# Kicking stall walls during feeding times



## SaddleStrings (May 15, 2012)

My mare Belle has a bad habit of kicking the stall walls during feeding times, especially at morning feeding per my BO. My BO has told me they usually wait till she's done having her kicking fit then go back to feed her, although, I really don't think it's consistent. I'm betting they feed her first so she doesn't act up too much.

The BO told me today, that Belle kicked the latch on the stall door and broke the clip on the chain, then proceeded to slide the latch over and escape. 

Here's a pic from tonight, not the best quality. You can see the gate with the latch you slide over. You can't really see the broken clip, but you can see my stud chain wrapped around, hopefully Belle won't kick that too!









When I went over to the barn tonight, my BO had put a bungee cord on the stall door, but I really didn't trust it, so I put a stud chain around it to hold the door till we can replace the clip on the latch. 
Does Anyone have any tips or ideas to stop Belle from kicking and doing anymore damage? I actually don't put shoes on her hinds as I'm afraid she'll not only do more damage, but hurt herself.


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## GhostwindAppaloosa (Jun 3, 2011)

front or back feet? kick chains


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## SaddleStrings (May 15, 2012)

No shoes on the back feet. She backs up to the feeder and stall walls and kicks away.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

This begins as one of those things that happens at the wrong time. Perhaps she kicked at an annoying fly just as feed was coming. Aha, if I bang, food comes. The way to undo this is to approach the stall with feed but stop with the first bang, turn your back to her and slowly start walking away. Be prepared for some banging that may get frantic. She will stop and only then do you approach with her feed. If she starts again, turn away again and walk away. Only when she's quiet do you approach the stall and give her her feed. Whoever is feeding must be consistant with this or she will start up again. She will test maybe in a few days or a week or a month and a reminder of what happens is usually enought to stop it forever.


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## SaddleStrings (May 15, 2012)

She does get let out during the day and in at night to eat, btw. Then I usually work or ride her in the evening when I get home.


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## GhostwindAppaloosa (Jun 3, 2011)

ive had several stall kickers through the years and have tried the withhold feed trick never works. they just keep banging away and than will start banging whenever they see you anywhere near feed. 

I've personally had good luck with kick chains. 

Stall Kicking by Horses


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## SaddleStrings (May 15, 2012)

I will have to ask my BO if they can try this for a while.


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## SaddleStrings (May 15, 2012)

How long can kick chains be left on? And how long till the horse learns to stop kicking with the chains?


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

We have had the best results with an electric shock collar. We have not had anything else actually stop a horse from kicking and keep it from kicking. Anything else only works when it is put on a horse and as soon as you take chains or the horse shoes that some people put on a horse's pasterns off, the horse just starts kicking again. A shock collar works in a trailer too, in one trip.

Kicking stall walls and trailers can cripple a horse and has crippled many. Capped hocks are just the least of it. A time or two with a shock collar is very effective.

I have never seen a horse return to kicking that was shocked when it kicked. It has worked every time I have used it.


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## NeuroticMare (Jan 8, 2012)

A barn I used to work at had 68 stalls, so if anyone kicked it was really obnoxious (feeding grain alone took about 45 minutes, almost all had supplements or different grains), so the barn manager would scrape the pitchfork along the metal bars when they did it and it annoyed them enough to stop, usually.

If there is one that does this because of being impatient of food, it's actually better just to feed them first. They don't put two and two together that they won't get fed any sooner and they should stop. There was a Paint at the barn I used to board at that would go nuts at AM feeding so the barn worker just left his hay right in front of his stall and fed him first thing before the lights came on so he didn't hurt himself.


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## GhostwindAppaloosa (Jun 3, 2011)

SaddleStrings said:


> How long can kick chains be left on? And how long till the horse learns to stop kicking with the chains?


ive had some who learn after a few weeks of always having them on.. and others that had to wear them whenever stalled. they dont hurt them unless they kick than they smack them. 

Ive never used the Electric shock collar but i bet that would work pretty well too. I had thought of using my dog one on the horse that would slam into the gate outside when it saw u coming but never did  going to have to get a horse one now!


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## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

I would say that the shock collar would have a better mental impact than the chains which are just a physical restraint - you leave them off they start doing it again. We tried hobbles to try to stop a mare that repeatedly paws and hits the door with her knees & legs at feed time, as soon as we took them off she started doing it again so I gave her a good sharp slap with a short whip a few times and that was enough to convince her it was a bad idea - you cant really do that with one thats hind leg kicking so the collar would have the same effect
What about tying him up out of reach of any walls and leading him to his feed?


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

I've not had a stall kicker in many years. The last was one of my show mares as a teen. She would try and take a barn down if she wasn't fed first. She wore kicking chains when stalled. 

Cherie - my sister's old gelding has recently moved back here and is a pita at feeding time. He doesn't kick but at feeding time he grabs the wire panel in the stall door and pulls back and releases it like a rubber band. Noisy, annoying and no doubt will jack up his teeth. Think a shock collar would fix him? I have a dogtra set for the hunting dogs that I could add some length to one of the collars if it would work.
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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

All I have ever used is husband's Tri-tronic dog collar on the highest setting. Two dog collars buckled together make a perfect horse collar. I just put it around a horse's neck. 

If your timing is good and you stay out of sight or at least out of mind, the horse blames the behavior and not you. This is the perfect solution to vices that can injure horses or people.

I have stopped cribbers that were just starting to crib. I have not had it work on long-time old cribbers. It has worked on every other vice I have tried it on. I have not seen a down-side or a problem. As a matter of fact, there has never been a problem that I have found using one and it is far better than anything else that stops a vice.


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## MHFoundation Quarters (Feb 23, 2011)

Thanks! I can stay in my feed room, he is the first stall so I can hear really easily when he grabs it. As long as my sister is okay with it, he will be wearing a collar tonight when he comes in!
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