Rearing horse

[hellfire]

Once all pain and discomfort even from tack was ruled out 110% there is a very old fashioned trick my old riding instructor used to use. I’m not saying it works for every horse but she trained many ‘problem’ horses and I’ve seen it done and work. When the horse reared she was ready either with a egg or water ballon and the used to pop it over the horses head. Takes some doing, balance and forward thinking. In the horses mind they have hurt their head or crashed into something. She swore by it and stopped many rearing with this fix. Just a suggestion to try. She of course ruled out other issues and sadly many had been caused by pain or poor fitting tack. When I later became a instructor and trainer I went down the line of problem horses. All the ones I’ve encountered that reared have had pain issues. The big warm blood mare I’ll never forget. When I arrived I told them the saddle was pinching and but was too small. The client wouldn’t have it and asked if I’d just sit on and see. Well against my better judgment (I was younger and not as firm with people) I got on. I’d barely sat in that saddle and she reared again and again. I stayed on gripping for dear life only one foot in the stirrup until she reared so high she fell backwards crushing me from the chest down on a concrete yard. Needless to say I sustained injuries as did the mare. They changed the tack after she was healed and you know what, that mare was amazing.

 

[FestiveFuzz]

I’ve had my new mare less than a week, I went to try her out and she was perfect, the owners were very nice and also told me all her good and bad points - including her napping, rearing! On my second viewing for her she did actually rear with me, 3 in a row, but I sat them all and they weren’t that big. They have assured me that the horse has been turned inside out and there are no health issues, It’s just a learned bad habit. She’s 14 and has got away with it for many years.
So she’s been home and settled, and today I took her out her first hack! She was an angel, but she ended up dragging me into a massive field wanting to take off! She didn’t, but every time I tried to turn her back she rested, and the rears got bigger and bigger, she done about 5. I was really scared, she’s the first horse I’ve ever dealt with that rears. Luckily my boyfriend was on hand to clip a lead rope to her and then she was fine.

what should I do? It’s made me lose my confidence a little bit.

i really don’t know where people have got the idea that this is my first ride on her. It’s my fourth ride...my confidence isnt shattered, I suppose I’m just aware there is actually a chance this could happen now.

I've highlighted the bits in bold in your original post that may have led folks to believe this was your first hack with her, which evidently it was. (I don't think anyone suggested first ride, but might have missed it). If you'd read my post I didn't say your confidence was shattered...yet! But these things can and do quickly escalate, especially when by your own admission you were really scared, hence suggesting you could do with a helping hand before you find yourself out of your depth. Why you didn't already think there was a chance a known rearer would rear with you is anyone's guess?!

I'm not entirely sure what you were wanting from this thread so I'm going to tap out, but wish you the best of luck.

 

[Red-1]

I'm close to going right off you as a poster Red-1, you just made me blub on my danish pastry! What a story, and what a very lucky horse though it sounds like you got back from him just as much as you gave to him. I'm sorry there wasn't a better ending and you didn't get more time together.

He was perfect. Mr Red resents him as I put aside my competitive plans and just loved being his person. The 2nd BE 100 I did, I was in tears before the XC. Mr Red was exasperated, as I sobbed that I didn't want to risk Jay Man as he was too precious. Not me at all! Mr Red insisted I did the course, he stormed round clear, and I never entered another. I do think it was because he always felt a little wrong, even though he was bang sound. He felt like he was bursting his heart trying, and I felt unfair for asking him. I guess that was the wobblers.

When I lost him, it took a year to even want to look at another horse. I can't explain it, he was mine over the stable door the instant I first saw him. I didn't care if he was a retired hunter, a 2 year old or, indeed, a broodmare (I could only see his head and knew nothing about him), he was mine. He wasn't even for sale, because if the rearing. As it was, he was a fit and athletic horse who let me ride him. But, as a pre warned rearer, I was perfectly prepared for him to simply be a pet.

OP, some people have perhaps not phrased their answers as kindly as you would need to hear the message, but it does sound like you need to take action. I would, as I said, specialist vet, hydro and trainer. But, be prepared to either own a pasture ornament or PTS if it doesn't come right. Not finding a physical issue does not equal not having one (as I found).

 

[Cortez]

This is my leg after a horse sent in for reschooling with undisclosed behavioural problems reared over backwards on me. I am a professional rider and have successfully rehabbed many rearers. No one has been unkind to you, quite the opposite. Get. Some. Help.

