Teaching a horse to rear

[wiglet]

Browsing through my social media accounts I have noticed a lot of people seem to be ‘teaching’ their horses to rear then proudly posting the photos.

Now, I am old, when I was learning to ride and attending Pony Club, rearing was a BIG no - anyone teaching their horse to rear would have been severely reprimanded - but I don’t recall anyone attempting it...

So, is rearing now an acceptable thing? Do you teach your horse to rear - in hand or ridden? I would like to hear everyone’s opinion on this.

 

[doodle]

I have been wondering the same thing!

 

[Gloi]

There's a lot of idiots about

 

[shortstuff99]

I like to do a lot of inhand work with my Spanish and if I took it more seriously I might be tempted to teach the proper high school moves. But I would use a proper instructor etc, I don't trust just randomly teaching to rear, if any one else rode the horse they may accidentally ask for a rear without realising!

 

[windand rain]

A persistant or dangerous rearer should in my opinion be treated to a lead headache

 

[silv]

No never, they are idiots and are just setting the poor horse up for an uncertain future.

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I did a rider confidence course on Saturday part of it was sitting on a rearing horse something I don't consider something I take lightly, but the horses are well trained by professional trainers so I had every confidence knowing I was in good hands.

I think it's a very stupid thing to try without knowing what you are really doing these people have obviously not had a real accident involving a horse.

 

[LadyGascoyne]

And to think I spend a good eight years of my life trying to convince my Thoroughbred mare to keep all for feet on the ground.

Clearly, I missed the point!

 

[Christmascinnamoncookie]

A girl at my old yard did this with every horse she loaned. Drove me nuts. She’s now posting on the local horsey page posing as some great rider/instructor. very young, very silly.

I did a rider confidence course on Saturday part of it was sitting on a rearing horse something I don't consider something I take lightly, but the horses are well trained by professional trainers so I had every confidence knowing I was in good hands.

I think it's a very stupid thing to try without knowing what you are really doing these people have obviously not had a real accident involving a horse.

I‘d be interested in a proper report about that course.

 

[wiglet]

I did a rider confidence course on Saturday part of it was sitting on a rearing horse something I don't consider something I take lightly, but the horses are well trained by professional trainers so I had every confidence knowing I was in good hands.

I have attended a similar course and this kind of rear is totally different. It’s a balanced rear and like you say, the horses have been professionally trained and It’s all very safe.

The rearing I’m seeing on social media is really high and unbalanced with front legs waving all over the place.

 

[{97702}]

Years ago I was on a livery yard with a girl who taught every horse she had in to rear..... completely unintentionally, she had bloody awful hands ?

I’m too old school, it makes me cringe!

 

[Not_so_brave_anymore]

It gets views, it gets likes. "Sensible" is absolutely powerless in the face of "viral".

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

A girl at my old yard did this with every horse she loaned. Drove me nuts. She’s now posting on the local horsey page posing as some great rider/instructor. very young, very silly.



I‘d be interested in a proper report about that course.

I will pm you

 

[wiglet]

It gets views, it gets likes. "Sensible" is absolutely powerless in the face of "viral".

Yes, this certainly seems to be the case...

 

[AShetlandBitMeOnce]

Didn't you know that posting a photo of you sitting your hose rearing on either Facebook or Instagram instantly makes you a better, and very impressive rider?!

And to think... I do everything I can to ensure that all four of Jacobs feet remain on the ground - crazy!

 

[Vodkagirly]

Just seen a wanted on loan ad on fb, girl is sitting to a rear.... apparently that makes her the ideal loan person

 

[saalsk]

I think it sets a horse up to fail, not to mention the sort of unbalanced rearing, often with badly positioned rider, who may also be pulling the poor horses teeth out in an attempt to stay balanced. Trainers doing so for film/shows/demo's etc is one thing - but I don't even want to know how some of these people *make* the horse do it in the first place. I'm another who has spent many years persuading/hoping my lad would keep himself horizontal rather than vertical, and it didn't take much of an imbalance of brakes/accelerator, or trying to use brakes when life was just far too exciting, for his front end to start getting a bit bouncy. I always thought that when his front end started bunny hopping, I was already doing things wrong !

A friend thought it was a great idea to teach her yearling to *shake hands* with a front leg. When the little chap was a year, about 13HH, and barely lifted his foot off the ground, it was, admittedly, quite sweet. When he was 5, 15.2HH and a solid, cobby, greedy little bugger who had learned about how to get treats out of his human, it wasn't so funny. Watching her trying to muck out a stable on crutches, when one of his treat tantrums ended up with her with a broken leg, in plaster and off work for 6 weeks, wasn't funny either. It took years to get him out of the habit - and it was still one of his *go to* methods of begging, if treats didn't appear quickly enough.

