Horses are prey animals, that is to say, other animals (predators) want to eat horses. Horses are hardwired to protect themselves from predators, and have developed a number of reactions that work really well for them in the wild.
Reaction 1: Flight (running away)
Reaction 2: Fight (kicking, biting, striking)
Reaction 3: Freeze (stay very still, and hope that the predator doesnt see them)
This behaviour is totally natural for horses, and must be considered whenever we are around them.
Any time a horse cannot take Flight, for instance if they are tied up, or in a small space, they will next resort to Fight. A horse who feels that they need to protect themselves by fighting might bite, kick, or strike you. This doesn’t mean that a horse that kicked you is mean, they really did think that they needed to protect themself!
– Move calmly around horses
Why: high or nervous energy makes horses worry that you are a predator
– Talk to horses as you approach them
Why: Horses cannot see all the way around them (just like humans!), talking to the horse lets them know where we are, so we don’t give them a fright.
– Approach from the shoulder
Why: Horses can’t see directly in front of or behind them, approaching from the shoulder makes sure that they see you, and is a friendly direction to approach from.
– When moving from one side of the horse to another, stay in close contact as you pass behind them
Why: Touching the horse lets it feel where you are, even if it can’t see you. Staying close means that even if the horse does kick, they are more likely to push you away rather than hit you with full impact.
Note: I do not reccomend that children go “far away around the back of the horse”. This is because horses have a surprisingly long range for a kick. Children rarely go far enough away, and tend to put themselves right in the zone for a full impact kick at the 1-2m mark. When horses are within a yard, it is not physically possible to go far enough away when passing behind them to be safe.
Always remember, horses hate surprises.