Why Do Horses Kick? (And What To Do About It)

Horses can kick with enough force to cause severe or life-threatening injuries in humans and other animals. But why do horses kick?

Reasons Why a Horse Kicks

Novice horse handlers often say, “He kicked me for no reason.” In reality, horses always have a reason for kicking, even if it’s not obvious right away.

Reasons a horse may kick include:

1. Self-Defense

When dealing with predators, a horse’s first choice is to flee out of fear, as horses are prey animals. But if the horse is cornered, kicking comes next.

If these defense mechanisms are directed toward humans, serious horse kick injuries can result. Even a well-trained horse startled by a human directly behind them may instinctively kick.

2. Guarding Resources

Sometimes a horse kicks to defend their food. A horse that kicks to protect their hay pile is, in their own mind, trying to stay alive—just like a horse that kicks at a predator.

Some horses are more protective of their resources than others, whether due to personality differences, gastric pain, or past trauma.

3. Pain or Illness

Horses may kick at their bellies and do so for many reasons, but the most frightening one is colic, an umbrella term for abdominal pain in horses. Kicking the stomach is often seen alongside other signs of colic in horses, such as:

• Sweating without exercise

• Refusal to eat

• Rolling

• Failing to pass manure

If you suspect your horse is colicking, contact your veterinarian immediately.

Horses may also kick their bellies due to itchy skin, poorly fitting tack, gastric ulcer pain, or because something has tickled them.

4. Insects

If your horse is kicking at flies, you’ll probably also see the horse stomping and swishing their tail. Flies and other biting insects are extremely irritating to horses.

Fortunately, there are a lot of ways to protect your horse against pesky flies. Try any or all of these options:

• Fly sheets, like Kensington®’s SureFit Horse Sheet, create a physical barrier between flies and your horse’s body. Many also block UV rays, reducing coat bleaching in summer.

• Fly masks, such as the Farnam® SuperMask II with Ears, do the same for your horse’s sensitive face and ears.

• Fly spray is a must-have for every ride during the warmer months of the year. Long-lasting Farnam® Endure comes in a money-saving gallon size.

• Feed-through fly control supplements, if given to all horses sharing a living area, can make a big dent in the fly population. SimpliFly® prevents house flies and stable flies from developing in your horse’s manure.

5. Play

Some horses, especially young colts, kick at one another during rowdy play sessions.

6. Mating Behavior

Mares in heat (estrus) may instinctively kick if touched in ways that mimic a stallion’s approach.

How Strong Is a Horse Kick?

One study measured horse kick loads at up to 8,722 Newtons (about 2,000 pounds) of impact force. That’s more than twice the force of the strongest punches ever measured from world champion heavyweight boxers.

Horse kick injuries in humans commonly include fractures of the face or jaw. Other possible horse kick injuries include:

• Soft tissue damage

• Traumatic brain injury

• Fractures of the limbs, ribs, or vertebrae

• Damage to organs, especially if kicked in the abdomen

• Internal bleeding

Some experts recommend wearing a helmet at all times when handling a horse. Helmet-wearing may reduce the risk or severity of concussion if you are kicked in the head. However, kicking can cause head injuries even through a helmet. If you’re kicked by a horse, seek immediate medical attention.

What To Do When Horse Kicking Becomes a Problem

Any horse who repeatedly kicks at humans should be handled with caution and placed on a behavior modification program. The following steps are a good starting point.

1. Schedule a Thorough Veterinary Exam

If kicking is a new/abnormal behavior for your horse, it could be a sign of pain or discomfort. This may be due to an underlying health condition such as ovary issues in mares. If your horse is kicking due to pain, treating the underlying condition will likely resolve the kicking behavior.

2. Review Safe Handling Practices

Learn to read your horse’s body language. Never stand directly behind a horse. If you must walk behind a horse, speak out loud, touch them gently, and keep your body as close to theirs as possible, so that a kick can’t reach maximum velocity before striking you.

Avoid sitting or lying down near horses. If your horse kicks to protect their food, keep a barrier between you while they’re eating.

3. Identify Triggers

Make a list of times you’ve seen your horse kick and what happened right before the kick. 

4. Make a Behavior Modification Plan

If an underlying medical condition has been ruled out by your primary vet, then you may treat the kicking as a behavior condition. 

Based on the triggers you’ve identified, decide whether or not you feel safe working through this issue on your own. If you’d prefer to work with an expert, consider asking your primary veterinarian for a referral to an equine behaviorist or a trainer who specializes in behavior problems.

If you decide to hire a trainer or behaviorist, check their references thoroughly and ask if you can watch some of their training sessions with other horses.

If you choose to retrain your own horse, consider using protected contact to keep yourself safe. “Protected contact” is a way of performing positive reinforcement training while keeping a protective barrier between the animal and their trainer.

5. Keep Up the Good Work

If you’ve successfully changed your horse’s behavior, stick to your new training routine. Don’t let people who will cause trauma or reinforce unwanted behaviors handle your horse.

With consistency, patience, and treatment of any medical issues, most horses will learn not to kick humans. Still, any horse, no matter how well-trained, can accidentally or intentionally kick a person. Wise equestrians never get complacent about safety.