Dangerous bad habits

Question
QUESTION: I have an Arabian mare named Emma who has recently picked up a bad habit of whenever I try to mount she kicks and bites. Do you have any suggestions of how to stop that habit?

ANSWER: Hi Heather, I have a few questions for you.  How old are you, how long have you owned horse, what have you done to fix this and what do you think is causing this?

Answer these and I will answer your question.

Rick

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: I am 14 years old, and I have owned horses since early 2006. I have been around horses since I was 9. I usually get someone to hold Emma's head when I mount, so she can't bite me, but now she has started to kick as well. We adopted her from the USERL, and she has been perfectly fine until recently. When she first started biting, I though it was from the saddle, so we got a thicker pad and she stopped for about 2 weeks, then started again. We keep her in a pasture with a Paint gelding. Thanks for your help!

Answer
Here is an answer I gave to another person with the same issue.  Read my website about kicking and herd behavior.  You and your horse is a herd of two.  Unless you understand herd behavior, you will not understand why your horse does what he does or how to fix.

One problem is you said some worker could not get horse out because he was inexperienced!!! Bingo, I think that is a big contributing factor.  This horse is being handled by people who are not giving him direction and moving his feet to show they are higher.  This horse is smart and has learned that not all people know how to talk horse so he is teaching them.  Horses are professional people trainers.  If you do not talk their language, they will teach you.  The horse see anyone but you, as a provided and not a leader.  He sees these others as feeders, walkers, and non-dominate head members.  So being a horse, it is in his nature to always try and move up the pecking order.  By threatening, being aggressive, displaying his butt, he is telling everyone that he is higher and they must submit to his authority.  Every time he gets a way with this, he learns he is right.  Not good.  You cannot fix or protect people from their own lack of knowledge.  Any horse that shows me his butt will get a rope across his legs or butt, will get my hat throw at his feet or will get a stick or rock on his butt.  I will act as if the just tried to kill me and I am attacking him until he spins and faces me or moves his feet away.  That horse will not do that again.

You need to tell people that go out to paster to carry a plastic bag in their pocket or a lead rope in their hand and as soon as your horse even looks like he is coming over, they need to get aggressive and attack, yell, chase, and put pressure on your horse until he runs or moves away.  Don't let him get close enough to put his butt to them.

Soon he will stay away from all people except you.  Later they can back off, but for now, every time they let him move them, they are teaching him to be aggressive.  

The other thing for you to do is make sure who is handling you horses know what they doing.  I can tell if someone leads my horse for one day.  He gets heavy, more pushy and totally changes from just one person leading him.  Then I have to move his feet re-establish my rules and get him back on track.  The more people that handle him, the more things are not consistent, the more confusing cues he gets, the less he knows what to expect, the worse he will get.

Horses love consistency and habit.  They like to know what to expect.  That is why they are so comfortable in a herd.  Horses are very honest and predictable.  No guessing.  That is what makes a horse happy.

You can help this by having other people handle him that you know what they are doing or having these stable people handle him while you are there so you can see what they are doing to cause this.  That's right, they are causing this..... It is never the horse's fault.

Hope this helps,

Rick