Potentially big problem I need to nip in the bud, how?

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Ziggy_

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My mare has started rearing.

She's always had a minor tendency to nap, usually just reversing and spinning and occasionally squatting down on her hind legs as if to rear, but never done anything more than a bunny hop. She always naps going into the ring at a show, rarely out hacking (if we've done a route a lot and she's bored of it usually) and very rarely in the school (if there's a gremlin in the corner).

Until a week ago she hadn't reared for about eighteen months, when she went straight up and over on the lunge and I think frightened herself. (she used to to big ones in hand quite often).

The last week, however, we had problems in the school (on Sunday/Monday?) and she went up a few times. Today, I took her out hacking, had a longish canter and decided she needed a bit longer to cool down so turned her away from home and she said 'no' and went up a lot higher than usual
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I think I need to nip this in the bud but I'm not sure how.

In the past, she's always been one of those horses that reach a certain stage, and if you push her any further she'll lose it completely (like when she went up and over). WWYD?
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argh, not sure but the mare I ride has just started as well (see 2 posts lower)
so if you get any responses please dont be offended if I jump on ur post too
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I hope you find some good advice on here though!
 
Usual thing first: have you (both) had teeth/back/tack checked? As you will know, rearing is not usually over something minor, but over something major that maybe you've been missing the quieter objections to.
 
normal checks as above.
have a look on youtube at endospink on a real pro rearer. what he does is the opposite of what i've always been taught to do (he sits passively, does nothing really, and then asks horse to stand still and think about it when it stops, rather than riding fwd, circling etc) but it really works. excellent stuff.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VKkl8jbe0Ks
 
I would ride, especially hack, in company as much as possible for a while. Moving yards and going on loads of new rides has probably knocked your mare's confidence a bit and while ideally she would take confidence from you, sometimes things get a bit much and they need other horses for a bit more reassurance.
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If everything has been checked (back, teeth etc) then there are a few things you could try. If she's well established at it and is using it when she fancies doing her own thing it sounds as if she's confident doing it and it's not just so much a baby thing she'll grow out of.

The thing is knowing when she's going to do it. If you know what sort of situation she'll do it in then it helps. One 'trick' is to have someone on the ground (who knows what they're doing) to be ready with a lunge whip and when she goes up they need to tap her on her belly (not a hard crack!), enough so she can feels it - but you need to be ready for a reaction. This could be enough. Another way of preventing it is to tie the tail to the girth. The horse needs their tail to balance in a rear, if they can't use it, they can't rear. That's the theory anyway - I know of someone I told to do this (can't recall where I'd heard it from though) who did try it and it worked.

Other than that you could try riding in draw reins so they cannot get their head up to rear and eventually should give up as they 'forget' about doing it. I do think rearing, although can turn into a 'naughty' evasive habit, stems mainly from the horse lacking confidence and then realising rearing gets them out of facing their fear (whatever it may be) so definitely get a good instructor to help you.
 
kerilli, that is what I did (well similar) as in sat there and just let her do it. Then tried to move her on, then she went up and off again!

Dunno what to do except get her checked out....... but coz she isnt my horse I obv can't make the YM do it (its her horse)
 
I expect I will get shouted at for this - but it worked for me..

My horse started to nap and went up a couple of times, he scared the life out of me so I started riding him in a Market Harbourgh, he was much better in it and I felt like I could handle him - therefore I continued riding him (I wouldn't have got on him again if didn't feel safe)

One day I was schooling him, he started to nap to the yard (about 6 foot away) he threatened to go up, he couldn't in the market harbourgh so he stuck his head to his side and wouldn't move forward .. I lost it with him - I shouted, whipped and kicked him forward (I had never done this before or have I since) It wasn't like me but I think the adrenalin kicked in and I became the boss again - he has never, ever tried it again in the last 3 years, if he even looks like he is going to nap I growl at him and he moves forward - he remembers that day!
 
L_N, i think it's a case of waiting longer, until he is really bored. i have a young mare who tends to threaten to rear and i yell GO FORWARD at her at the first hint of it, working like a charm so far, she hasn't gone up for months and months.
 
well i will try this tomorrow.... just, there is a JCB in the yard for moving the muck to the muck heap...............

dont really fancy being reared into that....
 
Ich, Rearing :| My boy seems to think he's clever by doing it and hadn't done it for about a year until the other day he felt it was a real need-be.

