Hi, just wanted your thoughts and advice on this. Friend has bought a very green pony to bring on as a first ridden for her young daughter. Pony has come to my yard and has only been here a week and for various reasons is not settling at all well. Now as soon as the pony is put into a position she does not want to be ie tied up or taken away from field mates, she has started to rear up. This is only when she is in hand my friend hasn't even been able to settle her to ride yet. Now for me this does not bode well because I know you've got to give the pony a chance to settle, which can in my experience take a huge amount of time, BUT it worries me that this pony is always likely to react in this way when she's under pressure and therefore certainly not a suitable temperament for an inexperienced child. What do you think? Just for example today we put her in a different paddock (with horsey company) and because she didn't want to be there she reared up and tried to go over the five bar gate. Any advice gratefully received!!!
Once A Rearer Always A Rearer?
- Thread starter evie's mummy
- Start date
IMO if this pony is rearing and has done it on a number of occasions she will never make a childs pony or at least a young childs pony.
My boy thats just turned 5 was a constant rearer under situations he didn't like when he first came to live with me. Including full broncs in the stable if he was to be kept in alone. Had a few falls ridden wise as well due to it.
First off i moved yards. Yard i was on offered no grazing, used to be no grazing in winter with a day here and there but summer it turned into the same. I just don't think its acceptable to allow horses an hour or two a day or even half a day. With a youngster i knew it would kill one of us in the end. So we left to a yard with 24/7 grazing and never ever looked back. This chilled my boy out so much and at last he was allowed to be a horse. But the problems then came - i don't want to leave the field" I used different approachs and for me i could not raise my voice or bully him into it. This makes him a lot worse. Hes very sensitive and thats why he was going up so to say.
Main thing i needed was him to seek comfort in me and trust me in a situation that scares him
Hes been with me nearly 3 months now i think? and i still wouldn't say hes settled yet. hes a lot better and 100% better then when he first came but still more to go.
Rearing ridden wise again took things slow - i had it when he wanted to run off after being mounted - back teeth everything checked. He was just nervous of people mounting. Went back to basic and he came on like a dream. Hasn't reared once.
We did have a attempt at a reaer a week back on a hack. Due to a bin on its side on the ground and baby boy didn't want to go by. We did a spin and leg it at first and then went back. Pressured him to go by. Lots of snorting and pop pop front end up, pressure again front end up. Took pressure off - comforted and slowly made it around with lots of praise. As it was near our yard, finished the ride and took him down in hand - with me on the ground and with him seeing me as more of a comfort to him he never reared once but i feel it helped his education to go back and view it?
I personally think its about getting to know the horse and why they do it. Looking for ways round and being able to predict what will happen before it does and sorting the situation.
I said i would never own and rearer yet sadly i do but i don't think he is agressive with it- hes just scared and a baby and doing what he does naturally. I hope with getting older and learning more this baby stage will pass
First off i moved yards. Yard i was on offered no grazing, used to be no grazing in winter with a day here and there but summer it turned into the same. I just don't think its acceptable to allow horses an hour or two a day or even half a day. With a youngster i knew it would kill one of us in the end. So we left to a yard with 24/7 grazing and never ever looked back. This chilled my boy out so much and at last he was allowed to be a horse. But the problems then came - i don't want to leave the field" I used different approachs and for me i could not raise my voice or bully him into it. This makes him a lot worse. Hes very sensitive and thats why he was going up so to say.
Main thing i needed was him to seek comfort in me and trust me in a situation that scares him
Hes been with me nearly 3 months now i think? and i still wouldn't say hes settled yet. hes a lot better and 100% better then when he first came but still more to go.
Rearing ridden wise again took things slow - i had it when he wanted to run off after being mounted - back teeth everything checked. He was just nervous of people mounting. Went back to basic and he came on like a dream. Hasn't reared once.
We did have a attempt at a reaer a week back on a hack. Due to a bin on its side on the ground and baby boy didn't want to go by. We did a spin and leg it at first and then went back. Pressured him to go by. Lots of snorting and pop pop front end up, pressure again front end up. Took pressure off - comforted and slowly made it around with lots of praise. As it was near our yard, finished the ride and took him down in hand - with me on the ground and with him seeing me as more of a comfort to him he never reared once but i feel it helped his education to go back and view it?
I personally think its about getting to know the horse and why they do it. Looking for ways round and being able to predict what will happen before it does and sorting the situation.
I said i would never own and rearer yet sadly i do but i don't think he is agressive with it- hes just scared and a baby and doing what he does naturally. I hope with getting older and learning more this baby stage will pass
Depends what is causing the rearing. The pony I am riding at the moment is a rearer, shes rears whe ridden to evade. There is only one situation in which she will try to evade, when she is asked to jump drains. Its very nappy, first she gets upset, then she says 'I won't' on the third ask, she will rear.
Since she has learned that this behaviour works in this situation, she always resorts to it. I think she will always be classed as a known rearer.
