Rearing

[Retty]

Hello all,
Just posting question for u guys on behalf of a friend... she has a gelding (9 years old) that rears up when out on rides. He only has a rubber bit as she says that if she uses a metal bit then he rears even more. We went on a sponsored ride on sunday and he was rearing up vertical, obviously this is very dangerous especially when he did it on the road! She uses a martingale and flash, does anyone have any ideas on what she could try?

[nix]

Has she had all the obvious things checked first and foremost ... teeth, saddle etc and been looked at by a vet?

When does her horse rear ... when excitable, or spooking at something, being asked to leave other horses or being left behind or does there appear to be no apparent reason?

Rearing can be very difficult to deal with, does she school him much as that can help? This sort of behaviour is usually as the horse doesn't want to go forward for whatever reason and trying to push him forward will often make the situation worse.

Some people may advise cracking an egg over the horse's head or hitting his head with a crop ... these really don't work and can make the situation even more dangerous.

Wish her good luck for me :eek: .

Nix

[Wally]

First thing I'd do is ditch the martingale, some horses HATE the feel of this sort of restriction, I'd also ditch the flash. Neither of these bits of gear will stop him rearing, they just might be the cause in some cases.

It may be a case of her completely reviewing the way she rides this particular horse. She needs to get some proper instruction from someone who understands problems like this and can assess what needs to be done for the horse and the rider before someone gets hurt.

When I say someone who understands a problem like this, I mean someone who will approach him very quietly and find out what the problem is rather than trying to beat it out of him as I have heard suggested with problem horses.

Good luck with him.

[lesley2004]

my friends tb reared for no apparent reason and she had his back teeth and saddle all checked and everything was perfect. he done it out of stubborness.


what she did was crack an egg over his head when he reared whilst she was on his back. this works because the horse feels the bump and then the yolk running down his face. he then thinks hes banged his head and wont do it again in case he hits it again.. she only had to do this twice and he has only reared once since and that was two years ago.

[vickie]

is the horse rearing trying to go forwards or napping????? rearing can be excitement trying to go forwards or napping to get back to its friends/stable etc. we need to know when/why its happening first before we can advise because the 2 are totally different!

[galadriel]

If the bit makes a huge difference, then 1) definitely get rid of the martingale & flash, and 2) the problem is likely in his mouth *somewhere*. Sharp teeth, wolf teeth, abcessed teeth, something.

[virtuallyhorses]

I've heard this egg cracking 'remedy' so many times now - I have questions -

Do you ride around with an egg in your pocket on the off chance that the horse will rear?
How does one safely reach into the pocket, grab the egg and crack it over the horse's head in the few seconds while the horse is rearing? and quite frankly isn't this process rather unsafe?

[HoRsE ChIcK]

hehe, I always thught that cracking an egg on your horses head was a joke!!! any way, I would say just try to learn more about the horse, then you can predict when it is going to rear and try to prevent it. TAKE OFF THE MARTINGALE!!! it will automatically encourgage him to rear because it is like trying your head to your knees, you will automatically want to pull back.
Tell her good luck for me :D
~Holly~

[Shiny McShine]

Yes, I never knew that people seriously did crack an egg over the horses head in the attempt to stop it rearing! Perhaps it works but I know there are more practical ways to fix it. As others have said there could be some physical pain problems, especially in the mouth...so check that out. I also agree that the martingale etc. more likely to exacerbate the problem if anything especially if the rider is doing the wrong thing with their hands or not using enough leg.

Extra to sorting out those issues other things to look at are like I suggested, is the rider using her hands in a harsh or heavy way? Most times when a horse rears unrelated to pain or other issues it is because of fear or using both reins too heavily (especially on horses who will naturally stick their head in the air).

I find that on any horse that rears the best solution is to be always prepared to ride on a loose rein. Taking a contact on both reins on a rearing horse never makes the situation better and frequently makes it worse. On horse that are prone to rear I steer and stop with only one rein. If they go to go up I turn their head to the side. If they want to rear when I ask them to go forward I will turn their head and engage the hindquarters so as I get them moving sideways first and then walk off.

All in all unless you know what you are doing with a rearing horse it is best to get someone experienced to either ride them or help you because as we all know it is hard to learn new skills on a difficult horse.

