**** (insert word) - It rears!

RuthnMeg

RuthnMeg

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Ok, a normal morning down on the yard where I work part time. Once we waited an extra 30 mins to allow for the road to thaw, we were told to ride out 2 horses - Tyson and Dan. Tyson is about 15.1, bay tb type and Dan a bit bigger, chestnut with alot of white about him and slightly chunkier too. Never ridden Dan before, so I chose him.
All was going fine - until we got to the end of the drive! Stop, rear and spin - just a little one, a warning of what was to come.
We only managed to go about 1 mile - took best part of an hour. I have never ridden a more mean horse, he reared and he meant it! It was very high, front legs striking out, and if I could in any way try to prevent it from happening he would turn around (not fast) and 'go'. Mouth of iron, and no matter what I did he continued to go. A horrible feeling of total loss of control. I let go of me left rein, and pulled with the right, I have never had to put so much force onto a horses mouth before. (I didn't want to go down hill out of control - rearing is one thing, but bolting is another on the roads). Anyway, I did stop him going, but the rearing I couldn't do anything about. It was nappiness at its very worst, for no real reason. He is good in traffic, and no scared of anything really. Tyson being only 5, started to act up too, although her didn't rear he didn't want to go anywhere either, so the girl who was riding him had to get off and lead us forward. We did manage to go forward, but I never ever want to ride that monster again.
I don't know how I stayed on, I last rode about 7 weeks ago ( apart from 2 small hacks) so was rusty, I ache like hell now. Its also been 12 years since I last rode a rearer. Feeling very shakey but have survived.
Thanks for reading, I hope I did the right thing!!!
 
At least you managed to get him going forward after he b*ggered off with you! Kudos for doing that and not just getting off and going home.

Hope you don't ache too much.
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I would have gone straight back to the yard and handed the reins over
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I can't stand rearers, and you couldn't pay me enough to ride one.
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Glad you survived!!
 
I rode one like this once too. A friends horse started napping on certain rides (ones he didn't like!). He would rear, spin and bolt. Repeatedly. I took him out, and I am not joking, in the space of an hour or two he must have reared a couple of hundred times. At one point he did over 20 rears in a row, right in front of a car (The driver looked petrified - I didn't blame him!). He always spun one way, and even through gloves he took layers and layers of skin off my finger which took weeks to heal. However, he has never, ever, ever done it again. He learnt that nothing was going to get him home, and the naughtier he was, the futher away from home we went.
I should point out that all the checks had been done, teeth, back, saddle etc so there was no pain element, just naughtiness.
Sounds like you did exactly the right thing. Well done. I know how tiring a napper as bad as that is. Have a nice long bath - sounds like you deserve it!
 
Like ^^^^ said, not any amount of money is worth going through that again, so I can safely say, I won't be riding him again - as much as I hate passing problems on (especially dangerous problems) Iam going to say 'its someone else's problem now.
 
Good for you - some things just aren't worth risking your life for.

Rearing and Bolting - 2 of the worst things a horse can do IMO. Have never had to deal with either and I hope never to have to!!
 
I must say how brave you were to stay oon him and not get off and lead.........
I had a horse on loan once, 17hh and chunky TB who decided me, cracked to rear on a hill slip backwards and just missed me, he cracked my hat! never got on him again, apparently rearing was his talent
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My mare used to do mini rears when she couldnt get her own way or when she was being nappy, we have put a stop to this now thank god by working her through it and keeping her going and not giving her time to stop and think about it, she dosent try it anymore, as she knows it dosent work! i put it down to her being a baby and trying her luck!
 
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Like ^^^^ said, not any amount of money is worth going through that again, so I can safely say, I won't be riding him again - as much as I hate passing problems on (especially dangerous problems) Iam going to say 'its someone else's problem now.

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very, very wise - defo hot bath required to sort out your aches and pains!
 
I don't mind controlled rears, but i can't stand bolting. Well done for staying on, but i agree you are doing the right thing by refusing to get on him again.

Pick Tyson next time, he sounds nice
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Have a nice long bath and some choccy and snuggle up on the sofa with HHO.
 
Well done to you for staying on
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When I worked in the RS, I had to lead a hack ( a Dad and his 2 daughters, about 8 and 12 )
We got on to the bottom track, the 13.1hh pony I was riding suddenly stopped, nothing to scare her. so I squeezed her, she double barrelled at 1 child
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So I smacked her with whip, she reared
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I rang the office and explained, they said ''give her a beating''
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It was a 2 hour hack, I done 1 half of the ride in over 2 hours
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I had to keep jumping off, I didnt beat her as she was scaring the kids.
She reared in front of a car, nearly fell backwards on to a car
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I had some major words, and told them I would NEVER escort with that horrible little pony again!

Rant over lol! I HATE rearers
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you should have got off and lead him in my opinion. you were putting, yourself/horse and road users in danger!

Check his saddle back etc, maybe he is trying to tell you something. He obviously doesnt have much confidence and shows it in this way.
 
QR

That sounds like a horse who has had something terrible happen to him: physically or emotionally.

My pet hate is horses who are labelled "mean" or "evil" because they have extreme behaviour: for pitys sake, something has happened to that horse to cause it to act that way!

