Kicking chains?

[omare]

Hi, Do they work? And if so can you modify them (like wrap chain with vet wrap–maybe add a pingball ball for extra surprise??):)) I am assuming it is a chain so it has enough weight–but not to actually cause pain? Rather it works because of the surprise (the oops–what is that!) of having an immediate reaction to their action?

Not sure right now how I would use as the horse in question has stopped kicking the wall with no neighbor but cannot be trusted for group turnout-(has a quick lethal wicked kick). Likely cannot be trusted for turn out regardless…

[cnd8]

The ones I have seen are actually a dog collar with a foot or so (maybe more like 18”) of standard chain clipped onto them. So the chain doesn’t touch the horse unless they kick or paw. You can make it yourself. Only for stall use though.

Yes they work.

[Bonnie2]

They do work. Of course it works because it causes pain. Not safe for turnout. No neighbor is a good choice. Blocking the view of the neighbor may also work.

[goodhors]

We made ours using a dog collar and a choke chain for the chain part, fastened above the hock. Chain reaches down to the fetlock for length, no chance of it being stepped on. Stall use only!! They are quite effective, self-inflicted AS NEEDED. You just can’t be by the horse 24 hours to punish kicks.

Most horses self-train pretty quick, give up kicking in short order. I do both hind legs, some horses will swap kicking from a favorite leg to the other, using only one chain. I leave them on about a month, so horse should be REALLY over the habit, even if surprised from behind.

I have only had one horse revert to wall kicking even after the month of being good, so she wore chains here until we sold her. Hers was more food related, she expected breakfast at 5am!! Not taking NO for an answer until she wore chains!

I do not wrap the chains, they are not extremely heavy weight, but certainly do sting as they snap back with a kick. As mentioned, dog choke chain works, a couple curb chains tied together for length work too.

I consider kicking chains to be a better method to stop kicking, than the bent horsehoe around the pastern joint. The shoes slide up and down the joint, twirl around the leg, rubbing holes in the skin.

[omare]

Thanks all. Lots to think about!

[fivestrideline]

Definitely DO NOT turn out in kicking chains - no way no how. Stall only. And they’re still risking getting caught on something, so go over the stall with care and make sure there’s nothing to snag on.

Kickers and aggressive horses have to go out alone, but sometimes a string of Hotwire is all it takes to keep them off shared fence lines if that’s the issue.

ETA they absolutely do cause pain. Ever been whacked by a flying stud chain? Bruising isn’t obvious on horses due to the hair density, but that’s part of the deal with kicking chains. HOWEVER, horses that kick stall walls are at risk for much more serious injuries, hence the chains.

[SonnysMom]

We have a horse or two that we have used kicking chains to prevent pawing while in the trailer or crossties to prevent destroying the mats.
Not wrapped

[red_mares]

Kicking chains work great with stall pacers as well. Ours are ~2’ long and on a strap around the fetlocks, with a fairly heavy chain. A new horse came in who was a confirmed stall walker; he decided it wasn’t worth it after about 15 minutes with chains in front.

[DiamondJubilee]

I used a kicking chain on a young horse who was on stall rest for 5 weeks. He would kick at the walls when he thought he should be fed. I did purchase mine, its all fuzzy that wraps around the ankle, and the chain is fairly fine (so not a lot of weight) and about 12" long. I only used it inside of course, and it worked really well for him - he never kicked when he saw me at feeding time (he only seemed to kick the walls when I was feeding grain in the AM and PM’s). I only put it on one hind ankle, but I have known other horses that have needed it on all 4 every day that they are inside, as they would paw and kick the walls. My sisters horse was a very bad wall kicker and they never used kicking chains on him (not sure why as I would think this might have prevented it? But not my barn or horse, so I could only make a suggestion). He eventually kicked through the wall and needed a lot of stitches. That barn that she was boarding at eventually added some “tacks” to the wall to prevent him from leaning/kicking the walls. He was very, very bad at feeding time! She then sold him on and he lived more outdoors (he was a reiner so had to be in for part of the day since he had sliders on).

Now that my young guy is off of stall rest, he doesn’t even think of kicking at the walls and he does not need to wear a kicking chain, so it worked well for me.

[equinelibrium]

Someone on here had some really cool alternatives to kicking chains. IIRC it was basically a horseshoe that you would put around the horse’s pastern, with elastic over the open part of the shoe, to keep in place. I believe it was @endlessclimb?

[endlessclimb]

Yep, that’s me. I’ve stayed out of this one because I really don’t think this is an appropriate application for them - the horse can still kick and injure another horse.

The horseshoe pawing bracelets work great in a stall or in the trailer, on fronts or hinds depending on which is the problem end.

This horse would be turned out alone if mine, and if that wasn’t possible it would be sideline hobbled. I know that freaks a lot of people out though, so I stayed out of it.

[omare]

Thanks great ideas - he will stay single turn out. I use to hang matts on the walls but I redid the stalls. Kicking the wall caused visions of vet bill (and cringe as he tested my hard work.) Weird the stall kicking when next to the best friend. He seems overly defensive in his old age-use to just kick wall in the stall- now.kick first ask questions later even outside, But he is an old man now…and i had him offsite while i was redoing the barn and he might have been bullied when turned out.

[endlessclimb]

If he’s still kicking the walls, hanging old feed bags has worked for a couple horses I know. The crunch is startling enough that they quit it.

[equinelibrium]

Ah, I missed the turnout part of the question. That’s my bad. But now it’s out there for anyone else who stumbles across this thread and needs something for a stall/trailer situation.

ETA your suggestion of the feed bags makes me think of the old trick of putting aluminum foil on counters to stop cats from jumping on them!

[omare]

Well it was a two part question but a solution to stall/trailer kicking alone is worth gold!

[Cowgirl]

I used kick chains on a mare who would kick the panels between her and her neighbor (no matter who the neighbor was) with a lot of success. More successful, however, was to put her on Regumate, all the time, year round (due to our crazy weather here which could keep her in heat in the winter). I would never turn out with them.

[pokesaladannie]

Something that worked for a big wb that kicked high and hard in his stall when he felt he was not getting “all” the attention was to put a bracelet of 3 or 4 tennis balls around his pastern - just used a spur strap woven thru slices in the balls. Worked very well and was easy and fairly gentle.