[eml]

Go along with Wally and others ditch the martingale and flash, ride with quiet hands. Our ex eventer has wonderful 'airs above the ground' puts the spanish riding school to shame, pity there usually in the middle of a showjumping round however!

My daughter takes the approach that its a game with him and the more she interferes the worse he gets so shes often seen apparently sitting laughing through these antics with loose reins but always has legs ready to push him forward when all four feet touch the ground.

We've been through the teeth, the Richard Maxwell, the chiroprator etc... etc... but Im afraid its just him.

Seriously I dont know of a cure for a confirmed rearer but my advice to your friend would be to avoid situations where he can do this in traffic and if she cannot cope please sell him on to someone who can. Some of the worst accidents I have heard of come from rearing horses being accidentally pulled over

[larri]

Safi started to put the odd rear in when starting her again this year, being a Luso these are usually bottom down levade types, that look wonderful!
But she had me baling out one day when she went vertical - hers was down to her saddle, I could feel her bunching up and being very twitchy underneath me as she was trying to tell me that it didn't feel right.
I've just bought a Thoroughgood HM second hand and haven't had a single problem since, she still threatens occasionally when excited and held back - more funny than anything else, should prove very useful when actually schooling her for the high school movements in a few years;)

I think rearing is usually the horses last attempt at telling the rider something is up, after giving little clues like Safi did.

Larri

[zoki]

when the horse is going to rear up, you should pull one of the reins, to put him out of balance, so he will find very difficult to rear up. this should be done (pulling one rein) till the horse is still close to the ground, at the beginning phase of rearing. if you pull a rein when he is up, it is very dangerous. if he's up, lean forward, and give him enough rein, since you do not won't to disturb his balance. when he's down again, pull one rein, to prevent him to rear again. this is correction for rearing when riding. off course, you should try do find out what causes rearing..

[Retty]

Hello,
Thanks for all of your replies. It's a very difficult situation as my friend is very hot tempered and I think it goes around in a vicious circle with the pair of them.. he rears... she loses her temper... he gets worse etc. She has had his teeth, back, saddle checked on regular basis and all clear there. I did say that I was going to slip her some Kalms next time we ride.. I was saying in a joky manner as she is more experienced than me and I feel a bit awkward being the more novice rider but I;m sure that her temper makes it worse. Having said that I would not want to ride her horse out! He is the opposite when in the arena, very slow and safe! He seemed to start the rearing when people were coming past us even if they were only walking. It did not look like he was going to bomb off... quite the opposite he was going backwards and then rearing. I will say to her about the martingale, the egg thing would not really be practical as she would have to carry one out with her all the time as he only does the rearing on the longer rides out.
Thanks

[Drea]

I was told about the egg craacking too and also when the horse rears to hit him with a lead rope under his belly , all I could think at the time was ,how the heck can I do that in a split sec and stay on .Also can I ask why so many peeps have advised to ditch the martingale and flash ?how would this help and what change would the horse feel?

[galadriel]

In my experience, horses rear when they cannot move forward: (1) they are in pain, (2) they feel they are being prevented from moving forward but they want to (or are being urged to), or (3) being yanked in the mouth.

The flash holds his mouth closed and can make his bit more severe. This can set off rearing due to #2 or #3. Particularly if the horse's problem is in his mouth (as I strongly suspect considering that the bit itself makes such a difference), then not being able to open his mouth can cause even more pain.

Typically a horse opens his mouth in protest when there is something wrong--tying his mouth closed is like ignoring a fire alarm when you can smell the smoke. Something is wrong, he's telling you so and you can see it--you're glossing over the problem by shutting him up.

The martingale holds his head *down*, which can feel to a horse like #2 (can't lift head, can't move forward) and can set off a rear. A martingale also affects the way you use your rein aids, and if you're not taking this in to account you can accidentally yank a horse's mouth (#3 again). Taking off the martingale can help the horse feel more "free" in his movement (less restricted from moving forward) and can help with a more direct, understanding rein contact.

Confusion can also set off #2; not knowing what's expected can make a horse feel like he just CAN'T move forward, and so he rears instead. Fear can affect them similarly.

