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Water jets help stop horses kicking stable doors
20 December, 2007
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How many times have you wished someone would invent something to stop horses kicking their stable doors?
Two horsey chaps in Surrey have come up with an ingenious device to do just that. They have developed a small, battery-operated gadget that fits on a stable door and squirts two thin jets of water upwards for 1sec.
One of the partners in Quitkick, former conditional jockey Owen Evans, told Horse & Hound: "The idea came from a friend of ours originally, and it's taken about two years to perfect it."
He continued: "I've been around horses all my life and it's infuriating when they continually kick the door. But the best thing about this device is that it works when you're not there to keep an eye on them."
Quitkick only squirts water towards the horse when the door is kicked, rather than pushed or leant upon.
"It's difficult legally to claim that it's 100% effective, but no horse would ever stand there and have water squirted in its face," he said. "We've sold about 80 devices so far and they've all been successful."
Event rider Ken Spencer uses a Quitkick device on his yard in West Sussex.
"One horse I have is a real attention seeker and its owner bought a unit," said Mr Spencer. "It worked like magic — it has done for all of them, without fail."
The device costs around £180, and is fixed to the door using a screw-on plate that is sold separately.
"We recommend people buy a few plates so the unit can be moved around," said Mr Evans. "It takes a day or two for a horse to learn, so they can also get wise to the fact that it's not there again, so the odd 'refresher' is often needed!"
For details, visit www.quitkick.com
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