 

[Nari]

At Red-1 I know just what you mean, I had one I felt the same way about and after I lost him I eventually had to move yard because I couldn't cope with him not being there when I expected to turn round and see him watching me.

 

[Callieann]

I too bought a horse that reared, badly. The reading was so bad that sometimes I wondered how I didn't just slide off her back. That was twelve months ago. I could have sent her back but decided that, that wouldn't be very helpful to the mare. I decided to restart with ground work, which I am still doing with her now. I discovered that there were many things causing her anxiety and the rearing was her way of saying I just can't cope. I am now at a point where I can ride her out in just a halter at all paces with no contact. I have taught her how to bring herself back down and relax when she gets anxious and it's like I have a completely different horse.

 

[Scotsbadboy]

I too bought a horse that reared, badly. The reading was so bad that sometimes I wondered how I didn't just slide off her back. That was twelve months ago. I could have sent her back but decided that, that wouldn't be very helpful to the mare. I decided to restart with ground work, which I am still doing with her now. I discovered that there were many things causing her anxiety and the rearing was her way of saying I just can't cope. I am now at a point where I can ride her out in just a halter at all paces with no contact. I have taught her how to bring herself back down and relax when she gets anxious and it's like I have a completely different horse.

Love this. I am currently getting help with the in hand work and its translating so well into ridden work because i am giving her a way of coping with her own self in situations where she feels under pressure. Its like im starting to see a different horse and i like it a lot

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

Once all pain and discomfort even from tack was ruled out 110% there is a very old fashioned trick my old riding instructor used to use. I’m not saying it works for every horse but she trained many ‘problem’ horses and I’ve seen it done and work. When the horse reared she was ready either with a egg or water ballon and the used to pop it over the horses head. Takes some doing, balance and forward thinking. In the horses mind they have hurt their head or crashed into something. She swore by it and stopped many rearing with this fix. Just a suggestion to try.

This.does.not.work.

I have tried many things but this really doesnt work at all.
Having had a good number in as I specialised in this behaviour problem, I'll confirm we shot a few, with owners permission. I've gone over, off the back etc, this was KNOWING the animals had got problems, had been vet checked etc.
I was very very lucky not to be seriously damaged then, but in your 20s and 30s you are more invincible then.....

Cortez, that's a bloody horror, at least with mine I knew what might be coming, how shitty of the owners!

OP did you get the horse vetted? I've seen several ask but cannot see any reply.

 

[Winters100]

Honestly in this situation I would beg the original owner to take the horse back, if they refunded a small portion of the purchase price great, if not I would be happy to have got rid of a very expensive problem and would give myself a serious talking to about being over confident.

Whether it is pain or learned behaviour it will be a problem which will be very expensive to fix, if indeed it can be fixed at all. Investigations do not mean that the horse has no pain, just that if pain is present then the source of it is not identified.

If this is not pain related it sounds as if you have the problem that this is not the right horse for you.

I am sorry that you are in this situation, but really you need to be sensible about it. It is not about 'not giving up', but protecting yourself from what could be a very serious injury.

 

[LaurenBay]

OP - if you are still reading, this is what I would do.

1, firstly I'd speak with the old owners and ask if the vet records can be sent to you, you will then know exactly what tests the mare had and what she didn't. If there were tests missed then ask a vet you trust to carry them out, this can rule out pain. If pain is found then discuss with your vet the best way to treat this.

2, if no pain found then I'd ask a pro rider for help and guidance on how best to manage this Horse when she rears. There are small rears with learned behaviour, and then there is up and backwards, which is incredibly dangerous. Not only will you shatter your confidence, you run the risk of shattering your legs/spine/skull as the Horse will eventually go up and over.

3, if you do not want to do either of the above then retire or PTS.

Also responding to your latest comment about the things the Horse achieved, my old Yard Owner had a big warmblood, he used to bronc when first putting a saddle on, but was superb to ride and was still jumping 1.20 tracks, hacking and dressage. After investigations it was found Horse had Kissing spine which was getting worse and worse. He was such a genuine and honest Horse he was very good at hiding the pain, eventually he was PTS. So just because the Horse is capable of doing these things doesn't mean they aren't gritting their teeth trying to hide pain.

