Just as pinned ears or bared teeth send unmistakable messages, a kick–or even the threat of one—tell you about a horse's state of mind or his physical well-being. A kick to the arm or leg can cause a fracture, the bone will show deformity and the casualty will tell you where it hurts!
“Kicks by other horses remain the leading cause of fractures to long bones, such as the tibia and radius,” shared Catherine Whitehouse, M.S., of Kentucky Equine Research (KER). Kicks are also to blame for orbital fractures, coronary band wounds, and hematomas.
In addition, a horse's kick can transfer a force of more than 10 000 Newtons to the body, causing fractures of the skull or other bones as well as devastating damage to the intestines.
A horse's kick is extremely powerful and can cause severe, even fatal injuries. Many riders have experienced broken bones, deep lacerations from a hoof, and even cardiac arrest if the kick landed on their chest. It is also extremely possible to suffer from head injuries that can be fatal if the impact was extreme.
Cold compresses are the most suitable. They reduce the blood supply to the affected area and so reduce the number of inflammatory cells being brought in – it is these inflammatory cells that cause fluid to leak into the surrounding tissues and cause swelling.
The estimated kicking force of a horse is 2,000 pounds per square inch with an average speed of 200 miles per hour.
For 30 seconds, you may see a horse grimace or limp in pain, then walk out of it. Failure to bear weight after a few minutes or when lead can signal a more severe leg injury. The most frequently injured areas are the limbs, resulting in lameness. Fractures from kick do occur.
Parelli's Answer: Horses kick for two reasons: fear and self-defense, or as an act of dominance. A fearful kick is usually quick and tends to happen when a horse feels cornered or trapped. A dominant kick is more of a premeditated attack and not quite as quick; you can see it coming as the horse backs toward you.
Strongest Kick: Zebra — Kicks With About 3,000 Pounds of Force. Due to the power of its kick, a fully grown zebra is able to kill an adult male African lion with one blow. Between the well-known force behind the kick of a red kangaroo and a giraffe, you might be surprised to read that the zebra beats them both.
Getting kicked can result in shattered bones and soft tissue damage, and of course it hurts like heck — emergency room personnel have compared horse kick injuries to the impact of getting hit by a small car moving at 20 miles an hour! A kick to the chest can even cause a person to go into cardiac arrest.
Striking occurs when your horse uses its front feet and legs to kick. This kicking can be towards other horses, objects or even people. Many times, striking becomes a habit that can cause dangerous situations for your horse and for yourself.
Hitting. Hitting a horse with your hand, or any object is rarely an effective method of correction. The horse is unlikely to understand that you are punishing it for unwanted behavior and it may become fearful, or rebellious, depending on its nature.
So a horse bite is more likely to be a crush injury than a puncture. A horse's jaw is so strong that it can press down with a force of about 500 pounds on a square inch! Compare that with 200 psi for human bites and 235 for Pit Bull dog breed.
Bone fractures can be caused by falls, trauma, or as a result of a direct blow or kick to the body. Overuse or repetitive motions can tire muscles and put more pressure on the bone. This causes stress fractures. This is more common in athletes.
The most common pelvic fracture is fracture of the tuber coxae or shaft of the ilium (knocked down hip). This injury usually occurs when a horse rushes through a doorway, catching one or the the tuber coxae on the door frame.
Breaks in horses can also be much more severe than in a human or other mammals, because of their weight and the fragility of their legs. “Because of the high energy impact, the horse can shatter that bone, more than just a simple crack, making repair much less likely,” Palmer said.
Even if being kicked by 2 animals of the same size (so a miniature horse & big red kangaroo), the horse is going to hurt a LOT more & do a LOT more damage, cause it has compact, hard hoofs, while a kangaroo has big, soft feet.
Mantis shrimp pack the strongest punch of any creature in the animal kingdom. Their club-like appendages accelerate faster than a bullet out of a gun and just one strike can knock the arm off a crab or break through a snail shell. These small but mighty crustaceans have been known to take on octopus and win.
When a horse nudges you, it may be trying to comfort you, in its own way. This show of affection can be very healing, which is why horses are often used in different types of therapy. Horses also can sense when someone is afraid or nervous.
Horses stomp to indicate irritation. Usually, it's something minor, such as a fly they're trying to dislodge. However, stomping may also indicate your horse is frustrated with something you are doing, and if you don't address it, he may resort to stronger signals. Striking.
The word "buck" refers to a particular kind of misbehavior in which the horse plants both feet on the ground and then throws its hind end upwards. Bucking is how a horse gets rid of a predator, and some horses, when they buck, are intending to get rid of the rider.
You may not be able to see a horse cry in response to these stressors, but they do react. It is important to know that horses do not just show off when they are hurt or sad, mostly from an evolutionary needs – you do not want to signal out in the wild that you're the weak one in the pack and something is wrong.
Most injuries people suffer while working with horses occur because the horse was too close to them. Think about all the times people get hurt by horses. The horse bites them, kicks them, strikes at them, runs over the top of them, etc.
“This was not surprising, as horses, like humans, need robust yet sensitive skin to respond to touch, say, from flying insects or other horses,” said Professor McGreevy. “From this, we can deduce that horses are likely to feel as much pain as humans would when being whipped.”