Advice wanted, how do you stop a reared?

[showley1]

Had my daughters ish almost 4 years and whilst he has sometimes threatened at times to rear it has only been small...... until this summer, he has just gone 8, it seems if he is not getting what he wants he will go up, ( mainly in a show situation but has been known to do it on a field hacking) all usual checks done, has anyone any experience of this and how did you solve it? He is going up to the point this sun he fell over backwards, this is getting dangerous for them both, but when they go for lessons he is fine????

 

[AmyMay]

You need to get an experg to assess it - and don't get on it again until that's been done.

 

[AdorableAlice]

There could be a multitude of reasons, all of which need considering. However it is an experts job, and many of the very best experts will turn away a rearing horse as there is nothing more dangerous. Many will threaten in fits of nappiness and temper and many can be pushed forwards and sorted out, but one that is calculating and able to get up high enough to come over backwards has no sense of self preservation and in my hands, would be meeting his maker.

A very good horseman friend of mine took one on and ended up in a wheelchair.

Probably not want you want to hear, but your comment about him coming up and over is very worrying.

 

[Clodagh]

I certainly would never let my daughter get on board.

 

[showley1]

She is 17 and he is her best friend, I have no power to stop her not getting back on, and he is not like this all the time, she set up boot camp for him on the show field ( the show was held on our yard) and he has schooled like an angel so something is upsetting him or is it temper? Hard to get a professional involved I.e teacher as it having them catch him do it? Just at a bit of a loss

 

[sport horse]

How sad that you are not able to stop your 17 year old daughter from riding a dangerous horse. You really do need professional help and I really hope that you never have cause to regret having allowed your daughter grow up with no respect for your word. A rearer is dangerous and if he goes over and lands on her he could kill her - is that plain enough. I had one do it and it broke my back so I know. I was so lucky that it did not damage my spinal cord but I will never, ever, consider that rearing is not serious.

 

[SpringArising]

So your daughter was riding the horse this Sunday, it fell over backwards with her on it, and you're sitting here saying he's her best friend and you can't stop her getting back on? Drag her off if necessary! She won't be saying he's her BFF when she's lying in hospital and you're wiping her backside.

I'm sorry for the harsh post but you REALLY need a wake up call. This isn't a game - a horse who doesn't have the self-preserve to not go over on itself is really the most dangerous type of horse there is.

 

[Auslander]

She is 17 and he is her best friend, I have no power to stop her not getting back on, and he is not like this all the time, she set up boot camp for him on the show field ( the show was held on our yard) and he has schooled like an angel so something is upsetting him or is it temper? Hard to get a professional involved I.e teacher as it having them catch him do it? Just at a bit of a loss

Sheis 17 - still a minor, and you have every power to stop her getting on a horse who could well paralyse her (or worse) if she rides him without this behaviour being thoroughly checked out.
He is NOT her best friend. He is a horse whose behaviour is putting her in danger. Someone needs to take responsibility for making sure she is safe - and as her mother, that's down to you. She may hate you for it temporarily, but not as much as she'll hate you having to wipe her bottom for her for the rest of her life if he breaks her back.

 

[ExmoorHunter]

How sad that you are not able to stop your 17 year old daughter from riding a dangerous horse. You really do need professional help and I really hope that you never have cause to regret having allowed your daughter grow up with no respect for your word. A rearer is dangerous and if he goes over and lands on her he could kill her - is that plain enough. I had one do it and it broke my back so I know. I was so lucky that it did not damage my spinal cord but I will never, ever, consider that rearing is not serious.

It's not that easy to stop a 17 year old doing what they want to do - I remember what I was like at that age! When we get older we have more experience and wisdom and can (possibly) make more informed decisions. I have been very lucky to have avoided a serious accident until much older. But it was a horse that suddenly reared and went over backwards almost on top of me. There were previously a few issues but it was sudden and unexpected when the horse was going well. It was investigated and spine x-rayed and found to have kissing spines. When I was up and about again I decided the safest thing was PTS.