 

[Orangehorse]

Good advice from LaurenBay

I had a pony that would nap and rear, and I stuck with it and managed to cure it eventually, but I was a fearless child at the time and had an older sister standing by telling me what to do so I wasn't alone. At that age I wasn't frightened or even aware of the consequences of the rearing, it was just annoying that the pony didn't behave. Crucially the pony never threatened to come over backwards, too clever to do that, unlike some horses that will throw themselves backwards (seen the video of the racehorse?) or simply lose balance and topple over onto the rider. Friend had that with young horse that wouldn't stand still. She kicked it in the ribs (!) and it went straight up and over backwards and broke her pelvis, although she healed OK. It was a young horse that lost its balance, it wasn't a learned behaviour (and went on to be a show jumper I believe).

So this horse's previous rider could cope with the rearing, treating it as a bit of a "look at me riding this naughty horse" I suspect. So although it would misbehave with the younger rider they weren't that bothered as they knew the animal well. And they were riding it and doing well with it so it was something they could live with.

So OP buys the horse, having been truthfully told that it rears, so the only way they could send it back would be "I'm sorry I've made a really bad mistake and I can't manage it, will you have it back?" To which there may be a big "NO" - you bought it knowing it rears, your problem now. (and you may be lucky and they will have it back)

So if there isn't a physical problem - which could be expensive to diagnose/treat - or trouble with the saddle for instance, what to do? This is not advice, or a riding lesson, but what someone with experience of riding this sort of horse might do. I would add that a horse is a different proposition to a pony, because they are obviously much bigger, heavier and have less self preservation so the risk to the rider is greater and can result in death or disablement.

There are ways and means of overcoming it. Be aware of when the horse might rear, and try to avoid those situations, and also knowing what its feet are doing, so you can pre-empt an attempt to stop and rear. More schooling, it is not obeying the forward aids, obviously. By Not pulling it over backwards if it has lost its balance, so if it does manage to go up, lean forwards and be ready to jump off, so feet out of stirrups, but preferably by keeping it on the move so it can't stop to gather itself to rear - making lots of small circles by pulling on one rein and then riding it forwards. This takes determination and courage.

 

[Shilasdair]

This.does.not.work.

I have tried many things but this really doesnt work at all.
Having had a good number in as I specialised in this behaviour problem, I'll confirm we shot a few, with owners permission. I've gone over, off the back etc, this was KNOWING the animals had got problems, had been vet checked etc.
I was very very lucky not to be seriously damaged then, but in your 20s and 30s you are more invincible then.....

Cortez, that's a bloody horror, at least with mine I knew what might be coming, how shitty of the owners!

OP did you get the horse vetted? I've seen several ask but cannot see any reply.

On this we can agree, Fuzzy!
It's a myth, doesn't work and even if it did, who wants to spend the rest of their life riding with a handy raw egg/watermelon on the off chance their horse goes up?

 

[Orangehorse]

I have a tale from a Nagsman, which I don't know if this is the time and place to repeat it. It wasn't breaking anything over its head, and it was a young horse newly broken in, so hadn't learned to be naughty.

 

[ForeverBroke_]

Please do not endanger yourself trying to aim a well-timed egg or water balloon on your horses head while it is rearing .

As previously said, it does not work.

 

[AmyMay]

DO NOT TRY AND CRACK AN EGG OR ANYTHING ELSE ON HER HEAD!!!!

 

[HobleytheTB]

I know you've got plenty of cautionary tales OP, but here's mine - I fell off a when a horse reared in pretty much the best circumstances possible (other than if I'd landed on my feet!).

12'2 pony, fell straight off the back, pony didn't come down with me, flat landing in a soft (ish) sand school, no broken bones etc, I'm young and fit...

The deep muscle bruising from that took a good 4 weeks to ease, and it was 6 weeks before I rode again. A bigger horse, a harder surface etc, could all have made it far, far worse. Please be careful and thorough, there's some good advice from LaurenBay that would be a safe and sensible way forward!

 

[Gloi]

When I was a teenager there was another girl in the area who had a buckskin pony about 14hds. Good looking pony. However he was a confirmed rearer. His rider was a year or so older than me, about 15. She was a plucky rider and his rearing didn't bother her, in fact she was one of the types who quite liked having a difficult pony. Unfortunately one day he reared and went over on the road. She got serious head injuries and the next time we saw her she was in a wheelchair and couldn't speak. I think she did get some speech back again but she was seriously brain damaged and she always needed carers. It was a big shock to us all at the time but a warning to us too.

