Socialising a rearer- terrified of other horses

[Nellewash]

Firstly sorry for the essay- I have a very specific problem and circumstances as the horse I ride isn't mine however, he's got so much potential (and of course I've fallen totally in love with him) I'm hanging on in there until she lets my buy him.

I'm riding a 17.2 ID x TB gelding 6 years old. Broken at 5 his owner had an operation then got pregnant so hasn't ridden him and also hasn't ridden for 5 years, I doubt she ever will properly ride him. I am the only person to have ridden him since breaking, I'm pretty competent and sensible- having had my own horse (sadly put down at a ripe old age) for 12 years and working at a riding stables as a teen (proving to parents I was serious about having a horse) and helping break riding school ponies.
I ride properly from my seat which is why this lovely big lad can be ridden in his training snaffle bit with no problem, he has been taught not to pull when out cantering on rides to hack front, middle and back. To be respectful in the stable and on the ground. However....
I hacked him down to a local dressage event early to avoid crowds and he reared up and was totally overwhelmed by the other horses despite there not being many people around so I hacked home sharpish. Subsequently on a hack a few ponies broke out next to us and followed us down a lane, he freaked out and reared over on me resulting in torn ligaments in my Knee (only because I dived right so I didn't end up underneath him).

He was bred by the woman who owns him, he was weaned for 6 months then put back with mum and one other pony (supposedly for her daughters to ride however this has happened 4 times in 9 months but that's a whole other story). He was taken to a livery yard after breaking for use of the ménage and turned out in a field with about 10 horses in however, the owner didn't want to pay to keep him there and took him out before the herd had accepted him and I think because he was taken away at that stage and only ever lived with mum in a very secluded field he has no ability to socialise or handle being near other horses.

Teeth, saddle, back, legs all checked no reason for him to be uncomfortable at all.

So what can I do to help with his fear, my riding instructor suggested sending him to a behavioural specialist however, the owner will not be able pay to do this having a newborn baby. I would pay if he was mine - but his owner won't agree to part with him yet and really I'm not going to pay for someone else's horse to be sorted out.

Sorry for the length but I want to give the whole picture, I've never had a rearer before (mine was a bolter).
Please no one say whack him over the head with a crop or similar he's not doing it to be naughty he's just totally panicked and in escape mode. I know to turn him in circles which I was doing at the time however he ripped his head out of my hands and went straight up, he's very big and strong, I think a 17stone man would have trouble keeping him on all 4's and again I want to tackle the cause not the symptom.

Any help massively appreciated.

 

[siennamum]

Poor you sounds scary. Can you take him out in company to quiet events & lunge him, just persist, don't place yourself a risk, but just give him some life experience

 

[Pigeon]

Mine used to rear occasionally, it was a nappy thing, and the napping was mostly anxiety induced. He used to do it entering the arena (dressage) away from other horses. Gentle socialisation helped, as has keeping him a bit more in front of the leg. I put my hands forward and kick if I think he's going to go up. It is definately something that can be worked through, so long as you're not putting yourself in any danger.

I really don't like draw reins but did use them with mine a couple of times to practise the 'going away from other horses' thing so that he couldn't rear, and they did work. Though if you do come off that is just more bits of string to get tangled up in, and I honestly would only use them as a last resort.

 

[eggs]

Agree with Pigeon that the rearing tends to be a nappy thing. My horses all live in a field together but one of them does find it stressful to meet another horse out hacking and mini rears or fly leaps (we very rarely see other horses out hacking where I live) but doesn't mind them at shows.

The only thing I can think of is to try and either get some field companions for him or to move him to a livery yard where he can get used to other horses (tricky if the owner doesn't want to pay but maybe you could?).

 

[Brightbay]

How is he kept now? How many companions does he have, and are they all regularly taken in and out of the field?

