REARING

D

debs_07

Well-Known Member
Joined
16 January 2007
Messages
123
Visit site
hi guys ... i would like some advice , i have lost my confidence big time , i have posted on here about that b4 and got some really sound advice . my problem is rearing . i did come off the back ov a horse a few months ago because it reared. i am soooooo scared my mare is going to do it . ive only had her a month , and tremble when it comes to riding her as im scared stiff she`s going to rear , she never has so far .. only on the lunge this morning when i think she was just full of beans as we have no winter turn out at the moment . soon as i saw her do it . it sort of rienforced my fears . i thought " shes a rearer " panick set in and thinking about it now it was completley irrational to think that . i supose i would like some tips on how to deal with a rear if it ever was to happen , coz if it did and i delt with it im sure i would be more confident about dealing with it again ... sorry for this being a long one .. but this is a real big worry for me , ive got sweaty palms typing it .
thanks
debs xx
 
thats what im scared of .. im scared that no matter what im worrying about .. if i worry that much about it .. it will happen .....OOOHH IM SCARED XX
 
If she hasn't then don't think she will, otherwise you will transfer your nerves onto her, try Rescue Remedy before you ride it may take the edge off your nerves. Also think forward and positive and enjoy yourself. Ride for short periods building into longer and you will find your confidence will return. Good luck!
 
Really don't worry. Corroy has reared a few times on the lunge and turning out, she is quite nappy and backwards thinking, but has never stood up on me. *touch wood*
 
horses are very intelligent, she will pick up on your fear and it will make the situation worse. I know exactly how you feel though, I had the same thing with my mare. When does she do it though? Hacking? schooling? on the ground - you mentioned lunge. Is her saddle ok - I'd get that checked and get a physio too. There is a really unique way to deal with it hacking. It has to be nipped in the bud. And don't listen to anyone who says give it a smack - cos this makes it worse. smacking repeats the process and pattern and the horse just learns to go up with the excess energy. In the end you train it to rear. Sometimes a smack will work if horse just being a little cheeky, but if its a habit its not the way forward.
 
don't be worried, it will just make it worse, my horse started rearing a couple of years ago (long fall from a 16.3hh!!) but it eventually turned out that he is cold backed. The way I got him out of it is when he started backing up to rear I would turn him sharply in a circle, as I believe they cannot rear when their neck is turned.

I lost my confidence big time from his behaviour, but thanks to old YO she helped me back, is there someone can help you while you get your confidence back??
 
Oh my word... you poor thing.

Firstly, as PG says, you have got to try and relax. I know its easier said than done but if you're very tense when riding, you'll effect your horse (I highly doubt her reaction would be to rear by the way.. but it may make her spooky.)

Some horses are habitual rearers, but its not *that* common. The fact she bounced about on the lunge isnt reason to panic. Mine will turn himself inside out on the lunge yet the most he's ever tried when ridden is the odd buck.

My mare was (and still is judging by last time i sat on her) a rearer - although shes now retired for completly unrelated issues. With her, the best thing was to ride her forwards strongly, keep the contact light (i.e. try to give her no reason in her mouth to go up) and to avoid too much confrontation with her. I know she went up with my trainer a few times when she tried to take a decent hold of her front end while schooling and thats precisely what my horse hated.

The other "type" of rearer for me are those who incorporate it into napping. In which case again, the best thing is to try and get them moving forwards.

Basically the key is to get them going forwards rather than upwards
laugh.gif
(Although tbh with a habitual rearer, its usually better to hand the reins over to someone else for some reschooling unless you're very competent)

I only wrote the above since perhaps if you have an idea of what to do in the situation, you might relax an itsy bit... I honestly think you would have encountered it by now if your mare was a habitual rearer. Try and give her some benefit of the doubt.

Go back to basics... have some lessons... do lots of work in walk.. focus on trying to get you both relaxed (tough if shes not being turned out at all though.) Take everything at your own pace and you will start to find some confidence in her.

Perhaps try and find a sympathetic instructor and get some lessons. Do you think watching someone else ride her would help you see that she wont do it?

