field kicking

Question
We have three horses.  All mature geldings.  They love to play, however; they play too rough.  When in the field they bite and kick terribly.  I believe it is one in particular that is doing most of the kicking.  He is not shod in the rear so that helps.  We have had one of the horses come up with two fractures in his hock.  The surgeon stated that most of these injuries are the result of having been kicked.  What can I do to get these guys to play nicely?  Other than the rough play, they get along well.  It is obvious that they are playing with no mean intentions.  They also do not bite or kick humans.  

Thank you.

Answer
Towanna -

There are two ways to try and fix your problem:

1.  Work with the horses individually.  Even if you are just doing some basic ground work for 30 minutes every other day with each one, that can make a difference.  It can burn up a little excess energy and give them something else to concentrate on other than beating each other up.

2.  Separate the horses.  Or at least the one that is really abusive to the others.

There is really no way to train them not to beat on each other, but you can try to focus that energy on something else, or take away the possibility of injury all together.

Good Luck!
Michael Hockemeyer
Kicking Bear Mustangs