Rearing and Bolting

Ambers Echo

Ambers Echo

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I was always told to avoid any horses that rear or bolt as those behaviours are dangerous. But I have realised over time that a lot of 'bolting' is actually rude tanking off or spooking and running a short way before stopping and these are not what I would consider true, blind panic, into a brick wall, dangerous bolting.

Is it the same with rearing? Is there normal-horse rearing as well as 'dangerous' rearing. If so how can you tell the difference.

I know lots of horses who occasionally rear. Many rear when napping and a few rear when being held back on a hack or at a XC clinic. Max has reared a few times in PC rallies in both those scenarios and no PC instructor has said this is dangerous behaviour. But another friend of mine's pony reared with her daughter and for her it's a total deal breaker and the pony is going.

Should I be more worried?
 
There is rearing and there is REARING!

Like you have described horses can lift there front feet off the floor when resisting, napping, getting over enthusiastic etc and whilst this is rearing it’s very different to the bolt upright rear and even worse the flipping.

The flipping is a bullet job. The bolt upright is a forewarned and experienced ride only. The nappy rear is far more manageable.
 
I think a horse going up a little through excitement and/or being held back is one thing-a horse going up through being backward thinking/because they've learned its an effective evasion under stress (and I do believe that some horses find something ie the drop shoulder spin/rear/tank off to get them out of something they dont want to do for whatever reason) is something else. I would never knowning get on a rearer as I've had one go over on me. I have also had excited horses bunny hop around when excited and when thinking about napping but I've not known many occasional rearers ie those that actually go right up-personally I'd not be keen on that.

I agree with the bolting though, its a term bandied about alot incorrectly. but I guess if the rider can't stop the horse tanking off with them, its a bit academic to tell the rider it's not a bolt.
 
TBH it all depends on how big the rear is, some is just out of excitement and easy to sit to where I have been on some that rear until they are pretty much upright and I just slipped off the back. If your friends daughters pony is doing high upright rears I don't blame her for wanted to get another one before her daughter has a nasty fall off the pony or worse pony landing on top of her.
 
Not too sure about the rearing as never rode one who truly reared, just the odd nappy horse or one that would do small rears/launch out hunting. Someone once told me to be more worried if a horse is very balanced rearing as it means it is confident at doing it and will use it as a go to for evasion. Not sure my opinions on that statement as if something reared bolt upright I would rather it would be balanced than topple over... actually I’d rather it didn’t do it at all!

As for bolting I had a true bolter when I was younger. In the last year I owned it, every few months it would randomly take off and there was no stopping the horse until it ran itself into the ground. I fell off a few times and it kept galloping around the arena until it was struggling to breathe and tripping over. Did it once out hacking, leaving me in the middle of the road and taking off all the way home at a flat out gallop, a mile up to the yard, but didn’t stop there. Only stopped when trapped in a barn. It wouldn’t of stopped if you put a brick wall in front of it. Interestingly was diagnosed with cushings a year or so after being given on as a companion and PTS as had no quality of life (young horse, textbook laminitis risk, under 10 years old). I do wonder if a tumour had effected its function to perceive situations, and “flight” took over....
 
Is there is a difference between flipping (presumably that means chucking yourself over on purpose) and over balancing, eg if a rider is clinging tight and pulls the horse back. Neither is great obviously but is one 'over balancing during a rear' a bullet job? My friend's horse went up and over when out hunting for the first time. As far as I know, the one and only time it ever did that though she did never take it hunting again! I think the horse scared itself tbh.
 
Yes I would say there’s a difference. I ride one who will lift both front feet in exhuberant canter transitions or when he’s trying to canter and I’m thinking trot. I can’t say I’ve been on a proper rear! I also agree with the tanking vs bolting, I’ve been tanked off with a good few times, but can’t say I’ve been on a Bolter.

Random google image pics, but maybe explain what I mean. I guess a big difference for me is if there is forward momentum or if ts a stand still and right up(not a wee bounce)




 
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A horse that would bolt through something is not one I would be wanting anything to do with, however I know several who would run off at any opportunity, and many would say are bolters. Sometimes it can be fear or pain related, so it can be solvable in those instances I guess. I wouldn't be risking it with children involved.
When it comes to rearing, its another overused term in my experience. A foot of the ground wouldn't worry me, although would start getting uncomfortable if small children were involved.
I own a rearer. She was (understandably) due a bullet the day I picked her up, and I had known her for nearly three years and worked for her owners. She had repeatedly been upright, including one occasion where the child was told to get off at school, and couldn't because she wouldn't stay on the ground long enough! She also did it with the behaviourist she went to, and the parents would never have trusted her again. This mare has been over when in hand when she has done it, but not with a rider on.
People may ask why knowing all this I took her on. For me, I know I can generally avoid it, and huge progress has been made. I would never allow someone to ride her not knowing, and I have only let one person sit on her in over a year. For me they will always do it, so it is a judgement call. This horse will never be sold for this reason.
 
