Any advice on how to stop a young horse rearing?

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kellie1189

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Hi guys, i was wondering if you could give me any advice on how to stop a young horse rearing.

He's a 16.1 4 nearly 5 year old throughbred, who when I bought him in april last year as been good in always.

After getting back on my horse 2 weeks ago due to weather he has began to rear! He has threatend to rear before but I have been able to ride him forwards which seemed to work.

However just recently I noticed him rearing in his stable when he gets himself worked up and I believe this is where he has got his confidence from to now rear in the school as before he would only threaten and would be happy to ride through his little stropps. Now when he has a strop the first thing he goes to do is rear.

He has had his backed checked and there is nothing wrong with him all teeth are fine as they where done 2 weeks ago!

After fracturing my back when my old horse reared (not his fault by the way was spooked by a low flying jet) i dont wish to end up in the same position again, so any advice anyone has to offer would be greatley appreciated.

Many Thanks
Kelly
 
Have you tried bollocking him for it?

My friend has a young TB who'd taken to rearing inhand when she did anything to him on the ground he didn't like. He was quite big and she was quite little and she found it intimidating and had gone down the nicely-nicely route. However I'm much taller than her (and more bulshy and confident with big Horses!) and the day he stropped and reared up on me he got the biggest bollocking he'd ever had. Hardest possible wollop with the rope and a seriously yelled at, then driven backwards. Gave him the shock of his life but apparently he's not done it again!

If his rearers are little bunny hops I'd be inclined to punish serverely for it and drive him forwards. If however they are proper full on leg waving Black-Beauty style rears I wouldn't be stupid enough to get on in the first place!
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could you lunge him til tiring before you get on? always seems to help when you have an issue to work through? has he changed weight in the cold weather? how is his saddle fit? and is his bridle comfey around the poll and is browband wide enough? has he definitely got no wolf teeth? if all fine i would cut out all his bucket food, increase his turnout and work him hard. if he threatens to go up i would whack him on his crest with a chunky whip and growl and chase him forward (take whatever pace you get) then ask him to slow back and work properly again. if he hesitates again whack his neck and so on til he gives up. you could try and break an egg on his poll when he goes up (takes a bit of skill!!!!!! to keep egg in one piece til horse rears?) i think he is testing you. another one that seems to work is to have someone on the ground and when he goes up get them to chuck water at his head(you might get wet) Rearing is a nasty habit and needs to be sorted asap. good luck or get a work rider to pull him over either ridden or on long reins. Best of luck and try to be very positive and firm with him (esp after your previous experience) make your flat work interesting lots of poles on floor, cones to go round etc so he is always having to think.
 
would echo the bollocking especially verbally... you know your youngster well enough to know what to him would be a good bollocking so I would use it.
 
right, my horse is famous on here for her rearing and since i had her reschooled but a pro i haven't had many issues, we have had the odd napping issues.

basically what worked for us is you need to keep your leg on at all times so you can feel them thinking about misbehaving and push them on before it happens. if you just put your leg on after they have done it then thats too late. use your voice to let him know his behavior isn't acceptable. i would be inclined (if you don't already) to put a neckstrap or martigale on so you have something to grab onto if anything happens.

good luck i know it isn't an easy situation to be in.
 
Before you start bollocking your horse i would advise checking a few things. Firstly, is your saddle in the right place BEHIND the shoulder blades and does it fit? Secondly, is the rider causing it? Thirdly, is the horse going forward properly when ridden?

Horses rear when they are not going forward, hence why he is rearing in the stable. He wants to go fowards/move but cant because he is confined, so he rears. You need to find what is restricting him when he is ridden i.e. the cause of the rearing.

Wacking with whips, bollocking, etc isnt finding out the cause, its just treating the symptom and doesnt show your horse much understanding! By rearing he is communicating something and you should find out what he is trying to say otherwise you will spoil him by taking inappropriate action.

Think that maybe he isnt stropping but communicating he doesnt understand!
 
there are so many different opinons on how to solve rearing. when i got my last horse she had a very nasty and established nap and would go full height on a regular basis when things were not suiting her. however sending her forwards was not the answer for me because some of the time she was throwing a strop because i would not let her go forward. neither was hitting her on the head when she reared because she was jsut so quick and went so high. luckly i never came of and am quite confident but it was becoming a big issue for me so i got the help of a very good local trainer.

what he taught me was that the horse can only rear when it body is in a staight line from poll to tail. By using one rein to curve the horses neck and the same leg to push its hind quarters round and cross it back legs over at the same time means that it can't phicically rear. this puts you back in control of the situation. it only took a few weeks of being consistent with this technique before my girl realised there was no point in rearing anymore. Before i sold her i could go anywhere and do anything with her as before it was getting to the stage that leavinf the yard to go to the school was becomming an issue.

obviosly you know your own horse but if you think that this might help i would be happy to give you more details. however, i had help from professional and i would suggest that you only use this techniqe with care.
 
teddyt, i agree with most of what you are saying, but what about my young horse who happily stands there going vertical while loose in the field. absolutely nothing to stop her going forward, she LIKES rearing, repeatedly.
to OP, i'd check all physical things first.
have a look at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBcQsVdxEA8

very interesting way of totally taking the wind out of a rearer's sails there... this guy is a master horseman imho.
i've always been taught to urge forward, and/or circle tightly to prevent the rear happening again, but i like his style and think i'll try this next time with mine...
 