ETS - Remember rearing is pretty damn scarey for horses as well. If she's not done it before, theres no reason to think she'll start now. Many will bounce their front end off the ground when excited but wont actually go up-up.
 
You have obviously had a bad experience in the past, so everytime you think about a horse rearing you get all the emotions associated with the bad experience.

Maybe you could try some TFT, this talks you through the problem and the root of the problems and deals with that. I have used it myself and have found it very helpful.

Link

Hope that helps

Hb
 
shes only reared the once this morning on the lunge ... she was going nicley in a circle and then just started going faster and bucking and then she reared .. ive seen other horses do it on the lunge and they are perfectly ok the ride .... i think the whole thing is over sensatized now ion my mind .... maybe she was just full of beans coz she not got turn out now .. which is understandable . i am having lessons with her every friday and hes took her back to the begining .. she hasnt displayed any reason for me to believe shes going to rear ... its me and my over active imagination ... anymore tips .... thanks for all replys so far ...
xx
 
i dont know why she reared on the lunge .. like i said she was going niceley and then decided to have a mad minete bucking and just generally being silly and then she reared .. proberbly coz i pulled her to slow her down ...
 
i dont really ride other peoples horses , but i used to ride a mate pony i know deffo didnt rear .. he was a Arab X so was my nerves made him overly spooky .. haha !! do u reckon i hang my riding boots up or what ???? anyone ??
 
No I reckon you should consider spending some time on a quiet schoolmaster. Once your confidence is built up, you won't feel so nervous on your own horse.
 
A bit off topic because your horse isn't really a rearer but...

If you do ride a horse that is known for rearing, carry an egg around in your pocket (no joke)...first time the horse rears, smack the egg down on top of its head. It makes the horse feel as though it cut its head while rearing (the yolk feels like blood) The horse will never rear again, or at least it has worked for me every time.

smile.gif
 
Sounds like you need a big confidence boost (and I totally know what that feels like!). If your horse hasn't reared so far, there's no reason to suspect she will later on. Chex is shocking on the lunge, he constantly bucks, squeals, leaps about and rolls. But he would never ever buck or leap under saddle (unfortunatly I can't say the same for the rolling!). Another horse I looked after was a nappy rearer, and it shook my confidence on him a lot, I just learnt to hang on and eventually managed to work through it, certainly not something I'd choose to work with though. I guess just try and stay relaxed, don't worry about what she might possibly do, but concentrate on what she is doing right. The trust will build up.
 
i was told that but flint rears vertically and quickly and spins in mid air, not enough time to get an egg out ! someone mentioned if u do feel them back off turn their heads, this does work.
 
im proberbly fussing over nothing ... thanks to all replys and advice ... feel alot better ... im new on here and feel ive got a lot of suport already ...

thanks again
xxxx
 
I read & replied to your previous post about loss of confidence. I honestly think you are worrying about nothing - lots of horses have a mad moment on the lunge, especially if they haven't been turned out to have a kick and a buck. Your mare is only 6 isn't she? Even my old boy (now retired) who wouldn't even canter out on a hack, used to have the odd moment on the lunge. Keep going with the lessons, take it slowly one step at a time and try not to beat yourself up too much. BTW, if you suspect a horse is going to rear, the best thing is to keep it going forward positively, as it is impossible for a horse to rear when it is going forwards properly. Bending the head round and circling sharply is also good.
 
I completely agree with Tierra. I know how scary it is having had a mare that fell into the ‘nap and rear’ category. She was something special – she used to throw herself on the floor!

Are you sure that your horse reared on the lunge and wasn’t ‘plunging’ which is like a back to front buck? I find that a horse rearing on the lunge odd – maybe I am the only one. Horses that are fresh usually buck and then canter round half dragging you, but I have never heard of rearing unless something was provoking it- such as an ill fitting bit or perhaps a fear of the whip?

IMO rearing is quite a big effort for any horse and the decision to stand on their back legs is not one they take lightly on account of the fact their perspective of the world is different from up there (i.e. they cant see a lot!) so there must be a reason for it. Therefore I believe that there has to be a reason for the rearing – be it temperament or fear or whatever – perhaps you are holding on to her a bit through nerves.

