How to deal with rearing...

[MasterBenedict]

How do people deal with rearing when there is no pain involved? My youngster was so uncomplicated and sweet to break in but now seems to have hit his teenage years and his rearing is unfortunately becoming a little too common. Full on, full height rears due to being excited/nervous/bored/just plain being a sod.

Have tried telling him off which usually just winds him up more. Ignoring him and just carrying on seems to be ok, but isn't resolving the issue. He is not being nasty and is not trying to get me off but it is obviously something I'd rather nip in the bud. Of course I try to keep him forward but it's not always possible as he can be pretty quick! He is lovely in every other way, has never bucked, never tanked off with me and is brilliantly bombproof to hack.

 

[Micropony]

You will get much better advice from more experienced people than me, but on the basis you're confident it's behavioural rather than pain-related, I would be getting an experienced trainer in to help me nip this in the bud before it becomes a learnt behaviour. They will be able to see what's happening and spot any patterns and warning signs that we can't.

If you know it's coming, are you able to use flexion and tight turns to stop the horse going up? The other thing I would suggest is making sure the horse is fully responsive to a light forward leg aid in all situations, really work on that, and check your contact isn't too strong.

But as I say, you'll get better advice from others with more experience than me.

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

I would pull one rein hard either on the way down or before he gets up up, do a super tight circle for 5 seconds or so, then stop and continue with what you were trying to do. This would hopefully make him associate rearing with awkward tight circles and he will stop. Please don't pull the rein whist he is at full height though as this may result in him falling.

 

[FlyingCircus]

Mine has/had a tenancy to do this, but not full height rears. The only times he has ever gone up with me are when he has had to wait and he didn't want to and when I kicked him on past something spooky and he did NOT like being kicked on.

I generally ignore it if it's already happening or not let him escalate if he's getting to that place. If he needs to wait, he has to wait but I walk him around in small circles, do some turns on haunches/forehand, anything to try and keep his attention on me. If he doesn't want to go past something spooky, I've learned to let him have a look, tell him it's ok and ride positively forward (but by god do not kick! haha).

He has done it a handful of times over the year and a half I've owned him, but seems to be getting less and less as time goes on and since I've tried to take away situations where he might think about it by keeping his mind busy.

 

[alliwantforchristmas]

When is he rearing?

 

[Doublethyme]

Are you positive it isn't pain related or feed related. My mare was a bit of an in hand rearer as a baby growing up. ...she found it incredibly easy.

However she has only gone up there times under saddle, once was fear reaction to a scary horse eating digger and twice was a food reaction. To anyone not knowing her you can easily assume it was high spirits but imho it is an over reaction and usually has a good cause elsewhere.

 

[be positive]

I would rather have the odd buck, tank off than a rearer any day, rearing is not acceptable for any reason in my book, it is something that needs addressing as it has nothing to do with him being a teenager, it is learned behaviour that is getting out of hand and there is rarely a good excuse of it being due to excitement, it may not be nasty or trying to get you off but it it is dangerous, usually nappy in origin and not something I would expect of a brilliantly bombproof horse however lovely they may be.

As to how to stop it, I would probably put him back into long reins so I could deal with it without real risk, he needs to be told off or at least learn that rearing is not something tolerable, when riding avoiding the triggers will help but it sounds as if he has too many for that to be easy, they have to actually stop in order to rear so if he starts to hesitate that is the time to get after him, by the time he has stopped and reared it is too late to tell him off for doing so, the rearing is the result of him being able to stop, refuse to do as asked so he must learn to go forward when asked, and be rewarded for doing so by you taking the pressure back off.

A habitual rearer really needs professional input to deal with before it becomes so ingrained that you end up with a really dangerous horse that eventually flips or slips over backwards with potentially serious consequences, the last true rearer I had in the yard went over on the side of the road damaging it's owners back, that was after I had told them to stop riding her, after that performance they still wanted to ride so I gave them notice and they left the yard, several experts were involved but they all gave up as it was beyond hope to ever be ridden safely, it was lovely when it was not rearing and the owners kept making excuses for her, don't make that mistake.

 

[MasterBenedict]

You will get much better advice from more experienced people than me, but on the basis you're confident it's behavioural rather than pain-related, I would be getting an experienced trainer in to help me nip this in the bud before it becomes a learnt behaviour. They will be able to see what's happening and spot any patterns and warning signs that we can't.

If you know it's coming, are you able to use flexion and tight turns to stop the horse going up? The other thing I would suggest is making sure the horse is fully responsive to a light forward leg aid in all situations, really work on that, and check your contact isn't too strong.

But as I say, you'll get better advice from others with more experience than me.

This is kind of the problem, he does it so randomly I'm jot sure having a trainer there would help as I could easily go 6 weeks with nothing!

When is he rearing?

