How to stop a youngster rearing?

S

sz90168

Well-Known Member
Joined
30 December 2011
Messages
218
Visit site
I have recently got 2 year old warmblood gelding and he has just started rearing when being led in from the field. I think the spring grass is making him rather excitable but he still must not get away with this behaviour as he will be a big boy. I want to nip this behaviour in the bud now. What can I do to stop this? I used a lunge line and put his round his nose so there was some pressure there but he did not seem to keen on it.

Any suggestions will be very welcome :)
 
well there is always the old fashioned techniques such as cracking an egg on his poll as he goes to rear, the yoke feels like blood and they think they've hit the 'roof' of the sky, i have heard of this being done with success..

instead of having a lunge whip round his nose i would invest in a dually headcollar which will apply pressure more evenly and only when needed, we had a mare who was a night mare to handle and used properly the dually turned her into a mannerly angel!.. good luck

Immmy x
 
How do you crack an egg (or anything else) on the poll of a rearing horse whilst you are on the ground. Whether it would work is unlikely but it is a physical impossibility. A lunge whip round the nose would take some achieving as well. Maybe read post again before advising.
 
No, no, no! Don't try to smash an egg on your youngster's head or use a dually unless you are shown how to use one properly.


Your youngster wont rear if you can keep them moving forwards. So put a long leadrope (Shires do good extra long ones) on your horse's headcollar, wear gloves and carry a schooling whip. If the youngster *thinks* about rearing - send them in a circle around you (mini lunging style) and say 'walk on' firmly. Once they have circled you, go back to leading them towards the field/stable block as if nothing had happened.

You may need to do twenty circles to begin with, but they will soon learn that it gets pretty boring going round and round, so you should soon only need to say 'walk on' to keep them going forwards.


ETA. The lunge whip around the nose is one of the oddest ideas that I've ever heard!
 
Last edited:
Sorry OP not had the problem so can't advise. Probably control halter could be a good idea as previous poster suggested. Just concerned about advise being given when your thread had not been properly read. You have a big boy and the problem needs to be addressed carefully.
 
I was advised by a professional horse behaviourist that a dually headcollar or similar should only be used if you have been fully instructed how to use one correctly.
 
my 2 yr old tried this a few times a couple of months ago! I lead him in a halter and when i applied pressure and hit him, i realised this was a massive mistake, he went up vertical again! so have decided that agression defo doesnt work with him!

hes got a bit stupid and tried it a few times since but not as badly! I have just raised my voice and said NO or AAARRGGHHH ARRRGGHH ARRRGHHH and that seems to stop him and calms him down a lot!

its hard though as he really hurt my back the first time, so i was a little bit scared for a few days but realised why he done it and what i'd done wrong and fingers x'd hes been better since!
 
I think immyS meant lunge line not whip. That was my point about people offering advise without reading post properly. A 2 year old warmblood in hand, rearing, so smash an egg on it's head. As I said, wouldn't work. But can you imagine the carnage if OP took advise on board and tried to do it. I have heard of that rearing solution being suggested when ridden ( still a ridiculous idea) and can only assume immyS hadn't understood the horse was in hand.
I am often irritated by replies to posts on here that have clearly been sent without reading the origional and subsequent posts properly.
 
ImmyS said:
well there is always the old fashioned techniques such as cracking an egg on his poll as he goes to rear, the yoke feels like blood and they think they've hit the 'roof' of the sky, i have heard of this being done with success..


Immmy x
Click to expand...

Good lord no......dangerous and will cause further problems.
Faracat's method is a far far better one!
 
I think immyS meant lunge line not whip
Click to expand...

You are quite right - I got confused by Ribbons' post. Whoops!
Sorry SZ.

Do try my advice though - it's worked with many rearing youngsters and a Tb who will try to walk along on her hind legs. It is also wise to wear a hard hat when you lead a horse that rears.
 
Having been though this with my warmblood x baby. I ditto the "lunging" advice also make sure you are protected hat, gloves, etc and after being hit on the shoulder and back what out for that to. I does get better but I still don't trust him a year later as he will fack it I have also found a pressure halter one of the knotted ones has helped with general leading as he can't pull against you as easily.
 
ribbons said:
I think immyS meant lunge line not whip. That was my point about people offering advise without reading post properly. A 2 year old warmblood in hand, rearing, so smash an egg on it's head. As I said, wouldn't work. But can you imagine the carnage if OP took advise on board and tried to do it. I have heard of that rearing solution being suggested when ridden ( still a ridiculous idea) and can only assume immyS hadn't understood the horse was in hand.
I am often irritated by replies to posts on here that have clearly been sent without reading the origional and subsequent posts properly.
Click to expand...

Thank you for those rather rude sequences of posts, I am not an idiot and obviously meant lunge line not whip! So Thank you for that. The cracking egg is not a method I have used and maybe I should have explained that yes I have heard of people who have done it but I would not do it neither recommend it, but I perhaps did not make that clear.

