Rearing - How would you deal with it??

[skewby]

Isn't it amazing how "groundwork" is the answer to absolutely every problem?

 

[Pale Rider]

Isn't it amazing how "groundwork" is the answer to absolutely every problem?

There's a really good reason for that, it is, lol.

 

[Marydoll]

TicTac - I prefer the open rein method too, when the little poppets start indicating they might be going to stand up I've found it can work a treat to open one hand, bring their head round to my knee, put my legs on hard and say "oh do be my guest", but it has taken me A LOT of work with a very experienced genuine professional horseman giving me instruction from the ground for me to feel confident sitting there and doing that. When the warmbloods start bucking and giving irritated grunts as a defence it seems they're usually about to concede... but it can take what feels like ages and I almost always wonder if I am going to be able to keep up the energy to stick it out. I almost never use my stick, usually only right at the end when they're settling. Knowing how long it took me to get my reins sorted and the leg timing and pressure right I don't think I'll be looking to change my method (unless I find a horse that this doesn't work with, at which point I will be on the phone to he who knows better the instant the horse doesn't respond as I would like
I do think there's a big difference between a rearer and a flipper as well and no bl**dy way would I get on a known flipper. Any horse can be unlucky and lose balance and go over, one that takes you over on purpose is a whole different ball game and not for anyone other than the genuine professionals
ETA: That might actually be doing what Tim M just said, just I hadn't thought of it like that!

I agree with this to a certain extent, my horse would rear as a youngser he just went verticall and he was a big 16,3 warmblood, if you didnt drop the reins and grab his neck he would have been over on top of you, i had to be very quick to pull him round and down.
It was always the ultimate refusal to go forward, On the ground he would go up on the lunge and went over on himself once, it didnt stop him doing it so in my opinion thats a fallacy.His refusal to go forward was always fairly violent, initially i thought it was bolshy youngster behaviour, but it was to the extreme
Sadly on investigation his refusal to work was pain related as he had djd and he was diagnosed as. 5 yo. When he couldnt get me off by going up or
broncing, he threw himself to the ground !!! I knew then it was something really serious. All I will say is be careful with rearers unless you really know what youre doing

 

[Tim M]

Isn't it amazing how "groundwork" is the answer to absolutely every problem?

Indeed. I spend what some would consider an excessive amount of time on the ground work. But to skip an exercise in that long process leaves a hole in the horses training which will have to be addressed eventually anyway.

After the attempted rearing or bucking episode, lope that horse in a circle and make him work and let him think about his mistake.

 

[Rudey]

I use to be one for not minding rearers. Sammi my bay has got one hell of a rear in him. Although he use to go high and vertical - he remained balanced and lunged forward out of it, and in actual fact, he was very easy to sit to and comfy! He would only rear if he got extremely excited.

However, now, my opinion has changed somewhat. If I knew of a horse that is known to rear, I would NOT in a million years climb on board.

In July 2009 I was on a mare that went over backwards with me. She landed on me, and when she got off my foot was facing the wrong way. I had quartered my talus bone, and my fibula had snapped out of my leg. I had two operations, several months leg elevated not being able to weight bear, and started walking again after almost a year!

If you want a 'visual reason' why not to get one one, here is my album of my wounds. Please, please, do not look if you are squeamish.... http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122312062929.125127.626507929

My opinion.... hand on heart, rearers are dangerous and definitely not worth it. xx

 

[PC Steele]

Quote:
Originally Posted by PC Steele View Post
Well im speaking from experience actually!!! I have used the newspaper and the egg method and have had success with both. These methods were taught to me by a person who used to sort out napping/rearing horses. The egg method is good as it completely shocks them but doesnt hurt them. Also the newspaper makes them think they have hit their head without hurting them if they hit their head everytime they rear they will stop.I will say eggs takes a certain amount of skill Please dont poo poo things until you have tried them!!! :- Unquote


Quote:- Polarsky Well, Kali has a VERY nasty scar on his poll right behind his right ear - apparently he went up in the box on the ferry over from Poland . . . he was still rearing when we bought him so I guess hitting his head didn't work . . . what we have found works is to ride him forwards so that he can't go up . . . he hasn't worn the martingale or draw reins he came with since we bought him and his rearing has almost completely stopped. Patience and persistence are better than any gadgets:- unquote

Thank you polarsky!

