How can i prevent my horse from rearing ?

Question

I've been doing work with my horse , making him work off the bit and have more bend in him.

but hes got a new habbit and now rears when i push him on to do something he dosent want to do.

he rears vertical and today he went right back but luckily he didnt land on me and he also landed on his side cuasing him no pain to his withers amd back ect

i have recently changed his bit from a french link snaffle to a gag could this be the cuase of his new bad habit?

and there is also two new horses in the field could all these changes be to much?

when hes rearing and i kick him on he rears more

(hes really stubern )

is there anything i can do to stop him from rearing?

Answer 1

not riding him would prevent it.

to stop him rearing use a tie down.

Answer 2

I suspect you are using your hands to saw at his mouth to produce the bend, but really this is the very perfect way to cause a horse to rear.  It is also caused by strong bitting and the gag, in the wrong hands can be the worst bit in the world!

Change back to a bit he is more comfortable with.  Stop sawing his mouth and try more schooling with an emphasis on half halts, turns and circles etc.  At first long and low so he seeks the bit, then a bit later on you can start picking up the reins but no sawing.

If he does go up, the important thing is to lean forward  as far as possible, so you are almost lying on his neck.  Wrap your arms round his neck and let the reins go loose.  If you feel he has gone high enough that he might fall, dismount and try to get away, but once he is up again, get back on.

When he comes down - which he eventually will, use a schooling whip and without taking hands off the reins give him leg aids and the stick just behind the leg.  Be prepared for him to dart forwards.  Let him go a few strides.  If he wants to stop, use the stick again and keep him going.  Only stop when you want to.

You might need an assistant behind you with a lunge whip.  Not to hit him, but to drive him forward when he comes down.

Answer 3

I would start by getting his back and teeth checked out! If he's gone over it will have done some damage - even if you can't see it! I'd most certainly get a dentist out as if you changing to stronger bit has caused this behaviour, it makes me think something is going on. Don't ask your vet to do his teeth though, get a qualified equine dental technician, they have much more experience in this area. The fact that he's reacting to you pushing him forward does suggest he's in pain somewhere. I would really get him fully checked out before you ride him again.

Answer 4

use a tye down to attatc the girth to the bridle

Answer 5

A tie-down isn't going to help you. Riding with a tie-down is for contesters - the tie-down helps the horse balance when he's turning very tightly.

Your bit could very well be the problem - going from a considerably light bit to a gag (Harsh) bit, could make him angry. The transition from these two bits should be made very slowly, and gag bits should be used in light hands.

From personal experience, I would say the best remedy for rearing would probably be to pull the horse SHARPLY to the left or to the right while he's in the air. This will throw off his point of balance and force him to return to the ground. Once you're back on the ground, circle him, circle him, and circle him some more. You have to let him know that rearing is NOT acceptable - however, remember to be gentle and soft with your hands - especially with the gag bit.

Good luck!

Answer 6

Use a tie down, or when he gets ready to do this, grab an ear. My Godfather would grab a wild horse by the ear, and could do anything with him. After he rears up, get back on, do mulitple circles with him, and run the spirit out of him till he lathers. Just remember, walk him before you put him up.

Answer 7

Use a martingale. The horse basically has his head tied to his girth, so he can't throw up his head and rear. Also: get a trainer! http://www.classequestrian.com/images/fs...

Answer 8

martingale or they call it a tie down

Answer 9

Go back to your old bit, when I changed my horses bit to a dutch gag, it was asthough he was running into a brick wall when I put pressure on the rein, and he started going up. Also try not to do too much work on the bit and bending, because it uses alot of muscles that theyre not always using. Start doing small amounts every day, then build up. This could also be upsetting him. And when he rears, bring one hand out to the side, because apparently they cant rear with their necks bent to much, so really flex his neck to one side as soon as he goes up, works with mine!

