Rearing!!!!!!

[LeeBlack]

I need some advice...I recently bought a 16.3hh German Warmblood and he has a bit of a naughty habit of rearing.He has never been on a working farm before as he has always mainly been used for dressage and has come from a dressage yard.He has never seen cows or sheep before so is very wary of them.but he only tends to rear when he gets board.I have had his teeth done and checked his back but cant think of anything else.Can anyone suggest anything else!!!! <span style="color:red"> </span>

 

[Weezy]

If you are 100% sure that he is MOTed fit and well then he needs to learn some serious manners as fast as possible

1) You say he does it when bored - can you elaborate on this - is it when schooling, out hacking, etc

2) You mention the new things he has around him - does he use the rear as a form of nappiness?

3) How high does he go?

4) What is your reaction?

5) How often does he do this?

6) What is his feeding and exercise regime?

 

[_jetset_]

Have you tried a pressure halter on him? Richard Maxwell's is very effective as is his book... he has some info on rearers in his From Birth to Backing (focussing on stallions but it is applicable I would say)

 

[_jetset_]

I also agree with Weezy... he needs to learn some manners regarding the rearing pretty sharpish. After all, he is a 16.3hh horse... that is a big horse to be rearing when handled. Oh, and please always wear a hat and gloves if you know he does this!

 

[Weezy]

I am taking it that he rears when ridden? DId I read the OP wrong?!

 

[_jetset_]

Sorry, no idea... I just presumed he did it full stop.

 

[jennystreek]

I've just bought a 15.3hh 6yr old mare and she is doing the same!! I've never had a "rearer" before so am not used to dealing with this. I rode her for the 1st time today since getting her, and tried to take her up a track but she put the brakes on and started going up. It wasnt really high, more bouncing. I turned her away and then tried to trot her past but she stopped to do the same again. I decided to then lead her up the track and then took her in the school where she was well behaved.
Not sure if its the right thing to do, but think i will concentrate on taking her out with other horses for a while, and then keep her in front, eventually making her leave the other horses on her own....then attempt to take her places on her own.

Any tips from this post would be very useful!!

 

[Frazer]

Hammiehamlet, you are doing very well, what you are doing solved my little jumping ponies rearing problem. Leading them past and to whereever they rear, it is still showing them that they will not get away with it. Also when you take her back to the school work her really hard so she links rearing with not getting her own way and working hard. The same to LeeBlack if this applies to you. Rearers only normally (NORMALLY) get worse if they get what they want from it. ie rearing because going out alone, if you then take her into the school she knows rearing will help her. Lead her, and dont let her get her own way, and she should be fine. Another thing it could be is freshness to being in a new enviorment espically if out hacking, or turning out, bringing in etc... I wouldn't normally reccomend the egg cracking, or the whip on the poll advice but that is just me. Many Thanks

 

[Santa_Claus]

i agree with basically all you have said but will add a few points.

Fleur used to be a chronic rearer (majority of the reason I got the ride on her to be honest!) but thankfully she has now grown out of it because she has learnt it won't help her get her own way.

The main thing with me is I was able to predict when she was about to go up and spin her as soon as she thought of it. Literally took my hand behind the saddle so making her head come to my foot and making her turn on the tiny circle, they just can't go up from that. She soon learnt that if she tried to go up I would turn her in a circle and then in turn if she went up the session wouldn't finish until she had done at least 10 mins without attempting to rear. ANd so you know when she would go up she would go right up, hacking being the worst with or without company.

She will only hack out on her own for about 5 mins in the very local vacinity of the yard but that radius is increasing with her confidence. She will go out in company a lot further now.

Also on the rare occasions she does now nap she either spins round or goes sidewards which are both far safer and easier to deal with.

Just please always put your safety first if you have to get off do but as said lead them past whatever is causing a problem.

I remember Fleur refusing to walk to the outdoor school with me mounted so I would lead her inhand the route about 3 times there and back then get on and make her do it with me mounted twice. If she misbehaved we started the process again. Rear is very rarely cured overnight unless a physical problem. It takes a lot of patience and hard work, and unfortunetly once a rearer almost always a rearer although you can bring the amount of factors that would force them to do so down to an absolute minimum.

Good luck and if in doubt get someone experienced with a rearer to help you out.

 

[vivhewe]

If he's wary of cows and sheep turn him out with them if you can - it's the best way for them to get used with them provided they don't chase them. My boy was wary at first but now he's fine with them except milk cows as we don't have ours any more and so he hasn't seen many!

(He has to stare at them out hacking yet he will go past any other cows without a second glance lol!)

Could you try long reining him? Sounds basic but I've tried it a few times now and it's worked every time - I even did some this afternoon and my boy is settling down already as he is a bit temperamental too!

When does he get bored? Are you repeating his workload? Varying his routine and making sure he gets to see plenty of things will make a huge difference.

Good Luck!

 

[welshpony]

You have almost exactly the same problem as I had a couple of years ago! My little 13.2hh pony, who was then 4, would get bored and switch off after about 10 mins, and then start rearing.

It got to the point where he'd go over backwards, and started to do it sooner and sooner into a ride. However, if we took him to any kind of event, he never reared.

If you can, try taking him somewhere else, we took ours to a school just down the road, and he was absolutely fine. After about a week of this, he calmed down at home too.

That could have been no help at all, ignore it if you want lol.

 

[jennystreek]

Thanks for all your tips - seems like i may have a bit of a battle on my hands, but still got to let her get used to her new surroundings. Will lead her to the school for the next few times so she doesnt even get the chance to go up. Hopefully that way i will have a better understanding of her, and then when i start riding her up i will be able to be firmer with her!!
I knew what she was like this when i bought her (managed to knock price down for her), but she moved so lovely and jumped superbly i thought it was worth the risk!!
Horses....who'd have them!!

 

[tashyisaudrey]

I had the same problem with my mare - it was a back problem, which now solved she is not so bad. But she still occassionally tries it on at hacks. so what I did was let her in at the back of a hack in company to start with - not getting into a stress with her , then each day building up more and more. she will now go in front leading for the whole hack which is a massive improvement considering she would never have dared before without rearing. I havn't given up, lunging her everyday, building that relationship and letting her get more and more used to her new environment. We are still a long way from going out alone, but I understand that it takes time and perseverance. The worst thing you can do is get annoyed with them, as they see that as a weakness in you and will confirm their suspicions of your dominance so it basically makes them worse. Just keep calm and take each day as it comes - and also accept that they will have off days where you feel like you've gone back to square one - but keep at it

good luck.

 

[allijudd]

[ QUOTE ]
It wasnt really high, more bouncing. I turned her away and then tried to trot her past but she stopped to do the same again. I decided to then lead her up the track and then took her in the school where she was well behaved.


[/ QUOTE ]

ive had this...now it does seem to take on a bad napping probelm but we are perservering and pushing him on and saying no loudly seems to be working(i stopped all the horses on the yard the other day!)...whoops!

but then again i have just emailed a piccie to catherine at talking horses just to be absolutly sure....(as in the other post in the nl)