Would you ride horse that had reared?

[Errin Paddywack]

My sister's mare was still being broken in when she got upset one day, put her back up then exploded off the ground in what started off as a buck but she carried on up and over backwards. My sister fortunately jumped clear but the saddle was smashed and the mare had to go away to a pro recommended by our vet. She didn't do anything as bad again but would rear away from things that frightened her. I had her daughter and she would try it on, nothing too high, but if something was really worrying her she would get very light, her shoulders would come up, her head down as she rounded and she would feel very unstable. Having seen her mother throw herself over backwards I never pushed her but would get off and lead her till she settled. I eventually stopped riding her in her teens as I just didn't trust her and we didn't have a horse calm enough to go out with her. I adored her on the ground and it was pretty mutual. Serious rearing is a big no from me.

 

[scruffyponies]

I don't generally mind so long as they keep their balance. Nothing that goes over or falls over!
Of course, I'm talking ponies, which are generally better balanced than huge great TB's and warm-bloods, and with a better sense of self-preservation.

 

[lme]

Yes - and My children did. She reared because she had strained her superspinous ligament and certain movements hurt. A steroid jab and a rehab programme stopped the resting.

 

[Goldenstar]

My best horse loved to rear any time she wanted to go forward and did not up she would go .
she once walked the of the length of an arena because she did not want to shoulder in .
It’s why the horse rears that’s important

 

[Flame_]

My horse reared when he was younger, not half-arsed ones but pretty damn near straight up. He's learned it's unwise except as a last resort. I've learned when he's feeling like resorting to it. For a long time now we've managed to agree on doing other stuff instead

 

[atropa]

Two years ago I'd have said no, and then I bought a pony and discovered she rears through excitement and also as a napping technique..i am happy to continue riding her as I've never felt her rears are unbalanced and I can predict when she's going to do it, we are working hard at taking them out of her napping repertoire and making good progress

 

[ShadowHunter]

One of my geldings has reared with my brother a couple of times, both times he'd been separated from 'his mare' when he was going through a stage of separation anxiety. I also believe that he isn't so keen on my brothers riding style, for whatever reason. Due to being able to know the exact reason for his behaviour, I continue to ride him and he never puts a foot wrong with me.

 

[sunnyone]

Many years ago before I had my own horse, the schools I used had rearers, just as they had other horses that would occasionally do silly things. I was taught how to handle the rear and get on with it.

Fast forward to 8 years ago when we were over-wintering in Spain. It was a Sunday evening so just me settling my OH's horse in the school before going out on a solo hack and the YO on one of his "improve and sell on" horses. Suddenly his horse reared beautifully, I assumed he was teaching Spanish dressage movements. The YO rode around the school again and at the exact same spot, the horse reared again but this time the YO came off. It turned out neither rear was intentional.
As far as I know the horse was never ridden again, but gelded and broken to driving where it was thought

 

[P.forpony]

My current pony does the smallest of utterly overwhelmed with enthusiasm hops when we leave a meet out hunting which I actually adore! ? usually followed by all feet doing a hot tin roof dance, a couple of good loud dragon snorts, has a quick shake and gets to business ?

On the flip side I’ve been hospitalised by a client horse, who came in for a ‘refresher’ after having a foal...
Lovely mare a dream to ride, thought it was going to be the easiest job.
Until it flipped over completely without warning, in a western saddle and skewered me to the ground.

Turned out to have serious neurological problems, and would violently throw itself over backward while being lead, tied up, in the field etc. Sadly pts but a danger to itself and anything else nearby.

 

[MuddyMonster]

As the title says really, would you ride a horse knowing they've reared in the past? Part of me thinks you shouldn't and it's not worth the risk, and part of me thinks it's silly to write a horse off after a couple of rears.

Would I ride a known established rearer? I don't count hopping as established rearing but anything more committed or upright than a nappy or enthusiastic hop ... Absolutely not. I'd hate it and don't have enough confidence to not panic and pull the horse off balance.

I think only you can make a judgement whether you are confident and skilled enough to ride out the rearing (and ultimately work to reduce if not stop it all together).

It's a no from me, but it could be a yes from the next person and that could be different again for you, based on your own experience and skills.

 

[Sauerkraut]

Yes, if I thought I knew why it was rearing, and that I could sort it out.

I'd be much more wary of anything that threw itself over backwards, or had injured itself rearing - if they have no self-preservation I don't want to be sat on them.

Having said that, I've put on so much weight that I think anything would struggle to get off the ground.

This made me laugh. I was thinking the same.

On a more serious note. It depends on the rearing.

We bought a pony which we knew rears when napping. We have seen her in action when we viewed her and they are just half hearted, well balanced rears in slow motion. Yes, we put up with this and know now how to handle her. She rarely does this now.

