Temper Tantrum Mare

Wizbang

Wizbang

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I'm after some advice, my 6 year old arab mare that I have owned for 4 years has been ridden now for over a year and has found a new game. When she is agitated or wound up and I ask her to calm down or worse still ..stand and wait when being ridden she responds by sitting back on her hocks, rearing up (sometimes very high) and then leaping through the air with her head in on her chest so there is nothing in front of me. She then bucks on landing like a wild mustang!

I have tried various methods, sitting put (miraculously) and trying to push her on on landing which resulted in her going crazy and spinning and rearing/bucking until a friend had to grab hold of her. I've tried smacking her with the whip - it made her worse, driving her forward she goes straight back up again. I've tried getting off, smacking her immediately and getting straight back on again, this did stop the tantrum but she was then very wound up for the rest if the ride. I've tried shouting at her also, this does divert her attention for a small period of time but she is then like riding a firework.

I know people say use an egg or something over the head, I've had experience of horses that rear as I owned a stallion for 17 years, but the rearing and leaping through the air and not know what she is going to do on inpact is in itself dangerous and too dangerous to be playing around trying to think about smashing an egg or similar over her head. Also being an arab it is likely to make her freak even worse and probably fall over.

She is ridden in a running martingale, her saddle, back and teeth are all perfect. She is just a arab youngster trying it on when she doesn't get things her own way and throwing a tantrum, but dangerously so. She doesn't do it all the time, it is so intermittently that there is little pattern to it other to say she does it when she is asked to slow down the pace from trot or stand still when she has found something that winds her up.

The reason I am asking for help now is that she has now done it 3 times and it is only by the luck of the Gods that we have not had a serious accident.

Any suggestions would be helpful. She is calm and wonderful in every other respect ...
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Any ideas? Has anyone bought out a wonder anti rear device yet? I know Monty does an anti buck one but I havent' seen anything that helps with rearing apart from a chifney which is useless for riding.

Many thanks in advance!!!

P.S. I've also got her on nuts/moli and magnitude !!
 
If all checks have been done recently (growing/seasons changing etc, etc - you might want to check dates...)

Does she need the nuts? As she is only a youngster hacking can she have just forage (+ suppliments in handful of chaff if needed). As much turn out (ideally 24/7) as possible so she see more things and burns some energy.

When you say she does it when asked to slow down when wound up do you mean that you're asking her to slow down near/after something that is scaring her?

So, it could be a confidence/trust issue more than naughtiness per se?

The Arab I ride is one of the most clever horses I've met but being able to imagine all *sorts* of things can have its downside...

Is there a sensible horse she can follow past scary things? Can you try something like the clicker training for scary things so she learns to trust that things will work out fine when you tell her they will? (I've not done this properly but have used simplified 'one polo per foot going onto scary mat'/'treat for putting nose near horse eating tractor' type things which work very well with patience).

Obviously getting an experienced trainer out with you every so often for a second set of eyes...

And the best body prtector you can afford! You're very brave - I've not got on a (ridden) rearer since I was a child...
 
No, it's Alpha Oil !!
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Shes on haylage also but she doesn't even eat all of that .. (she's never really been a food horse!) I could cut her Alpha Oil down, she's always been ok with it before in the past though
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Hi I found with an old horse I had who use to enjoy rearing and was very balanced by putting him on a tight circle so his nose is touching your leg every time he went to go upi took four times sometimes of turning her in a tight circle for him to snap out of it and go forward correctly.
 
Tickles, the body protector you are so right I should be wearing it. When she gets excited she jogs, then on the way home her jogging turns into running, she is worse when going downhill ... when I sit right back and ask her to walk she evades by going sideways, I persist in asking her to go at my pace, not hers and then she strops !!!! She rides out with another arab who is much better behaved. She is in front and very good at going past most things, I am very good at driving her past the "scarey monsters" on the road and she just spooks like a normal arab with them which is understandable. The rearing sessions where 1. This week when we turned into our yard and she was trying to run forward, as I asked her to walk she tried to evade by spooking at things she is used to and then got annoyed with me and reared and leapt/bucked. The week before we were riding round a track, she heard horses on the road going past and she got very excited. I asked her to slow and wait for my friend and she went vertical with me!!!! The first time she did it was because I was asking her to go in a direction she didn't want to go and slow down the pace. I am so light handed it amazes me how naughty she can be !!!!!!

Your post made me smile, we met the arab eating tractor on saturday .. she sat back on her hocks and shot past that which was fine, it's when I try to slow her up she is rearing !! naughty minx !
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I could take her off of the fibre nuts, but she only has about half a hay net a night, shes not a big food eater at all ! My trainer is good with her, but as this problem is so intermittent its difficult to get her to do it on command ! LOL !!! She's only done it 3 times but all seem to have been in the last 4 months
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I am having the same problem with a four year old mare have her on relax me calmer which has helped a bit.Like you nothing at all wrong with her physically just sharp and naughty! I read the Richard Maxwell book at the weekend he suggests when you are lunging and they rear smack very sharply with a whip on the belly and should think twice about it then, never ever hit on the head, wouldn't consider it. It has not been dry enough to lunge her but will try RM idea if you come across anything different pleeease pm me.
 
Thank you Keetacat I will try that too. My problem being is because she then leaps on her hindlegs in mid rear I never know how far I away she is going to land !!
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normally on landing I have a split second to think "right, what do I do, do I get off now and reprimand her or try to sit this out" I'll try turning her next time ... although she is expert at going backwards fast also !
 