It's frustrating as it varies. The second to last times as 3 weeks ago, we were riding in the arena and another pony came in. He just lost the plot for a split second, reared, then carried on cool as a cucumber. Today we had been out on a (pretty stressful due to being charged by a herd of deer) hack with our usual hacking buddy, then popped into the school for a quick schooling session. All good for ten mins, then as we walked across the diagonal he just went up, then again carried on like nothing had happened. Has also happened outside the area and is usually when he is feeling very well in himself, it's usually preluded by grunts and squeals and sometime a high spirited leap, so at least some warning!

He is very soft in the mouth and I ride him on a very light rein. He feels very balanced when he goes up and it's almost slow motion.

 

[MasterBenedict]

Are you positive it isn't pain related or feed related. My mare was a bit of an in hand rearer as a baby growing up. ...she found it incredibly easy.

However she has only gone up there times under saddle, once was fear reaction to a scary horse eating digger and twice was a food reaction. To anyone not knowing her you can easily assume it was high spirits but imho it is an over reaction and usually has a good cause elsewhere.

I am 99.9% sure it's not pain related. I have had him since he was a 13 month old colt and broke him in myself and feel I know his foibles very well. Its usually at times of stress or excitement or when he's just generally feeling a bit too big for his boots.

I doubt it's food, he's is on rationed soaked hay and a tiny handful of speedbeet with Brewers yeast for the flies and a tablespoon of salt.

 

[JillA]

Look up the German "mill" - a VERY tight, as active as you can, nose to your boot turn. My old mare napped by rearing as a 5 year old and I found out about the mill. As soon as I felt her losing forward and preparing to rear I turned her tight to her stiffer side, using rein and legs, one full circle then ask for forward again. And again, if she still didn't go. After about six times of doing that each time when we were out and about, the last time she slowed, I took a feel on the relevant rein and she went forward without a murmur. She never risked it again.
You do have to have total commitment though, anything less than a really tight turn at the very first attempt to nap risks them coming down sideways on you. It's a very powerful aversive which costs them effort and some discomfort without getting them scared of you.

TBH even if it is pain related there are other ways to let you know - rearing is something that is dangerous to allow them to do under any circumstances, and a boundary not to be crossed.

 

[alliwantforchristmas]

You need to identify the triggers really ... But I would make sure all management is good - esp coming into spring when they all feel good - plenty of turnout and opportunity to play, and no unnecessary food. I'd also be more tempted to longline, and possibly set up a couple of situations ... Horses entering or leaving the school while you are in there so that he gets used to staying focussed while there are other things going on around him ... At least you can send him forward smartly from the ground. You do seem to be describing two different kinds of rear though ... Does he always grunt and squeal? Are you sure you are not asking a bit much of him and he is still a bit 'baby'?

 

[MasterBenedict]

You need to identify the triggers really ... But I would make sure all management is good - esp coming into spring when they all feel good - plenty of turnout and opportunity to play, and no unnecessary food. I'd also be more tempted to longline, and possibly set up a couple of situations ... Horses entering or leaving the school while you are in there so that he gets used to staying focussed while there are other things going on around him ... At least you can send him forward smartly from the ground. You do seem to be describing two different kinds of rear though ... Does he always grunt and squeal? Are you sure you are not asking a bit much of him and he is still a bit 'baby'?

Yes, pretty much every time we have some sort of noise before he does it. He is currently out for 12hrs a day no matter the weather, and will be out full time in the next few weeks. He is on a tiny amount of speedbeet to carry Brewers yeast and salt and soaked hay. I really don't think I'm asking too much, I very much wanted to take everything slowly as I am aiming to keep him for life. We only walk and trot with a very occasional canter in straight lines, mostly do varied hacking with some schooling sessions thrown in. I do not ask him to work on a tight contact.

I think that setting up a situation from the ground may be a good way to go. He honestly doesn't do it that often at all, but it is becoming a little too frequent for my liking. He has never had an issues with horses coming in and out the school and has been foot perfect in collecting rings with horses coming at us from all sides. I took him in the school the next day after the pony incident and he was foot perfect. So frustrating.

 

[alliwantforchristmas]

Well, at least if he does make a noise you have some sort of warning ... Can you feel him 'building' prior to the rear ... I'm wondering if there is a bit of a trigger stacking thing going on ... I can cope, I can cope, oops, now I can't cope type of thing! How old is he?

 

[stormox]

Rearers usually do it for one of 2 reasons- they want to go and you dont, or they dont want to go (napping) and you're trying to force them. I had one that napped, and reared when you put pressure on, I dealt with that in a way similar to Jilla's - although I used draw reins to keep the head down, I forced her head onto my toe, and circled 3 or 4 times,then asked for 'forward'..... it took a while but she did pack it in.