If your friends pony has learned to cope with these situations by rearing, I think it is unlikely she could ever be trusted as a childs pony.
If the handling is not a problem though, she could wait and see what she is like undersaddle though, as rearing inhand does not always translate to rearing undersaddle.
She should make sure though that she is ridden by someone experienced with rearing, that won't entice a rear.
I find rearing undersaddle is often an evasion learned through bad riding. What I mean is its easy to avoid a rear on a young horse when it is not a previously learned evasion.
Since she has learned that this behaviour works in this situation, she always resorts to it. I think she will always be classed as a known rearer.
If your friends pony has learned to cope with these situations by rearing, I think it is unlikely she could ever be trusted as a childs pony.
If the handling is not a problem though, she could wait and see what she is like undersaddle though, as rearing inhand does not always translate to rearing undersaddle.
She should make sure though that she is ridden by someone experienced with rearing, that won't entice a rear.
I find rearing undersaddle is often an evasion learned through bad riding. What I mean is its easy to avoid a rear on a young horse when it is not a previously learned evasion.
having 4 children myself,i wouldnt trust this pony im affraid,its just not worth the risk!! my childrens first pony we had for 2yrs,he was fantastic,then one day all of a sudden in the middle of the show ring ,stood in line ,he reared with my 6yr old on,i was 33 weeks pregnant with my 4th child and he kicked me in the chest and stomach on the way back down,there was nothing out of the ordinary that happened,no reason at all for him to do this.The judge approached me after the class and said if he reared with a child without provocation ,he was no good as a childs pony!! i went into premature labour,due to being kicked and ended up with a damagd placenta and an early birth and a small baby.The pony thankfully was on loan ,went back to its owner within days.Please be very carefull with this pony.
Depends on the reason - fear or just evasion? Fear is certainly more likely in young and green horses. I have a feeling this pony has learnt to do it as an evasion and is very likely to do it under saddle as well.
Personally I wouldnt want a horse/pony who has learnt to rear as an evasion but I have had young, green horses who done it out of fear and it can soon diminish with patience and time.
Personally I wouldnt want a horse/pony who has learnt to rear as an evasion but I have had young, green horses who done it out of fear and it can soon diminish with patience and time.
If I was your friend I would sell the pony on quickly before word spreads... it is very hard to sell a confirmed rearer.
You can not fundamentaly change a horses personality. This is why they are so selective when recruiting police horses. It does not sound as if this pony will make a 100% trustworthy kids pony.
I was in a similar situation a couple of months since. I bought a pony for my little lad and it soon became apparent that it was too sharp for a little kid who can barely ride.
Having said all this, it can take months for a pony to settle in... go with your gut feeling though.
You can not fundamentaly change a horses personality. This is why they are so selective when recruiting police horses. It does not sound as if this pony will make a 100% trustworthy kids pony.
I was in a similar situation a couple of months since. I bought a pony for my little lad and it soon became apparent that it was too sharp for a little kid who can barely ride.
Having said all this, it can take months for a pony to settle in... go with your gut feeling though.
Try feeding her on Magic calmer or Mag ox (heavy). I know calmer is not the word you prob want to hear but Magnesium plays a vital role in the nervous system. You say she doesnt seem to have settled. She may be underlyingly nervous (any idea of history?). I would also encourage some real bonding so trust is built up - then see if she starts to comply more. If you just sell her on what is likely to happen - she'll be really mixed up.
Ok there are no guarantees about ever rearing again but if she trusts and is happy then there is no need for her to to that.
Mine now 6 started vertical rears in November last year. In March I started NH methods with him. I have a fab relationship now and he hasn't even thought about going up (touch wood!) since June................
Ok there are no guarantees about ever rearing again but if she trusts and is happy then there is no need for her to to that.
Mine now 6 started vertical rears in November last year. In March I started NH methods with him. I have a fab relationship now and he hasn't even thought about going up (touch wood!) since June................
Y
Yann
Guest
I personally think some if not all rearers can be fixed if you can address the root cause adequately. I certainly wouldn't write off a horse that was rearing in a completely new environment.
Its just a young pony though, that will just make everything worse for it. To get passed from pillar to post when the rearing is discovered? Or worse possibly end up hurting a child.
Whatever you do with your own is your perogative but I think thats maybe irresponsible advice to give?
