Horse rears and bucks when being led?

Question

i just started working at a farm where there is an eleven year old warmblood mare who foundered. she hasnt been outside in a field for over a year- she gets walked four times a day for half an hour. part of my job includes walking her. now, i have a lot of horse experience but i have never had such problem horse- she's usually fine, but whenever her owner comes by she acts up and rears. there have been several times already where her front hooves have come dangerously close to my head- i keep my left hand tight on the rope but release my right hand as i have been taught in natural horsemanship classes so there's not as much pressure on her face, but it still gives me the spooks. how can i help calm her down? any tips on how to deal with her, other than talking to her soothingly and using my elbow to keep her at a distance?

Answer 1

you can get her a halter for when she rears up, it wont hurt her at all, soon you'll have it so she stops the behavior

=0)

♥Katie

Answer 2

What I would suggest is the minute she acts up you spin her around to face the other direction immediately. It momentum and velocity will make her keep all weight on the ground to support herself and keep her from toppling over. You must also get quick with the end of the lead rope. The minute she goes up or gets hot and prancy you swing the end behind you and whack her hard across the haunches while turning her. Sometimes this will cause a horse to buck. If it does you can swing it forward and whack her in the chest.

Smacking her with that lead rope will not hurt her. If she does go up release everything but the end of the lead rope and try your damnedest to stay at her shoulder and out of the way of her front feet. If  you have done natural horsemanship I assume you know the whole backing up by shaking of the lead rope. Once you spin her the opposite direction, make her back up either by shaking the rope or pressing your knuckle into her shoulder. Once she backs up walk her forward turn around and proceed the direction you were going. A couple of sessions with you being in charge should eliminate her behavior.

Though you cant blame the poor girl for being cooped up, she just wants to play and get some with through her mane.

Answer 3

I use to have a mare that would balk about loading into trailer.

We put a "Be Good" halter on her.  It has some metal nobby things on the top.  Every time she jerked back or tried to rare up, those nobs would be pulled down into top of her head and she would stop.  Before long she stopped that behavior all together.  They will not hurt the horses but do great for stopping bad behaviors.

Answer 4

I worked with a horse that everyone was scared of.  People who swore that they were the best when it came to horses.  I used bribery to get the horse to come to me when he was out in the lot to graze.  He drug  this woman across  the field at one point.  By using carrots, I was able to get the horse to come to me and do what ever I wanted him to.  But you said this horse acts up when the owner comes around?  It sounds to me like the horse might have been abused by the owner or someone like her.  give her lots of TLC.  Hope this helps.

Answer 5

not in a feild for over a year!!!!!? Where has she been a stable? gosh....

Maybe she acts up around her owner because maybe she doesnt treat her so well... does she maybe hit her? a horse can remember stuff like that very well... or maybe something terrible happened when her owner was around so now she just doesnt trust her anymore... i'd say that her pwner wlould have to sapend alot of time with her horse and gain her trust...y'know like feeding and grooming.. if she plays up then to get her to spend time with her over a fence or stable gate... its not much help but i hope it helps anyway.

Answer 6

She could kill you, of course.  You don't sound to me like you've had any natural horsemanship training, so I have trouble taking your question seriously.  In fact, you don't sound like you have ever been around a horse before.  So, I guess the problem is not the horse, but your own ignorance.  I suggest you actually get some training in natural horsemanship to learn how to handle such a horse without getting yourself killed.

Answer 7

Well from my experiences, rearing is from: 1. Fear 2.Disrespect. This call be fixed with some respect excersises, and show her that you are a worthy leader. When she starts rearing, stay calm(you are doing the correct thing by not pulling on her head), but do not let her rear full height. You need to stop the behavior  before it starts. When the owner comes near immediatly start moving the mares feet fowards, backwards, left and right. That means move her feet to keep her attention on you BEFORE she starts rearing. Hope this helps!