I also happen to know a lot about the dually as used it with a difficult mare alongside a professional in the art of natural horsemanship, with great success. So before being rude, just think and ask.
 
If he's only two, I wouldn't worry about it. Lead him with a 12' line so you can keep out of the way.

If you make a massive issue out of this now you will be building problems for yourself. He'll grow out of it.
 
I'm sorry if I appeared rude. I did not intend to. merely concerned that the idea of hitting a large horse on the poll whilst in hand and rearing was not only unadvisable but pretty much impossible and downright dangerous to anyone trying it. I don't think you realised the horse was in hand hence my point about reading posts properly.
I honestly didn't mean to be rude, but I do think your post was a bit irresponsible and potentially dangerous. There are quite a few inexperienced members on this forum ( I don't necessarily mean OP) who may take that as good advise and try it. Again I'm apologise if you took offense at my pointing that out.
 
I like Faracat's idea - my youngster is starting to get a bit bolshy - not exactly full on rearing, and at 13.3hh it's not really and issue, but if I'm leading her along the road and she doesn't want to go, she plants and when I ask her to walk on,she does these mini rear things as an evasion. I'm definitely going to try Faracat's idea next time!
 
Thank you for all your replies :) I will try the walking him in a circle when he starts thinking about it. He does warn me so hopefully it will work
 
The cracking-egg-on-head is an old horseman's method designed to be used by a RIDER while mounted on a rearing horse. How on earth the rider would have kept the egg safe and unbroken in his pocket and then managed to fish it out and crack it over the horse's poll at the precise moment the horse reared is beyond me! Maybe the rider was supposed to ride the rearer with one hand on the reins and the egg in the other hand?

Anyway, it was not a method recommended for in-hand - after all if your neddy is on his hindlegs, how on earth are you supposed to reach his poll while standing next to him?!

A 12' line so you can be out of the way of flying front hooves, sending him forwards/circling, hat, gloves and boots and patient firmness would be my first thoughts.
 
Ribbons - I don't think that you were rude, I think that both of us were just :eek: at some of the suggestions.

:)

HH. I've also done plenty of circling when leading the youngsters out down the lanes. I do try to time their walks with really low traffic times and take them down the quietest lanes until they are more experianced and well behaved. ;)
 
today was very scary for me! my 2 yr old hasn't reared for a while but had the farrier today and stupidly I got him in at the same time as my mare and he turned into this evil rearing freak! in the end I had to let my mare go (luckily I know she won't go anywhere) and had to try and stop him!

he was then a right little s*it for the farrier, trying to rear while he was trimming his front feet, he's always been really good!

then when i put him back out he was rearing in my face, scared the hell out of me! how are you supposed to keep calm in these situations? eventually I raised my voice and he stopped so i could remove his halter!

i defo need to find another horse, only having 2 on my yard is making it a right night mare for me!
 
Our yearling (gelding - just!) has a habit of rearing coming in from the field - we've tried the lunge line and keeping out of the way, but he very quickly mastered the art of rear - plunge - rear until he had me against the hedge! I now only lead him with a controller halter and normal lead rein, and (touches wood!) he has gone up again! (Probably tempting fate, and he will be a XXXXXX tonight!
 
supagran said:
Our yearling (gelding - just!) has a habit of rearing coming in from the field - we've tried the lunge line and keeping out of the way, but he very quickly mastered the art of rear - plunge - rear until he had me against the hedge! I now only lead him with a controller halter and normal lead rein, and (touches wood!) he has gone up again! (Probably tempting fate, and he will be a XXXXXX tonight!
Click to expand...

i tempted fate yesterday by saying mine hadn't done it for ages and today he was live a different horse!

fingers x'd yours won't do the same thing now :D
 
Echo Faracat.......we helped a friend out with a rearing filly a few years ago....thdm yard we were on was supposed to be experianced and there way of dealing with her was to treat her every time she put her front feet on the ground. The ower went nuts when she found out so we took over turning out.....the first time she went up with us three grooms came rushing over with polos we told them to go away and when she went up a second later with my sister she casually stepped to the side, yanked the lead rope and started yelling and being aggressive in her body language, it startled filly so much she plonked back down and carried on to the field without a fuss leaving the grooms looking like idiots......she never did it again :D but she was 11 months old and about 15hhs.

X
 
If you can preemt when hes going to go up, try turning in a immediate tight circle, with a firm 'no.'
If he continues being difficult I would invest in a Dually. When used properly and with care they are excellent.

Good luck!
 
He's just at 'terrible twos' stage of his life, providing you handle him confidently and correctly, he will grow out of it, honest :) They like showing us the underside of their tootsies at that age, him and probably every other youngster in creation ;)
Just have a longish rope, stay out of hoof range and keep him moving, don't lose your temper and you will be just fine.
 
whatever happened to a plain old telling off?!

step to side, pull horse sharply forward, down and round, and give it a bloody good belt on the arse!

2yo or not, i dont want feet in my face thanks and wouldnt accept it as any form of normal or continued behaviour.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top