Rearing...

LaurenyLou

LaurenyLou

Well-Known Member
Joined
10 September 2012
Messages
134
Visit site
Just a thought, following a fall today :-)

How do people on here view and deal with horses who rear? Obviously having had the dentist, vet, Physio and saddler out, how do you deal with those who stand up due to evasion to work/naughtiness?
 
Try & find the reason behind them evading in the first place. And if its a learnt habit, or even just misplaced high spirits, be aware of the warning signs & take steps to avoid it. Mainly though, I'd work on the basis a horse that's moving can't do a proper vertical rear without stopping, so I'd just keep it going forwards. Not had to do it myself with rearing, but the other option is to teach it to rear on command, so it becomes like any other ridden movement that is only produced when asked for.
 
I just sit. I do nothing but sit and stay on and wait for the horse to figure out that the behaviour will not get me off. Easier said than done but I am used to rearing so don't mind doing it. I am not stupid, I never want to be on a horse that rears, but if they do it, I just sit quiet and give the, time to figure it out.

I don't and won't use any tricks...you never know how a horse will respond and the idea of a bad response and landing on my back with a horse on top of me is not something I will ever take an unnecessary risk with.
 
You must understand why the horse rears ,does it not want to go ( napping)
Or is it rearing because to wants to go and it desire to move forward is being blocked by the riders hand .
How you handle the two types Is different.
 
Goldenstar said:
You must understand why the horse rears ,does it not want to go ( napping)
Or is it rearing because to wants to go and it desire to move forward is being blocked by the riders hand .
How you handle the two types Is different.
Click to expand...

This is why I just sit. I normally get on a horse that is known to rear to try and sort it out. I just sit as it also helps me figure out the horse. Some will do it because they simply don't understand being sent forward with spurs and whips at the same time as being sawed in the mouth to get the head down.

Some do it because of pain. Some because they have learned it is an easy way to get someone off and not have to work.

No two horses are the same...got to keep yourself safe.
 
Only seen it done, it produced a fabulous kangaroo/levade type movement and gave neddy a new trick (it was impossible to sit)
 
_GG_ said:
I just sit. I do nothing but sit and stay on and wait for the horse to figure out that the behaviour will not get me off. Easier said than done but I am used to rearing so don't mind doing it. I am not stupid, I never want to be on a horse that rears, but if they do it, I just sit quiet and give the, time to figure it out.

I don't and won't use any tricks...you never know how a horse will respond and the idea of a bad response and landing on my back with a horse on top of me is not something I will ever take an unnecessary risk with.
Click to expand...

This.

I also think there is a big difference between an experienced habitual rearer who knows what it is doing and can balance itself quite adequately versus a baby that flings itself up in the air in a moment of panic or a horse in pain.

One is about 100 times safer than the other - the first type is actually OK as long as you can sit quiet and keep of it's mouth and push forward as soon as it lands.
 
Nothing sit and ask to walk on when he's done. Baby horse has learnt this new trick recently he does it in a nappy half hearted way. I think if I just ignore it and keep the situation calm, he will get bored and forget about it. Also if the situation is left calm there's less chance of us getting hurt :)
 
Inhand I usually yell 'NO! Get back down here you little s***" in a really cross scary voice then a completely change back to calm and quiet the second they're back on the floor and carry on exactly as if nothing happened. And try and find out WHY they're rearing. It makes rearing unpleasant and aware they're doing something wrong without overly frightening them and being too confrontational.

In the saddle Im more likely to just ignore it, mainly because Im so busy with self preservation! However a less extreme rear would get the same reaction as inhand. And on a horse I know well, and with a particular temperament (thickskinned rhino-hided stroppy types) they'd most likely get a smack too if it's stroppy nappy behaviour.
 
Mine rears and spins to the right every time so I carry my whip in that hand, keep the left reign short and kick on in a circle to get him moving. If he does go up then I simply just sit there and wait until he's calmed down so he learns that that behaviour will not get me off or him home any faster.
 
Interesting responses thank you. The one who did it to me yesterday is in the process of being broken in, was very happy hacking but had a fit in the school when asked to move away from the gate and almost went back over onto himself and me.

I think it was a bit of confusion, and a bit of fear as well as not wanting to leave the gate which is his little comfort area.
 
