TicTac
Well-Known Member
Not saying another word!
Thoughts on smacking rearers?
- Thread starter TequilaMist
- Start date
Not saying another word!
better half
Well-Known Member
I did the egg thing when I was young and got good at breaking eggs, but my horse still reared over backwards and broke my saddle in half. I was more upset about my saddle. Brave or stupid!
But have since seen OH give a rearing horse a PAT! when it's feet touched the ground after the rear. On the 3rd rear each becoming smaller it gave up.
But have since seen OH give a rearing horse a PAT! when it's feet touched the ground after the rear. On the 3rd rear each becoming smaller it gave up.
Allover
Well-Known Member
Saxon_Jasmine
Well-Known Member
My mare rears when she doesn't want to do something, eg. leaving the start box XC or going through a gate on a hack.
I tried smacking her on the head; didn't work, so tried smacking her on the bum to make her go forwards; didn't work. So I tried the ignoring approach to stop the tantrum, then the 'nicely, nicely' approach to move her forwards again, and... it worked.
When I ride her now and I think she is going to rear I give her a tap with the whip to remind her that we are going to do what ever it is that she is potentially going to fuss about.
If we're past that stage and she rears I sit there. I don't lean forwards or make a fuss, just give her her head and stay in my saddle. Sometimes I laugh at her to make sure my body is really relaxed. She normally stops after one or two rears. Then I pat her, talk to her and ask her to turn and walk past (not away from) what ever it is she's fusing about.
Then we just walk backwards and forwards, gradually getting closer to what ever it is, with me constantly talking to her and patting her.
The last stage is; I take up a firmer contact, give her a small tap with the whip and say 'right, we're going now', and 9 times out of 10 she will do what I want her to do.
I tried smacking her on the head; didn't work, so tried smacking her on the bum to make her go forwards; didn't work. So I tried the ignoring approach to stop the tantrum, then the 'nicely, nicely' approach to move her forwards again, and... it worked.
When I ride her now and I think she is going to rear I give her a tap with the whip to remind her that we are going to do what ever it is that she is potentially going to fuss about.
If we're past that stage and she rears I sit there. I don't lean forwards or make a fuss, just give her her head and stay in my saddle. Sometimes I laugh at her to make sure my body is really relaxed. She normally stops after one or two rears. Then I pat her, talk to her and ask her to turn and walk past (not away from) what ever it is she's fusing about.
Then we just walk backwards and forwards, gradually getting closer to what ever it is, with me constantly talking to her and patting her.
The last stage is; I take up a firmer contact, give her a small tap with the whip and say 'right, we're going now', and 9 times out of 10 she will do what I want her to do.
Kallibear
Well-Known Member
Interesting how all the ridiculous 'egg' suggestions are from people who's never actually used it or even sat on a rearer
Dunno about you but I wouldn't be able to reach forwards enough to get near their ears - too busy holding on!
I've ridden two rearers, one of them a serial, experienced rearer, the other just trying it out as an addition to her tantrum range. They both stemmed from nappiness.
For the first horse rearing was her answer to everything, on the ground and under saddle. Ask her to do something that didn't appeal (pretty much everything intitally as she was a stubborn brat) and she reared. Her rearing was solved quickly by smacking her on the belly and I carried a dressage whip with a short throng tied to the end. First time she got a smack on the belly (easy enough to to - just flick the stick down her shoulder and chest) she slammed her feet back down so hard I thought she'd break something! She tried it again the next day, much less enthusiastically and never did it again after that. She tried to same inhand a couple of times and flicked leadrope on her belly sorted that too. After that she just jibbed instead
which was way harder to deal with!
Second horse only does it when told to go forwards when being nappy and the pressure is applied to quickly and too much. Just backing off a little solves it, give a couple of seconds to calm down and quietly ask again and she does as asked. She did however rear properly (front legs flailing) during an tamtrum in the school over being asked to go into a corner. That earned her a really hard smack down the shoulder and chest and she didn't try it again (instead she moved onto ducking out the shoulder and buggering off)
Friend also has a pony who rears inhand whenever things aren't going his way. Just holding on to the head collar and going up with him, then carrying on as if nothing happened usually deals with it best. However he has got himself a very hard smack on the belly with his rope (yey of 12ft ropes!) the one time he went up and tried boxing at me! Not tried that again since!
Dunno about you but I wouldn't be able to reach forwards enough to get near their ears - too busy holding on!I've ridden two rearers, one of them a serial, experienced rearer, the other just trying it out as an addition to her tantrum range. They both stemmed from nappiness.
For the first horse rearing was her answer to everything, on the ground and under saddle. Ask her to do something that didn't appeal (pretty much everything intitally as she was a stubborn brat) and she reared. Her rearing was solved quickly by smacking her on the belly and I carried a dressage whip with a short throng tied to the end. First time she got a smack on the belly (easy enough to to - just flick the stick down her shoulder and chest) she slammed her feet back down so hard I thought she'd break something! She tried it again the next day, much less enthusiastically and never did it again after that. She tried to same inhand a couple of times and flicked leadrope on her belly sorted that too. After that she just jibbed instead
which was way harder to deal with!Second horse only does it when told to go forwards when being nappy and the pressure is applied to quickly and too much. Just backing off a little solves it, give a couple of seconds to calm down and quietly ask again and she does as asked. She did however rear properly (front legs flailing) during an tamtrum in the school over being asked to go into a corner. That earned her a really hard smack down the shoulder and chest and she didn't try it again (instead she moved onto ducking out the shoulder and buggering off
)Friend also has a pony who rears inhand whenever things aren't going his way. Just holding on to the head collar and going up with him, then carrying on as if nothing happened usually deals with it best. However he has got himself a very hard smack on the belly with his rope (yey of 12ft ropes!) the one time he went up and tried boxing at me! Not tried that again since!
