Rearing

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Missmac

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last night my youngster had a complete strop and reared, very nearly coming over backwards. On coming back down to earth I fell/rolled off.

She was very tense to begin with but had started to relax when this happened.
I gave her a big telling off, lunged her for 20 mins then got back on for a quiet 10 min hack around the field where she behaved.

This is the first (and hopefully last time) this has happened. She has threatened with little baby ones before, mainly at the start of hacks when we have had to stop to open gates and she gets impatient. When she has done this I have verbaly repremanded her which worked but last night took me completely by surprise and Im not ashamed to admit that it scared me a bit too!

She has had her teeth, back and tack checked within the last 2 months.

Iv broken and schooled quite a few young horses but I have never had to deal with rearing before. Im interested to know if anyone has, how they dealt with the issue and what was the outcome.

Thank you.
 
My youngsters default naughty thing is rearing. She does it when excited more than anything and as a bit of an intimidation tactic.
She doesn't do it that much but normaly a strong word or a kick in the ribs to send her forwards stops it.
I hope for you she doesn't do it again, but she might now think she can, you'll learn very quickly the body language that comes before it and you can ride her out of it before it happens.
Make sure you tell her off when she is in the air if you can, telling her off once she has come back down is counter active, you are basically telling her off for coming back down.

Really good luck with it.

With winter coat coming out just check the girth isn't pinching or rubbing on loose hair.
 
there is an old wives tale about cracking an egg on the head of a rearer. Although this does mean you'd have to ride around with an egg????

if you feel her about to go, send her forwards, or to prevent the rear, i think if you pull her head round to look towards her back end, she physically can't get up.

getting to route cause of behaviour most important though!
 
I reschooled a badly broken 4year for a man, who had been badly hacked in the mouth.
In rearing circumstances to much fighting makes the problem worse as bug2007 said if you feel a rear coming put your leg and send forward and do exercises so she doesn't have time to think about it again. If this doesn't work and she still goes up, go with her but drop your left hand downwards bringing her head down and to the left which means she has to return to her feet and then send her forward! Hope all goes well
 
Has anything changed i.e could she be in pain.
Has she been shod recently or the spring grass making her hyper active?
I would lunge then ride and then if she does rear do what others have suggested.
What is she fed?
 
I dont think she was in pain just being really naughty. I was riding her away from the gate at the time and she had tried napping towards that on the previous two circuits so I think all the toys just got slung out the pram!

Nothing has changed tack wise, she isnt shod but is due for a trim and the only thing that has changed feed wise is that I had haylage from a different supplier. This lot is wetter than the last load which was more like hay really but I started feeding her this a just over a week ago. Feed wise she is on unmollassed beet pulp, Lucie cobs and Calm and Condition. I started giving her the calm and condition well over a month ago.

Thanks for the tips!
 
As soon as you feel her start to go up or even think about it pull her round sharply and kick her on so she has no choice but to go back down and forward. Mine went up once due to a mega strop and it scared the poo out of me. Next time she tried I did the above and she's never done it since.
 
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