Not saying for one minute that these methods work on every horse but I have had a few that this method has worked a treat. To be honest Tic Tac if you had given your solutions in the first place instead of slagging people off for their suggestions then I wouldnt have been quite so rude!!! Just because you dont agree with the methods does not mean they don't work

 

[TicTac]

I use to be one for not minding rearers. Sammi my bay has got one hell of a rear in him. Although he use to go high and vertical - he remained balanced and lunged forward out of it, and in actual fact, he was very easy to sit to and comfy! He would only rear if he got extremely excited.

However, now, my opinion has changed somewhat. If I knew of a horse that is known to rear, I would NOT in a million years climb on board.

In July 2009 I was on a mare that went over backwards with me. She landed on me, and when she got off my foot was facing the wrong way. I had quartered my talus bone, and my fibula had snapped out of my leg. I had two operations, several months leg elevated not being able to weight bear, and started walking again after almost a year!

If you want a 'visual reason' why not to get one one, here is my album of my wounds. Please, please, do not look if you are squeamish.... http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.122312062929.125127.626507929

My opinion.... hand on heart, rearers are dangerous and definitely not worth it. xx

YIIIIIIIOWWWWWWW. Goodness gracious me!. Well I am so please you are better now. Makes me so cross when people go on about smashing eggs, paper or anything else they can lay their hands on to bash over horses heads in an effort to ' cure' them off the rearing....but dont get me started again.

Just out of interest are you riding again now or have you called it a day?

 

[kirstyl]

It always makes me laugh when people say, 'Hit him between the ears with an egg!'
When a horse is trotting along the road, suddenly stops and goes up and by up I mean near vertical, the last thing I would be thinking about it getting an egg out of my pocket and smashing it on their poll.
It takes a great deal of athletic ability to stay with your arm wrapped around the horse's neck and smash it on the poll, without pulling it over.

A confirmed rearer is safer to ride than one that suddenly reacts for some reason. The experienced horse knows how high to go although I have ridden some that will throw themselves down agains a bank but have never (thankfully) met one that flips over backwards for the joy of it. They only go over if they go to high and over balance or the rider pulls them over.

If I have a horse that rears then I will sit them out. They can go up. I will not let them spin and if they do I will turn them back on the way they spun to. I will let them go up without doing a thing other than leaning forward. When they stop I will still sit or I will encourage them to continue rearing. They are expending more energy then I am and will soon get tired. Once stood for a while I will ask them to go forward on my terms.

Like a lot of things a horse that rears is trying to frighten the rider, when it doesn't work they will give up (mostly)

http://www.youtube.com/user/endospink?blend=7&ob=5#p/u/10/cBcQsVdxEA8

http://www.youtube.com/user/endospink?blend=7&ob=5#p/u/6/gsLt-j0N5tw

Excellent videos, and no eggs

 

[Kadastorm]

7 previous owners and it is only a 5 year old? OMG! I am also rather worried by the comment "no one we know will get on it" - with a horse like this the answer isn't just to keep asking braver/more experienced friends, it needs proper professional help. In my experience (and I'm not pretending to be an expert by any means!!) young warmbloods often seem to try standing up at first when they don't want to do something/feel a bit insecure, and how you cope with it in the early days is very important. If your friend can find the right professional to work with then it is very possible that the horse can be helped - whether it will ever be the right horse for your friend is a different question, but a genuine professional who is used to youngsters and tricky horses may very well be able to help turn the horse round and help him find someone who can give him the confidence and direction he needs who would take him on from your friend.

