Getting a bit worried about her rearing.

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Cedars

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Hi all.

Have posted briefly about this before.

Puzzle rears as her 'default setting'. When things get too exciting, basically. This can be when a car drives down the lane, which as a baby I can forgive her for, but it can also just be when we turn a corner in the school.

I wear full safety equipment and have a long lead rope so I just stand back, however, when she's leaping around it can be challenging to get out the way, and today she scraped my ankle and now I have a lovely egg shaped swelling! Thanks to my super safe boots it is only a bump but I am getting frustrated that this appears to be her reaction.

She's not quite 2 yet, do you think she's gonna grow out of this? Worried that this will continue into her ridden work!

xx
 
What do you do when she rears? Do you smack her/ tell her off? Do you ignore it?

Hoepfully she'll grow out of it, but it all depends on how you respond to the problem as well.
 
Yes she will, as she's at the teenage stage (human) and if you handle her quietly as you have been doing, she will settle down as she is still learning the rules, remember she's only two still very immature.:):):):)
 
Could also try:

1. Smack the chest when she's up (if you're quick and brave enough) to teach her not to expose this sesative area and then praise her when her feet are back on the ground. Also works with a pressure halter, keep it on pressure when up and immediately release when down

2. Smash an egg over her head, she'll think she's cut it and stop!
 
If she is just rearing, then I just calmly ignore her, however if she starts launching herself AT me then I give her a smack and a growl. I cant have her trying to hurt me because shes already 15.2 and shes a big bugger. But if shes just having a tantrum I just wait for her to land, stand still and relax, then I give her a pat and we walk on.

Does that sound right? xxx
 
If it were me I would be saying "NO!" in a firm voice every time she rears. This will teach her that rearting is not acceptable, and it's something that you do not allow. At the minute she assumes that rearing is fine because when she does, you just let her get over it. You need to let her know that rearing is not acceptable.
 
sariska said:
If it were me I would be saying "NO!" in a firm voice every time she rears. This will teach her that rearting is not acceptable, and it's something that you do not allow. At the minute she assumes that rearing is fine because when she does, you just let her get over it. You need to let her know that rearing is not acceptable.
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I agree - firm growl 'NO!' should do the trick - I dont think smacking her at this stage is the path to take if you can remedy this with your voice.
 
Colty boy did this for a week or so I shouted NO loudly and once he was down made him walk back 3 strides - they soon learn that it is more hassle than it is worth !!
 
I have not been making a fuss cos Ive been wondering if its partly to avoid doing what I'm asking her to do - and I didnt want it to seem like, I rear, mummy gets cross, then we do something different.

Worth a try though!!
 
If you can do it safely, try to stay as near to her as you can. If you step away from her, she is moving you out of her space with her behaviour, in other words she is dominating you.
The best thing would be to walk by her shoulder and keep a close eye on her, be ready to intervene quickly if she shows any sign of going up. Use a halter, rather than a headcollar to lead her (it doesn't need to be expensive, we use cow halter about £5 from farm supply shop), carry a schooling whip to keep her moving forwards (she has to stop to go up). Use your voice, you need to let her know now that this behaviour is unacceptable, or how will she know? IMO she is unlikely to 'grow out of it' she is testing you and your boundaries, you need to let her know where they are.
 
I would get some expert advice on it. I had a mare who was the same - she reared whenever she was excited or wanted to misbehave. She reared in the field playing with other horses (more like a gelding playing), she reared being led in from the field if something excired her or spooked her and unfortunatly she reared under saddle and was dangerous. She could quite happily walk along on her hind legs almost vertical with a rider on top - very un-nerveing.
 
The smashing an egg tip is a good one if you're quick enough! My YO always says to smash an egg or a plastic bag of warm water so they think it's blood. I think it's an old school way or dealing with rearers.

However you have to be on board to be able to do this so it's really not relevant in your situation. Well.....unless you can reach the top of her head from the ground whilst she's up in the air :D
 
I had a youngster who would rear whenever he didn't want to do something. One day when trying to move him to a different field he kept rearing and somehow lost his footing and fell over sideways (he wasn't pulled over before anyone asks). I think he was so shocked he never reared again.

A rope over the nose is often quite a deterrent to bad behaviour. If your mare is rearing a lot this is something you need to get on top of. Could you afford to have someone like Michael Pearce or Richard Maxwell help?
 
Would never use a chiffney on her because I havent used one before and I would be too nervous without training. My Be Nice halter is on its way, hopefully the next few days.

Whips are a problem - you can actually beat her and she pays ZERO attention to it! (I dont beat her but you know what I mean....). But I will try and keep her moving forward at an active pace!

Maybe I'm just trying to get her to do too much too soon? I dont NEED her to be in the school - I just want her to learn early on!

I cant reach her head from the ground but I havent smacked her on the chest/stomach - well, I did, a while ago, but it didnt work long term (although it stopped her at the time!!). Im nervous that she would strike out at me and catch me in the face or something. Perhaps something to try when I have someone around! xx
 
I do have a rope round her nose and threaded through her headcollar at the moment (just til the be nice arrives) and its just not strong enough. I'm hoping the Be Nice will change that! xx
 
Syrah said:
Why do you suggest a chiffney out of interest?
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I had a youngster who was a very competent reared and I tried everything to work through it, ignore it, circle him so he couldn't get up, stay close, stay out of the way etc and nothing worked.

