Please help me help another

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HaffiesRock

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***Firstly, this is not me and I want to help the person in question***

There is a girl I know who is young and inexperienced. She has recently bought a tb. It has started rearing when out hacking (on the way home) So she and another novice on the yard have decided that the cure is a bit change from a hanging cheek snaffle to a pelham.

I want to help as I can see someone getting hurt.

Now if this was my problem, I'd do the whole saddle, teeth, back check scenario and then work on schooling. But she's young and thinks she knows it all so I am going to struggle with what ever I say. I will add shes only had the horse a couple of weeks.

I am hacking with her tomorrow so can see for myself what is actually happening but I can just see an accident happening with a frisky tb and a pelham in inexperienced hands. I cant really say anything to her yet as I have no idea how to help with rearing?

Any help appreciated.

Thanks
 
My ID x TB reared with poll pressure, if hers does too then she could make matters a whole lot worse as the Pelham is all poll pressure.

She really must get the back etc checked but in the meantime if she must use a Pelham then she must do it with two reins not one so she isn't punishing the horse the whole time, sure way to get a stander up to go over backwards
 
Is this her first horse?

I would defo think about all the health checks. However if she's only had the horse a couple of weeks then I assume she had it vetted and any major problems would have shown up then. Has she changed the saddle?

If it only happens when she's on her her way back to the yard it sounds more like an eagerness to get home TBH. It's hard to know without seeing her but if she is expecting it to dash home then she will possibly be tensing up in anticipation/anxiety of this problem causing the horse to rear in discomfort or anxiety itself. If this is the case then the Pelham will be next to useless. I'm not sure what she's hoping to achieve using this bit, it will possibly only cause more tension and anxiety. She needs to sit very quietly when it hots up on it's way home and ride it forward into a contact. It will find it very difficult to rear if it's working properly. Is it proper on the hind legs, waving kind of rear or just hopping of the ground? I suppose you'll find out when you hack with her!

She needs to chill out and not jump in too quick with bits and gadgets. Nothing substitutes good riding! The horse has only been with her a very short time and probably needs more time to settle and get its head around a new home and rider.
 
sorry but your really going to have to say something , don't let her get on with a pelham if she is inexperienced she will more than likely pull it over backwards
i would just tell her straight as she could kill herself then how would you feel for not saying anything

years ago i was on a yard with someone who was doing a bit of dealing and the horses were never ridden from one month to the next
two young girls showed up laughing and larking about ,one was very cocky and was laughing saying she'd rather ride a rearer than a bucker as there easier to sit too
i looked at her like she was mad but didn't say anything because at the time i was easily intimidated by loud know it alls
about half an hour later i had to scrape the two of them off the main road , one was unconcious and the gobby one had a very badly mangled hand that i'd be suprised if she ever got the full use of it back again , they were lying next to two sets of stirrups that had obviously slid of the saddle bars because both horses had gone up so high and then fell on the road

a third rider was with them and got bolted with back to the field , she fell when the horse stopped but never rode again
the two loose horses ran back to the yard and had only minor injuries but neither of them was a rearer as such, it was just inexperienced riding on fresh horses that had caused it but i'd certainly say something now if i could see an accident waiting to happen , i was on my own that day to deal with that and it wasn't nice :(
 
Make sure you have a conversation before you leave the yard about what she does if the horse threatens to rear..... there must be a warning sign? She should be bending it - horses nose towards riders foot - then it won't be able to rear.
 
Years ago I took a rearer hunting. He was in a Pelham. It made it ten times worse and I did indeed end up pulling him over when he went totally vertical and he landed smack on top of me. It's not a nice feeling and I wouldn't want to witness it happening to someone else. My OH said it was awful to watch. I was very lucky and wasn't seriously hurt but it could have had terrible consequences.
 
As above re: encouraging her to have the horse's back, saddle, teeth etc. checked, but I'd also ask her what she's feeding her horse - if this is her first horse and she's inexperienced then she could well be feeding something that doesn't suit the horse, or too much feed in general.
 
Have worked with plenty of tb' s that rear or even nap coming home. In every case it was a novice heavy handed rider causing the issue :-(.
Tb was getting tense just because heading home and then rider taking too strong a hold and the whole situation blew up.
Perhaps chat with her before the ride tomorrow and ask her to give if one more try in snaffle? My advice would be to talk to her throughout and try to keep her calm and keep her reins soft. Remind her to ride off her seat but if ex racer not to be too strong with her legs. Hope this helps a little - nothing worse than seeing inexperienced people with too much horse.
 
If she's a real novice, chances are its not doing what most of us would class as rearing anyway. More likely to be a quick halfway up & straight down, or a 'launch' to canter type thing. Probably caused by her inexperience, whether that's hanging onto its mouth or simply not knowing how to use its energy in a constructive manner. I'd take the route of watching how she rides, suggesting a few things (eg shall we try 6 transistions between here & the tree, don't forget to use your seat to walk etc) & then push home how much more improvement she would see with a regular instructor.
 
Thank you everyone. I dont know her well, shes new to the yard but I will try and talk to her and her mum tomorrow. The girl is only a teenager.

As far as I know, the horse isnt an ex racer. I've seen her riding in the school and she looked nice and reasonably schooled. I havent hacked with her yet so can I only say what the other girl said.

I will keep you posted tomorrow when I know more xx
 
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