Retty, you said something that sets off one of my worse peeves (not upset at you at all, of course):
she is more experienced than me and I feel a bit awkward being the more novice rider

Ooooooh, I hate that. Inexperienced riders defer to more experienced riders because they feel awkward; happens all the time. Sometimes you do it against your better judgement--they've been doing this longer, they must know something you don't.

Handling horses and riding are such individual skills. Everyone does it slightly differently. There is no one true way--and if something makes you uncomfortable, there is probably a reason...and DON'T participate unless they can come up with a good reason why you should. (Whip use is a good example of "a good explanation why you should"; a lot of people have reservations about using whips at all, but they have their place when used properly.)

Sure, someone who's been around more than you MAY know something you don't, but that doesn't mean that the way she intends to handle it is somehting you would ever do. There's almost never any harm in listening to someone explain her viewpoint, but don't let her make it yours just because she "knows more" than you do.

A bit off topic. Sorry :)

[HORSELOVER24]

THERE COULD BE A LOT OF REASONS WHY HE COULD BE REARING ONE MAYBE BEACUSE OF THE SADDLE IT MAYBE PINCHING HIM 2 THE BIT AND SOMETHING HURTS IN HIS MOUTH!!! SO I WOULD GET THAT CHECKED:D

[LindaAd]

Originally posted by galadriel
In my experience, horses rear when they cannot move forward: (1) they are in pain, (2) they feel they are being prevented from moving forward but they want to (or are being urged to), or (3) being yanked in the mouth.



That's interesting, Galadriel. My daughter's mare rears when she thinks something is too spooky to pass, or when she's being asked to do something in the school that she thinks is too complicated or confusing, or occasionally when she's just being nappy. In other words, it's what you said, but the other way round: she's being asked to go forward but doesn't want to. (You could say she's being prevented by the spookiness of the donkey, or the complicatedness of whatever it is...)

I read in a H&R magazine today that mares in season sometimes rear because the feel of legs on their side is uncomfortable. That could be to do with Ginny's rearing, but the horse that Retty was describing at the start of this thread was a gelding, wasn't he?

[maverick927]

some horse also rear because they are so excited.

Even though Maverick is ridden every day he insists in having a rear and then he settles into his work. Our personalities work together though. I can understand that the horse may beomce more upset because your friend is hot tempered. I always remain calm when Maverick rears or bucks and it keeps him sensible. shouting only winds them up more and if your friends horse is like Maverick he may rear more than if she was quiet.

she also needs to be careful shes not encouraging the rearing. Maverick has a certain 'button' to push when we first go out hacking and he will rear automaticlly. In othere words I have to give very clear aids with my legs. If i pull my heals upwards at all he will rear, maybe your friend uses her legs too much. But then again how will you ever find out when she is experienced. i wuld be very nervous in your position about mentioning anything about her riding. Not a place to go.

Me and Maverick really are a terrible pair when it comes to rearing. I ave all the drivers in Ballyclare passing Maverick at a crawl because they think he will do something silly (they don't know I command him, hehee). i always knew rearing had it uses, but don't be telling all your friends that one unless there have a trustworthy pony whom they know inside out, ie me and mavy.


sorry got of the subject there. i hope you friends gelding stops, or atleast limits the rearing but you really need to try to encourage her to keep calm.

PS If she doesn't want to ditch the martingale, encourage here to loosen it, or be bad :D and loosen it when she's not looking. that may help as she may have tightened it to try and stop the rearing. I had a friend who did that, made her pony nuts, but she kept tightening to try and stop the habit, didn't work until the martihngale was ditched.

[nix]

Another thought ... if she ditches the martingale, she can always keep the neckstrap if she wants a little extra "security" ... even the most experienced people need extra help at times :)

[DITZ]

I had my first rear this morning. We were coming to the end of a flat lesson and decided to do 10 minutes jumping. We did the first jump no problem but then he started napping and being stubborn so I had to use a lot of leg to get him on and he threw a wobbler. It was a natural reaction for me to lean into him and put my hands forwards to give him more rein but how anyone could manage to even remember they had an egg in their pocket let alone crack it over the head is beyond me!!

Lets hope I havent started a rearing habit.