Rearing issues on youngster, Any ideas??

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JANANI

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My little lady was broken professionally at the start of the year. Unfortunately she reared me off in the first few weeks of comming home. She has got me off by rearing five times in the last six months. To be honest she has scared me the way she does it!

It always happens on the left rein in canter. We would be cantering along and she would suddenly stop and go straight up in a rear which feels like it is 180 degrees. If she doesn't get you off she will go down buck and then straight up again until she gets you off. Each time she has got me off i felt that she was close to falling back over me. Once I am off she will calmly step to the side and wait to be caught. Normally I get straight back on and put her back to left canter and she doesn't do it again.

My last fall has left me with a broken arm and I don't know what to do with her. Her teeth and back have been checked.

If she was yours what would you do?
 
As I said in the last rearing post in NL. I'd get her head down with a standing martingale. If they can't get their heads up they cannot rear. When she goes to bronc and get you off, I'd give her a smack on the bum and send her forwards. Might sound slightly easier said than done, but have a loose neck strap on her for you to hold and sit behind her movement so you are wedged into place. Sounds a bit cowboy but it does work. She needs to know that she can't shift you through that dance move. I always have my neck strap loose enough so I can have my hand through it and have my hand close to the front of the saddle. It's a racing thing but once you've learned to ride off a neck strap, you realise what an invaluable piece of kit it is. I'd rather have no reins and have my neck strap!
Or if she has put the wind up you, maybe get someone else to come and sit on her or send her back to the breakers for a fortnight to set her mind straight for her. They are testing these babies when they get a new trick up their sleeves
 
Aces_High said:
As I said in the last rearing post in NL. I'd get her head down with a standing martingale. If they can't get their heads up they cannot rear. When she goes to bronc and get you off, I'd give her a smack on the bum and send her forwards. Might sound slightly easier said than done, but have a loose neck strap on her for you to hold and sit behind her movement so you are wedged into place. Sounds a bit cowboy but it does work. She needs to know that she can't shift you through that dance move. I always have my neck strap loose enough so I can have my hand through it and have my hand close to the front of the saddle. It's a racing thing but once you've learned to ride off a neck strap, you realise what an invaluable piece of kit it is. I'd rather have no reins and have my neck strap!
Or if she has put the wind up you, maybe get someone else to come and sit on her or send her back to the breakers for a fortnight to set her mind straight for her. They are testing these babies when they get a new trick up their sleeves
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Hear Hear!
 
I had thought of the standing martingale however she has quite a short neck and to be honest I think she would rear in an outline as she doesn't seem to throw her head up, if that make sense. I was using a neck strap and it didn't make any difference as she was nearly virtical. If she does a rear which isn't full height, I am able to turn her in a tight circle and giver her a good telling off. It is the big vertical ones I can't cope with.

To be brutally honest I have quite a good seat from riding youngsters. I would not let anyone on her unless I know they are used to dealing with rearing as I can't risk someone getting hurt. The other issue is you could ride for weeks and she won't do anything. And then one day she will do it and unfortunately we cannot work out what triggers it.

That's why I am at a loss plus I am not allowed to ride her anymore :(
 
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Hi

I agree with Aces_high.

Poor you - I broke my arm by a horse rearing and falling onto me. This was a horse which never reared (that probably explains why it fell). As a result rearing is a real no no for me. I would send her away to a professional to deal with it. I would want to discuss with the professional what their "technique" for dealing with rearers was. After they had dealt with the rearing issue I would then want to ride it under the instruction of the professional for a while.

Defo a job for professionals and specialist ones at that!

Get well soon!

IDX
 
my daughters horse was rearing with her I read up about it , it said pull the horse either one way or the other with using one rein to pull of balance it worked, got to say it worked best when u pull of balance when the horse is starting to rear hope this makes sense good luck
 
Horses don't just have backs and teeth. From your description this sounds like a pain problem and I would rule that out before trying to train it out of her. Also what about your saddle?
 
MrsD123 said:
Phone up the people who broke her, she may have done this with them, if not, there almost has to be a physical problem.
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It sounds more of a physical issue ,always on left rein in canter, there is a link its just finding the cause.It is very unusual for a horse to stop from canter and immediately rear to then stand once you are off.Have you ever stayed on her through it?

I would get teeth checked again,they change alot in young horses.They can get problems with wolf teeth has she got hers or if they have been removed a small fragment could remain.

A good physio may find a problem ,they should always check the saddle when assessing the horse,also consider the poll region.
The only other thing is could it be when she is in season?
If nothing shows up send her away to a pro for a while.
 
Does your horse do this on the lunge ?
From what you describe my first thoughts are pain related somewhere.
If this was my horse id have her saddle and bridle checked, get her checked by vet and physio or equine bodyworker asap, this doesnt sound like excited bucks or nappy rears if you only get it on one rein in canter.
 
I will put v good money on this horse being in pain-and I would also from experience say it's kissing spines.

