new horse turns out to be a rearer-advice please

Polos

Polos

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A while ago I posted about my new horse rearing me off, well things got better for a while he was working really nicely in the school until he started to go funny again (bouncing and headshaking) I called the dentist and he sorted his teeth out and the osteopath who found some tightness in his neck but he 'manipulated' his neck and gave us an exercise programme which we have been sticking to, saddler is booked for a couple of weeks time. Tonight I decided to go for a hack (he has been hacking twice with me at the yard before- one in company and one by himself) and my mum walked with me on foot. We got halfway round our route before he started acting up (bouncing, headshaking and spooking) I put my leg and managed to ride him through it so we carried on (we where on our way back at this point) and we where almost home, I could see the yard and he just went straight up and over, it was so quick I had no time to react or grab the neckstrap, he just went straight over and landed on me. He wacked his head pretty hard on a gate on the way down and scraped a fair bit of fur off his face.

I just don't know what to do about this, he just goes straight up without any warning, I have owned him for about 2 months now and he has reared so many times I have lost count.

He goes out for 8 hours a day, he is only fed a handfull of hi-fi twice a day and haylage and he does some sort of exercise everyday.

My mum says he has to go and tbh I agree with her, we are going to ring up the dealers in the next few days but we don't know wether to get the bloods tested first, any advice?
 
You poor thing. There is nothing worse than a horse that goes up and over, its so frightening. Hope you're not too shaken up.

Have you had any lessons or had anyone experienced see the horse act up like this? Not condoning it at all, its totally unacceptable, but just wondered if anyone else had actually seen it and offered any advice...
 
Jeezus, this horse is bl@ddy dangerous, full stop, and once upon a time horses like this got sent straight to kennels and no messing.

I was always taught in Pony Club that if anything reared it was "get off, stay off", and get kennels on the phone".

Don't, please, get on this horse again, or let anyone else. You've been very lucky, don't tempt providence. If he was mis-sold to you by a dealer then send him back PDQ and create hell if they're difficult about it.

OK so there MAY be a possibility that he could be helped by an expert; but unless you ARE that expert, then follow your mum's advice and get rid. Do it immediately before you start getting fond of him/feeling sorry for him.
 
I hate to sound harsh, but before the horse kills you/itself or both - call it a day.
I would never sell/pass on/loan etc a horse that reared like this. I understand that there could be pain/discomfort/neurological issues here or imprinted behaviour. Either way to rear and go right over means a horse that has lost any self preservation instincts.
I hate to say it, but unless you are happy with a field ornament - pts is the kindest option for the horse.
Did this horse come from a dealer?
 
The first time he reared with me and almost went over I had my lunge lessons with my instructor and gradually went off the lunge. My instructor has been with me all the way and has helped me from the very beginning. A lady who works and liveries at the yard was driving past tonight and saw it happen and and she stopped her car and helped catch him, she was such a help. Another livery was hacking and also saw it happen.

My instructor agrees that this is getting dangerous now and has advised us to ring them up.

We bought him as something I could BS on and do Pony club whic is what I have always wanted to do.
 
Ditto the above - if they have no regard for their own safety they sure as hell don't give a stuff about the rider.

Sorry, but don't get back on :( Its really not worth the suffering should you not be so lucky next time.
 
yes, he did come from a dealer pm me if you would like the name. He was evented by an event rider beforehand and did BYEH. He is very talented but is also proving to be dangerous.
 
Please get rid before you seriously injure yourself. I always said I would never own a rearer. My young horse reared last year and I ended up breaking my arm. I wish I had listened to my own advice. Is it possible for you to send him back?
 
We specifically asked for a horse that didn't rear and was safe. I think thats what we are going to do, We will be contacting the dealers shortly.

Thank god I was wearing a body protector tonight, I probably would have broken something.
 
The dealer is unlikely to take the horse back and if they do don't expect anywhere near the money you paid for it back. Or they may offer to exchange it for something else - and after this experience would you want another one of their horses?
If the dealer did take the horse back - they will pass it on to someone else and the horse could possibly kill the next owner. Do you want that on your conscience?
Sorry but pts is the only option for a horse like this or if you have the money to support a field ornament, keep it.
But DO NOT get on this horse again.
 
Ditto others, it's not worth the risk & I think your mum is right. There is no point in knocking your confidence even more, as it sounds like you had a lucky escape today.

My pony was a rearer when I got him & it's not nice at all I have had him nearly 7yrs & he still does it on the very odd occasion when he gets excited, but it was constant when I first got him & I would NEVER go through it again equally I wouldn't sell him as I know he has got it in him to do it.

Hope you get it sorted asap & keep us posted on what happens.
 