Will do Kimby. I must admit the 2nd time she did it I got off and smacked her very hard with the schooling whip. I then got straight back on and acted as if nothing had happened, she didn't do it again for the rest of the ride. I am convinced it is her being naughty as she only does it when she doesn't get things her way! If I find something that works I'll let you know ... I may try nupafeed calmer also. The magnitude is good I must admit, but obviously not good enough in this case!
 
Thank you Featherpower. I must admit I was a bit downhearted with Kelly Marks and the Monty methods. One of her guru's came to my yard a few years back trying to get my problem arab gelding out of not wanting to unload from the horsebox.. I sent her home after 3 hours of attempting to pull him out with the dually on and 10 mins after she left he followed me down the ramp grrrrr !

Does it cover riding ?
 
What is she like to longline? Perhaps you could try to sort out the issues with you on the ground obviously wearing body protector, hat, gloves and sturdy boots. Sometimes groundwork can help sort a ridden issue . Otherwise I'd say book in with a good instructor who can offer their advice as to how you can deal with her. If she's anything like my sensitive mare smacking only gets her more wound up about things.
 
Half a (normalish sized) hay net? Wow - that doesn't sound like much at all. Wd def think she should be having more volume... even if you have to cut down the other.

Ours (15.1, in overnight, passable grazing during the day, one hard feed a day, worked for an hour+ prob 5 days/week) has about 1 and a half of hayledge. (Although obviously haynets & hayldeg vary...)

Sounds like you've got some good advice from other users on here - good luck! (And pics becasue arabs are soooo nice to look at when you're all calm and happy please!)
 
Yes you are right, smacking her does make her worse LOL ! I haven't long reined her since I schooled her, she was great with it then, thing being I can have been out on her for over and hour and a half before she starts !!!!

She dithers with her food, she's never been a big hay or haylage eater she is one of those horses that prioritises affection and love over food ! (not many of those around).

Her picky is under my signature ! She did some dressage a few months back, she is so well behaved when it suits her ! typical mare ! I was better off with my stallion !
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Mine used to have this in her list of tricks...launching herself some distance like some weird high school dressage movement. It was bloody scary and normally when she was wound up and I was asking her to slow down or stop and that made her feel trapped.
She was like that on the floor too - when she wanted to go she got very frustrated when she was constrained. Can't think of any specifics of how I solved it really and I am sure she would do it again if I handled her differently. I too cut out any sugar from her diet and she was on nupafeed clamer and a hormone supplement. I tried to avoid her feeling trapped at any time as this was her trigger...and avoided confrontation as this would be red rag to a bull too. Used voice to control her rather than make her feel trapped with contact or lead rein. Distraction techniques worked too...asked her to do something different then usually when I went back to what I was asking originally she was normally fine. Out hacking if she sees something that is going to wind her up Eg passing field of pigs I might ask her to leg yield or shoulder in to get her attention back on me...if I were to ask her to stand still near them she would probably blow! I have done some work on a rope halter too for her leading manners. Basically just chipped away at it.
Maybe your mare is getting fitter and stronger and is going through the bolshy teenager phase!! I am sure she is as bright as a button and its a challenge trying to keep her brain occupied. Good luck!
 
Nosey

You are soooo right, that is exactly how mine is too. Friends remind me how naughty my stallion used to be with me when he was going through that cocky stage ! It was over 10 years ago though and I'd just forgotten! It's just knowing how to handle it when it happens .. doesn't help as I'm getting older, I'm sure I won't bounce so well! !
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She is so wonderful in every other respect, I'll just try the nupafeed and the voice... she is very respectful of me from the floor
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Many thanks !
 
Mine used to to go up too when she didn't want to go somewhere, but doesn't do it now. Sit on her head, lean as far forward as you can and pull down (but never back!!!) sharply several times on one rein as soon as she goes up; make it uncomfortable for her to rear. If you pull down hard enough and fast enough, you can actually bring them down before they've gone up very high because it's difficult to rear if you're pulling them down towards the ground and your body weight is on their neck. I did this enough times that mine learnt she couldn't rear, so now she doesn't.

I'd advise against hitting over the head; you may antagonise her into going higher/falling. Mine never bucked and using my tactic may mean you fall off if yours does as you'll be leaning forward... but rearing's dangerous and it needs to be stopped.
 
I've just read a website that says your horse can only rear if it has stopped going forward ...does anyone on here use a standing martigale ? I've got her in a running, but maybe a standing one will help also or just teach her to rear with her head in ?
 
Just an idea, and don't try this if you think it might not work/be dangerous: if she rears when you try to stop her, can you try letting her go forwards instead and keep her trotting, ideally with your leg on and in shoulder in away from the scary thing? My thought was that if you don't try to stop her at all she might prefer running at the scary thing, then she will be past it and she might be easier to stop without the rearing.
 
Haven't had a chance to read all the replies but as far as something to "stop her rearing" is usually a racing hood as generally horses won't rear into where they cannot see and on a hood there are the half-eye cup thingys. Technical term , I think not
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I'd make my own if I thought that was the answer and start off with the top half of the "cup" covered with a tape. Then gradually take back the tape until there is nothing there depending on her progress..

May not be the answer as there are obviously many other factors to consider but still, a thought
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