Our mare did this. She reared up one day, totally vertical, my OH fell off. She didnt do it again for weeks and weeks. Then she did it once more and we ignored it. Then, we'd ignored her too long, and she reared up, down up down and up and then eventually over, going through a garage door and smashing my MiL and her own face and head in to the ground.

We listened then, but it took her nearly killing us.

Turns out she had kissing spines in two places and gastric ulcers.

Your youngster is trying to tell you something hurts!! Same rein, same work means not naughtiness, that's pain.

I highly doubt you have REALLY had her back checked-have you actually had it xrayed? This would be my next step.

And I would do this before I had anyone else ride her again-before she kills someone.
 
OP - to me it sounds like she is being naughty. If she burys you and then is happy for you to hop back on and continue like nothing has happened. As she has left you with a broken arm, I would send her away and get her going sweetly again. A youngster I have at the moment started rearing and it was due to her being a nappy madam. She is now working very sweetly in a standing martingale and touch wood hasn't stood up yet. How old is your horse and has she had a break since being back at home? I know there's an enforced one so to speak at the moment. I generally get them going for 8-12 weeks depending on how they are taking their work and then chuck them out for a month - 6 weeks and then start is all again. In that they'll have a lunge and a long rein and then a pilot back in the plate. The most important thing is to keep her going forwards when she performs her "trick". I personally wouldn't be messing around with her too much when/if she does go up. I am a believer if they rear to leave them alone as you don't want to unbalance them. I have seen a lot of horses coming back over and it's not pleasant. I understand that your mare has a short neck but even in an outline they have to use their front end to get the weight backwards to stand up. With the standing martingale (if fitted correctly), it should be nearly impossible for them to go vertical. If she's only half going up then you will still be in control enough to push her forwards and ride her out of it. You just have to be very quick minded and thinking ahead of her everytime. Also you said that she has done this 5 times in 6 months. To me it reads that it is becoming a habit - happening monthly or maybe more frequently, therefore everytime you ride her anticipate it's going to happen and ride her accordingly. Once you've had 6 months of it not happening then maybe she won't do it again but it should be in the back of your mind. One of the joys of owning and riding a horse with a quirk!
PS - I hope your arm heals quickly and you're not in too much pain.
 
Oh I feel your pain ..and its almost identical to one of mine, whenever life gets a bit difficult UP UP UP it wanted to go. His default setting of way of going was behind the leg and would rear vertical in a beautiful outline. GRRRR. He had never demonstrated any of this behaviour on the lunge or long reins or in hand. So back saddle teeth etc massages ensued resulting in a huge wadge of cash exchanging hands, with beautiful saddle made to measure, bits etc, but the end prognosis was he was being "Kevin the Teeenager". With my trainer we worked on getting him sharper off the leg, shoulder fore which kept him with a bend so he couldnt get up the way, me perfecting feeling him start and get his head to his backside whatever rein, also I had to ride right canter better as I was blocking him in anticipation of the up (. Trust me I didnt ride him straight for nearly a year and even now if I feel a lack of attention off we go into some shoulder fore or shoulder in by now.

I too sent him to be professional schooled and that trainer has been brilliant keeping us on the straight and narrow. Get back to them, they wont know there is a problem unless you tell em and most will be keen to help as its their reputation too.
 
The fact that it always happens when doing the same thing, on the same rein but not at any other time is concerning. Any good pro who deals with this sort of thing would IMO have a horse fully checked out before they get on - you must tell them everything you have experienced before they agree to take the horse on. If it does turn out to be physical and you get the physical issue resolved you will most likely need a pro in any case to help the horse over thinking it is going to hurt every time it does the thing that used to trigger the pain. Just because the physical pain goes away doesn't mean the memory of the pain goes away.

As you can't ride at the moment it seems like you have nothing to lose (except financial cost) and everything to gain by finding a professional to help assess the situation by going back to basics.

Good luck.
 
I can't imagine how we can rule out pain related issues just from reading what the OP has written, unless anyone knows the horse. Something is up if it's always the same story.

If and when you rule out pain, I would suggest getting a professional to look at her. Unless you're used to dealing with rearers, your focus tends to be on staying on when they do it. If you're unfazed by it, and confident with what you're doing, time moves rather more slowly and you can deal with preventing it happening again. There's no shame in handing them over at that point (and it saves on A&E visits).
 
To treat this horse as being naughty without ruling out pain first in my opinion is sheer stupidity, what you describe shows a horse happy to work in all other ways until you ask for a certain specific use of his body on one rein, that doesnt say naughty to me it says something is wrong when i do this.
Sure you can send them to a "professional" but anyone worth their salt wont touch this horse until its been physically checked out.
 
OMG I didn't realise I had so many replies. She is 4 and was broken in January.

Regarding the rearing in canter. I think she does it on the left rein as it is her better rein. I could canter her on the left rein twenty times and she wont do anything. And when I get back on after she rears she won't do it again. I will canter her loads on the left rein after I get back on her and she doesn't do it again which makes me reckon it isn't pain related.