 

[Leandy]

I think that from the fact that you are on here asking what to do because you have been frightened by the horse's behaviour within days of acquiring it you really don't have the ability or experience to deal with this. I'm sure the sellers were very nice! Either they saw you coming, or perhaps you gave them the impression you have more experience than you do and they actually thought you would be alright. It really isn't a case of just not falling off when it rears! I think you need to swallow your pride and ask them to take the horse back because you realise you are not able to cope with it. If they are genuine they may in the horse's interests but they don't have to and if they are not genuine they won't. If you are stuck with the horse, I would turn it out for a couple of weeks to settle, then I would take it slowly and treat it as just backed, introducing everything you want to do slowly step by step, setting yourselves up to succeed, and getting experienced help at the first hint of trouble. Do not ride alone (a) if the horse has company it is more likely not to nap and (b) so you have someone to help if you get into trouble and also someone else to tell you when it is sensible to call it a day (we don't always make good judgements ourselves in the heat of the moment!).

 

[SpeedyPony]

Agree with others that it's worth getting access to vet records/rechecking. Also echo advice in re. turning/getting him moving forwards before he rears.
If he's safe in the school, spend a few weeks retraining the forwards aids, so that it becomes alien to him to ignore them, hopefully then when you feel him start to play up and send him on habit will kick in and get him going forward.
If he's rearing because he's nappy, it might be a confidence issue, take him out in company and long-rein or lead out (if safe) to build his confidence in you and his surroundings. There's no shame in hopping off and leading/getting someone on the ground to give you a lead if it's safer. Better by far to have someone on the ground or get off and lead for a few hundred yards than end up in hospital. IMO, as long as he knows you won't let him go home for tea every time he rears it doesn't matter so much if you have to get off and hop back on when he's got over his tantrum.
If he rears with you on the ground, leadrope across the legs, as soon as they leave the ground. Might sound harsh, but far less dangerous in the long run, for both of you.
Professional help is probably the best idea, but if you do decide to tackle it on your own get a friend with a steady horse to go out with you or have someone on the ground at all times until he can be trusted not to rear.
Also- Rome wasn't built in a day! If it's entrenched learned behaviour rather than pain, this is going to be a long slog to train out of him.

 

[honetpot]

First of all we have no idea of the OP competence, and there is riding, just sitting on it to riding to where you have control in most situations. So who knows how much work she actually did on it. So she took it out, it sounds like with no ridden companion, on a known rearer with no idea what triggers it, and it takes her in to a field where she doesn’t want to go and it starts to rear.
A lot of riding is about avoiding situations you may not be able to control and this situation is just about predictable. If the hack had gone well that would have been the surprise, my then fourteen year old daughter would have known better, but then she wouldn’t be on the horse in the first place even though she had a 16 hand maxi cob type.
She asked for advice and the advice is you need more help before you get injured, that’s not being nasty.

 

[doodle]

Exactly!!

 

[hellfire]

This.does.not.work.

I have tried many things but this really doesnt work at all.
Having had a good number in as I specialised in this behaviour problem, I'll confirm we shot a few, with owners permission. I've gone over, off the back etc, this was KNOWING the animals had got problems, had been vet checked etc.
I was very very lucky not to be seriously damaged then, but in your 20s and 30s you are more invincible then.....

Cortez, that's a bloody horror, at least with mine I knew what might be coming, how shitty of the owners!

OP did you get the horse vetted? I've seen several ask but cannot see any reply.

That’s fair enough it doesn’t work was only passing on what a old trainer had sworn by for many years. As I said I’ve never tried it. At the end of the day if the OP doesn’t want to hear what everyone is saying which is about vetting, horse is dangerous, get a professional, rule out pain etc etc then nothing will change with the horse or rider so was just passing on something I was told else I’d of been repeating what had already been said. As I also stated any rear happy horse Ive encountered has been mostly due to pain bar a small handful who had separation anxiety so napped and when asked to go forward would go up. I’ve never tackled them with a egg or water balloon just to clarify ?.

 

[Wishfilly]

I don't think anyone is trying to be intentionally nasty to the OP, but like others on the thread I have seen the consequences of a rearer going up and over on someone. In the case I saw, it was a young rider just turning professional who believed she could sort out a talented horse that was sold to her cheaply due to the issue- usually the horse's rears were not that high, but she got into a battle with it and the horse ended up going higher and higher until eventually it went over backwards on her. It broke her leg and hip, I believe and ended her career.

In my opinion, smallish rears are actually easier to sit than bucks or nasty spooks for a lot of people- but the consequences of things going wrong end up being much worse more frequently than with other evasions.

The dragging into the field thing also worries me- it suggests there's a lack of control. What if, next time, it's not a field but a busy road, or there's some kind of hazard in the field?