Millyard Rejects
Well-Known Member
I now have a use for all the eggs my hens are laying???
All you riders with rearers pm for half dozen?
But seriously I cant ever think of a time on the ground id want to slap,whip,crack eggs or drop bags on my horses heads why on earth would I risk my neck and theirs by doing any of that while i was sat on their backs??
If horse is wanting to move forward because it has been stopped by the rider then why not keep it moving on a smaller circle, unless your having to stop say at a road junction then it all stems from practicing at home in an arena/sectioned off field to teach her to stop and stand when asked? Cant expect a horse to go for a hack get a bit giddy by cantering on the spot( no one seems to mind that?) then get annoyed at her because she wont stand still? and when she wants to go her only option is to go upwards?
Had ex racehorse in my younger more braver days-didnt do standing still and we compromised she didnt rear i let her piaffe!
All you riders with rearers pm for half dozen?
But seriously I cant ever think of a time on the ground id want to slap,whip,crack eggs or drop bags on my horses heads why on earth would I risk my neck and theirs by doing any of that while i was sat on their backs??
If horse is wanting to move forward because it has been stopped by the rider then why not keep it moving on a smaller circle, unless your having to stop say at a road junction then it all stems from practicing at home in an arena/sectioned off field to teach her to stop and stand when asked? Cant expect a horse to go for a hack get a bit giddy by cantering on the spot( no one seems to mind that?) then get annoyed at her because she wont stand still? and when she wants to go her only option is to go upwards?
Had ex racehorse in my younger more braver days-didnt do standing still and we compromised she didnt rear i let her piaffe!
Ted's mum
Well-Known Member
yes That what I have heard too....
Firehorse
Well-Known Member
my first pony wud rear all the time if taken out on her own, and smacking her certainly made no difference. she was scared as it was, so i wasnt gonna make things worse. however, the pony i hve now will do mini rears if made to stand still, mainly on the way home, but then he started to do it when we hit grass and would then take off with me. i slapped his neck on a few occassions and he hasnt done it in ages now. didnt use a whip just the flat of my hand. it worked for him.
Queenbee
Well-Known Member
I have used the 'egg trick' to great effect in the past and my friend has used the method of smacking them across the stomach, again to great effect.
With my current mare, when she does rear it is full up! but she so rarely does it now, and in the past it was only generally at the begining of a very busy meet. I just remain completely relaxed and don't respond to her this is only because I know that picking a fight would be a serious problem with a load of other horses around her and also because she would turn completely 'hairbrained' The last time she reared was at the 2nd jump of the last hunt meet we went to (about 2 years ago), the horse in front put it's brakes on and she got so mad that she went up in the air in temper that she couldn't just fly over the jump!!! I have to say it puts a huge grin on my face I never encourage it, but it is her, she is just so enthusiastic that god help anything that inturrupts her hunt
Since the only time I run the risk of it happening is in a situation where to repremand would cause more of a problem, I micro manage it and keep her away at the back and calm until the actual hunt then let her blast it out with a good run up front)
But if it were more common I would first try to completely ignore her (that normally works!) if it didn't I would deffinately come in hard and fast with a rope or crop on the belly or an egg on the head.
Unfortunatley the only time she is seen to rear now is when she has had enough of her stable and wants to go out and thinks she can demand what she wants (she's 17 now!!)
With my current mare, when she does rear it is full up! but she so rarely does it now, and in the past it was only generally at the begining of a very busy meet. I just remain completely relaxed and don't respond to her this is only because I know that picking a fight would be a serious problem with a load of other horses around her and also because she would turn completely 'hairbrained' The last time she reared was at the 2nd jump of the last hunt meet we went to (about 2 years ago), the horse in front put it's brakes on and she got so mad that she went up in the air in temper that she couldn't just fly over the jump!!! I have to say it puts a huge grin on my face
I never encourage it, but it is her, she is just so enthusiastic that god help anything that inturrupts her hunt Since the only time I run the risk of it happening is in a situation where to repremand would cause more of a problem, I micro manage it and keep her away at the back and calm until the actual hunt then let her blast it out with a good run up front)
But if it were more common I would first try to completely ignore her (that normally works!) if it didn't I would deffinately come in hard and fast with a rope or crop on the belly or an egg on the head.
Unfortunatley the only time she is seen to rear now is when she has had enough of her stable and wants to go out and thinks she can demand what she wants (she's 17 now!!)
privatepilot
New User
my 3 year old that i am backing is a rearer, always when he doesn't like something. he has reared when being wormed, and will rear when on the lunge. he will stop and spin in and face me. when i move round to be 90 degrees from him he rears up and spins round so he has his back to me. if i pull him or try and drive him with the lunge whip he rears more. i have realised that it is partly napping, but mostly that he doesn't like me being on his right, so now when i start him on the right rein i lead him round the arena on the right for a while first, all the time praising him when he goes forwards. so far, no more rears. he is so strong behind, when he goes up he is so balanced. he has been so far up that his hocks were a foot off the ground, and he still managed to right himself.
he always rears at something he doesn't like, in a fight rather than flight way.
i am happy that he is so happy to take weight behind, but also a little worried about when i get on him. i think he will just be a horse that you cannot confront, but need to negotiate with. i will know in a few weeks time....
he always rears at something he doesn't like, in a fight rather than flight way.
i am happy that he is so happy to take weight behind, but also a little worried about when i get on him. i think he will just be a horse that you cannot confront, but need to negotiate with. i will know in a few weeks time....