Sadly, the owner who loaned him to me couldn't afford livery any longer so upped and left to tether him somewhere no doubt (he was an ex trotter, proper gypsy horse...am I allowed to say that?!) whilst I was on holiday.

Had I the priveledge of hindsight I'd have got someone to lend me a chiffney and nipped it in the bud before the behaviour really got out of hand. At a yard I worked at some years ago most of our crazies went off to turnout in a chiffney just because they learned VERY quickly it was to be respected
 
Does she back up when asked? We taught our homebred to back up literally on the day she was born, and repeated for a few days thereafter - it became an easy way for me to diffuse a situation, as it's not easy for a horse to do, they have to shift balance . Ours isn't a rearer, but she could be a bit bolshy, and backing her up would take her attention away from whatever she'd just thought of throwing at me! Worth a try.

I'd also keep her brain busy - if she's in the school, five paces walk, five trot, halt, halt to trot, back to walk, halt, rein back - ten minutes of that, or even five minutes, and her attention should be 100% on you, whe won't have time to consider being naughty!
 
Spot_the_Risk said:
Does she back up when asked? We taught our homebred to back up literally on the day she was born, and repeated for a few days thereafter - it became an easy way for me to diffuse a situation, as it's not easy for a horse to do, they have to shift balance . Ours isn't a rearer, but she could be a bit bolshy, and backing her up would take her attention away from whatever she'd just thought of throwing at me! Worth a try.

I'd also keep her brain busy - if she's in the school, five paces walk, five trot, halt, halt to trot, back to walk, halt, rein back - ten minutes of that, or even five minutes, and her attention should be 100% on you, whe won't have time to consider being naughty!
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that reminds me of when Cariad was a yearling and the vet 'bear hugged' her against the wall as she 'placed' her front feet over his shoulders :eek: She did grow out of it and, at 3 years old, you would never know!
 
flamehead said:
Whips are a problem - you can actually beat her and she pays ZERO attention to it! (I dont beat her but you know what I mean....). But I will try and keep her moving forward at an active pace!

Maybe I'm just trying to get her to do too much too soon? I dont NEED her to be in the school - I just want her to learn early on!

xx
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I wasn't actually suggesting that you use the schooling whip to hit her, just wave it to keep her moving forwards, or if necessary 'tickle' her with it behind your back as you keep on walking forwards and insist that she stays with you.
I don't think there is any reason why you shouldn't take her in the school, so long as you don't keep her in there too long. I do think that you need to provide her with variety, she sounds as though she provides her own entertainment if she is bored.
 
I would agree with backing up if I think my mare is going to start playing up and at the moment she is full of spring grass and naughty as you like including rearing, backing her up makes her think about what I'm asking her rather than giving her time to think about being naughty.
 
AprilBlossom said:
I had a youngster who was a very competent reared and I tried everything to work through it, ignore it, circle him so he couldn't get up, stay close, stay out of the way etc and nothing worked.

Sadly, the owner who loaned him to me couldn't afford livery any longer so upped and left to tether him somewhere no doubt (he was an ex trotter, proper gypsy horse...am I allowed to say that?!) whilst I was on holiday.

Had I the priveledge of hindsight I'd have got someone to lend me a chiffney and nipped it in the bud before the behaviour really got out of hand. At a yard I worked at some years ago most of our crazies went off to turnout in a chiffney just because they learned VERY quickly it was to be respected
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Thanks for the response. I have no knowledge of bringing on babies and the fluffy bunny side of me would probably creep out with a chiffney :D
 
i agree that chifneys do work (was what i had to use on my TB to load him :rolleyes:) but i would be reluctant to use on on a baby unless i had exhausted every other avenue. i can't believe that anyone would actually try smashing an egg...for a start- how the hell would you get the egg up there if you were on the ground with a 15.2 in the air above you????! :eek:

i would try to avoid stepping back (if you can- hard i realise :rolleyes:), sharp tug on the pressure halter with a firm NO and then chase her back out of your space...when she's good then just carry on as if nothing has happened. thats what i would do anyway :)
 
Simply say 'no' (and mean it!!!) and absolutely don't let go- she-ll grow out of it.

Be nice is an excellent idea- just make sure u release it when needed and don't keep too much consent pressure on her poll.

When introducing youngsters to them, we've always turned the top bit upside down- purely so it's no immediately severe, and so they don't have a panic when they know it's there.
I'll be honest- I think a chifney is overkill for this- it's just excitable baby, but you do need to tell her no or she'll keep doing it

Good luck :) keep us posted!!!
 
Forget the fluffy bunny, a horse needs to learn respect, else it will end up in a total confused mental state and be sold on on on again.
Get someone else who is strong and experienced to sort this out at once. A chiffney is only used when the horse misbehaves, it is not cruel but need to be set higher in the mouth than a snaffle. Always use a lunging rein and send him forward when he mis behaves, I assume he is out at grass not stuck in a box 24/7
 
You need to teach her respect for you and your personal space.
In the school when leading her make her stop when you do, walk backwards move over etc. So when she goes up and comes back down make her walk backwards, she will get bored eventually! Be firm but quiet.
 
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