Cow Kicker!!

Question
I have a 2 yr old paint who is an absolute sweetheart, but he cow kicks from his right side. He is fine on the left side.  He kicks at people who stand next to his hip as well as cowkicking the air when he is frightened or irritated by flies.  I have tried taking a fake hand on a stick and pating and rubbing his leg, rump & belly and he doesn't react.  Is there any way to break him of this around people?  There is no warning at all!  He just strikes out with his ears forward and everything!  I was told he had a tough gelding and I'm sure that is part of the problem, but this is dangerous.

Thanks for any suggesstions!  

Answer
Hi Melissa,
             The first thing I would have checked is his vision on the side that he kicks on. Some horses with poor vision will do that. If that checks out ok the next step is to teach him not to cow kick. There are a few things you can do. One is to have someone hold up the offending leg with a soft cotton rope so that when he attempts to kick he would lose his balence a bit. Most horses do not like that feeling and realize that it is better not to kick. Another thing you can do is treat him like a horse in the herd would if he kicked at them. When he kicks out hit him with the back side of a crop and yell no. You should do this within 3 seconds of the behavior. Do not worry about hurting him as the force another horse would use is far greater. You can also use a longe whip if you need the space for safety.  

Lisa