On the other hand, I have just witnessed a fatal accident on the weekend when a horse reared and flipped, over hitting the head on the concrete.

I would want to see the horse in action.
Tess

 

[LJF0664]

I wouldn't have knowingly bought a horse that rears, but as I didn't know at the time, I am now the proud owner of a mare who's default behaviour is standing on her back legs. It is a nappy behaviour, and just her way of saying no, for the most part she doesnt scare me, as although she goes fully up, she is very balanced and has a good degree of self preservation! She doesnt go up fully that often now, although she still threatens from time to time, as she knows it doesn't get her anywhere - she plants her feet and removes to move instead, which is actually much more frustrating

 

[PapaverFollis]

Yeah. To be honest I wouldn't ride one that did that ^^^^

I'm happy enough sitting on a pseudo-levade but standing straight up? Nope.

 

[ILuvCowparsely]

As the title says really, would you ride a horse knowing they've reared in the past? Part of me thinks you shouldn't and it's not worth the risk, and part of me thinks it's silly to write a horse off after a couple of rears.

I have done, but would not purchase one knowing it did, sorry had too many accidents over the years, i value my health now. MY mare will rear in field but only small ones when ridden and only rarely when she is being made to do something she cannot do.

 

[LJF0664]

Yeah. To be honest I wouldn't ride one that did that ^^^^

I'm happy enough sitting on a pseudo-levade but standing straight up? Nope.

TBF this was the only time I've ever come off to one of her rears, the slope and the fact that I was preparing to jump into the water didnt help. If I didn't already own the knobhead I certainly wouldn't look at her and think she looks like fun! Luckily she is amazing in every other way or I suspect she might be glue by now. She is the sweetest horse to be around.

 

[WelshD]

I would but would appreciate the knowledge.

My thinking being you don't know what caused the previous behaviour, could be anything from diet to a medical issue so all you can do is ride the horse that's in front of you at face value with with the knowledge that you may need to react quickly..

I bought a kids pony last year who had bolted with a child and I put a ten year old kid on him and they are out winning, unfortunately his reputation now precedes him wherever we go which is a great shame considering it was more than likely an issue with the regime at that particular time.

 

[PapaverFollis]

TBF this was the only time I've ever come off to one of her rears, the slope and the fact that I was preparing to jump into the water didnt help. If I didn't already own the knobhead I certainly wouldn't look at her and think she looks like fun! Luckily she is amazing in every other way or I suspect she might be glue by now. She is the sweetest horse to be around.

You're a braver woman than I! ?

 

[LJF0664]

You're a braver woman than I! ?

Its more a lack of options. I can't afford to have 2, and while I may joke about her being glue, she would retire to be a field ornament if it actually came to it. The rears only tend to come out when she has a lack of confidence now, which is mainly at new XC venues. She is still nappy hacking, but mainly keeps her feet firmly planted to the floor, and is amazingly well behaved in the arena as it is her happy place. I think I have the only horse that prefers schooling to an easy hack out - before we moved to a yard with facilities onsite she used to nap towards the arena we hired.

 

[WelshD]

I feel the need to know whether the mare eventually went in to that water!

 

[LJF0664]

I feel the need to know whether the mare eventually went in to that water!

She did after I got back on, although it took a few attempts and some less impressive rears. She has been in a few times since then (the pic was 2018), and for anyone that knows Somerford, she'll happily jump down the bigger steps into deeper water at the other side of this complex without issue (with me muttering threats about glue if she stops when dragging me down them at speed), there is just somthing about the slope and little step that unsettles her.

 

[tatty_v]

I am definitely not brave enough or experienced enough to handle proper rears. I can live with the odd bunny hop or two so long as I can get them moving forwards fairly promptly. That said even the saintliest of horses can have a “moment” - this is my very sane and sensible boy telling me in no uncertain terms that walking on an XC course is for wimps ?
As you might have gathered by my facial expression, I did not concur!!

 

[laura_nash]

I wouldn't, no, but I very much err on the safe side these days.

That said one of my previous YO's had a lovely sensible pony who she'd owned a few years. She hacked him out alone and in company, escorting new / nervous liveries, doing all the gates, took him hunting, fun rides, lessons, bareback riding etc. She took him hunting further afield one day and someone recognised him and was amazed to see him, turned out he was known as a serious rearer in that area and had a very dangerous reputation. She doesn't know if the people she bought him from rehabbed him / fixed a physical issue or if he was doing it with them too, but he never even threatened to rear with her.