Tricky one. This is why I get a tad upset when people brag / show pictures of their rearing horse as if they are far more superior than everyone else for staying on. But what's stopping the horse going over backwards and taking a life? Fine line really, some just don't realise.

Hope this has not knocked you too much in finding the right horse. No idea on what to suggest though. I doubt the dealers will take him back easily and as others have said... What will they do? Sell him on to someone else and put them at risk, but this time you will be in the know also which makes it harder.

If they did know though, how sickening! Do not get back on the horse either way. Hope you come to some conclusion soon and do whats best.
 
Polos said:
I don't want to get back on him incase it happens again.

To be honest I might just give up competeing, I can't find the right horse. I might just get a happy hacker.
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From the sounds of it, there's a good chance he will do it again so the last thing you want to be doing is getting back on, that's for sure.

I don't know what to suggest with regards to the horse as it's not my place but obviously sending it back could also put someone else at risk and I can't have things like that on my conscience.

Have a break for a while, ride a few friends horses and re-establish your confidence that not all horses are this dangerous. You must be feeling terrible and I can't begin to imagine how much stress it is right now but try not to be too rational.
 
I agree don't send him to the dealers as they will just send him on.

Is there a possibility of having a lameness work up done and checks over his back? Also check for ulcers?

Also if he was evented by someone could you not get into contact with them and find out his history?
 
slightlyconfused said:
I agree don't send him to the dealers as they will just send him on.

Is there a possibility of having a lameness work up done and checks over his back? Also check for ulcers?

Also if he was evented by someone could you not get into contact with them and find out his history?
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He has only just had his back seen by an osteopath (last wednesday) haven't thought of lameness (doesn't look unsound when trotted up) or ulcers.


I suppose its worth a try to see what she says.
 
Did the horse hover and the fall over or do a total backflip? If the latter I would call it a day, but if the horse just lost their balance then perhaps time to talk to the dealer for a swap
 
So glad you were not hurt! A rearer who goes over is probably the most dangerous thing a horse can do. Please don't get on him again.

The horse has a very serious physical or psychological problem. You could go down the route of figuring out what it is but it would cost a lot of money and there is no guarantee you would have a horse you could ride at the end of the day.

The dealer should take the horse back as it's not fit for purpose and if he gives you any trouble you could go down the legal route. Have you been in touch with the dealer at all? Is there any indication they would take the horse back?

As mentioned above the dealer may try to re-sell him, but it's a lot to ask of you to keep him as a field ornament for the next 20 years.
 
Having had a chronic rearer myself, my advice is not to get on him again. In the last few weeks before I got rid of my boy, I stopped riding and just lunged him every day. It's far too dangerous. Hope you get it sorted one way or the other x
 
Don't get on him again. My one hate is rearers, especially the ones that literally go straight over without warning. If he is insured get vet to check for kissing spines,as I have come across a horse whose reaction to them was as you descirbe. If there is no physical underlying issue, then I would PTS if he can't stay with you as a field ornament. If you pass him on not only would you feel very guilty if he injured someone, but you could end up in court, even if you are honest about him.
 
I would definately be contacting the dealer and seeing what they said. Cross the bridge about whether to send it back or not when you've spoken to them. At the very least they should know what has happened.

Don't feel down. It doesn't mean you have to have a happy hacker, just that this is not the right horse. Don't get on him again, find something else to ride for a while, find the fun again...xx
 
Always Henesy said:
If the dealer did take the horse back - they will pass it on to someone else and the horse could possibly kill the next owner. Do you want that on your conscience?
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This is ridiculous........ the dealer has sold a dangerous horse to this person & you expect that person to stand the financial loss & not return the horse as you believe they will be responsible for what the dealer does with the returned horse & will be responsible for any injury the horse may cause in the future??? .......this is ridiculous!!!

The horse needs to go back & you need to get your money back. Take legal action if you need to. Don't ride the horse again & quite frankly ignore Always Henesy, you will be in no way responsible for what the dealer does with the horse in the future!!

AH says to have the horse pts, no, it is up to the dealer to do that after they have refunded you. You should not be out of pocket because of this.
 
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Don't get on him again, it's not just a one-off rear, sounds like it is an on-going problem and it's really not worth you injuring yourself, hopefully you will have some comeback as you bought him from a dealer, not a private sale. None of us likes to give up on a horse but sometimes your safety has to come first! And wonder why he ended up in a dealers yard in the first place :confused:
 
Difficult decision :(

Regardless of what you do with him, do not get back on him. Unless you can pinpoint a reason for him rearing, you cannot take steps to prevent it. Next time he may kill you.