I have to admit to taking the approach that Hermangerman did and that's what kept it at bay for the year, but little things are starting to add up now. Have Chiro coming out in November to double check everything
 
Have never dealt with a rearer myself so cant help you with that but I just had a moment of dejavu reading this then remembered last time I read a post of this nature there was a ridiculous piece of advice about walloping horse on poll with whip when its about to go up!
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Dont be doing that hehe!
 
I remember that too. Stupid people giving stupid advice.

I always say if they are a dangerous rearer then put them in draw reins and only use them if they try to go up. Works a bit like the MH in the post above.

If you can sit to them and are sure they won't go over then i have always loved the endospink vids (he is amazing!) but if at risk of going over from it use the draw reins, at least then you are safe. I usually go for the keep moving forwards/in circles too but like Kerilli says, endospink's way seems to work really well.
 
Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I too was pleased to see no one mentioned smacking her on the head or smashing an egg between her ears as usually happens!
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Back and saddle have literally just been done, and are fine. Teeth due next month but I think I'll book in ASAP.

I think perhaps that Naturally and Flame you are both right, her confidence has wobbled a bit over the last few months and I haven't been listening to what she's been telling me, if anything I've tried to push her on through it and made things worse.
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Endospink vids were fascinating and look like a good way to avoid getting in a fight, plenty of food for thought there. Thanks again everyone
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My tb rears and spins (always left as well) the best tactic I have found is keeping him right up tight agaisnt wall,hedge,fence etc when we are on our first ten minutes(the normal flash point) so I physically remove his normal path. I also try and keep his feet constantly moving as rearers generally have o stop and then rear so if you can remove the stop ,I have foundthat my horse finds it harder to rear. I keep my hands wide and relatively high so I can almost weave him from side to side. I always make sure I have plenty of time for hacking as well so I can sit out any resistance - I am of the mindset that once I am out I am out and we are not going home until we have finished the ride - stubborn cow that I am
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Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I too was pleased to see no one mentioned smacking her on the head or smashing an egg between her ears as usually happens!
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Now you mention it, I've seen a plastic bag full of blood used to crack a horse between the ears when he reared - bag splits, blood spills .....

And I had a dreadful rearer once who used to get just a tap from the crop of a hunting whip when he started to go up (which he did EVERY time a bigger horse came upside of him) - reminded him it was unacceptable!
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BUT - there are rearers - and there are rearers - and then there are mares who rear!!

Geldings can be punished for rearing (if there are no pain issues) - it will make mares worse. You have to work on the reason behind it - and if back, teeth AND OVARIES are checked out and fine, then I would suggest draw reins initially. but they have to be used BEFORE she goes up, and one rein stronger than the other - so you pull her head to one side.

Rearing is normally just an evasion to going forward - it's a schooling issue. When a horse is properly in front of the leg it won't rear!
 
I'm not suggesting this will solve the root cause of the problem, but to keep you safe while you're working on it have you tried this?

http://www.todayshorse.com/Articles/OneReinStopExplained.htm

I find it unbelievably helpful as it prevents bucking, rearing, rolling etc and gives the horse a few seconds to think about settling down.
You need to do stretching exercises every day to keep your horse supple enough but if you do you can employ it any time in an emergency and know you're not going anywhere - v. reassuring!
 
My horse started rearing a couple of months after I got him (he was 5/6). He was also nappy. You need to be really confident. If you are not, get someone to help. With my horse he would just try it on all the time. I had to basically keep him moving forwards. This was hard because he totally ignores any whip!!! Even cracking a lunge whip behind him has little effect. I remember going round our tracks with the YO following me with a lunge whip, but actually just having someone on the ground with you makes you feel more confident. I thought I was kicking but YO said I wasn't really kicking. Anyway, it was a case of being consistent and never ever letting him get away with it. This did mean thinking ahead so you are never going to be in a dangerous position if you do push your horse. You must make him go forward every time he tries it on. Also, ensure you are happy in your own position in the saddle - you need to be ready to lean forward - it helps to ride with a neck strap so you can hold this if you need to for balance. Pull one rein downwards to ensure your horse comes down forwards not backwards. One rein helps because it tends to make them lose their balance forwards. As soon as they are coming down, kick on!

I spent a long time with my horse being a twat. It took a few months but the episodes got less and less. Now, 4 years on, I get it maybe once a year. One kick and he behaves!!
 
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