 

[MasterBenedict]

Well, at least if he does make a noise you have some sort of warning ... Can you feel him 'building' prior to the rear ... I'm wondering if there is a bit of a trigger stacking thing going on ... I can cope, I can cope, oops, now I can't cope type of thing! How old is he?

Most of the time he builds up to the rear, yes. I can usually put him off by giving him a pat, scratching his withers, distracting him etc. He is rising 5 so I am assuming this is him showing his babyish behaviour but I still do not think its acceptable no matter his age!

Rearers usually do it for one of 2 reasons- they want to go and you dont, or they dont want to go (napping) and you're trying to force them. I had one that napped, and reared when you put pressure on, I dealt with that in a way similar to Jilla's - although I used draw reins to keep the head down, I forced her head onto my toe, and circled 3 or 4 times,then asked for 'forward'..... it took a while but she did pack it in.

It definitely doesn't feel nappy as he never turns and has no wish to stop. He happily carries on after a short pause. I also don't think it's him wanting to go as he is pretty lazy and never ever pulls at my light contact.

I think next time if I can't contain it I will try the sharp circling.

 

[stormox]

I take it he's a gelding, not a colt? I have known stallions to do it, just coz they can! And a friend had a rig that was rather prone to rear for no reason...

 

[MasterBenedict]

I take it he's a gelding, not a colt? I have known stallions to do it, just coz they can! And a friend had a rig that was rather prone to rear for no reason...

No, he's a gelding and has been since he was 18 months old. He did have a complicated castration that was totally mucked up by the first vet practise and I had to go to another to fix the mistake. The vets were happy with the op though and I did personally see both offending objects removed with my own eyes

 

[JillA]

Most of the time he builds up to the rear, yes. I can usually put him off by giving him a pat, scratching his withers, distracting him etc.

Just be careful doing that - he might perceive it as a reward and that you are telling him he has done the right thing (and should do it again). If in doubt do as little as possible - same applies to "reassuring" a horse displaying scared behaviour.

 

[alliwantforchristmas]

You can definitely pat, or interact in a calming, reassuring manner, with a fearful horse - it will not reward/reinforce his fear. If you think your horse is worried OP, go ahead and reassure him. Article about dogs but the biology/psychology is equally relevant http://thebark.com/content/reducing-fear-your-dog

If he's just getting over-whelmed/over-excited I would keep him moving forward as much as you can - and be prepared to go back to doing more groundwork/long-lining in potentailly challenging situations so that you keep reminding him to focus on you.

 

[JillA]

It isn't about the fear, it is about the behaviour, and if you can prove the rearing is a fear behaviour, fine. But there is a very good chance that it isn't.

 

[oldie48]

My daughter's young eventer started rearing on hacks, he'd spook then whip round, if she stopped him turning he'd go up We decided he was just trying his luck so the next time he did it he got a slap with the whip on the top of his head, not enough to harm him but enough to shock him. He tried it once more and as soon as he felt her put the reins in one hand to smack him he thought better of it. He never did it again. We may have been lucky and we were very confident it was just a bit of naughtiness but it needed nipping in the bud before it became an established habit. I hope you can sort it out easily as it's not nice to sit a rear even on a well balanced horse.

 

[alliwantforchristmas]

It isn't about the fear, it is about the behaviour, and if you can prove the rearing is a fear behaviour, fine. But there is a very good chance that it isn't.

he might perceive it as a reward and that you are telling him he has done the right thing (and should do it again). If in doubt do as little as possible - same applies to "reassuring" a horse displaying scared behaviour.
Read more at http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/foru...o-deal-with-rearing/page2#zpuWgVLP7GhFeGsE.99


You said you shouldn't reassure a scared animal - you can and should.

 

[NZJenny]

The horse in my avatar was a rearer as a teenager. Like yours, he was fine to break in, but when he got a bit more confident under saddle, it was his way of telling me to go ***** myself.

It would usually happen when we were heading out the gate for a hack or turning away from home while out hacking. To be fair to him, it was lack of confidence out on his own, but man it used to scare the bejeezes out of me! I would rather be bucked off - at least you know you are going to be clear of the horse.

I got all sorts of useless advice, everything from "he needs more ground work" to "hit him over the head with an egg/dead chicken/dead pukeko/plastic bag full of water". In the end I got to the point where I could feel where things were going to go wrong and in the interests of my own safety (and sanity), I would simply dismount and lead him past the trouble spot, then get back on and ride when he had settled. I did try the one-rein thing, but that very nearly led to him going over backwards and me bailing out in a very stony river bed. Some nice bruises - but could have been a whole lot worse. If you can catch them before they go up and keep them going forward at the same time, I think that can work, but I found it a bit dodgy.

Like I said, it was all about confidence with him and once he got his head around being out on his own he was fine. He grew out of it in a few months and went on to be a really awesome endurance horse for me. But I think understanding the issue is the key to curing this particular problem as well as staying safe yourself.