Young Horse rearing

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Sarahloo1

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Hi all,
I'm not sure if I've posted in the right area.
I am currently riding a 4year old tb x. He was backed lightly last year ridden at a walk and trot only a handful of times then turned away for 6 months. he has recently been brought back in having had the winter to mature and I have been riding him on the lunge very briefly at a walk and a trot. He has been doing well however when we did a bit more trot work today he slammed on the brakes and reared,albeit rather lay lazily. I did manage to get him going forward after but he is still very unsure of my leg. I believed he actually went forward as a result of a vocal command as opposed to my leg aids.
He has no back problems and tack all fits. His teeth are in order although I think his back teeth are coming through now mind. I obviously don't want a repeat of his behaviour today but I am a little reluctant to carry a whip as we are still at very early stages...can anyone think of another way to stop him doing a repeat performance whilst he is still learning to listen to my leg? Many thanks
 
I dont like to have young horses on the lunge too much as the constant turning can restrict them, as soon as possible they should be independent and listening to the rider with back from the ground if and when required, if the person on the ground is good they will prevent issues such as rearing from happening.

If you want to stay on the lunge the handler needs to be much faster and keep the horse moving forward while you gradually get it moving from the leg, as soon as you can get going forward on your own always thinking forward dont worry about perfecting the standing still until it is relaxed and more confident.
 
rearing in a young horse (other than a tantrum) I would assume he thinks he cant go forward so he went up. maybe less bit, like no contact. As Above i wouldnt be on the lunge as it may increase the feeling of cant go forward.
 
I think he's just demonstrating to you he doesn't understand what's wanted.
I don't understand your reluctance to carry a whip as it's by far the easiest method to teach him to respond to leg aids, you don't smack with it but little taps to encourage forward movement.
We start a lot of horses both for ourselves and others, and all end up willing easy rides, and all are encouraged to go forward with a whip. I would start in hand using it behind your back at the same time as the voice command, and back that up with a few flicks , then he won't be at all bothered by it. You should (or someone should) have already familiarised him with the whip to the extent you can run a lunge whip all over his body, if he objects, go back and do it, as it's part of the training process to eliminate fear.
Then when you use it from the saddle he won't mind at all.
 
If he was with me he would be on the long lines marching around the village and when he can do that willingly, he would be ridden out with a rock steady companion and encouraged to swing along in walk to teach him to go forwards and look at his surroundings.

I am ancient and old fashioned so someone else would probably give better advice.
 
AdorableAlice said:
If he was with me he would be on the long lines marching around the village and when he can do that willingly, he would be ridden out with a rock steady companion and encouraged to swing along in walk to teach him to go forwards and look at his surroundings.

I am ancient and old fashioned so someone else would probably give better advice.
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I agree, in fact we didnt lunge our baby at all he was ridden round a field a few times then straight out on the road with someone walking- just because we didnt have a 100% companion. He's a fab little youngster who happily hacks alone now and has never reared or bucked.
Keep his brain busy! good luck x
 
He was backed lightly last year ridden at a walk and trot only a handful of times then turned away for 6 months.
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So - effectively - he was BARELY backed, then turned away so he could forget everything he learned! No wonder he reared - he hasn't a clue what's going on - and he doesn't much like it anyway!

He effectively needs to be backed again - from scratch - taking him through every step. If he remembers bits, you might be able to progress a little more quickly than with a totally unbacked horse. Of course he has NO idea what your leg means - he needs to be taught - with a combination of voice aids (once you've got him word perfect on them) and then probably with the helpof someone on the ground following you with a lunge whip to encourage him quietly when he stops going forward.

Be careful about introducing a whip carried by the rider too quickly - can easily cause bucking if not done carefully and tactfully.
 
Imogen Rose said:
rearing in a young horse (other than a tantrum) I would assume he thinks he cant go forward so he went up. maybe less bit, like no contact. As Above i wouldnt be on the lunge as it may increase the feeling of cant go forward.
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Totally agree with this - horse needs to be going forward, forward, forward - very gentle contact loads of leg. If you need to carry a schooling whip to back up the leg then so be it but he must be encouraged forwards at all costs.
 
I think we have seen similar posts where people assume because a horse has been backed, he is ready to start from there and move on, but it should be obvious form horses behaviour that he needs so start again, be relaxed in his work, and when I say work, I mean start off at 20 mins walking and build up to 40 mins over a month, the horse must go forward at all times at this stage, long reining is the best thing for them as you can build up a bond of trust. slapping the reins lightly on his sides will simulate the legs of the rider squeezing him on. He should respond to verbal commands, but at this moment in time sounds like he needs general education. grid work and so on will help to make his mouth, a simple plain bit is essential.
I assume you have him on the lunge line so the person on the ground can control him, so you should just be sitting on top to get him used to your presence.
The basic idea is to teach him something when not ridden, then progress with same exercise when ridden.
Get his teeth rasped, all sorts of things are happening at this age, and you may need to check for inflammation every day.
 
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