The best way to deal with the issue is to improve his mental state rather than to try to mask the issue with training. If you can gradually expose him to new situations in small doses, getting him back to his safe place before he starts to worry too much, he will learn that new experiences are followed by nice experiences. However this approach is likely to work best if he has all his horsey needs met during the rest of his time, and this means as much turnout as possible, a stable group to give him the security and stability he needs, but also to understand that while horses come and go from his field he does not need to worry about being left alone.

 

[ironhorse]

This must be horrible for you - oddly I think mine could have been like this, had he not gone to a very good trainer as a 3yo. The people that bred him only had fillies and mares apart from him so when he was weaned he was kept on his own; they weren't worried as he was supposed to be sold and to move on shortly after weaning so it was short term - but then the sale fell through and he was kept on his own (other horses in neighbouring fields) until we bought him at rising 3. He has always been VERY dominant, although not in a particularly aggressive way, just a horse that you have to 'tell' repeatedly and not let him get away with anything (barging etc). He has only ever been OK turned out with one particular horse - others won't put up with his constant niggling at them and tend to beat him up, so now he's on individual turnout and I have to watch what I put him next door to.
Sorry a bit of a ramble, but thought it might sound familiar. He's actually really good with other horses in the school, although he can be aggressive or stupid on a hack if he's in between horses. But I think this is down to the trainer, and then me as his training progressed, very gradually increasing the number of horses he could cope up with. We did a clinic with 5 others when he was turning 4 and he just coped. One of the worst falls I've had from him was when some horses crowded him in a collecting ring at a show - he bolted and just I was about to bale out turned sharply and dropped me. We came back from this by working him with one other, then progressively more and he's been pretty good since, although I try to avoid a crush.
He's done some dressage - both RC which can be a bit hectic - and BD in the last six months and he copes well with the collecting rings, although he can be nervous.
Could you get one friend to come and ride with you and go from there? They need to be sympathetic as well as being a good rider, and have a horse that is prepared to stand in the middle or in a corner as you ride round. Good luck - I think you will crack this but you need to be safe.

 

[Nellewash]

Thank you so much for taking the time to reply and your ideas/what has worked for you.
I'm trying to convince the owner to move the horses to my friends livery yard (for socialisation) which would also work out cheaper than what she is currently paying.
I am riding him out with more experienced horses and will continue to take him to my instructor. I have told the owner I won't consider taking him on any farm rides/to any competitions until I am convinced he can handle the situation or he goes to a behaviouralist.
I have also renewed my offer to buy him....
I think this is going to be a number of battles to win the war type scenario.
Thanks so much again.

 

[Barnacle]

To be honest, this doesn't sound like a specific fear. It sounds like he is just getting overwhelmed in new contexts or if something surprising happens and he's going for rearing rather than bucking or bolting, which is what most horses do instead. I would just try to expose him to as many new things as possible and build his trust in you. Try some groundwork, lots of leading and voice encouragement that he'll recognise when you're on board... Make yourself a scary obstacle course and persist until he gets through the whole thing (in-hand). Get more horses involved. Reward him when he does things right and behaves bravely. Take him out in-hand as well. Keep things calm and just introduce one little thing at a time. Stay where you are safest and most in control (which may mean on the ground) and just try to stay calm and not react if things do go wrong. He's just green and needs to learn to take his cues from you and not overreact.

 

[AengusOg]

You don't tell us anything about what you were doing when all this happened.

 

[sport horse]

Try to find a good escort to take him out with and gradually introduce new experiences etc. Please never use draw reins on a horse that might rear - you will hugely increase the risk of him going over backwards and landing on top of you.

 

[Nellewash]

Hi- no I would never use draw reins I can imagine us ending up in a tangled mess. I don't want to trap him down but stop him over-reacting.

In all situations I was riding at walk, (normal forward walk) I can feel him start to get into the 'locked in' panic mode in his head which is when I started to circle him however he is quite strong and so pulled his head out of my hands and threw himself over.

I'm definitely going to do more groundwork with him, do you have any specific exercises that I can do so he trusts me and sees me as the leader? (apart from the obstacle course which I am definitely going to do!) He was never led anywhere in hand, his owner also has never even led him to the field she opens the stable doors - opens the field gate and lets them run in themselves, so maybe he needs to learn to see me as a leader on the floor first and then in the saddle?