 

[AFB]

We have one locally that likes to rear regularly & properly - mother handed it down to her daughter they think it's hilarious and don't see the danger/underlying issues causing it. Makes me wince every time.

 

[Scotsbadboy]

As a kid I used to help ride a film horse (I think he was the white Pegasus horse in the opening film credits, as we lived near Pinewood studios) and he would rear on command if you said the word 'ready'. As a kid it was very very awesome.
Now, meh! not so much, it just reminds me of that silly carrot stick, rope waving parelli stuff and look how people avoid 'those' horses when the poor things come up for sale .... way too much work to undo!

 

[MissTyc]

My gelding rears on command. I accidentally taught him while we were working on other dressage moves that involved lots of back lift and powerful shoulders. One day he went up instead of forwards - classic evasion but I realised exactly what I'd done "wrong" and also realised he went up every time I have that particular cue. He's very controlled and polite about it - just rocks back onto his hocks and then lifts the front up and balances for a moment, so I don't see a problem. He only rears if he's asked to rear and he's very rarely asked to rear, but I do like the occasional photo e.g. on the beach, etc. I'm 40 years old and the little girl inside me likes it ... I don't think it does any harm. There's no force involved, no anger or frustration at each other, he can be wearing anything (headcollar, so not pulling bit). Just another movement that we execute together when I bring both legs back, tap the shoulder gentle and say UP! He doesn't go high or throw out his front legs - he's not a posh horse!

He's ridden by many other riders and I've never seen him rear without being asked just like he doesn't walk-to-canter when when he's just walking along ...

 

[Sauerkraut]

One of our ponies does a slow, very balanced rear half way. Either when she is very excited or is napping. She does it in slow motion and it's nothing dangerous BUT my daughter then one day said (due to seeing A LOT of other girls on instagram) why don't I teach her to rear on command. Big no no from me straight away. I told her it will just encourage her to do more of those when she goes in the ring at competitions etc.

If it is a horse they will always have and will never sell, they can do what they want but I would be really peed of if it would be a horse I loaned out or have a sharer on.

Petra

 

[mle22]

Fifty plus years ago, I taught my little fat pony to rear. Hi ho Silver!

 

[Nasicus]

A girl at my old yard did this with every horse she loaned. Drove me nuts. She’s now posting on the local horsey page posing as some great rider/instructor. very young, very silly.

Emphasis mine. Teaching a LOAN horse to rear. A loan horse. A horse that isn't hers. Christ almighty.

 

[SEL]

I was the rider for a small leopard spotted ex circus pony when I was 8 who could rear on command. A summer of trying to make him do it then ensued - he ignored me! Properly trained for a purpose and well balanced is one thing, but if the cue could accidentally be given by ANO rider then it has the potential to be v dangerous.

My mare has a go-to rear when she's napping or over excited and I find nothing about it fun.

 

[milliepops]

yeah it's a no from me too. I have one that rears as a go-to when she's nappy or stressy (generally the well balanced squat-rear variety) and if she thought it was a desirable behaviour I expect she'd do it even more. as SEL says being able to accidentally trigger it would be bloody awful

 

[stormox]

As a kid I used to help ride a film horse (I think he was the white Pegasus horse in the opening film credits, as we lived near Pinewood studios) and he would rear on command if you said the word 'ready'. As a kid it was very very awesome.
Now, meh! not so much, it just reminds me of that silly carrot stick, rope waving parelli stuff and look how people avoid 'those' horses when the poor things come up for sale .... way too much work to undo!

Was that Peter Munts horse? We used to work with him a lot when we had the carriage horses....

 

[sprytzer]

Almost as ad as the girl on fb teaching her young foal to put its front feet on her shoulders ?. Said it was the first time he had done it and just caught it on camera!
Yet you clearly saw her walk up to the foal, duck down and put her arms under his legs as he jumped up!
Total stupidity at its best!

 

[Keith_Beef]

I have attended a similar course and this kind of rear is totally different. It’s a balanced rear and like you say, the horses have been professionally trained and It’s all very safe.

The rearing I’m seeing on social media is really high and unbalanced with front legs waving all over the place.

I imagine it was something more like a pesade, then, rather than a full rear.

 

[wiglet]

I imagine it was something more like a pesade, then, rather than a full rear.

Yes, is was definitely more a pesade. The course was supposed to give you confidence and teach you how to deal with a rearing horse. It didn’t really because, as I mentioned to the instructor at the time, horses don’t rear like that when they’re frightened or confused or napping.

 

[wiglet]

Didn't you know that posting a photo of you sitting your hose rearing on either Facebook or Instagram instantly makes you a better, and very impressive rider?!

I’ve often wondered why my Instagram has so few followers - obviously rearing horse pic is the way forward! ???