# Kicking Strap?



## WashingtonCowgirl (Sep 26, 2012)

I ordered one, just to be on the safe side.

One question.

How the heck do you attach it? Lol

I have an Ozark Pleasure harness if that makes any difference.


----------



## Matthijs (Sep 26, 2012)

It sits between the crupper and the britching straps over the bum, either through or around the back strap on the top and then clips around the shafts on both sides.

Make sure it does not sit to far forward on the horse or he or she will be able to still get the bum up in the air by ducking under backwards as it where. Also make sure you have enough slack for the horse to move freely, probably about an inch and a half or three fingers at the top. Start there and adjust as needed.

Careful if adjusted too tight it can cause your horse to kick and buck.

An overcheck used at the same time can also help as it will prevent the horse from reaching down to buck.

Keep us posted

matthijs


----------



## WashingtonCowgirl (Sep 26, 2012)

I still don't really understand how it attaches. Maybe once it gets here I'll be able to understand better.

I'll post when I get it






Thanks


----------



## Matthijs (Sep 27, 2012)

It is not really attached to the harness it either slides in between two layers of the backstrap or it has to have a double layer itself and the backstrap goes through it! You do not want to really attach it in order to give the horse the freedom to move not only up and down but also side to side without being hindered by the strap.

matthijs.


----------



## WashingtonCowgirl (Sep 27, 2012)

Matthijs said:


> It is not really attached to the harness it either slides in between two layers of the backstrap or it has to have a double layer itself and the backstrap goes through it! You do not want to really attach it in order to give the horse the freedom to move not only up and down but also side to side without being hindered by the strap.
> 
> matthijs.


Ok that makes more sense lol. The only way that I could picture attaching it, there was no way that it would do any good at all. I get it now though


----------



## hobbyhorse23 (Sep 28, 2012)

Matthijs said:


> It sits between the crupper and the britching straps over the bum, either through or around the back strap on the top and then clips around the shafts on both sides.Make sure it does not sit to far forward on the horse or he or she will be able to still get the bum up in the air by ducking under backwards as it where. Also make sure you have enough slack for the horse to move freely, probably about an inch and a half or three fingers at the top. Start there and adjust as needed.
> 
> Careful if adjusted too tight it can cause your horse to kick and buck.


I've tried mine between the crupper and the hipstrap and found it constantly slid down to the crupper buckles and pinched my horses' winter hair, causing both of them to buck. I much prefer it mounted between a set of double hip straps when possible! Michelle, you can always use a piece of electrical tape to make a "stop" on the backstrap so the kick strap will stay forward for you. Otherwise Matthijs is right, you need to allow enough slack that the horse can take a normal canter stride without hitting the rope or you may find yourself _causing_ a bucking fit. I also prefer kicking straps with a fairly wide loop at the top as that allows the horse's rear to move from side to side without the strap pulling the backstrap out of place.



Matthijs said:


> An overcheck used at the same time can also help as it will prevent the horse from reaching down to buck.


Matthijs, you're killing me!



One minute you're saying a saddle is perfectly unusable for the trail if it doesn't have a sliding backband, the next you're recommending an overcheck to prevent bucking?? Talk about a way to make a horse uncomfortable on the trail! No, thank you. Ugh. A sidecheck may be acceptable for trail driving but frankly by the time you've got it loose enough to allow them to pull properly they can also buck just fine. An overcheck is a great way to ruin a horse's musculature and make him balk about pulling through deep footing or going uphill and IMO should never be used on a trail. The benefit of the kick strap is that it _only_ affects the horse when he bucks- an overcheck affects the horse every single minute and not for the better.

Leia


----------



## WashingtonCowgirl (Sep 28, 2012)

No worries, no checks of any kind here. I ordered the harness with a side check, but don't ever plan on using it. I ordered the kickstrap from Chimacum, not sure how long it will take to get here, but when it does I'll post pictures to see if its right. I am more of a visual learner


----------



## Matthijs (Sep 29, 2012)

We just got one from Chimacum tack i find it rather heavy with overly heavy and cumbersome clips. Also it is lacking the double layer to weave the back band through but that would be easy to add.

We have not used it yet because the horse we had in training is no more



She colicked at the trainer. Good choice that was to trust a certified coach!!

Leia, I see a green driver and a green horse here. In this case it is perfectly legit to add safety measures like kicking straps and over or side checks until the horse has proven to be safe on the trail.

Ripley, my horse is very bad for putting her head down to eat during a drive if grass is close. So for the time being I use one so I don't have to correct her all the time. I believe it is good for training purposes ie if the gear stops her it more like she is correcting herself and I do not have be the bad guy again.

My beef is not the purchasers of one harness fits all but com on if you sell a harness how hard is it to ask what you are using it for... you bought a gig get a gig saddle you think you may end up showing get the wrap straps, they still work with the gig saddle. I have seen to many horses that are uncomfortable to just let this issue slide.

I agree wrap straps can be okay on the trail but it is very easy to mess it up.


----------



## WashingtonCowgirl (Sep 29, 2012)

Matthijs said:


> Leia, I see a green driver and a green horse here. In this case it is perfectly legit to add safety measures like kicking straps and over or side checks until the horse has proven to be safe on the trail.


I'd just like to add that Spanky is safe anywhere.... I doubt you will believe me but its the honest truth!


----------



## Knottymare (Oct 1, 2012)

Glad to see this topic here. Michelle, you'll remember the "little" incident that happened with my mare at the beach drive. Up till that weekend, she had been safe everywhere. She'd been driven around fireworks, over bubble wrap, through all kinds of trails, up and down hills, in traffic, around bikes, machines, etc... and when we were frollicking down the beach, busted out in a bucking fit that wound up flipping my cart and ending my driving for the weekend. I did ground drive her, both back from the beach to the trailer and then all over the place at the campgrounds and she was fine, even next to the stallions that we thought might have been the reason she was bucking.

After a month of desensitizing, relaxation, I hitched her up yesterday. Everything was smooth sailing. She was excited about getting out but not nervous or uptight at all. Got out on the road after a few spins around the house and all was going well until I reached forward to touch her breeching to see if it was too tight and off she went, into another extreme bucking fit. This time, she rolled us into a ditch, got her leg over one of the shafts, and was suspended with her front feet on the ground and the cart wheels on the ground with her back legs straddling the shaft suspended in the air. As I worked to free her, she managed to flip the cart and ran over me and dragged the cart over me. She ran into some bushes and fortunately got stuck there where I could free her and ground drive her home, going back to collect my yard sale later. All this happened with an improvised bucking strap in place, adjusted exactly how I have seen illustrated, with enough slack for her to move, but tight enough to supposedly keep her from getting her legs up too high. I'm waiting for my bucking strap to arrive from Iowa Valley Carriage...

Talked to a very experienced driver/trainer this morning and the news isn't good. It was suggested that after two wrecks it is not very likely that this mare will ever be safe to drive. Sigh. I spent the rest of the afternoon working on those touchy back end areas which had been safe again... but I'm not sure I'll every feel safe driving her. I'm not afraid... I don't scare easily, but I just came out of almost 2 years of being laid up and I'm not willing to risk my health over a horse that has a bug up her butt!

This horse is a rescue, by the way, one who was found wandering loose in Port Orchard some 5 or 6 years ago and was given to me with no history.

Lovely, eh?


----------



## WashingtonCowgirl (Oct 2, 2012)

Wow! I'm so sorry to hear that Mary, but I'm glad that you are all right! (and Dolly too)


----------

