Rearing when exercising in-hand... [long story]

[Keith_Beef]

Reading through the thread about "liberty" and "clicker training", I wonder what went on on Sunday...

Yesterday's weekly lesson went well, working on leg yield and shoulder in, with a replacement instructor because out regular instructor was away with the dressage team for a competition.

After the lesson, the instructor asked if those of us who didn't have to rush off straight away could take out some of the horses who hadn't worked that day, and just walk them around in the arena for ten or fifteen minutes.

I volunteered to walk one, a 17.2hh gelding that I used to ride almost every week, but who has very high wither that sometimes get rubbed sore and who must have another problem at the moment: his wither looks fine, but he's not in work. I've often noticed that when I ride him, warm-up is a bit tricky: he seems to not want to trot, as if either his shoulders are stiff or he's apprehensive that it will cause him pain. Once I get him to trot, he loosens up and trots very well, but then it's the same for the canter: he's very reluctant until I insist and finally get him to canter, and then he's fine.

One girl from our class was already walking a little grey horse in the arena, so I helped give out the feed to the rest of the horses while the one I was going to walk filled his face. When the arena was empty I put my head collar on him and clipped on my lead rope (a fairly coarse hemp rope, almost an inch in diameter and about eight feet long) and led him out.

We walked around, slowly at first and then a bit faster, clockwise and anticlockwise, and then when we got level with the tractor (that we'd already passed several times) a car engine started, the horse spooked and reared up taking a couple of steps backwards. It must have taken me half a second to feel the tension in the rope, so I'd taken another step, so there was distance between the horse and me.

I let the rope play out through my right hand keeping just a bit of tension in it, and kept a tight grip with my left hand. It must have only taken about two seconds for him to take up all the slack in the rope and then plant his front hooves on the sand again. His ears were standing up and swivelling around, his head thrown up, eyes wide open and nostrils flared... I think it's safe to say he spooked.

I quickly took up the slack in the rope, keeping a bit of pressure but ready to let the rope play out if he reared again, but as I got up to his head, stroked and patted him and spoke to him, he calmed down.

We walked on from there, walked all around the arena back to the place where he's spooked, and though he was slightly more nervous, he didn't spook, and we did a few more circuits, clockwise and anticlockwise with no other incident.

By now, we'd been walking around for about fifteen minutes, so I thought we'd try trotting. I've done this with a different horse, as part of TREC training, where I run alongside the trotting horse, leading him through slaloms and over low jumps. I thought it would go OK.

But no... at first he wouldn't trot. He lengthened his stride, but stayed at a walk. I tried stretching out my left hand, that worked as a signal with the TREC horse, but this didn't work. I was thinking of taking the loose end of the rope and swinging it in circles, but gave him one more chance to take up a trot as I started to jog.

Up he went, rearing up, like he had done when he spooked near the tractor (though we were now at the opposite end of the arena). But this time he didn't have the swivelling ears, wide eyes and flared nostrils. He wasn't looking around for a threat, he was just looking at me. I let the rope play out, as I had done before, but when he came back down I didn't stroke and pat him or speak with a soothing voice. I kept the rope taught, pulled his head closer and told him sternly to stop being a twat.

We had two more tries at trotting, both times he did the same and got the same telling off... so I thought that would be a good idea to not try a fourth time.

We walked two more circuits around the arena, and I took him back to his box. He was very well behaved on the way back: stood for me before getting to his box, stood for me while I opened the door, walked in slowly with me and then stood calmly while I unclipped the rope and then took off the head collar before throwing his nose into the trough to see if some more feed had magically appeared.

I told the instructor about his rearing behaviour and what had provoked it. She couldn't tell me why it had happened. I suppose she could have been annoyed at me if he had been recovering from an injury and trotting was too much for him, but she really had no idea about the horse (she works at another centre under the same management), other than he was not in-work at the moment, and needed walking outside...

I should see my regular instructor next Sunday, and I'll ask him about why this gelding is not in-work at the moment. I'll talk about the first read, but keep the failed attempt at trotting quiet, for now; I don't want to put the other in a tight spot.

 

[redapple]

100% sounds like pain. First one spook, happens to them all. The rearing on asking for trot, especially with the background, would make me say pain even without seeing anything.

Honestly, I wouldn't be too worried about why the first rear happened, he probably had nowhere else to go but up. As he ran backwards/sideways he probably felt restricted by the rope and then went up. A spook is just an uncontrolled movement away from something, the only 'away' that he had was a bit backwards and then up. I just ignore it and carry on whatever we were up to before the spook!

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I wouldn't have asked a horse which was already unsettled to trot in hand unless it was absolutely necessary. As above, the upwards movement would be because he couldn't go anywhere else because of the tension on the rope.

When leading a horse which is known to go up as an evasion, I carry a schooling whip, stay alert to the horse's body language and tap the knees back down if they should happen to begin to go up. However if the handler is on the ball and ready to flick the whip to move the horse onwards, it won't go up unless extremely determined. Always stay at the horse's shoulder, so that you are aware of the horse's mood/body language when leading.

 

[Keith_Beef]

I wouldn't have asked a horse which was already unsettled to trot in hand unless it was absolutely necessary. As above, the upwards movement would be because he couldn't go anywhere else because of the tension on the rope.