Rant over!
 
Theres a very thin line between bravery and stupidity!!!
You should have got off, and stayed off the vile creature.

If I was your Mum I d have told you off for taking such chances with your life.
No horse is worth getting killed for. Rearers and bolters, I dont do, - never have.
They have a fundamental flaw in their basic training and are not normal horses IMO.
My friend had a horrid little Morgan x that was a law unto himself, he reared vertical with me, because I stopped him bombing off when my friends other horse bolted. Always was an ill-mannered git, even as an old horse.
Avoid them like the Plague.
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If it was down to me-he would be on his way to 'Potters' as we speak. I detest rearers.I can forgive a try on or someone who does it theough pain or discomfort but those who do it through sheer bloody mindness or badness, well..............they get the bullet. No use to anyone and a danger to all including themselves.
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That sounds like a horse who has had something terrible happen to him: physically or emotionally.

My pet hate is horses who are labelled "mean" or "evil" because they have extreme behaviour: for pitys sake, something has happened to that horse to cause it to act that way!

Rant over!

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Not necessarily! It may be that the necessary did NOT happen to stop him behaving in that way.
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Lots of young horses go through a phase when they say: No, Won't, Can't, Shan't - for no REAL reason other than that they're green. What happens next can either solve the problem - or create a problem that can live with the horse for a long time!

IF the rider quietly and persistently explains to horse what he MUST do - and helps him do it - then problem solved. If the rider lacks the confidence to ride through it, the horse learns he CAN say NO! That horse is already on his way to being a napper.

I've reschooled a lot of nappy horses - most of them ex-racehorses - who reared when asked to do anything they didn't want to. Quiet, firm persistence cured them - so far! But in MANY cases, after months of good behaviour, if a new rider got on, they 'tried it on'!

One horse I had did this several times. Only I rode him for 6 months - he'd stopped rearing completely. One day I let a competent WP ride him - she couldn't get him out of the yard! After another 6 months of impeccable behaviour and no rearing, I wanted to sell him as I was coming to the UK. Another competent WP wanted to buy him. He got on, horse went vertical. I talked rider through what to do - and horse behaved. WP bought him. I saw rider and horse 2 years later when I returned to Oz on holiday - the horse hadn't reared since that day - but he hadn't let anyone else ride it!

It sounds to me like the horse subject of this post was a 'cured' rearer (otherwise no yard owner in their right minds would have put OP on it!) But OP hadn't ridden for a while, maybe was a bit tense or nervous, horse said: "Whacko - I can have some fun!" Or - to give said horse the benefit of the doubt, the rider's nerves transferred to him and frightened him - he thought: she's scared, where's the monster, I don't want to go near it!
 
for those that it applies to, his back is checked twice annually, and more if there is problems - same with saddle and teeth. Last visit was only 3 weeks ago. He hunts well, and is fine if he is behind, but on this occassion Tyson baulked at a rubbish bag and left Dan a nose in front, and then it started.
Yes, maybe I was stupid, but adrenelin kicked in, and I didn't want to get 'beaten'.
He went sj'ing last night and was very good, but obviously has never hacked out in front. Who knows what his past was like, but I don't feel sorry for the bugger!
Iam ok, the horse will be fine, but Iam not going to sort the problem, and i am grateful my own horse is 100% genuine.
 
My horse is a rearer and is luckily now a very very few and far between one at that. He'll occasionally rear for a reason but it's not nasty IMO.

He hasn't reared in about 6 months now but before then my friend got on him and was simply opening the gate and he reared
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Oddest behaviour he's ever done - which is saying something in itself
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Anyway, I assume he was just trying on and it was a very very very small one.

So perhaps like JG said that he could be a 'cured,' rearer.

The YM didn't mention anything of this nature ?
 
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My pet hate is horses who are labelled "mean" or "evil" because they have extreme behaviour: for pitys sake, something has happened to that horse to cause it to act that way!


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How do you know? It might have just worked out that this is how to get its own way and go home. I'm not saying that makes it evil at all, just that a lot of horses rear and they haven't all been traumatized.
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Not necessarily! It may be that the necessary did NOT happen to stop him behaving in that way.
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Rest of your post is too long to quote, but good point well made
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Flame:
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How do you know? It might have just worked out that this is how to get its own way and go home. I'm not saying that makes it evil at all, just that a lot of horses rear and they haven't all been traumatized.

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You're right of course, although I refer you back to JanetGeorge's post about training
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I don't know enough about the OP's horse to say if it is doing it because it thought it could get away with it, or because it is scared of a rider actions/reactions, in the past or now, or because it is in pain (I appreciate OP has said things have been checked). Maybe just maybe it was just being a horse and displayed normal horse flight behavior because its friend was scared by something.

Yes I appreciate it is completely undesireable behaviour, and that a well-schooled horse ought not display rearing/bolting behaviour because they should have been educated that this is not an appropriate reaction when around humans.

My comment was only intended to be a general rant because a few people have labelled rearing/bolting horses evil, or words to that effect, and its an attitude seen quite frequently on here IMO: label the horse evil, don't bother looking for cause and effect, just say its doing it to be malicious.
 
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