 

[Barnacle]

Yes if he's not used to following you on a leadrope it's going to have to be the first thing you work on in my opinion.

Do you have an enclosed space at your disposal like a small fenced paddock or school? If so, the first thing I would do with a horse is free-lunging.

You don't need any equipment except a schooling whip for this (and a pocket full of treats can help too if you're not opposed to giving them). Then what you do is take the horse into the school and stand in the centre. Point the way you want the horse to go very clearly (so left arm up and point for him to go anti-clockwise) and then flick the schooling whip (don't touch him) in the air with your other arm to guide his back end. Then you aim to keep him going in a trot or canter (whatever he falls into is fine). If he tries to slow down, smack the ground with the whip. If he's not done anything like this before, that should be plenty to keep him going. Click with your mouth too - it'll be useful to establish voice commands for when you are riding. If he tries to change direction on you, run and intercept him and absolutely insist he goes back the other way as you asked him to to start with.

The point of this exercise is to make the horse focus on you. At first, in a rectangular space, he'll go into the corners, try to stop, try to turn etc. After a little while, however, he will realise that he has to do as you ask or you'll get after him smacking the ground and clicking... Then you'll see him come in and stay on a circle around you, typically with one ear on you. That's when you can move onto the next stage which is to teach him to come in and change direction.

To do this, take a few quick steps back as if to draw the horse in. If he turns to face you, let him rest a few minutes and you can also go over and give him a pat and a treat. This response shows he's really paying attention so it needs to be rewarded. You then swap your whip hand, point the other way and send him around in the opposite direction. To start with, when you step back the horse will do all sort of things. The only correct response is to come in - if he tries to swivel around outwards to change direction or stops entirely and seems to be ignoring you, you need to immediately make him continue the same way as before. This might mean you do a fair bit of running so be prepared! Once he's got the idea though, he'll never forget and it'll get easier and easier. If he comes in but doesn't stop moving, that's ok. Direct him so he changes the way around he's going by swapping your whip and point the other way and take the pressure off with your body language so he feels free to slow down (you'll get the hang of this after a while). Then just ask him to come in again the next time around and keep trying until he stops when he faces you. Treat, pat and out again. After you've done it well consistently 3-4 times, call it a day. You'll already see the difference - he'll stay focused on you and follow you around for a good while.

After that, you can practice this a couple of times at the start of your "session" with him and then put a lungeline on (just on a halter will do) and start teaching him to lunge. It should be easy - you'll just need him to understand what the voice commands are if he doesn't know them already. Once he can lunge, leading will be a piece of cake!

Then you can introduce changes of direction on the lungeline and all sorts of other exercises that will make him very focused on you. A recent study also showed that horses that did lots of groundwork like this were less anxious under saddle - so you'll have improved his state of mind just by doing this. Then I'd start doing obstacles and taking him out in-hand (you can also do this while someone else rides beside you in walk). And then really your imagination is the only limit... You can get someone to trot off ahead while you lead to teach him to stay calm, introduce him to crowds, desensitise him in the school with all sorts of scary objects/obstacles...

The more you do, the better he'll be. But you should see some improvements right away if you just stick with the very first exercise. It can take a couple of hours sometimes to get the message across that first time but I have yet to meet a horse that doesn't get it at all and whose focus isn't improved after. And there's nothing stopping you from riding him as well - it doesn't have to be one or the other provided his fitness levels are up to it. A short relaxed hack after a groundwork session may be just the thing to make him feel positive about going out. Also, don't feel like you can't dismount while out and then get back on again... Just make sure you dismount long before something's likely to go wrong rather than when it actually does. But if you'll be more in control on the ground (and often horses are calmer when you are standing next to them, if they trust you), don't hesitate to get off before you come to something that's likely to set him off and pass by it on foot. Then get back on in a relaxed place. Horses do need to be pushed past things they find threatening but you don't have to be on board to do it. So as long as you don't link getting off with his overreaction, getting off does not hurt. I sometimes get off randomly and let them graze for a bit... (I do make a point of getting off first so they don't think they can just drop their heads for a munch when I'm riding!)