There are people like this around! Someone earlier referred to Michael Peace and Richard Maxwell (although they said Robert....). I've never come across any horses Michael has worked with although I've heard good things. I've seen the results of Max's work and the man is amazing, not cheap but if you want help with a horse that seems unmanageable he would be a definite go to person.

I agree that the horse needs professional help. I am helping to work with him on the ground as he is a real sweet heart but as ive seen what he can do, i would not be brave enough to get on. Neither will our instructors. My friend tried calling someone who takes on these types of horses but didnt have room. im not sure he would have the money to pay someone but i will mention it.

someone also mentioned driving, honestly i would not try it. i would not want to risk it and to be honest, we dont know anyone with driving experience.

With our other horses we have managed to get on top of rearing pretty quickly and they havent done it since. i think if we had had this horse from the beginning, we may have managed to help him. Sad really....

Anyway, back to OP, sorry for hijacking. I think there are many methods you could try, i would also get a good instructor out to help aswell... certain things may not be seen as appropriate but if it works then why not?

 

[Ibblebibble]

used to ride a 13.2 that reared out of excitement and temper tried the egg trick, apart from a messy head no effect whatsoever! tried hitting her on poll with whip, again no effect. only way to stop it was to turn her in circles as soon as her feet hit the ground, as soon as you felt she was going to go up , tight circle and then off in a spanking trot!

my big girl started rearing on the lunge and in hand while out on loan, with her i think it's trying to intimidate, as soon as she came home and we got back into our normal routine and handling the rearing stopped , she never rears under saddle tho

 

[Dreamon]

I wonder what started the rearing off in the first place.

I had one that reared a few years ago but that was part of his napping behaviour. As soon as I put my leg on to ask him forward, whether it be off the yard to go out for a hack or even just away from the gate in the menage he'd threaten to go up. If I gave a sharp kick to reinforce my leg or a flick with a schooling whip, he'd go right up.

We tried going back to basics: longreining and riding him with an older horse etc, but he was extremely stubborn and his answer to everything he didn't want to do was to rear.

Eventually, I found that riding him in his ordinary bridle with a Richard Maxwell controller halter over the top with thin reins attached worked very well. He understood the action of the halter from the ground work I'd done and knew that it was very uncomfortable for him if he reared whilst wearing it. I only had to pick up the reins attached to the halter if he threatened me and he just gave up.

If I were you though, I'd send him along to that chap who posted the videos - how cool was that! Totally unfazed and very effective.

 

[tori252]

Mone was a stroppy 18hh lad wanting to go on the gallops egg worked a treat. He behaved and went where I told him. No arguements. He had previously gone over on me on the road. Had back saddle mouth checked

 

[Rudey]

YIIIIIIIOWWWWWWW. Goodness gracious me!. Well I am so please you are better now. Makes me so cross when people go on about smashing eggs, paper or anything else they can lay their hands on to bash over horses heads in an effort to ' cure' them off the rearing....but dont get me started again.

Just out of interest are you riding again now or have you called it a day?

Thanks TicTac! It has been a very long, slow, and painful process believe me. I am seeing my surgeon this Thursday for a check up and xray. Praying that my blood supply has improved in my talus.

Back riding? Well.... I must have hit my head pretty darn hard, as I was back on board before I could walk unaided! I was begging my surgeon for months before he gave in. I swayed it by saying it would be good physio to encourage my ankle to bend, with me being able to control the weight I put through it in the stirrup!

I have taken it really slow with my riding and building my confidence day by day. I have progressed onto jumping small jumps, and have even managed to do a one strided triple : and my ankle held! YEY!

Needless to say, I may not have been so keen if the accident had happened on my own horse! I use to be quite fearless as a rider before my accident, but, my attitude towards horses has made a dramatic U-turn.

My advice for riders with horses that seriously rear is simple. Don't get on them! xx