Couldn't agree more with ignore it advice. When mine came to me he'd learned if you put in a big (but well balanced) rear your rider gets off and puts you back in the stable!!!
He reared as soon as his front feet touched the school surface and I spent several happy hours stood on our front drive rearing and rearing and rearing and rearing - he wasn't frightened (when it's genuine he spins and runs), there was nothing physically wrong with him and he was always balanced and careful. I put me arms round his neck when he went right up (to hold on) so I didn't interfear with his balance and didn't pull on the reins at all. Then just waited until he got bored/ ran out of energy.
Then I asked him to walk on and went out for a hack/ did 10 mins schooling.

That was several years ago and he's probably reared 2 or 3 times max in the last 3 years as he has learned that there is no point. I'm sure however if he had a rider that jumped off he'd be back to 50 times a ride pretty quickly !!!!
 
LaurenyLou said:
Interesting responses thank you. The one who did it to me yesterday is in the process of being broken in, was very happy hacking but had a fit in the school when asked to move away from the gate and almost went back over onto himself and me.

I think it was a bit of confusion, and a bit of fear as well as not wanting to leave the gate which is his little comfort area.
Click to expand...

Just take the pressure off for a bit. If this horse was long reined in the school, which I would hope...I would stop riding and go back to that to address this napping issue as it is doing something it is already comfortable with so will have less chance of confusion when the napping occurs.

If not, ride it in the school, but do lots and lots of work on the abc of aids away from the gate. Really basic go, stop and turn commands, then get off and lead out. Repeat until the horse is completely comfortable and understanding of the basic aids in the school. Then it will be less likely to be confused when you give a forward aid at the gate.

Think of it in numbers and they should only add up to ten per session. If just starting in the school, go is 3 points, stop is three points and turn both ways is 3 points. Last point is standing for 20 seconds before dismounting. That equals ten so is stress free learning. If you are doing this and then it naps, you will, without knowing it, be combining aids. Combining aids for the first time is worth 6 points. At this early stage, horse still learning basic aids, this puts the horse on a score of 16...so stressful and confusing and too much to cope with and units and, hence flight instinct comes in and horse rears.

Remove confusion and start again.
Hope that made sense...it is how I start all of my horses and I swear by it.
 
If I don't catch it in time (under saddle) I just hold on, then make him trot when he's done, if it's safe (not walk, if he's walking he will try it again).

If I catch it before he does it, I pull his head to my knee. He tried it once yesterday and I used this technique...no rearing :)

In-hand....I tried everything I could think of. He had a serious relapse in his training, in which he would rear when I tried to take him out of the gate. I found standing back and ignoring him helped and just waiting until he got bored! Not ideal, but he will now follow me out of said gate with no rope/reins :)
 
LaurenyLou said:
Interesting responses thank you. The one who did it to me yesterday is in the process of being broken in, was very happy hacking but had a fit in the school when asked to move away from the gate and almost went back over onto himself and me.

I think it was a bit of confusion, and a bit of fear as well as not wanting to leave the gate which is his little comfort area.
Click to expand...

Does not sound like a huge issue I would lead him round the school at couple times and long line and or lunge a few minutes before getting on for a while.
 
This is one of the most useful supportive threads I have read on this subject so please excuse me for butting in.
My perfect hacker started rearing really badly napping and finally ditched me last year it was very out of character so I went the pain investigation route and he is now repaired physically and works beautifully in our little indoor school but......he has lost all his confidence hacking and just stops rears and naps. If when all 4 feet are on the ground I dismount and lead him he is fine. In fact I did a 4.5 mile hack on foot because he was so bad but used to me doing groundwork and lungeing. Reading all this my master plan of little and often and sit it out sounds realistic then. If I dismount and lead where I intended to go is this ok as we aren't giving in and going home.
I av identity for 25 years but never had this issue before.
 
MileAMinute said:
That is a really fascinating system, GG :)
Click to expand...

Thanks, it's pretty simple, but complicated at the same time, lol. Started it when I was 14 I think as I had to back and break a little devil that my RS owner bought at the sales. It would get very stressed very quickly, so I developed it to keep it easy on the horse. Basically, when you want to introduce a new lesson, it has a high value as it is new and therefore won't yet be understood, so to keep the horse from getting stressed or confused, you couple it with very easy and low value exercises that boost the horses confidence :-)
 
My warmblood gelding is partial to a rear every now and then. He does it if he is scared of something and doesnt want to go past, as if to say "go on make me" :p I just tend to be a bit quieter when asking him, it might take us all day but the more I rattle his cage the higher he would go, so its best just to let him do it in his own time. Its never very often now, he's as good as gold but if he is faced with a puddle (as these have horse eating crocodiles in) or a filler in the middle of the arena (because these are only normal looking under fences) he has a mini heart attack :D my last encounter I nearly ended up loosing my teeth when he spooked at a dog by the side of the arena, he shot right but went up at the same time and smacked me in the face!! :mad: ouch, but unfortunately my teeth stayed in....no vaneers for me! :rolleyes: he sounds like such a naughty boy when I describe him like this, but actually, he's amazing! Oh, and he does love to buck....a lot! :D love my cheeky dinosaur
 