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difficult ponies & kids
i think its 1 thing for an adult/teenager to take on a hoss with behaviour issues but quite another thing to possibly put a small child at risk - its 1 of the reasons we took so long to buy orlas' 2nd pony - behaviour traits i would have been prepared to adress in a horse for me [as an adult big & ugly enuf to make my own decisions/mistakes] were not ok for my little girl - this pony may be fine for a v experienced little rider but could do real & permanent harm to your friends child
i think its 1 thing for an adult/teenager to take on a hoss with behaviour issues but quite another thing to possibly put a small child at risk - its 1 of the reasons we took so long to buy orlas' 2nd pony - behaviour traits i would have been prepared to adress in a horse for me [as an adult big & ugly enuf to make my own decisions/mistakes] were not ok for my little girl - this pony may be fine for a v experienced little rider but could do real & permanent harm to your friends child
I agree with this, Yann. Kate's Gin used to rear if she felt stressed, generally in the school if she thought she was being asked to do the impossible, but as she settled down and became more responsive, and Kate became a better rider, she stopped (although I'd still get threatening little half-rears if she was in a nappy mood).
I certainly wouldn't consider a rearer for a child, not if it really reared, as opposed to little half-rears. But you've said that your friend plans to bring on the pony for her child; I think it all depends on the time-scale. I'm not sure how long it would take for a pony to get to the stage where it was suitable for a novice child (I'd always prefer a been-there done-everything type for that), but as it's so young and in a new situation, I wouldn't say the rearing's a reason to write it off at this stage. A young pony's going to respond to stress in any way it can – if it didn't rear maybe it would kick or bronc or break the rope and gallop off. I'd be inclined to give it a bit of time and see what happens.
It completely depends. We have a pony at our yard who is an absolute horror - if she was any bigger than 12.2 she'd be dangerous. She hates going in her new stable and rears up whenever anyone walks past - getting her feet caught on the door. When she goes to anywhere new such as shoes, she rears. Yet when being ridden in the school or out on hacks she's a lovely pony, and she does Riding for Disabled for us. So under supervision, yes, she is a perfect child's pony, but I'd never put a novice, inexperienced child on her in a new situation - i,.e, at a show.
That sounds EXACTLY like my horse. Ive found out shes been passed from pillar to post because of her rearing and now its deeply ingraned into her that she has to look after herself and when she feels threatend she rears, i dont think she will ever change.
They learn that its a brilliant evasion.
In this mares case, I known her original owner and rider - I know that drains are the only situation where the mare was not forced to go on after the rear (because the owner hated drains) At the moment I am forcing her to do them, and it is working. She reared 3 times the last time out, and getting her over the first time was a nightmare but once she was over the first time then I made her (or rather YO made me make her....!) do it about 20 times, over,back,over,back etc
Unfortunately since she is 8, I think it will always be her initial reaction to rear, to see if she can get out of it.
Different story with a pony/small horse though, I would not be so determined on something that was 16h!! Not yet anyway.
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i don't think you've given the pony enough time to settle.
my pony when she came to me did rear on the ground in situations she felt she couldn't handle. now my 8yr old and 2yr old ride her on lr and eldest off lr and she is fine. rearing in hand does not mean she will rear under saddle. your friend needs to be firm with her, and become her leader. i found with my pony she settled once she knew her place and wasn't forced to be the herd leader a situations she dislikes.
you haven't said how old the pony in question is either but i would find it more worrying in a 5/6 yr old then i would in a 2yr old (where i prob wouldn't worry at all)
my pony when she came to me did rear on the ground in situations she felt she couldn't handle. now my 8yr old and 2yr old ride her on lr and eldest off lr and she is fine. rearing in hand does not mean she will rear under saddle. your friend needs to be firm with her, and become her leader. i found with my pony she settled once she knew her place and wasn't forced to be the herd leader a situations she dislikes.
you haven't said how old the pony in question is either but i would find it more worrying in a 5/6 yr old then i would in a 2yr old (where i prob wouldn't worry at all)
Alex rears when scared, but is perfect when not, id be wary of the child being around said pony while its a problem, but id try and work out why 1st 
To clarify,
The fact that the question is being asked suggests an inexperienced owner, if they were untroubled, or knew precicely what to do they would do it and the issue would have never been raised.
Hence, if the owner has the gut feeling that the pony will be unsuitable it should find a new home sooner rather than later before the owner throws good money after bad or gets hurt and the pony gets a reputation or the behaviour is established.
Ponies make their own luck, if it is sold honestly, no one need get hurt. It is when a horse is sold as something it is not that folks get hurt.
Not everyone has the time or money or skill to spend on a difficult pony. Knowing enough to know that you don't know everything and that you have limitations is a GOOD thing for the pony.
Owning horses is meant to be a pleasure, not a worry. The world is full of lovely ponies, why put up with one that doesn't suit you when it can go off and become someone elses pride and joy.
My rearer was only doing it because I'd ignored her earlier, more polite attempts to tell me she was being totally overfaced. It was my fault. She doesn't do it now.
OTOH, I'm old enough to take my own risks. I wouldn't be putting an inexperienced child anywhere near a scared, rearing pony - or a batling rearing pony - until it had ceased the behaviour for a good long while.
OTOH, I'm old enough to take my own risks. I wouldn't be putting an inexperienced child anywhere near a scared, rearing pony - or a batling rearing pony - until it had ceased the behaviour for a good long while.
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