Mine rears sometimes because she doesnt want to do something - ie. go hacking or go down a path, or just in a temper - like stood tied up or if asked to stand.
if shes got herself worked up out hacking its best to just sotp and reassure her and shes fine, but if shes having a napping paddy in the yard or something i use a stick - and hard - as its piss taking and she is not scared then just being a mare!


xanniex mine can still rear when shes curved round, can get up when i do what you suggest then straightens up in the air, however i find the way to not let her stand up full height is to as she goes up to turn her, she then has to turn in the air and needs to come back down to rebalance her. that actually sounds quite dangerous typed out, but it isn't!
 
Fab video! No bollocking or whipping in sight!

I have stopped a horse from rearing by doing nothing too, similar to the video she expected a reaction (in this case the owner took her home again!) so she learnt to stop and rear. By sitting and doing nothing the issue was removed and then i could work on going forward. I also have a horse that will rear in the field but that is when shes excited, so there is a reason.

So my point of view is that you need to find the reason, whatever it is and then work with that. Whipping and bollocking shouldnt come in to it imo and the video is an excellent example of this!
 
[ QUOTE ]
teddyt, i agree with most of what you are saying, but what about my young horse who happily stands there going vertical while loose in the field. absolutely nothing to stop her going forward, she LIKES rearing, repeatedly.


[/ QUOTE ]
LOL, I have one of those too, she pulls spectacular airs above the ground purely for entertainment. If we can get past basic training and through the Kevin years I might end up with a very talented dressage horse. Or I'll sell her to a circus.
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OP, keep moving, a bit faster than what's ideal with soft hands and loads of leg. Also I think talking helps. Rearing often stems from a bit of a lack of confidence and I find reassuring my horse when she's doing well just encourages her to take the hand brake off and forget about the stropping option.
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Thanks for the advice guys, ive had a few youngsters and this is the first thats decided to rear! so was unsure of how to approach this, and that video is fantastic!

The only thing he is doing different now then before is hes not been turned out in winter due to the owner of the yard doesnt turnout in winter. whereas last winter the lady who i bought him off had him turned out 24/7 and im wondering if he needs turnout to keep him calm rather then been stuck in all day.

He was an ex race horse so i wonder if the amount of work load maybe to little although he is ridden 6 days a week weather dependent that is ?

I can not get a whip near my horse this makes him worse, so have never rode him with a whip since ive had him, and he has the type of temprement that gets easily wound up so i find the best thing to do is let him get on with things and ride him forward.

He can go really well for 10 - 15 mins before he decides he wants to rear, today he reared when i asked for canter and when i put my outside leg on to stop him drifiting out on a circle.

Im just going to keep riding him and start having my lessons twice a week again now the snow has cleared
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and see how we get on hopefully he might be ok when hes turned out fully again as he seems to like been out during the day and in on a night. The only thing i have left to check is my saddle which i have the saddle fitter coming out tomorrow to do.
 
Personal opinion but i wouldn't keep a youngster somewhere without turnout, he sounds like a bit of a stress head and i would think the lack of turnout is a big part of it?
 
My personal opinion is once they know how to rear, you will never be able to stop them doing it. Whacking a bucket on their head (as my friend saw a very old fashioned vet do years ago) or cracking an egg on their head while they are up (makes them think they've hit their head and are bleeding) can work, but in my experience even if they don't do it for years, they will do it again at some point. I have two good firends who are both up and coming event riders on pro yards- Both of which have mares that have reared in the past - neither mare does it on a regular basis now due to perseverence and goosd schooling (they are both very submissive and responsive to ride) they don't tend to do it. However sometimes in a comp situation they will try it again e.g in a final halt of the dressage test, or at fence 1 xc! Which is obviously v disheartening after all that time and effort. My own mare that reared did it due to developing a phobia of the llama at the end of our track - I tried everything with her and sadly it just didn't work so i had to sell her as she was to dangerous for my family to ride.
 
I have heard of a lady who solved her problem with her horse rearing using an egg! No joke!

Apparently it used to rear up really high, enough to almost go backwards, and someone told her to crack an egg on the horse's head just as it did it. Supposedly the horse thinks they've hit their head on something and it freaks them out so they stop doing it. Her horse never did it again.

Bit random but it was such an odd method I just thought I'd share.
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As for sensible ways to solve the problem, I'm afraid I can't be much help.
 
Sounds to me like u answered ur own q with the turn out! I absolutely agree with teddyt, and sounds like your horse is maybe just completely frustrated! Even if worked 6 days a week as u say he's still getting no chance to let off steam on his own. I'd move yards or at least try and turn out in school with a friend for a bit if poss?
 
I've heard of the cracking an egg on their head thing being successful too but I just cant imagine how you could do it, I would just end up with egg all over myself, u'd have to be pretty accurate!

My horse can be a bit of a sod leading around so I now use the Shires Controlling head collar. If u dont stop him straight away, he cuts in front of you, faces you and stands up. I've found a few good tugs on that and hes changed his mind on going up. Lucky for me he doesn't do it when ridden (touches wood!).

http://www.shiresequestrian.co.uk/shop/product.php?productid=452&cat=547&page=1
 
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