When leading a horse which is known to go up as an evasion, I carry a schooling whip, stay alert to the horse's body language and tap the knees back down if they should happen to begin to go up. However if the handler is on the ball and ready to flick the whip to move the horse onwards, it won't go up unless extremely determined. Always stay at the horse's shoulder, so that you are aware of the horse's mood/body language when leading.

Thanks for the advice.

This is the first time I've seen him rear, I don't think I've ever seen him buck or throw his shoulder down to unseat a rider.

In lessons, when I'm riding him, he is obedient and attentive, and the only problem I've had with him is this reluctance to trot or to canter for the first time during warm-up. After that, even if we go back to a walk for ten minutes or so, he's ready to go back to a trot or canter the first time I ask.

 

[Blazingsaddles]

I wouldn't have asked a horse which was already unsettled to trot in hand unless it was absolutely necessary. As above, the upwards movement would be because he couldn't go anywhere else because of the tension on the rope.

When leading a horse which is known to go up as an evasion, I carry a schooling whip, stay alert to the horse's body language and tap the knees back down if they should happen to begin to go up. However if the handler is on the ball and ready to flick the whip to move the horse onwards, it won't go up unless extremely determined. Always stay at the horse's shoulder, so that you are aware of the horse's mood/body language when leading.

I agree. I would add that I prefer to tap the tummy as this is a vulnerable area for the horse. But knees might work too! Absolutely, lead slightly behind the horses shoulder, you don’t want to be walloped by flailing Hooves.

 

[Keith_Beef]

Absolutely, lead slightly behind the horses shoulder, you don’t want to be walloped by flailing Hooves.

That's interesting...

I've said to our instructor that we don't do enough in-hand work, that nobody ever explained things like leading a horse from its box to the arena.

So one day, we did a little bit in the covered manège, and he had us walk level with the horse's eye, ahead of its shoulder: he told us that in this position, the horse wouldn't step on our feet.

 

[be positive]

If that is the only exercise he is getting, guessing they are not turned out, then any unwanted behaviour will be unsurprising, even the best behaved can become fractious and frustrated when exercise is limited to a walk round a school if he is also in pain or discomfort, assuming there is a reason for not being in ridden work, then you are probably lucky he was reluctant to trot otherwise he may well have shown something more than a couple of spooks and rears, be a little cautious next time as he may be different depending on how he is feeling by then.

 

[Keith_Beef]

If that is the only exercise he is getting, guessing they are not turned out, then any unwanted behaviour will be unsurprising, even the best behaved can become fractious and frustrated when exercise is limited to a walk round a school if he is also in pain or discomfort, assuming there is a reason for not being in ridden work, then you are probably lucky he was reluctant to trot otherwise he may well have shown something more than a couple of spooks and rears, be a little cautious next time as he may be different depending on how he is feeling by then.

You're right, there's no turnout at all, and this is why the instructor asked us to take out and walk those horses that hadn't worked that day.

 

[claret09]

there's your answer

 

[Keith_Beef]

there's your answer

So you think it's simply over-excitement because of being cooped up far too long?

 

[Blazingsaddles]

That's interesting...

I've said to our instructor that we don't do enough in-hand work, that nobody ever explained things like leading a horse from its box to the arena.

So one day, we did a little bit in the covered manège, and he had us walk level with the horse's eye, ahead of its shoulder: he told us that in this position, the horse wouldn't step on our feet.

If the horse is fresh, young or easily spooked, then leading slightly behind the horses shoulder is safer imo. A sharp elbow in their shoulder if they decide to step into you let’s them know not to.

 

[Arzada]

So you think it's simply over-excitement because of being cooped up far too long?

It could also be a desire to really move after 'being cooped up' and a walk/trot in hand just isn't cutting it. How long is he 'cooped up' for at a time?

 

[Keith_Beef]

It could also be a desire to really move after 'being cooped up' and a walk/trot in hand just isn't cutting it. How long is he 'cooped up' for at a time?

I can't know how long he's in kept in solitary each day.

I usually only go up there on Sunday for my lesson, but occasionally I'll go up just to have a look around in the evening on a weekday evening...

But when we were walking around, he was fine, very happy to just slowly walk around the arena, and then when we picked up the pace but still walking he was still fine. It was just when I tried to get him to trot while I jogged alongside that he reared up.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

That's interesting...

I've said to our instructor that we don't do enough in-hand work, that nobody ever explained things like leading a horse from its box to the arena.

So one day, we did a little bit in the covered manège, and he had us walk level with the horse's eye, ahead of its shoulder: he told us that in this position, the horse wouldn't step on our feet.

If you are in the right place, the horse won't step on your feet anyway. If you are by the shoulder, the horse can't knock into you from behind, if it spooks, which it can if you are further forward and as you have found, you can't keep your eye on what the horse is doing and act quickly enough to stop it. IMO being knocked over from behind is far more dangerous than having your foot stepped on.

Remember the horse is meant to be at your side - how is it going to step on your feet?
Having said that our first horse was a r&d gelding who dished. If the handler happened to come into contact with his hoof as he threw it out to the side, he would make sure that he stood on the handler's foot with his next step.