Horse has started rearing...any advice?

charlie76

charlie76

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 March 2006
Messages
4,665
Visit site
Just to clarify, I am not a novice, have my BHSI(SM) but I have reached the end of my tether with my horse. he has taken to standing up when the pressure is put on him and wondered if anyone has any bright ideas on how to rectify this.
He has had his teeth done, back checked, vet checked and has just had a £3k made to measure saddle.He starts off fine and well behaved when you are just doing easy work but as soon as you up the pressure( ie lateral work, asking him to accept the outside rein etc) he either starts spooking or rears. He seems to do it more if you ask for a direct down ward transition. He carries on in this vein for about 15 minutes before giving up and doing some nice work. Having had all the checks done I feel is naughtiness and temper rather than anything physical. The only other thing is that he has been odd with the tummy straps of his rug and girthing up recently but before anyone suggests ulcers he is not lethargic, thin or with a dull coat, in fact he looks a picture of health and is as happy as Larry to deal with and has a huge appetite however he was clipped not so long ago so may be ticklish in that area.
When he misbehaves I have been trying to send him forward in a positive fashion but then he just bogs off with me so I have to slow him down casuing another rearing session.
Help!
I am not scare dof him but its very annoying.
 
You've probably thought of this, but you haven't changed your washing powder or anything like that? Just thinking that if you wash girths etc and the powder has changed he might be having a little reaction to it on his skin?
 
Ah well, worth mentioning just on the off-chance!

If he bogs off, can you keep pushing him on instead of stopping him, beyond the point where he wants to stop - so he learns that bogging off does not lead to fun times?

I suppose he might have some minor niggle that goes once he is warmed up, I guess you could try lunging him before you get on and see if that helps?

All these are just suggestions of a thinking aloud sort, so they may not be helpful to you:o
 
Dont completely rule out ulcers just because a horse looks ok, i looked after a GP dressage horse who was in fantastic nick but after displaying colic like symptoms, was diagnosed with them. Treated he was fine. :)
 
I was always taught that rearing is extreme behaviour for the horse, so something serious always causes it. I've known it caused by fear, but usually by pain/discomfort. Now you obviously show him each time he's ridden that he's not getting away with it, so he settles - yet he still does it each time you ride. That would suggest to me that it's not just behavioural - vets do miss things, esp kissing spines, mild arthritic stuff etc. I'd do a bute trial, just to see. If that changes things, you know there's something they've missed. If not, then each time he rears, make him work hard immediately, as a consequence - repeated mini circles, get off and lunge, or whatever, then carry on.
 
My horse was not lethargic, thin or had a dull coat, and he had ulcers. He was becoming increasingly sharp to ride, as you describe but not quite as bad. He looked the picture of health externally, he's a good do-er with a great appetite and always very forward going and keen.

You cannot possibly know what is going on inside your horse from looking at the outside. His behaviour is very indicative of ulcers, I would not rule them out without either a scope or trial treatment with Omeprazole granules.
 
I had a really bad rearer after all the checks done went to richard maxwell my horse would not stand still at all not good when your at t junctions but richard got a wipwop and every time went up wacked him on the belly wipwope same thing as curtain tie with big thing on the end he was excellent with richard with this and did improve on the roads with me but show jumping couldnt help himself also i used a harbrigde on him as he would go up and over he couldnt get the height in this hope that helps a bit
 
In actual fact, the triggers you describe work-wise are those which require him to engage his abs and lift his back (lateral work, direct transitions down etc) so clearly he is uncomfortable doing this. My horse was just the same, it wasn't his appearance which made me suspect ulcers, it was his behaviour under saddle, he wasn't willing to engage his abs either.
 
How old is your horse? As this sounds very similar to what my daughter's horse was doing last year, we found that it started up when she turned six and almost like clock work stopped at 7 with nothing else changing around this time its all we have been able to put it down to!

At the time we couldn't think of any reason she might be doing this, as like you we had had all the checks done! But now looking back all of our horses at the age of 6 have gone through this "stroppy teenager" stage of not wanting to do any work what so ever!

Sorry that this isn't any advice but just a thought of that at 6 this seems to be a pretty normal occurance from our experiences and many of our friends! Hope the problem resolves itself :) our mare hasn't put a foot wrong since the change in age!
 
Would suggest that by the time the horse loses weight, is l;ethargic, with dull coat, the ulcers are well establishedd Those signs can take a long time to appear. Could you give a small feed of alfalfa to line his stomach before working him?
 
Hi There, I agree with Lynnie that horses can go through a "teenage" phase between 5-6 yo. Assuming that all checks for discomfort come back negative, this could be simply a dominance challenge. My mare went through a phase on rearing when I asked for turn about the forehand and also last winter when she wasn't going out much. She still has the occasional go but gives up pretty quickly now and does turn on forehand like butter wouldn't melt.

One thought that comes to mind is whether he is using the downward transition to go behind the bit and then have the opportunity to rear. Does he have a tendancy to go behind the vertical, you may need to watch that carefully. I like the idea also of having someone on the ground with a lungewhip who can help encourage that foreward urge when it happens. Good luck, hope you get to the bottom of it.
 
I would definitely second the coligone, just to see if it makes a difference, it made tremendous difference to one of ours that suffered. You would see results very quickly so wouldn't have to look at long term outlay and it would be cheaper than vet investigations (initially) or training costs if it gets that bad.
 
i put my horse on loan and got a call from the girl one day sayin that he had started rearing. I was down south at the time so arranged for all the checks (teeth, vet saddle etc) and still rearing. I came home and went to ride him for the girl to see what he was actually doing armed with a riding whip and some eggs. In the school - good as gold. On a hack, saw a road cone and up he went. Smacked him once between the ears when he was at his highest (mid rear) and down he came with a very confused look apone his face. i asked him to walk on and up he went again, this time a cracked an egg on his head when he was at his heighest and he had never reared since. They think they have hit their heads when you hit them with egg/stick so the stop.

worked on my horse so hope it works on yours
 
the cracking an egg or the water trick works well indeed - its the trickling sensation that stops the rearing. I had a rearer who was just simply naughty and had been used to having all his own way - he soon stopped when the water went over his head.

(this takes skill tho!)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top