Have you tried giving him something else to do when you are in the round pen, rather than just making him "go".

Here's what I would do. I would spend three days working on basic manners. Whoa, stand still and stay standing until I tell you to move, back, move away from me laterally, etc. If you have already done this, I would graduate to using a chain under the chin. Run the chain through the left halter ring, under the chin, through the right halter ring, then clip the snap end to the other end of the chain... this way, you can longe him like this later without the chain only being on one side, or the other, of his face. After my three days of manners, I would take him to the round pen with the longe line, a longing whip, and the chain. Send him right first, but only at a walk. Keep your torso angled toward his hip. This will encourage him to drive forward. Keep him fairly short on the line at a walk. Keep the whip in your left hand. When his hip starts to move in towards you, poke his hip back out with the whip, step toward his hip, and say in a strong voice "walk".

When he competes two circles make him stop, and make him stand there. Let him stand there for about 15 seconds. Then ask him to lope off. When you ask him to lope off, step toward his hip, with your whip pointed right at his ass. If he tries to kick out, make sure the end of the whip connects with his ass (the popper part.... it tends to sting a bit). Make him lope three strides, then make him stop and stand there. Lather rinse repeat. Then do it the other direction. When he gets it, add in some trotting and stopping. If you keep him busy enough, and not knowing what you are going to ask him to do, he won't have time to think about kicking out. Also, if he does kick out, you need to be coordinated enough to pull his head toward you, and use your body language and whip to drive his ass away from you. Make it count the first time you correct him. Don't worry about hurting his ass. He's got a lot of hide on it and those feet are going to hurt a hell of a lot worse if he connects.


You aren't going to solve a kicking out problem in one try. You have to keep repeating the method.

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