Flibble said:
This is one of the most useful supportive threads I have read on this subject so please excuse me for butting in.
My perfect hacker started rearing really badly napping and finally ditched me last year it was very out of character so I went the pain investigation route and he is now repaired physically and works beautifully in our little indoor school but......he has lost all his confidence hacking and just stops rears and naps. If when all 4 feet are on the ground I dismount and lead him he is fine. In fact I did a 4.5 mile hack on foot because he was so bad but used to me doing groundwork and lungeing. Reading all this my master plan of little and often and sit it out sounds realistic then. If I dismount and lead where I intended to go is this ok as we aren't giving in and going home.
I av identity for 25 years but never had this issue before.
Click to expand...

I will start by adding two caveats...one is that I am no expert and the other is that when a horse is rearing up to the balance point, ie. very dangerous, I always think safety first and would rather get off than get killed...


But...you have inadvertently taught your horse that all it has to do to get an easy life is rear and nap and you get off and lead it. You are rewarding him for rearing. Instead, I would start by riding out, waiting for this behaviour and sitting as quietly as possible. When horse calms down and stands still for 20 seconds. Give it a good pat and walk on. Just, when it stops napping, don't do anything. Don't immediately push it on....just let it stand and absorb the lesson that that behaviour doesn't make you get off...but also, that the good behaviour of standing still means a pleasant 20 seconds of not being kicked on. Repeat and repeat. Never get frustrated. If, when you have stood for 20 seconds and ask to walk on, the horse does it again...just keep repeating.so long as you give it a chance to relax and soak it up that you won't get off, it will eventually just walk on.
 
Fibble I would sit on yours all day until it went if I had too.
I only get off if I really feel I am in danger .
The longest I was on a nappy one in my yard looking at the gate was five hours and twenty minutes I had lunch on its back and put some else on when I had to pee .
That horse loved a fight and had lots with its previous owners he was not very safe I needed to approach in another way once he got that I would never give in he gave it up ,
It was time consuming though.
I stress rearers can be very dangerous you must make sure the horse is not suffering pain thats causing extreme reactions before seeking to retrain them.
 
My daughter's mare used to rear a lot at one stage, she found it best to wait it out and send her forward when all four feet were back on the ground, but easier said than done in the heat of the moment I should think. Her friend also taught her a trick (and here I will not explain it enough to be remotely useful) about turning the mare's head toward her shoulder before she went up, like when she felt her getting light in front.

She had stopped doing it completely but since returning from her loan home has become a bit light in front at times but nothing like the big stand ups she did as a 4-5 yo!

With this mare, she did have a pelvic issue that we failed to recognise, this may well have started her rearing evasion, but once we had sorted that and her feet and saddle, teeth etc it was just a case of getting her to realise forward was easier than up.
 
The video i posted shows the sit and wait technique very well. It does tend to work on most that arent in pain eta
 
Lots of good suggestions above (I can vouch for the one about just sitting it out with a nappy horse - 5 hours is very commendable!).

I would add a small note of caution on turning though. I used to ride a mare who was a very proficient reader - it was just her thing - she would go up vertically if I didn't let her go forward (think xc start boxes and show jumping lessons). Anyway, the only time she ever fell was when I tried the turning thing, think I was a fraction too late and she lost her balance. Just sort of went splat, thankfully neither of us hurt.

Anyway, experience from her (a very capable and well balanced rearer who used to go right up) was safest bet is give reins, put arms around her neck, wait for her to come down and then go forwards.

After 3 years of regular schooling and eventing she never gave up her party piece (but I got very used to managing it).
 
All your points are really good...thanks guys.

We have been hacking, which I prefer to start with as I think it gets them thinking forward and looking at things instead of just focusing on what scary things I am doing and the gate. He was fine out, but yesterday was our first day in the school solo, and he almost went over backwards.

Today we went back two steps, so lunging down the bottom end of the school, getting over the naps, then long reining all the way round, in all corners etc and no issues. Seems happy so will do again tomorrow before attempting to get back on in there.

When we did go back in yesterday however I left all gates open, and he didn't have any problems.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top