In 30 years of horses, I have sat on one true bolter. It’s not an experience I ever wish to repeat.

Twice in four years, Diva has spun, grabbed the bit and bogged off. It’s taken me maybe 30-40 yards to pull up, but I certainly wouldn’t class it as a bolt. More a cheeky bog off (for want of a better phrase). Thankfully it’s not something she makes a habit of and both occasions have been caused by a totally understandable spook.
 
Definitely a difference. I've had a good few bogged-off-with experiences and the difference to me between that and a bolt is the horse is still looking out for itself. It's not running blind. Still horrible but probably not as unsafe.

Kira rears fairly often. But she sits behind as much as she comes up in front so it's never out of balance and not very far off the ground ;) It tends to happen at predictable times when I've asked a difficult question and isn't the least bit worrying.

Salty... I don't trust anywhere near as much at this stage :rolleyes:. She's reared right up and fallen backwards (in hand!!) in the past so if I felt she was going to be like that under saddle I'd be hopping off sharpish. I don't think she's a bullet job based on that, I think she made a bad decision and I hope she will learn not to do that! As it turns out she seems more inclined to do buckaroos when she's being ridden :D I'm sure she'll grow out of it, tends to happen when she is surprised or loses her balance.
 
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Well personally rearing doesn't bother me any more than bucking, they are both quite natural behaviours that horses display when excited, playing, stressed... Bolting I think is a bit different. I've never sat on a bolt, but I have sat on a horse I couldn't pull up a couple of times and that's frightening enough.

Two of my current horses I would describe as rearers in that they both rear a lot in the field when playing or having a barney. They both clearly enjoy the sensation of doing it when playing and use it to get out of a difficult situation. The older one is one of the most reary horses I have ever met - he was constantly on his back legs as a youngster. But he's only ever properly stood up under saddle once, and like pretty much all his antics, it was remarkably comfortable to sit on. A rear from a horse that does not do it much in play when in amongst being generally het up is when it gets dangerous ime. Whereas a horse pulling it out as a contrived move when having a difference of opinion with the jockey is generally not too much of a worry.

So I'd say that it massively depends on the horse and the circumstances, but a pony that has shown a tendency to lose its head and throw a wild rear is probably not all that safe for a kiddie
 
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I think there are definitely different types of rearers. Mine can do a silly nappy rock back on his hind legs and up with his front. He doesn't go up vertically and it's amusing rather than unpleasant.

If he's very impatient to follow other horses he can do the same type of move. But it's definitely not anything approaching a proper rear. He does something similar, but more exaggerated when he plays in the field.

I've never experienced a proper rear thankfully, as having had a true bolter I now prefer the quiet life;)
 
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It’s an interesting one having had to take a seller to court for selling me a known vertical rearer. She was truly dangerous. Actually found out a few days ago that the mare had died whilst giving birth (yes, the seller actually then decided to breed from it- very responsible).

Boggle can put in a decent rear on long reins when he was napping, but he’s never done more than hop his front feet off the ground under saddle.

Basil, the safest horse I’ve ever sat on, once went bolt upright with me on hound exercise when I asked him to pull over and stand to allow a car past. He had never even done this hunting, it was totally uncharacteristic and out of the blue and he got several smacks between the ears with a crop immediately on landing and didn’t do it again. He certainly wasn’t dangerous, just forgot himself for a minute.
 
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Yep, the mare I had actually flipped herself over on the long reins then immediately stood up and did it again. That was when I decided enough was enough.


Ambers Echo said:
Is there is a difference between flipping (presumably that means chucking yourself over on purpose) and over balancing, eg if a rider is clinging tight and pulls the horse back. Neither is great obviously but is one 'over balancing during a rear' a bullet job? My friend's horse went up and over when out hunting for the first time. As far as I know, the one and only time it ever did that though she did never take it hunting again! I think the horse scared itself tbh.
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There is an infamous You Tube of a racehorse being led out onto the track that reared up and flipped. I had heard of this before, but never seen it. They seem to have no sense of self preservation, all they want to do it get rid of the rider. Some do learn this, and they need a bullet. There is the naughty, excited rear (bit like bucking), or a young horse being held back that in the end has no option but up - and a friend ended up with a broken pelvis from this and she admitted that it was her fault as she should have let the horse move a bit, and I don't think that this horse ever reared again.

Then there is the nappy rear, or don't want to do it rear, than can quickly progress from lifting the front feet to a proper full up rear and I had a pony that did this. It was a good learning experience as I learned to prevent it by turning and I did cure it in the end. A horse has to stand still to rear. A horse soon learns that if they rear it is a very good evasion and something to be nipped in the bud at a low level.

