Follow on from the rearing thread- can you help with my boy??

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lubuzz

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A follow on from the rearing thread from last week- did anyone decide on a definitive treatment/preventitive/ help(!) for it??

Basically, prepare yourself for a long one... heres the story.

I bought my 5 year old connemara X ISH about 10 months ago, knowing that he was abit nappy and could be sharp when hacking out, expecially on his own. This was fine, afterall he's only 5 and abit of a late starter.

He has always been bolshy and very stubborn but after abit of work he has gradually got fitter/filled out/grown up abit etc and started nappy more.
At first this just consisted off stopping at the offending item he didnt want to go past (car, wheelie bin :eek:, twig, leaf etc), gradually progressing to spinning round to the right (he doesnt know how to go the other way :p) in a kind of leap so that he's facing the way he wants to go (home!). This then progressed to a little mini rear when turning and then full on rears. Its fair to say these werent particularly high.

Yesterday we went to a local show, he's been their loads of times before for clinics etc and he refused to go in the ring, napping back torwards his friend. Once i finally got him in he was so pi$$sd off he reared and reared until finally went over backwards. :( Luckily i managed to jump clear.

He's had everything checked by vets, physio, dentists, saddler etc etc, and they found nothing. So he's not in pain (apart from he's abit sore from yesterday)

He's fed a scoop of happy hoof (although to elimminate everything i will change this- if anyone can recommend anything, pref just straights now), and ridden in a hanging cheek snaffle which he goes well in although strong. He has regular lessons and works fab in the school, nice and supple and in an outline.

My instructor has suggested a standing martingale/market harbour- BUT, what is he goes up in and panics?? Will this make him more likely to fall over again??

If anyone has any kind of advise help to offer then please dooooooo!! I dont know what to do with the naughty little bugger. (and i presume it is naughtiness now as no one can find anything pain related going on?)

Im thinking of trying to go back to ground work and then basic school work again, but he doesnt do it in the school AT ALL, so i dont know if this would help. Also to add he also does this in company whether at the back or front....

Help!!!!! :(
 
I had a horse once which reared. Like you I had back/teeth/tack checked, and spent £1800 on lameness workups from the vet including bone scans. Nothing. What I really, really wish I'd done is had her scoped for ulcers....I didn't, she got retired, we'll never know. But knowing what I know now, I would get a nappy horse scoped, and if that came back clear, send it to a pro that specialises in these things, and if that did not work, PTS.
 
I 100percent agree with spotted and i was going to say the same thing myself, my horse is currently on a course of gastrogard he had quite a few ulcers grade 2-4 and also inflamation and swelling in his stomach, it got so bad for him he started to just nap and didnt want to go forwards he had never been like it before i had his back,teeth,saddle everything checked vet checked him over said he was sound checked his eyes and all were fine so he put him a a trial of danilon which didnt work (and it wont with ulcer pain) well while on this my friend said to me get him scopped as he is doing what her horse had done when he had ulcers, i rang the vet and asked for him to be scoped we done just so and found all that, vet was a bit shocked because my horse is in perfect condition upto weight and shiny coat so when you would look at him you wouldnt think he would have had ulcers, but he did hes been on gastro for over a month now iv changed his diet to just a high fibre one, few supplements to help and he is back to the horse i had before the ulcers
 
May be worth trying some 2nd opinions? I tried and checked everything with my mare who never reared until earlier this year....I have a professional rider who competes her and she managed to stay on her but she still had it in her after everything was checked (and I mean everything!!). We got to the point where we assumed it was naughtiness and considered PTS as I didnt want to pass her from home to home :(

It was a chance conversation with a different saddle fitter to the one I had always used who said 9 year old horses who have never reared don't just start with for no reason. She checked my saddle and said it didnt fit (my normal guy said it did!).....roll on 3 months later with a new saddle and she *touch wood* has not reared since!!!

I hope you sort your boy :)
 
They can rear absolutely fine, full up vertical, while wearing a market harborough or a standing martingale if they are minded to do so! I have direct experience of that unfortunately.

If everything is fine with him physically then as suggested find a professional who will work with you and the horse. They should be prepared to ride him first and then work with you riding him through his issues once they have assessed how best to deal with it.

Beware of anyone who says they will take him away and "fix" him but doesn't mention working with you. IMO a true rearer will always be a rearer in so far as this is their "thing" when they feel totally insecure but with the right schooling and rider I believe it can be pretty much banished as a habit. The trick is anticipating the signs and dealing with them before the front feet come off the floor (easier said than done, takes a lot of experience and really being able to "feel").

I'd expect a professional to suggest that the horse goes to their yard for a week or two so they can assess him every day and then you go and ride him there with future support on hand when you go home. Some people might come out to work with the horse and you at your yard but you won't get the same bond between the pro and your horse/you.

As the others above have said it would make sense to get him fully checked over first and then look for a professional to work with. Rearing as a habit can be managed and schooled out of them but there are some horses which take it to the next stage and consciously decide to take their rider over backwards on purpose as an evasion. Once can be put down to overbalancing but please don't take a chance on it happening a second time - take care of yourself.
 
My horse did exactly what you have said (except the going over backwards bit) when I first got him. I couldn't hack out as he refused to go off the yard, I couldn't load him without 2 helpers, I couldn't get in the ring at shows and if he saw a fence he didnt like he would slam the brakes on and rear until i retired. I ended up being too scared to get on him because I woudl get on in the school and he would just nap and rear for no apparent reason until I got off again.

I was lucky enough to be working weekends for a lady who does advanced eventing at the time, and I took him to her and she helped me through it. She rode him for a week, then she helped me 'get him through it'. It took a lot of hard work and a hell of a lot of courage, as he was pretty scary, but he hasn't reared now for about 2 years, he is the quietest hack on the yard, he loads perfectly, never naps etc etc.

My advice would be to get someone who really knows what they are doing to help you (providing you are happy there is no medical problem). As it has been previously said, make sure they work through it with you as well, or it won't work. Good luck :)
 
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