Finance muddies the water. I would spend as much as I can afford of trying to work out the problem but it it can't be found or fixed he would be PTS. I would never allowed him out of my hands because someone else will try to ride him. They could easily be killed :(

However I do understand that you've only just bought him from a dealer and I don't blame you if you want to get your money back. In which case you need to take it up with the person you bought him from as they should never have sold him in the first place.
 
I am going to stick up for the horse on this one! But firstly, like everyone else, I've no idea why he's doing it. But I just want to tell you a story.

A friend of mine - a man - some years ago had one of the best LDR horses you could wish for. I was at the NEC in Birmingham when he went up to collect about 6 awards (because he was a lazy so-and-so and enjoyed the riding, not the rosettes).

I had come back into riding after a 2-year break. I'm an adequate rider only, not nearly as good as I should have been for the amount of riding, PC and hunting I did as a child an teenager - just, in my own eyes, adequate.

Anyway this man, who lived nearby, realised I had ridden, lent me one of his horses, a hunter, to hack and generally enjoy, and in time he trusted me to keep the LDR horse fit for him between rides, as he was a very busy man. This I did happily for years.

He told me he had bought the horse as an 8-year old. The horse had been entire, had raced, and had been gelded at 7. He had been an absoolute bxxxxd; one day A friend of my friend was riding him, and the horse, who was prone to rearing a bit anyway, reared straight up, over and crashed down. The friend, mercifully, was unhurt, and got straight back on. That horse never reared again. He lived to be 33, and was competing well into his 20s.

dO bear thIS in mind. It is SO easy to write a rearer off. I had a rearing poiny as a child. It only reared on the hunting field, and was perfect anywhere else. Another new poiny started out rearing like a circus horse, but turned out to be the best hunter, horse or pony, I ever had. It is dead scar, and I 'd be the first to admit it, but it is often quite simple things that trigger it - over-excitement, boredom, or under-exercise.

I most sincerely hope that you haven't lost your nerve. It strikes me that you and he may just not be right for one another. He sounds as if he might do better in a more active, hacking, hunting, LDR or Endurance family, with plenty to stimulate him. You say you had only hacked him twice in 2 months? That is simply not fair to the horse.
 
How awful, hope your ok.

Have you contacted any of his previous owners to see if he has always done it hence being sold on ?

I wouldn't want to take home back to the dealer as he would be sold on and I would hate to think I could have prevented possibly someone's death but would looking into legal recovering funds from the dealer as if this is what the horse does regularly I would have him Pts.

If you can't get details for previous owners I'm sure if you put their details on the post someone could assist you.
Directory enquiries , 192.com and companies house are always helpful sites to use.
 
Sorry, I haven't read all the other replies - apologies if this is a repeat of what's been said.

I bought a horse who seemed to be what I wanted - a schoolmaster. I got on him a day after purchase... he was really spooky in the school but I just put it down to settling down. I took him out with my husband walking alongside - all ok but a little hesitant. On the third day I thought I'd take him on a little hack. I mounted and took a couple of steps away from the mounting block when he went vertical and over. I don't remember much about the fall other than seeing his mane in my face but I broke my wrist and severely bruised my hip where he landed on it (I now have long-term problems with it) and my head. I had a hat on but I hit the concrete (we'd not left the yard) with such velocity that I literally saw stars.

I sent him straight back to the dealer and he replaced him with another horse who I still have. I would NEVER have a rearer - destroyer of confidence, breaker of bones
 
Polos said:
I don't want to get back on him incase it happens again.

To be honest I might just give up competeing, I can't find the right horse. I might just get a happy hacker.
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And this happy hacker will probably turn out to be your jack of all trades horse of a lifetime!! Get rid of the rearer and get something you can enjoy.
 
Toby_Zaphod said:
This is ridiculous........ the dealer has sold a dangerous horse to this person & you expect that person to stand the financial loss & not return the horse as you believe they will be responsible for what the dealer does with the returned horse & will be responsible for any injury the horse may cause in the future??? .......this is ridiculous!!!

The horse needs to go back & you need to get your money back. Take legal action if you need to. Don't ride the horse again & quite frankly ignore Always Henesy, you will be in no way responsible for what the dealer does with the horse in the future!!

AH says to have the horse pts, no, it is up to the dealer to do that after they have refunded you. You should not be out of pocket because of this.
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I will thank you to keep the tone of your post slightly less aggressive...the OP is well within her rights to ignore me. The OP has asked for advice regarding her rearing horse. I have given my advice and she is perfectly entitled to ignore it.

The dealer is unlikely to give her the money back - have you any experience of dealers at all? Legal action is a possibility, but costly and to what end?
Do you seriously think the dealer would do the right thing by the horse if they did give her the money back?

If I was the OP I would not have the potential death or serious injury of another human being on my conscience if the horse were to go back to the dealer. But maybe that is because I care about others.
 
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