Bolting is something else. I have been run off with, but not bolted with, there is a difference. Once again, some horses just seem to learn that this is a good way to get rid of the rider, whether it was learned behaviour from uncomfortable tack, etc. There was a british team event horse that was a bolter, so the rider let it run round a ploughed field a couple of times, which cured it (bit drastic) and another I heard where the rider ran it up a very steep hill, like a cliff, after 2 or 3 times it was cured. But whether that was bolting or just tanking off ……………… the latter I think. A horse breaker had a young horse in and the owner said the one thing she couldn't tolerate was rearing, and this horse developed a bit of a rear. So it rode it into a pond, provoked it to rear and it ended up very wet, and that apparently cured it too!


As for the OP and the rearing pony - depends if it happened before. If so, then the parent was right to get rid.
 
A horse that has learnt to rear as an evasion can be difficult to cure. There is an entertaining video on you tube by endospink, I think it is called The Rearer if any one hasn't seen it. I would always worry that the horse is likely to revert to learned behaviour if stressed/lacking confidence.
 
There's rearing and there's "rearing". Fergus is a rearer - it's his "go to" evasion - if he's scared, stressed or doesn't know what you want (and you push him), he will go up. He gives you an absolute tonne of warning signals first, but if you keep pushing...

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He's not what I call "dangerous". He's balanced, he's kind, he won't do it without telling you it's going to happen and doing bunny hops first. But if you keep pushing and you don't give him another outlet, he will stand up.

An unbalanced, flingy, angry rearer is another matter, like a true bolter. But, as with everything, often a "bolt" is just a knob off with a bit of rider error thrown in for good measure.
 
For me, I wouldn't buy a known rearer (or proper bolter), no matter how small the rears are. Mainly because its resistance and probably occurs during nappy behaviour which I cant be bothered with these days. Ive had a horse that reared when napping, not big but I imagine if you pushed him then they would have been pretty impressive. I feel that once they rear, even a little then they could get worse and into dangerous territory.

I like willing, happy horses so to me a rearer or bolter is definately not one and generally isnt the horse for me. Life is too short nowadays.
 
Ambers Echo said:
Is there is a difference between flipping (presumably that means chucking yourself over on purpose) and over balancing, eg if a rider is clinging tight and pulls the horse back. Neither is great obviously but is one 'over balancing during a rear' a bullet job? My friend's horse went up and over when out hunting for the first time. As far as I know, the one and only time it ever did that though she did never take it hunting again! I think the horse scared itself tbh.
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Yes, I think they're different. I've had two who were classed as proper bolt-upright rearers.

Horse 1: actually had a bucking issue (not pain, badly started before I bought him). I sent him away to a reputable trainer for reschooling and they sent him back saying he'd reared and gone over and should be shot. To this day, I have no idea what happened, but I reschooled him myself and he never even threatened to stand up again. I eventually sold him to a pony club home, where he's taken three kids around the circuit and is now a hack for their mother. Still no rearing, and only the odd excited buck.

Horse 2: vertical rearer. It's in the bloodline and was her go-to evasion as well as her go-to playing technique. She'd go bolt upright, come down and go up again. She also went over backwards a few times, both in the field and at work. I was backing her at the time and did consider pts, but it was clear she didn't mean to go over. It wasn't a flip, it was a fall, and sideways not backwards, and she was always very surprised.

In the time I had her she never fell under saddle - she only reared the once with a rider. It was mainly ground based behaviour - daft devil used to play rear and pounce like a cat, as well was have a strop, so it was definitely her default response. I was very very strict about who worked her - it was only me and my partner, and we could read her warnings.

The first and only time she reared under saddle I got the vet. After a long battle to get her worked up ("she just a brat, she's sound, she's fine!" insisted the first vet), I had her referred for a workup and we discovered serious kissing spine. To cut a very long story short, she also had significant issues in all the joints of her hind legs, so when she bounced about on them, they sometimes gave out. She was pts aged six.

Had she survived, I'd have persisted, I think. She was rearing less and less the more we worked together and a stern "no!" would stop her if I caught her before she did it. Despite the rearing, she was a lovely, funny, generous horse. I still miss her.
 
My old boy used to rear out of panic. He was a great worrier & when things got too much he would go up as if he just didn't know how to cope. The last time it happened was when I took him hunting, he was so excited, up was the only way to go. After that and another incident on the same day I resolved never to hunt him again!

The current pony is a tanker, sometimes for no particular reason other than because he can. Usually preceded by a buck and then takes off at a gallop sitting really low on his quarters. These days he pulls up in a few yards, but I have been 200 yards down the wrong side of the road towards home!
 
Weirdly I have found it easier and have cured more rearers then I have bolters, most horses (if you can tell what they are) tend to give plenty of warnings before a rear and also tend to do it when 'stuck'. So its then quite simple to just keep them moving and if they are moving then they can't rear and they soon learn. For 'bolters' that can happen with less warnings and be a bit harder to stop.
 
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