Having had experience of rearers I would say that I completely understand your confidence thing – I would not sit on one now. My mare reared 47 times in an hour with a girl that competed cci*** on the first day of schooling – so I would consider myself quite qualified to comment! She was just stubborn nappy and rude – and still is. In the end we tried the old trick of exploding a water balloon on her head – which worked ish. She still rears but not as much.

I would say that you should get someone to sit on her and school her. If she doesn’t do it with them you could say you were the problem (sorry) . If that is the case you can either sell up or change through proper and regular instruction. If it continues I think that you should re evaluate the situation that you have found yourself in as it will only get worse. If she rears with the instructor you will have to go and discover why elsewhere – such as tack, environment, etc. It may be that keeping her in is pickling her brain a bit!

Don’t I go on! Sorry! I just really don’t like rearers…!
 
Gosh, I completely understand how nervy it can be when you have just one bad rearing accident. I am came off Louis 2 years ago XC when he reared up and over on top of me...fortunately when he fell backwards he tried to avoid me and just stood on my arm instead
crazy.gif
I completely sympathise as up until that point I have always been a pretty confident and positive rider and for about a year after that event even though I continued going XC and riding everyday I developed a complete fear or rearing. Every time Louis would get excited on a hack or XC I would get extremely tense and he would in turn tense up too. He has never been a habitual rearer and the only way I could rationalise the situation was to think back to the event and consider what caused it...someone bolted past us flapping about and I got a shock and pulled back on the reins suddenly and Louis went up and over. The only times he has ever tried to do it since (which is normally XC or exciting hacks!) it is normally because I have tensed up. Now if he gets wound up I completely relax my body and my hands and think rationally and it hasn't (touch wood) happened since.

So all i'm really trying to say that if you tense and stress you'll end up creating a problem that isn't there. Just try and focuss on something else rather tham "what may happen", just think forwards and positive
grin.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]
A bit off topic because your horse isn't really a rearer but...

If you do ride a horse that is known for rearing, carry an egg around in your pocket (no joke)...first time the horse rears, smack the egg down on top of its head. It makes the horse feel as though it cut its head while rearing (the yolk feels like blood) The horse will never rear again, or at least it has worked for me every time.

smile.gif


[/ QUOTE ]

Unless it loses it's balance out of surprise or because you lose yours and it falls over and lands on you.
wink.gif
 
Have seen exactly that happen. The horse didnt know what the hell was going on, had sticky stuff leaking into it's eyes, absolutly paniced and went over backwards breaking said riders leg, fracturing ribs and puncturing her lung. The horse struggled back up immediatly (thankfully said riders feet were free) and went hurtling round the school with its eyes closed (because of the egg) and ended up ploughing into a wall. It's really not a method I would recommend and Ive worked with a lot of horses with schooling issues.

Horses are all out for self preservation and most of them know exactly how far they can go before they loose their balance. The job of the rider in these cases is to make damn sure that they effect that balance as little as possible - faffing about with eggs doesnt help this really. Lean forwards, make sure you arent jabbing them in the mouth and try and get them moving forwards.

Most horses arent rearers.. if you watch them in the field at play, its very very few that will go right up. Most of them bounce a couple of feet off the ground and you'll notice they keep their front legs straight when they do this (as opposed to curling them underneath). You can usually spot the ones that are prone to serious rearing by watching them at play
wink.gif
 
Oooh I also whip my feet out of the stirrups if I think they are going to go up. I also do it if they are bolting or bucking. You would be surprised how much easier you fall!

Try dropping your rein too that is a good one. It sounds like you are really, really tense.
 
Would certainly prefer that to allowing anything "gunky" run into their eyes! Im all for trusting that the horse has some level of sanity and would certainly prefer it to see where its going :P

And yes, like you i try to let the reins go as slack as possible. The number of people who grab at the reins to try and hang on or even attempt to pull the horse down and end up underneath the horse is frightening
frown.gif
Equally the number of people that provoke their horses with harsh hands is also quite astonishing. Certainly with some ive worked with, you can see why they picked the habit up :/
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top