Does this really stop rearing?

Marie1

Marie1

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I had been riding a youngster that used to spend more time on his back legs than on all fours (teeth, back etc fine, was just used to being allowed to take the p***). And someone from the yard said to me to fill a plastic bottle with frozen peas or the like and then when he goes up to tap him lightly on the top of the head with it.

I can see how it may work but I can also see this making him go mental haha, just wondering if anyone has ever tried it or if it did work?

Also wondering about any ways to make it stop, bar groundwork etc as his new rider (getting my own on loan now, eek!) is doing her best with that. Thanks!
 
I'd be lynched if I posted any of the things I'd consider. The rattly bottle isn't top of my list though...
 
GlamourPuss86 said:
I've heard of cracking an egg on their head as apparently they think they've hit themselves and its blood?! Never tried either
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I've tried the egg on a horse who was a devil for stopping at a fence and then rearing, a judge in a working hunter class got me one from the catering stall and I had to ride round the course with it in my hand until he reared without breaking it and then crack it over his head when he want up! It was some time ago but it did work at the time, however he did just seem to grow out of the rearing as he matured.
 
Umm be careful if you do go down the tanning route, had a TB that was a rearer, again everything was checked out, spent a fortune on that horse, but never mind. Anyways tried a few things to tell it off, and they didn't work, so told it off proper and the horse flipped out and went over backwards on me, I was lucky to come away with broken ribs, he missed me by inches! They were are all fairly controlled (on his part!) mid sided ones but getting after him just made him flip so quick, I had no chance to get out of the way, totally blow his brains. And the horse still reared after that, sold him as project to a pro rider in the end, (he had such a huge jump in him it was a shame he wasn't the horse for me) as far I am aware the pro got him out of habit.
 
I would love to see someone try a "bloody good hiding" to my TB who was (and possibly could still be) a rearer. You would have been leaving the scene in an ambulance. But then I agree that each horse reacts differently to different approaches, so it may well work on some. I found a lot of ground work, long-reining miles on the roads and building up more of a partnership worked for mine - although I appreciate that if a horse has reared once, there is ALWAYS the chance they will do it again.
 
fwiw from op description I think that a youngster that has been allowed to take the p is not the type of horse I would be fannying about tapping on the head with eggs, it would be schooling, work and a quick reaction when the rear started.
 
MiJodsR2BlinkinTite said:
I've always wondered how TF you can hang on to a rearing horse doing a right hooley AND still manage to keep an egg intact during the process, to then crack it over the horse's head!!! :):)

But obviously some of you have managed it........
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If it's just rearing, it's pretty easy. If it's spinning, rodeoing and generally trying to kill you... God knows!
 
My TB on occasion will rear up when being impatient (at gates) or anxious about something (new work in the school etc). I find the best way to is to be calm, patient and forward, if they need a few minutes to gather themselves then so be it, give it to them and ask again until you get the result you're looking for, followed by lots of praise.

I wouldn't like to try and break an egg or hit a horse with a bottle when they go up, my main concern would be to stay on! I think that it would wind a horse up even more.

I don't think it would be a long term solution to a problem rearer, you may stop them mid rear that time, but I doubt the lesson would stick. A neck strap to hold on to and plenty of patience is really the key. There aren't really any shortcuts with something that can be so serious.
 
Personally I wouldn't do anything whilst a horse was actually rearing & I was on it. I'm far too young & beautiful (;)) to risk a horse coming over on me.
I find that tight circles if they threaten & sending them forward is usually enough to prevent it.

When I was a child there was a local horseman who's speciality was curing rearers. His favourite tricks were having someone whip the horse across the belly when it was shown. He was also known for pulling the horse over backwards & jumping clear, then as the horse got back to it's feet quickly getting back on. Rumour has it a particularly difficult horse was pulled over backwards, then he sat on the horses head/neck in effect trapping the horse on the ground with its vulnerable belly exposed.
Supposedly he had a 100% success rate & was able to charge a hefty whack for his services. Mind you with his risky techniques it would probably be needed as 'danger money'
 
Holly Hocks said:
I would love to see someone try a "bloody good hiding" to my TB who was (and possibly could still be) a rearer. You would have been leaving the scene in an ambulance.
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SAME.