 

[Michen]

This makes my blood go cold. Please don't let your daughter get back on him. I had a nappy rearing mare that only reared in certain situations and one day she went bolt upright in the school and literally started tipping backwards. God knows how but she somehow regained balance and came down but it is not something to be dismissed. You are her parent, you are responsible for ensuring her safety as best you can. Please don't let her get back on that horse until he's been assessed and worked with by a professional.

 

[showley1]

She certainly won't be riding him in a show situation until we have gotten to the bottom of it, she says he lost his footing which is why he went over, but he really is her best friend and of I knew how to post pics on here would post many to prove this 95 % of the time they are a perfect partnership... we need to get to the bottom of why this is happening the 5% of the time, am getting his back and saddle checked again this week to 100% rule this out ( 3 months since last check) also thinking maybe thermo imaging? Daughter has also suggested a horse whisperer? Would not know where to start with that though?

 

[Auslander]

She certainly won't be riding him in a show situation until we have gotten to the bottom of it, she says he lost his footing which is why he went over, but he really is her best friend and of I knew how to post pics on here would post many to prove this 95 % of the time they are a perfect partnership... we need to get to the bottom of why this is happening the 5% of the time, am getting his back and saddle checked again this week to 100% rule this out ( 3 months since last check) also thinking maybe thermo imaging? Daughter has also suggested a horse whisperer? Would not know where to start with that though?

Who is checking his back?

 

[stormox]

When I was 17 I was working in a yard away from home riding all sorts of horses- including a rearer, which was my favourite! If my mum had told me not to ride it I wouldnt have taken the slightest bit of notice!!!

 

[showley1]

Mctimoney registered back person we use and see what she suggests

 

[Doris68]

When I was around 12/13 I had a pony which reared - for no apparent reason! She came backwards on me on the road and, very fortunately I only (only?) suffered very bruised legs and an extremely sore back. However, I discovered some years later that I'd damaged my coccyx, which then resulted in continuing back problems in later life. Please don't let your daughter continue to ride this horse. Rearing is the worst thing and I have never, ever ridden a horse that (knowingly) rears since then. I should add that many professional riders are of the same mind!

 

[planete]

I think you need to sit your daughter down and explain to her that her horse is showing signs of possibly very serious problems such as a brain tumour and until you have a diagnosis it is both unfair and very dangerous for her and for him to go on riding him. If she truly loves him she will listen. She could be killed and so could he. A horse going over backwards can do himself horrendous damage, particularly if he strikes his head as he lands. She should consider that her insistence to go on riding is putting both of them at risk of being crippled or killed. She may be more willing to listen once she understands her horse needs her to do the right thing by him. We all know young people think they are invincible but we have found out it is sadly not true.

Get in touch with a professional trainer and talk to your vet again and tell them exactly what is happening please. You all need help including the horse.

 

[showley1]

O and just for the record I do not need to open my eyes I know how dangerous this is hence why I am worried and looking for solutions, if it turns out to be something that makes him u rideable then he will become a companion and live out his days with us, this is not normal behaviour for him but very scary that it has happened at all.... same show another horse from same yard went vertical also who has never reared in his life , we are very concerned as to why both horses did what they did

 

[Auslander]

Mctimoney registered back person we use and see what she suggests

Do you not feel that a vet should be your first port of call, bearing in mind that this is new behaviour? Your McTimoney person needs to know what she's treating before she stats working on the horse.

 

[Auslander]

Mctimoney registered back person we use and see what she suggests

Do you not feel that a vet should be your first port of call, bearing in mind that this is new behaviour? Your McTimoney person needs to know what she's treating before she stats working on the horse.