I do think it's possible to successfully manage a rearer if you know the triggers (however this can be quite limiting e.g. never hacking alone), or to find the root cause and fix that if it's pain related. But I don't think it's as simple as saying you will just ride them through it and get some lessons and it will all be ok.

I would also add just because a 13yo has been able to cope in the past, doesn't mean everything will be fine going forwards. The previous rider may have just been lucky never to have had a nasty accident, or may have been able to manage the horse in such a way that kept their rearing "under control". If it is a pain related issue, the pain could also get worse and cause the behaviour to get worse too.

If you really want to persevere with this then I would:
-Ask for vet records for the investigations the old owner did. As others have said "having everything done" means different things to different people.
-If the horse is fine to school (check this with the previous seller too) then I would stick to just this for now. Ideally, I'd want all the history they could give you. When did the horse first rear, and how did they manage it.
-Find some really experienced help- I don't think just sending away to a pro is the answer necessarily. A pro may be able to manage the issue in ways you can't. But if you can find someone to work with you, then you may be able to improve the situation- but you still may not achieve a completely safe horse who never rears.
-Accept that there may always be things you can't do with this horse, and the horse may always need careful management.

 

[Caol Ila]

Ah, the good old egg cracking trick, the Godwin's law of message board threads about rearing. It's only a matter of time before someone suggests it. And it's usually second or third hand. "I knew somebody, or I knew somebody who knew somebody, who says they have successfully cured rearers with the magic egg..." Has anyone ever acually witnessed, first hand, anyone crazy enough try this?

I personally wouldn't fancy my chances of succesfully cracking an egg over the poll of a horse standing still.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Ah, the good old egg cracking trick, the Godwin's law of message board threads about rearing. It's only a matter of time before someone suggests it. And it's usually second or third hand. "I knew somebody, or I knew somebody who knew somebody, who says they have successfully cured rearers with the magic egg..." Has anyone ever acually witnessed, first hand, anyone crazy enough try this?

I personally wouldn't fancy my chances of succesfully cracking an egg over the poll of a horse standing still.

I have always wondered where these ultra skillful riders keep the raw egg, obviously somewhere about their person, without breaking it, in order to be able to whip it out at just the right moment and crack it on the horse's poll, rather than anywhere else!

 

[Wishfilly]

I have always wondered where these ultra skillful riders keep the raw egg, obviously somewhere about their person, without breaking it, in order to be able to whip it out at just the right moment and crack it on the horse's poll, rather than anywhere else!

In my head, I have always imagined them holding it in their hand until just the right moment, somehow! I am clearly a terrible rider as I doubt I could manage to mount a horse whilst holding a raw egg without breaking it, never mind anything else!

 

[Caol Ila]

At my old barn in Colorado, we did a Christmas show with various events, including a competition where we had to ride while holding an egg on a spoon. Last man or woman standing with an intact egg on their spoon won. Suddenly, you regretted buying that bouncy dressage horse.

I think we were given the egg after we were mounted. I don't recall trying to clamber aboard while holding it, although that would have pushed the sport to more advanced levels.

 

[thefarsideofthefield]

I think we were given the egg after we were mounted. I don't recall trying to clamber aboard while holding it, although that would have pushed the sport to more advanced levels.

There are levels of egg and spoon racing ? Like Novice to Advanced ? Well you learn something new every day …..

 

[Cinnamontoast]

Ah, the good old egg cracking trick, the Godwin's law of message board threads about rearing. It's only a matter of time before someone suggests it. And it's usually second or third hand. "I knew somebody, or I knew somebody who knew somebody, who says they have successfully cured rearers with the magic egg..." Has anyone ever acually witnessed, first hand, anyone crazy enough try this?

I personally wouldn't fancy my chances of succesfully cracking an egg over the poll of a horse standing still.

There’s an older fellow who is a trainer on my yard. I know his son, who’s the partner of a mate. He says his dad was forever chucking egged at the horse’s head-to make it think it was bleeding, I think. This was while the son was on board, backing young horses. He says his dad was always doing this but often hit him instead. ?

 

[splashgirl45]

i dont think i was nasty, just giving advice which i thought was helpful. one of my relatives, a good rider, was on her own horse in an indoor school when someone came in with a naughty horse which upset my relatives horse. the horse reared up and toppled over breaking her pelvis in 5 places. the horse had never shown any signs before and has never reared again. it took a year to recover enough to ride again and part of that time was in a wheelchair so i have first hand knowledge of what can happen when a horse rears and i would suggest you take notice of the good advice on here..