Mine did occasional mini rears when he was worried, nothing horrible, I just ignored it and the problem resolved itself. When I very first got him, he did have a fear of a particular road marking, and did the sort of rears that are hard to sit to, so I put draw reins on him so he couldn't rear (don't normally like them, but they did work) and made him go over it a few times, which seemed to do the trick. He's not reared with me for about a year, even under a lot of pressure :)

Unless they're the sort of rears where he's likely to go over, I would just keep riding forwards and ignore them. If they don't get out of doing work, or invoke a response/release of pressure, they'll get bored of it. See if you can divert the rear before it happens (tap with the whip and upwards transition) and if not, let him do a rear, then same thing, tap with the whip and upwards transition.

It would be good if you could figure out why he's rearing. Is it confusion, excitement, evasion, fear?

A cautionary tale - My mum had a horse who was a proper rearer (the first time I got on him, I hadn't even put my feet in the stirrups and he went vertical) and he did eventually go over with her, cue air ambulance etc etc. He was later diagnosed with navicular, I have no idea if the rearing was due to pain in his feet or just a behavioural quirk. So just take care!!
 
I think its pretty ridiculous some of you have suggested it needs a "bloody good hiding", having only read what OP has said and not seen the horse or know anything about this horse whatsoever then that's a horrid, ignorant thing to suggest and also dangerous. A friend of mine had a trainer try and sort her rearer out, he told her to keep smacking it, horse got so annoyed it went up and right over landing on her. Do this to some horses and you're in serious trouble.

OP, personally I'd get your horses back, teeth and saddle checked again by someone else. One of mine started acting up, saddle was meant to have fitted fine but on getting it checked by someone else it turned out the saddle never fitted at all. I got a new saddle and horse went back to normal again. What I'm saying is that a second opinion might be well worth a go to rule it out. Otherwise, get some training? A decent trainer might see something you don't that could be causing it?
 
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Well put magicmelon. my mare had the hell beaten out of her. certainly didnt fix her. Can i also suggest having eyes checked cause from my experience with Baby her on going blindness was the reason.
 
Well anyone stupid enough to ride with a bottle in their hand to stop a horse from rearing, shouldn't have a horse why not find out said horse rears, they don't do it just to spit you, they are trying to say something and it's up to you to find out the problem and if you can't be bothered either pts or sell on to someone who can be bothered.
 
Echo Bravo said:
Well anyone stupid enough to ride with a bottle in their hand to stop a horse from rearing, shouldn't have a horse why not find out said horse rears, they don't do it just to spit you, they are trying to say something and it's up to you to find out the problem and if you can't be bothered either pts or sell on to someone who can be bothered.
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Exactly! !
 
amymay said:
Exactly! !
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The same! Anyone remember seeing that racehorse on TV that used to throw itself backwards? Sometimes they do get into that, but to stop it with a younger horse more schooling is required. Keep them moving so they can't gather themselves to go up.
 
Me personally I adopted the tactic of sitting to them as much as possible and then continuing the ride/hack etc. Luckily years of being put on my Auntie's 'problem' ponies has allowed me to develop a glue bum!

And condsidering I was only riding it as she was too scared of the thing (but loved the fact it was a flashy young warmblood she could prance about with at shows (inhand ha)) I didn't feel bad about allowing the behaviour. She is paying this new rider as well so we'll see what option she goes for!
 
I did this with a small bottle of water, when I was young and stupid enough to think it might work. It did - he furiously bucked me off instead. If anyone suggests you do this I would advise letting them demonstrate how before you have a go.

Just ride him through it, assertively. Be aware though that he may well rear again in the future - mine hadn't done it in many years but tried it again recently after a move and a break from work.
I am assuming your horse has no medical issues, his tack fits and he has in fact been broken in/started properly...
 
Just read the OP again - long rein him, all over the place till he's confident. People sometimes assume a horse is taking the pi$$ when in fact it either doesn't know what to do because it hasn't been taught, or it isn't confident enough.
 
