Rearing!

[OhCappaGino]

Breaking my 4 year old in, and he is a rearer!!

Hopefully its just a phase and hes doing it in temper. He did it when the dentis tried to look at his teeth, nothing much i could do there except tell him off, luckily it was the vet so he was sedating him anyways to pull out wolf tooth.

Trying to longreign was proving a little diffucult as when trying to break he was rearing, wasnt yanking his mouth - somebody walked at his head too.

So what i have done, is left his headcoller on - under bridle - and put a leadrope from his headcoller tied to his roller. Its loose - It no way tied him down so he cant move his head, hes able to shake and lift his head up just cant lift his head far enough to rear!

Would you think this is okay?

 

[Damnation]

Has his mouth settled down from the wolf tooth removal? Is it worth turning him away for the winter and trying again in spring and seeing if he settles down himself?
Also does all his tack fit and have yu had his back checked?

 

[smiffyimp]

My baby was a rearer, i didnt do this though. If he reared (on the lunge) he got a wollop!!! Make him move forward! He cant rear then. If he rears in hand - chifney. He'll clonk himself once and wont do it again - trust me, mine never did

 

[OhCappaGino]

Has his mouth settled down from the wolf tooth removal? Is it worth turning him away for the winter and trying again in spring and seeing if he settles down himself?
Also does all his tack fit and have yu had his back checked?

He had 3.5 weeks of from having his wolf tooth, Vet said 2 weeks but with work and stuff it ended up being 3.5. That was nearly 4 months ago now - its taking so slow with work and life getting in the way - Hes four now, and needs breaking.

He was started last summer - But i had him castrated oct and then with snow and stuff he had winter off.

With his tack fitting, he doesnt have a saddle on he has a roller, his bridle is fine on him and so his is bit.

I havnt had his back checked, i wouldnt think it was this, as i havnt even tried to lean on him now!

 

[Aces_High]

Are you sure he's not getting his tongue over the bit? Sometimes this can make them rear if you then apply pressure on the long reins. If it's not then he might just be taking the piss. The most important thing is to send him forwards. When they are going forwards they cannot rear. I posted about using a standing martingale on a rearer a few weeks ago. Might be worth searching for it and reading all the feedback that was on there. I break everything in with a standing martingale but the loop is two clips and I clip these to the string tie ups on their headcollars. Similar principle to what you have done. I hope you have a neck strap around the rope you have made so he cannot get caught in it?

 

[BigRed]

Having been sold a horse that rears, and who it seems was ruined by her being badly broken, I would suggest you find a professional yard where this baby can go and be started again by experts. You only get one hit at this and if it's going even slighty wrong, don't risk making the problem bigger.

 

[vicky_sut]

Does he only rear when you are long reining? Or does he do it when leading and on the lunge? If he only does it when longreining either get something like a dually head collar and long rein with that or leave the long reining and just lunge for the time being.
I know 2 horses that hated being long reined so didn't bother just did plenty of lunging and some inhand work then got onboard and they never reared when I was on.

 

[TequilaMist]

Having been sold a horse that rears, and who it seems was ruined by her being badly broken, I would suggest you find a professional yard where this baby can go and be started again by experts. You only get one hit at this and if it's going even slighty wrong, don't risk making the problem bigger.

Agree with this unless you have the experience to sort it yourself.
Friends youngster is a rearer and should have been put to professional a while ago but there was always someone who thought they could fix it so he has had a few folk 'at' him.He is going to one after winter now so hopefully will end well
Don't think you can let money be an issue with getting this sorted either ie as in can't afford to send him.IMO its a responsability to find some way to help horse as won't have much of a working life if he makes a habit of rearing.-Lead Poultice my sister always used to say for rearers.

 

[AengusOg]

Breaking my 4 year old in, and he is a rearer!!

Hopefully its just a phase and hes doing it in temper.

Why would you think it is temper?

How much experience do you have?

How much experience does your horse have in preparation for what you are trying to teach him?

What is he being fed?

Has he been trained to yield to pressure?

Do you have any idea how to longrein?

Does he offer resistance when you are working him; if so, how do you deal with it.

Do you think he learned to do it whilst being restrained for the vet, and now uses it as an evasion?

What do you do when he rears?

There are dozens of questions which could be asked in relation to this.

Horses don't just rear for the sake of it. There must be something you are doing, or have done, which has made him rear. The way you describe him as 'a rearer' would suggest that you blame him in some way for his behaviour, when really it is more likely to be human error which is causing it. All horses will rear if they feel they have no option.

Fixing a leadrope in the manner you describe, although not tying him down, is just using a mechanical aid to prevent him rearing. If you don't identify and address the reason for him rearing, you are just asking for trouble in his training. You can't just prevent him from doing it and hope it will go away.

 

[Lippyx]

Having been sold a horse that rears, and who it seems was ruined by her being badly broken, I would suggest you find a professional yard where this baby can go and be started again by experts. You only get one hit at this and if it's going even slighty wrong, don't risk making the problem bigger.

^^^ Agree with this ^^^

Not saying you are not capable by any means!

 

[MrVelvet]

My baby reared at the very begining of his education, when I began to lead him out round the villiage. Whenever I stopped he would dance about then rear. I never put any gadgets on him, I did lots of leading practise in the school, asking him to back up, turn on forehand, sideways etc, and if he ever thought about rearing doing a circle and gently increasing the time I asked him to standstill. Hes never reared since.

I hasten to add he was around 12-13hh so a lot easier to hold down, If he was a big TB 2 yr old I would probably have used a bit!

PS - OhCappaGino .. did you ever buy ur bull to ride?? if so.... how u getting on haha

 

[maggiesmum]

My baby was a rearer, i didnt do this though. If he reared (on the lunge) he got a wollop!!! Make him move forward! He cant rear then. If he rears in hand - chifney. He'll clonk himself once and wont do it again - trust me, mine never did

Having bought a horse who's previous owner used a chifney and made his rearing worse and often gave him a wallop - I'd most definitely recommend NOT doing this!
Its taken me a long time (and i;m talking years) to stop the rearing and to get him to trust that I won't be aggressive with him.

Horses (especially young ones that haven't been mistreated) do not misbehave for the sake of it, either he's uncomfortable or he doesn't understand what he's being asked.
You don't have to be putting weight on him for his back to be sore, he could be sore anywhere in his body, i'd get him checked out all over, if he gets a clean bill of health then get someone experienced to help, as someone else said you only get one chance at this and if you get it wrong you've then got a rehab horse on your hands.