Anyway, I hope that's given you a few ideas

 

[Nellewash]

Thank you so much, I could cry having read your message there are so many good ideas I've started today with him. Initially he bucked and reared his way round totally ignoring me but I just ignored it and kept him running round. He was following me by the end like you said.
The first step on what I imagine is going to be a long road!

 

[Cortez]

I don't think your horse is terrified of other horses, he's just getting overwhelmed and overexcited at a new situation, many young horses will do the same. If you could take him to a few shows or places where there is a lot going on and just lead him or perhaps lunge him at first to get him used to horses coming and going, and paying attention to you that would be a more effective (and safer) option than trying to ride him. Get some experienced help too.

 

[Fellewell]

You don't tell us anything about what you were doing when all this happened.

This is a good point. You say you hack him out in a snaffle, what bit did you put him in for the local show? You also say your previous horse was a bolter. It's possible you adopt a default position due to this and a young green horse prevented from going forward will generally go up. He sounds like a nice horse but being green he will be overfaced at times and he needs confidence from you in the saddle. You say you are the only rider continuing his education? There is no shame in putting someone else on him for a while, it may well help both of you.

 

[Barnacle]

Thank you so much, I could cry having read your message there are so many good ideas I've started today with him. Initially he bucked and reared his way round totally ignoring me but I just ignored it and kept him running round. He was following me by the end like you said.
The first step on what I imagine is going to be a long road!

Oh I'm glad The fact that he was rearing and bucking to start with is actually a good sign as it suggests the problems you're having under saddle are indeed more general and just need some work and time. Well done for keeping at it and best of luck!

 

[Booboos]

Taking him straight to a show may have just been too much for him.

Last time I had a youngster I started by taking him to another yard for lessons. I lunged him first and had my instructor there for help. We repeated this a few times, changing the yard towards the end.

Then I took him to a familiar yard but for a group lesson. The others in the group had been warned we needed a bit of space. This taught him to work round other horses.

Only after a few of these positive experiences did I take him to a quiet dressage show.

 

[Dry Rot]

I hope you don't mind me butting in with a question, but if the issue is other horses, could a gentle introduction in the field help? I'm thinking maybe put him in a field next to the main herd so they can first meet over a gate and, if that goes well, just open the gate and let them get on with it? Sorry if this is a naive question but I think I'd try something like that and let him sort it out for himself. Then, after he seems to be settled, resume hacking, going to shows, etc? But would that be the wrong thing to do? (I'm here to learn! ).

 

[ALO]

Hi, I also have a 6 year old and mine also does get very overwhelmed in situations where there is lots of horses. He also did the same and reared, they were not small ones either!
I've gone back to taking him to riding club rallies with calm horses that don't react when he misbehaves. He is getting a lot better and calmer. I think the more you take them out the more they get used to it, but for me, a big busy show is definately a no for now!just wanted you to know you are not alone, I'm sure you will get there in the end!
All of the advice above is very good 😀

 

[Nellewash]

Hi all, we had actually done a few group lessons and have been hacking with up to 15 horses regularly (paid for by me, God forbid the owner put her hand in her pocket to train her own horse). He does just get extremely overwhelmed.
Sadly however I went to the owner and suggested more socialisation and the fact that I need more help with him, the ability to spend time getting him used to things in a calm and controlled situation and sadly her response was really unhelpful. If he was mine I would be taking professional advice and putting steps in place as suggested, as it is his owner won't help me to keep him and myself safe so I've had to say I'm not prepared to ride him anymore. Unfortunately this means he will be left in a field, a real waste however, I'm just not prepared to risk more serious injury because of the mistakes of someone else. Thanks so much for this and everyone who contributed and were so kind and helpful!