Regarding her mouth. Her wolf teeth have been removed and her teeth have been rasped and she certainly shows no discomfort when being ridden and rides happily in an outline.
Back wise saddle has been fitted for her and with my BHS training - it still fits. I find it quite annoying when people question these when they have been checked!! Plus if there is an issue she would be rearing all the time and not occasionally. I do wonder if it is season related however two of the incidence's happened in the winter months.

She doesn't rear on the lunge but then when i was chatting to those that broke her she only reared once on the lunge and they got at her about it and she didn't do it again. The only warning i was given was she may nap but they didn't think she would rear. Unfortunately I can't take her back to those that backed her as they are pro riders and can't risk getting hurt.

I have been given a number of someone who deals with rearers so I am going to have to send her to them as I can't cope with it as well as being out of action for the next 8 weeks. They will be well warned about her issue as I want to get her sorted.
 
There defintely no issues in her breaking as she was broken by a highly respected pro rider. She was away for about twelve weeks.
 
Personally i dont think its pain, especially as you say she is fine any other time and when you get back on.

I think she is being a bit of a cow and testing you. Do you have anyone who could ride her whilst you heal (with a particularly sticky bum) and letting them try with her, complete with neckstrap (i agree with aces high completely, neck straps are invaluable and often overlooked).

I think if you manage to stay on and use the stick to push her forward you may be able to break the cycle.

It sounds like she is waiting for you to relax an then throwing a rear and knocking you off... are you maybe doing something like becoming unbalanced in the saddle in canter (tensing because you are worried maybe?) and because she is still so young and newly broken it is throwing her off and she is trying to give you a bit of a ''hello...i dont like that''? especially if she id it when she was being broken and they took the hint.

Or thinking about it, is she quite forward going? if you are collecting her and pulling her in quite a bit she may be getting a bit mixed up and rearing would be the understandable response.

Doubt its kissing spines.
 
She is forward going, light in the hand and really comfy that is why it is so annoying as she willl be a really nice horse. At the start I would have been unbalanced in canter as she was unbalanced. However I would have been balanced in the last four months as her canter work was improving. It always happens when I am starting to relax, enjoy her and i think she isn't going to do it again. I always ride her forward esp. in left canter!

It is very frustrating. She makes my little TB seem really easy!
 
Its just my poinion, but you say she does it as soon as you relax, and that was one of my thoughts, that you relax and she panics (maybe a strong word) because she may still be lacking a bit of confidence with her canter and now its just become a bit of a habit wether its learned from you or not.

If it were me i would get a neck strap, or something to grab onto and conciously relax and be very ready for her to stop, and as she does whack her on, if she doesent keep forward pull her head round into a circle, not necesarrily harshly at all, but so she cannot rear on you. If she does suceed in the rear just hang tight onto that strap and as she goes down really whack her on, still clinging onto the strap and saddle so you dont jab her in the gob.

Maybe get the person who broke her to come and see her whilst you get better or at least someone on her, because it really wont help to have been the last bit of work she did.

Or crack an egg on her head (but only free range works ;))
 
Aces_High said:
As I said in the last rearing post in NL. I'd get her head down with a standing martingale. If they can't get their heads up they cannot rear. When she goes to bronc and get you off, I'd give her a smack on the bum and send her forwards. Might sound slightly easier said than done, but have a loose neck strap on her for you to hold and sit behind her movement so you are wedged into place. Sounds a bit cowboy but it does work. She needs to know that she can't shift you through that dance move. I always have my neck strap loose enough so I can have my hand through it and have my hand close to the front of the saddle. It's a racing thing but once you've learned to ride off a neck strap, you realise what an invaluable piece of kit it is. I'd rather have no reins and have my neck strap!
Or if she has put the wind up you, maybe get someone else to come and sit on her or send her back to the breakers for a fortnight to set her mind straight for her. They are testing these babies when they get a new trick up their sleeves
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Good advice but don't listen to anybody that says crack an egg on the head, or use a rolled up newspaper between their ears. such advice might crop up!!
 
JANANI said:
I could canter her on the left rein twenty times and she wont do anything. And when I get back on after she rears she won't do it again. I will canter her loads on the left rein after I get back on her and she doesn't do it again which makes me reckon it isn't pain related.
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My sisters mare is quiet enough to be ridden by a semi competent novice most of the time, in fact 99.9% of the time. The other 0.1% she is dangerous. Not just naughty, but dangerous, shes gone up and flipped over backwards, nearly gone off the side of a cliff, etc, etc. She has kissing spines. Shes had treatment but has now been retired as we cant risk anyone being hurt.

Kissing spines can cause exactly the reaction you describe. A violent out of the blue reaction followed by immediate relaxation. It may well just be a naughty baby, but if she was mine I'd want the vet to check her before I went down the ride her through it route. My sister had untold back people out to her mare, including an incredibly well reknowned physio, not one of them picked up on it...
 
Hi, Just a thought - you say this happens about once a month. Could her rearing be a reaction to being in season. I think mares have a 21 day cycle and her ovaries will swell at that time resulting in her saddle being uncomfortable.
 
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