Napping and Rearing

cobsforever12

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Hi, I'm just looking for some advice.

I have an ex racer on loan. For the first few months he was perfect we went hacking for miles, his schooling and jumping came on everything was fine.

Then out of the blue a few months ago he started napping. He would just slam the anchors on and spin home. I immediately tried to spin him back in the direction i wanted to go in but this resulted in him rearing vertically with me.

I was already aware of this as I had ridden him for his owner the previous summer which is when he had started rearing, but she had his teeth, saddle and back checked and sorted which for the time being had sorted it.

I kept trying to get through this problem and i would now always try to keep him moving and trot him along the parts where he would normally nap. This helped for a while. Then he would start to slam to a halt from the trot and spin around completely ignoring all my aids from my legs seat and hands. He would literally run home. If I used me reins or legs he would rear vertically. I figured that this was starting to get dangerous as I have to hack mainly on roads.

So my friend then let me ride in a spare field a little walk down the road where I would school him and lunge him each day to start to get hjim listening to me and respecting me again. This worked a treat and we started to go out for walks around the block and he was going really well. I carried on with this but once again the napping and rearing has returned.

I have tried everything I can think of including keeping him moving, asking him to bend his head round to his hindquarters, using a whip (i haven't used spurs and I haven't hit him on his poll as I don't agree with this) but because he ignores all my aids it is difficult to use these methods.

We have again had all the normal checks such as back teeth and saddle and everything is fine.

I'm really looking for some advice does anyone have an solutions to my problem.

Thanks
 
Have you had him checked over by the vet? Could be a more serious problem I.e ulcers.

What area are you in? Maybe someone on here can recommend a person that spesicalises in problem behaviour.
 
Because its started happening out of the blue it does sound like something's changed. Either begin art, or something's happened to scare him. But I can't add much more advice to that.

Paula
 
What's he like if you hack in company? If he's fine with others then it rules out pain. And in company will he go in front all the time happily?
 
Not sure if this is the case with yours but my horse is always far worse in summer, after a seemingly uneventful winter he can just flip back to this behaviour.
I also find that the fresher he is the worse he is, so riding in the afternoon is better, I also warm him up in the areana first to get him listening.
As far as tricks are concerned, if possible stand him still in the direction you want and wait there for a few mins to calm the situation down before asking him to walk forward again. Or if he is trying to go up grab him and pull his head to your knee, hold for a few secs. Alternatively spin him in a very tight circle - you have to be pretty quick with this and it does wind them up initially but they work out its more hassle than its worth.
I would also suggest long reining and hacking out in company then letting your horse take the lead, with mine it tends to be a mix of lack of confidence and a little too much attitude but you will make progress my boy is completely different to a couple of years ago.
 
Thanks for all your replies.

He's much better in company although he will still try it a few times he will soon give up. Riding in company isn't always an options though as he is in a field with an older horse.

Yes my horse has been fine over the winter it was as the weather changed really.

I'll have a go at what you all said. Thank you :)
 
I kind of assume that when people post here, they have usually investigated potential pain issues, and to be honest, in my experience, its just as often as not, a behavioural issue. Sometimes after a period of time of being absolutely fine, they just get fed up and start misbehaving in an evasive way, and once they figure out they can scare you, the issues can escalate.

I haven't had a lot of experience with other breeds, I really only ride ex-racers, and this is very often the case. I had a mare that did a similar thing, and she was just being piggy.

Having ruled out pain (try riding after administering bute, to see if it makes a difference), I'd follow Coen's advice, particularly 'Or if he is trying to go up grab him and pull his head to your knee'... It is very difficult for them to rear (or buck) if they are bent. Obviously you need to be confident in your ability to manage this, as only you know how much of a struggle you will get, but its pretty reliable. Its hard, sometimes you need to bluff them back!

I don't envy you, I HATE rearers, its scary!
 
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I had the exact same problem with my loan horse a few weeks ago, I was stumpted as to what to do, until through trial and error ( I'm very stubborn so there was no way he was going home :p ) I discovered he only has one side which he spins at his left , so ride at the left side of the bridleway near the ditch so he cant turn that way and will keep going, if he's throwing a big hissy fit and reverses , then with a little click I try to send him forward which results in a rear, but I've discovered he cant keep his balance if in mid air I give a few short pulls on the right rein, he soon comes back to earth and gives up (think he has no other ideas :p ) contiunes forward, ever since I've started the chuck in mid air thing hes been trying it less and less ( I'm hopeing I'm killing his confidence when hes in a mid air rear so he doesnt think its a good option anyway). Not sure how correct it is to do this but it works for me anyway, i dont like pulling his mouth but I figure its better than an upside down horse anyway :)
 
Providing pain has been ruled out you could try riding with a harbridge training aid? This helped with my horses rearing (until now, but that's a whole idfferent story).
 
OP - you could have been posting about my horse. She is an ex-racer and when I got her we hacked for miles with no problems. Then like yours she started napping, rearing and spinning - no warning, and no apparent reason.

She was sound when this was happening and I assumed it was behavioural. Just like yours, if I went after her she got worse.

Then she started showing mild irregular lameness. It was even unclear which leg it was on as it changed from both fronts, to the back all the time.

Initially she was diagnosed with spavin, however I wasn't convinced this was all there was to it, so I requested a referral to Glasgow for further investigation. After a scintigraphy scan she was diagnosed with navicular, hind limb PSLD, bilateral spavin and arthritis of the fetlock - no wonder she was napping and rearing!
So although your horse may not currently be showing any symptoms, your case sounds so exactly like mine that I wouldn't be surprised if there is something lurking which hasn't become apparent yet. I hope it isn't but wanted to warn you anyway. :)
 
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