Agressive behavior

Question
I have a seven year old mare pony. Have had her for almost a year. She came to me very insecure and nervous. She has calmed down considerably and I believe now trusts me. A strange small child entered her pasture today. He was calm amd no threatening. She is always very curious and likes to check out new people, so i was not surprised when she went to the child. Without provokation, she tried to trample the child (rearing slightly and kicking front legs) then turned to kick with hind legs. I have never seen this behavior before. my question is: Are horses territorial? Or could it have been just because the child was a stranger? Also, I am wondering if there is anything I can do about this? Thank you so much!

Answer
Hi Jill!

Yes!  Horses can be very aggressive and territorial, especially mares about their pasture.  She was exhibiting completely normal "horse" behaviour.  She was saying "HEY!  Who are you?  Get out of my pasture!" and she may have felt comfortable kicking because the child was small enough for her to win the fight.  An adult would be more threatening becuase of their hieght and she would not take them on.

It will be almost impossible to break her of this if she is not in a formal program where she is touched and trained daily to respect humans.....and of course age will eventaully calm her down too.

My advice is that all little children should pet and feed her from the safety of the other side of the fence while you are inside with her and have her on a leadline, controlling her head and making her be nice.  Safety must be of utmost importance and you must also teach your pony was is and what is not allowed with humans.

Feel free to contact your local Pony Club chapter for advice about training and to answer any questions you may have. For a small fee, I am sure they can even recommend a trainer to come out and evaluate your situation and give you some solid advice and exersices to do with your mare to keep her in line and everyone around you safe  :-)

Good luck and remember to always wear an ASTM/SEI approved helemet!

Solange