 

[Equi]

This is not riding related cause i can't ride this one, but one of my driving mins rears at people he doesn't like. He has done it twice in my presence (aimed entirely at the people in question) but has never once even thought about rearing with me or my dad. His breeder said the exact same thing, he would rear at her (now ex)husband as soon as he walked into the stable but never once reared at her. He has been fabulous driving at home and in arenas just for fun, but because of his judgmental view of certain people i would never show him in a ring..it would be just my luck he doesn't like the Judge or Groom lol the only thing we can put it down to is that he is a bloody good judge of character.

 

[planete]

I used to exercise a habitual rearer, a 16.2 TB who could keep rearing forever when he was napping. I always felt safe as houses on him when he was doing it (not so when he was bucking!). He did perfectly balanced rears and could stay up quite a long time about 3/4 upright. One of the other young TB however decided it looked like fun and started doing it as well, going fully upright and teetering on the verge of going backwards with his rider. It was one of the scariest things I have seen and I would rather have quit my job than get on his back.

 

[Cutgrass]

Thank you so much for all your perspectives and advice. I think I just need to make a decision either way. Someone IRL said to me 'You'll find a thousand horses to ride that won't rear, but you only have one life' and that's sticking with me for now. Possibly a bit dramatic but I'm not sure it's worth the risk. It's my friend's horse rather than mine as well, which makes me think differently.

 

[Sealine]

I had a mare that reared and went over backwards with me on her. She was very young, green and nappy at the time and never did have any self preservation. I think it really frightened her because she never did it again before I had her put down when she was 15 for unrelated reasons. I wouldn't ride a horse known to rear.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

My old boy (no longer here) had a rear in him and this trait surfaced not long after I'd bought him! Blimmin typical!

He'd nap, stop, and start backing up; if there was a ditch or something behind him that was even better! He'd do it with a vengeance, then when you asked him to move forward, up he'd go. Under saddle it was more of a rider-frightener, he never went all the way up; however when I took him to a show it just blew his mind. We were in the collecting ring waiting for our class and, feeling that he was gonna flip, I'd dismounted and was leading him around, when he decided he was going to rear, and up he went - it was a high rear and I have this awful memory of him standing up high above me with his feet waggling in the air. Needless to say we didn't go into the ring for our class, we went straight home.

I did have professional help which gave me coping strategies for when he'd "planted", what I learnt was to "ask" him to go forwards and then when he said "no" and started napping and the rear felt like it could happen, was to pull him around, hard - basically pulling his head around to his hock. Then "ask" again, and the same thing if he didn't go forward! It wasn't about trying to be nice, it was about firstly saving my own skin and secondly trying to re-educate the horse and give him the option of going in the requested direction i.e. forwards, or be hugely uncomfortable instead. In the end he did learn that going forward as requested was the easiest (and most comfortable) option and he didn't rear with me again after that phase.

Towards the end of his life, when he was an old boy of 21, I did trace the girl that had owned him when he was between about 5 through to 8'ish; she told me that she had taught him to rear! Unbelievable, but she had done it because in her words it was better for him to rear when he was told to, than to do it anyway..............yeah right..... she said if she'd sold him she'd have put something in the passport about it, but her mother had sold the horse suddenly and hadn't ever told the daughter where he'd gone! (nice mum eh).

Basically, the fact that he was taught to rear could well have cost him his life; he could well have been sent on a one-way ticket to kennels for being a rearer, or suffer the worse fate of being shunted around from dodgy dealers to market, down to meat-man.

Anyway, it did solve a mystery. I'm glad I knew, the dear old lad wasn't a bad sort really, he'd just not been taught things right! He was a quirky old git but I learnt such a lot from him and miss him very much. He was PTS alongside his mare pairbond about a year after I'd had the owner up to see him and meet him again after a long time.

 

[Hallo2012]

id rather ride a rearer (as long as not known to go over) any day, than a bucker!

my old boy did it all the time every bloody ride(racing days hang up).... never stopped him training to GP or competing to inter 1!!!

 

[Cloball]

I think it doesn't just depend on the type but also where you're intending to ride.

One of mine rears as a go-to when napping but they are balanced and in certain circumstances also fairly predictable. It doesn't bother me in the arena, its irritating but not worrying. However I have learnt not to ride her on the roads in any situation that might trigger it because a slippery footing turns a fairly safe thing into an unbalanced nightmare.

One of mine went up and over and that was highly off putting to say the least (fortunately I was leading rather than riding). So lots of variables that would influence my decision.

^^^
This. I am very windy about titting around on the road these days. Particularly on a new horse I don't know. I am not experienced enough with rearers.

 

[Carlosmum]

My old boy went up a few times, mostly in panic. The first was when he was a youngster, we were hacking through the village and 4 people were walking side by side along the road towards us. He couldn't see the way passed so in his panic he went up. The other memorable time was out hunting, we were 'waiting around and he wanted to get moving, again he didn't know what to do so up he went. Fortunately mostly he just span until he learned to have trust in me and let me decide what we should do.