Most of the people who suggest the egg (and any other crack pot ways of stopping a rearer) have never tried it themselves.

It does not work. At All. Ever. 99% of the time it is caused by a lack of forward. If a horse is going forward, it can't go up. If you a messing around with eggs and bottles and water balloons, you aren't going to get the horse forward.

ALSO - what happens when the egg/water balloon/rattle-y bottle thing freaks the horse out and make it flip it's lid? Horse goes up more + rider falls off + horse potentially flips over = horse and rider badly hurt, possibly killed.

Making a horse "think it's bleeding" won't stop the rearing. I have seen horses that rear as an evasion flip themselves over in wash bays, scratch the heck out of their withers, hocks, heads and have a few decent sized hemotomas (?spelling)... has that prevented the rearing magically?? No, the only thing that has helped has been training. Another horse reared in a float and broke it's nose... Guess what, the blood and broken bones didn't stop it. Training did.

My rearer has flipped himself over and sent himself lame for 3 weeks (luckily I had bailed before that otherwise I would be dead)... the only thing that has worked with him has been, yep your guessed it... TRAINING!

I have worked with a couple of known rearers as you can guess... their owners had tried "everything" to stop them doing it except the only thing that makes sense. If you do not have the skill of timing to retrain a rearer, send it to someone who does rather than trying to fix it yourself. It may save your life (and your horses, how many get dogged because they are dangerous? what makes them dangerous? Learned evasions? Ignorant owners? A combination?)
 
Agree with a lot of the above - we have a nappy horse who will also rear he is very stubborn & just plants himself & will rear if you upset, him so we have sort of gone back to basics a lot of long lining building up confidence hacking with confident horses & he's starting to get there - we can not win the argument by getting aggressive his rears get bigger & he does anything apart from forward - taking the time to build confidence & if he does plant himself sitting & waiting seems to be working for us x
 
If you have a confirmed rearer it is like having a brick wall in front of them. Put more pressure on to go forwards (as in "bloody good hiding") will just pressure it into going up, not forward. Very very dangerous, as others have found out.
I cured one confirmed one by employing the German "mill" - tight nose-to-boot turn as soon as she began the preliminary signs, making it very very uncomfortable - an aversive without the stress. At the fifth attempt to plant/rear, just a feel on one rein was all it took and from then on that was one of the best horses I ever owned, all that determination was used with me rather than against me.
As for the egg/bottle of water/anything else on their head - how on earth do you do that when you are busy not sliding off the back of your saddle?? Theories are all very well but..............
 
What matters most is why the horse rears .
All the eggs in a battery farm won't stop a horse rearing if it's rearing from pain or if it has cataracts that's affecting it's sight .
Mostly horses rear because someone has made a mess of the earlier training .
Sometimes horses rear because they are naughty and dominant and what to test their rider , these are the ones who repond to what we shall call firm methods but you need to determined and compentant .
Some rear because they are forward going and repond having their desire to move forward restricted ( usually for good reasons ) so up they go , I like this sort of horse they are often the best and bravest partners if they rear in these situations I don't consider it an issue.
Rearing is potentially dangerous to the horse and rider mostly the cure is consistent correct training.
Halting standing and sitting it out and bringing calmness to the proceedings is always worth considering if you have the time and patience to bend the horse to your will that way, this is often a good approach with horses who have won rearing fights with riders in the past.
OP needs someone truly experianced with reschooling projects to watch this horse and advise.
 
We have just sorted out a rearer. It would seem totally as in he's not even tried for weeks now, not even considered it :)
I decided we needed yet another person to come and have a go after a few "better riders" than me had struggled more than I had with him.
This time a girl I worked with and had noticed how nicely and calmly she rode youngsters so asked her to come and see what she thought. She asked about him first and took on board his nervous personality and the fact any form of hitting would set us back miles.
All she did was make a little growl, turn him back in the correct direction and ask him to walk on again! It took half an hour or so of this and again when my daughter got on but all sorted the most simple way! Was almost oee'd off tbh!
 
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