other horses or themselves.
We once broke a notorious kicker by suspending a sack of sand from the roof beams so that it would touch her hind end. She was kicking at it for 2 hours non-stop! She hardly swings at flies now.
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