Need help with my rearing horse please

[Equimo]

I was of course speaking metaphorically when i describe shouting at your horse. I'm sure most who read that took it to mean hard riding and a much firmer stronger rider reaction rather than actually just sitting there shouting. That would be a bit silly.

Although if i need to ride hard on a particularly bad mannered horse, i do find the odd profanity bellowed at high decibels helps to back up the message i'm trying to convey to the nice little pony who's trying to flatten me with his whole half tonne body.

 

[Equimo]

I do sympathise with you. (Esp aimforthestars) It's not a nice thing to have to deal with, which is why it is so important to stamp it out quickly. I had one go up and over with me a few months ago. I had that horrible moment of thinking "[****] he's coming over" Fortunately had my wits about me, bailed out and rolled. He missed me by a few inches. I wasn't badly hurt but as i had fallen from quite a height my back took a battering and i couldn't ride for a week so lost income.
My initial thoughts were to get back on it and fix this issue, but then my OH pointed out it's not my horse and it's not worth the risk. I won't be doing myself any favours and at the end of the day I would never ever sell a horse who has the potential to do that. I'd rather have it shot than sell it on.
The horse had come to be re trained and sold on. A client had bought it from a dealer who would not take it back.
A week later after i had left several messages for the dealer who didn't have the bottle to call me back, she came to collect the horse and refunded my client.
However, this was a horse who did the "lost the plot rear." They don't all do that, but can progress to that stage. My own hunter is excellent at waving his feet about sometimes, but as high as he can go i have never thought he was coming over. (Even when my arse is in a hedge!)
It's the horses who rear out of the blue, the irrational rears that can't be explained or the rears that are reaction to panic. Those are the real dangerous ones. The horse forgets his self preservation and if he's not even looking out for himself anymore, you have a big problem!
It's not nice to deal with and even someone like myself who has experience in riding such horses can survive a near miss, this time at least.
All the more reason to come down on him like a tonne of bricks and scare the crap out of him before he even tries it on.
Bending the neck is great if your having a rearing fight. It can stop a rear before they go up, but it can also stop a rear getting any height if you do it after the feet leave the ground. Essentially, get the horse forwards.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

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He has had everything checked - if it was pain related surely he would behave the same in company and when ridden in the school (which he doesn't) and if it was a confidence issue it wouldn't have suddenly appeared when he has been fine hacking out alone previously.

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It could be that the saddle is comfortable when riding on the flat in the school and that the road to the bridge is on a hill (I presume). If the horse is less condfident when out alone than when in company, it could be that this discomfort becomes unbearable for him when alone. I have had a similar problem with my usually well-mannered mare and an ill-fitting (as it turned out) saddle. She was always far less well-behaved when going up hill. Do please be very careful trying to 'ride through it' if he is truly rearing. It is far too easy to end up with the horse going over backwards.