 

[showley1]

Will ring my vets in the morning and have a chat with them and see what they can suggest

 

[wyrdsister]

Will ring my vets in the morning and have a chat with them and see what they can suggest

Definitely ring your vet. I've had a couple of horses who rear. One was a gorgeous, huge, but rather melodramatic young mare who I backed myself. She never went over with a rider, but I saw her do it a couple of times in the field and once or twice during our groundwork. When she reared for the first time under saddle, I had her investigated and there were major problems with her back and back legs. The rearing was a pain response (mostly - it was her go-to tantrum move too, and that was in the genes) and the falling was because of a weakness in her back legs that meant she couldn't always keep herself upright. I should add that none of this was obvious to look at her. She was a big, strapping, energetic young warmblood. Why don't you try putting it to your daughter that you think something may be wrong with him and, both for his sake and for her safety, she is better off staying on the ground until he's been investigated?

 

[Mike007]

Professional rearers are no problem at all. I had one when I was 16 . But the thing was he was a pro. He could walk about on his back legs !Fall over backwards ,no chance! HOWEVER ! The horse world is full of enthusiastic amateur rearers who should be avoided like the plague. These dumb bunnies dont know how to ballance and can get you killed.

 

[ExmoorHunter]

When I was 17 I was working in a yard away from home riding all sorts of horses- including a rearer, which was my favourite! If my mum had told me not to ride it I wouldnt have taken the slightest bit of notice!!!

Same here!

 

[showley1]

She is away working ( she works on an event yard ) will tell her after discussion with vet it has been decided better to not ride him at all until any physical problems can be ruled out , that she won't have a problem with, she is not stupid, confident but not stupid and certainly would not risk harming him

 

[Mike007]

, she is not stupid, confident but not stupid and certainly would not risk harming him

Its not him I worry about! When I was about 14 , the head lad at the racing yard took me to one side and told me "there isnt a horse on this yard that is worth getting killed for!"This is a lesson that I try to keep in mind even after nearly half a century.

 

[Illusion100]

This is a very tricky one. I rode problem horses at that age in my spare time and some of them were hairy rides indeed! I wouldn't have done any differently looking back. Yet I'm a moron and truly wish I wasn't.

So my advice is to tell your daughter that when he went over, there is a risk he either injured or frightened himself and for the sake of the horse, don't ride him until you decide what to do to get him sorted. This way hopefully she'll stay on the ground for now.

They can certainly just slip from a rear and end up on their back without the intention to but it doesn't negate the danger of the act in the first place.

In reality no one is going to advise other than Vet checks etc and/or a Pro problem horse trainer as none of us want your daughters injuries or life on our conscience!

If I were a Mother, I'd probably tell my daughter you were sending him to a Pro trainer and just have him quietly PTS, use the reason that he fatally injured himself in the stable/field/whatever and walk away knowing she'll ever risk her life being crushed away under this 500kg animal, for whatever reason this one rears.

I'm not usually this blunt but life really can be too short for some and the guilt remains long after for others.

 

[showley1]

Pts without finding out why? Even if I had to move him to yard she did not know till I got to the bottom of it I would but would not put an animal to sleep without finding out the reasons why?

 

[Illusion100]

Why? It's a wasted word at a Funeral.

 

[Mike007]

We ride horses. or to put it another way ,we climb on top if an animal weighing over half a tonne, and capable of jumping 6 ft and galloping at 40mph. So dont ask why . We do it. We just need to be a bit practical occasionally. I am not in the pts camp here. The horse would have to do a lot more than fall over once.

 

[tankgirl1]

She is away working ( she works on an event yard ) will tell her after discussion with vet it has been decided better to not ride him at all until any physical problems can be ruled out , that she won't have a problem with, she is not stupid, confident but not stupid and certainly would not risk harming him

Glad to hear that, if the vet can't find anything then you need to get an expert on board, rearers that go over are not something that can be sorted without professional help IMO, I know of one mare who even scared the pro, he ended up buying her as a broodmare (not sure if I agree with breeding from her), but this was fearless man who knew when to say enough is enough, not worth dying for