Answer 10

Have you had his back, teeth etc. checked? This doesn't sound like naughtiness to me, more like a pain response. A gag is big jump from a french link, and works in a completely different way; the french link acts upon the bars of the mouth and the tongue whereas the gag works mainly on poll pressure. The poll pressure alone could be enough to cause your horse to rear. Some horses simply cannot handle these bits and when in inexperienced hands (I'm not saying you are inexperienced, I'm just saying!) they can cause huge problems for the horse. Any bit is as severe or as kind as the hands it is in. I suggest getting a vet to check your horse over for physical problems - you say he landed on his side when he went over, for all he may not have landed on his withers he could very easily have put his pelvis out, or injured his musco-skeletal system in countless other ways. I also recommend you change his bit back to the french link and take his training back a step, back into his comfort zone, until you rebuild his confidence in you. This could take some time but be patient. You say "off the bit" ...you may just be in a different part of the world and using different lingo but here its called working on the bit if you want the horse to work in an outline (i.e. bending, using his back muscles correctly to carry you, opening his shoulder etc.). If you can, I suggest you book yourself in for some lessons with a  reputable instructor who can help you and your horse back on track. Good luck, I think your horse is in pain or seriously confused - rearing isn't usually the first response, there may have been others signs; napping etc. that you have not picked up on (or put down to other things such as "oh he's napping cos it's windy" and this has led the horse to be this extreme in his actions. Don't worry, you CAN get through this and get your lovely horse back. I bought a TB several years ago who was about to be sold for meat because his owner couldn't do anything with him, he was dangerous. He would spin violently and throw himself on the floor (rider and all!) at the first sign of any trouble. His previous owner broke many bones and spent thousands on vets fees, different instructors etc. and in the end just gave up as she had her 10yo daughter to think of, and couldn't put herself in this danger as she was single mum and she was convinced that pretty soon she was going to get badly hurt. I too had my fair share of falls from this horse, but I just took him right back to basics and built it all back up again. He was quick to learn and within a year he was competing at shows (jumping) around the region - and winning. He wiped the floor in the every class he took, though he could never jump high (no more than 3ft, though he was only 15hh) he was fast, sharp and most importantly he trusted me. He is now semi-retired due to an injury dating back to his days as a trainee racehorse (backed at 14 months old) and my super-scared-novice mum plods about on him. He is living proof that no matter how desparate a situation may be, with time and patience (and a good instructor) any horse can be turned round. I wish you the very best of luck with your horse.

Answer 11

Hey ... changing from a snaffle to a gag could be too big a change. You should change back to the snaffle and have your tack checked to make sure the horse isnt in pain. If the rearing persists you shoud get an egg and crack i over the horses poll as he goes up. It thinks it hit its head and is bleeding. I know this works as I have done it myself I only had to do it once and my mare never reared since. I may take more than once depending on the horse but it defo works. We use it on any horse that comes into the yard with rearing problems.

Answer 12

A martingale or tie down is not going to solve your problem. What you need to do is find out what is causing the problem. I would do several things. First, go back to the old bit. Gag bits put pressure on different places than snaffles. Perhaps your horse is sensitive in one of these areas - I once owned a horse who had fractured her cervical vertebrae. Poll pressure was torture to her! I feel that since you have switched bits and are asking him to work off the bit and bend more, you are causing him discomfort when you ask for these things. You may need to be less aggressive with your training, new exercises can make them very sore!

I've always wondered - where/how do you carry that raw egg, just waiting for the horse to rear? I'm not that coordinated. I have always carried a weighted crop or bat (they're getting harder to find these days) and popped the horse between the ears with the heavy end when he went up.

Rearing is extremely dangerous behavior. If this is becoming a regular habit & you cannot control it, get horsie to a trainer asap!

Answer 13

There are two habits that I think require the assistance of a qualified professional horse trainer - rearing and kicking.  Both of these habits are very dangerous. If you have a horse that rears, you should be working with a qualified instructor who can help you diagnose this horse's problem in person.

     Even if a horse is not rearing very high, such behavior often gets worse rather than better.  The big risk, of course, is that when a horse rears, you can easily fall off, and often when a horse really gets into rearing, he can fall over backwards which can be deadly.

     But let's talk a little bit about what causes rearing and what you can SAFELY try to eliminate the bad habit.

     Rearing is an "avoidance behavior" - the horse is trying to avoid going forward.  This usually occurs when a horse has not learned that when you say go forward, he must go forward, so he is confused and needs progressive training and a review of the basics.

     OR it could be a horse that is becoming herd bound or barn sour and does not want to leave a certain area where he can see the barn or his buddies.  The horse is saying "NO".  This is more of a psychological problem.  The horse needs to develop security and confidence in the rider or handler.

     OR it could be a horse that has at one time or another has received a sharp jerk or rough handling when he DID go forward so now he is afraid of the consequences of going forward.  When a horse that tends to rear is switched from a curb bit to a snaffle and the rider is very good with her hands (following the horse's movement), the horse tends to move OUT (forward) rather than UP (rearing).  It is important that when you apply the leg cue for the horse to go forward, you don't pull on the bit as that would be conflicting signals which would confuse the horse.

     You can rule out physical causes by having a veterinarian check the horse's mouth and back to be sure there are no dental or spinal problems.

     You can also review "forward" lessons in in-hand work (walk out and trot out promptly when leading) and longeing, concentrating on the horse working in a long, low frame with lots of extended trot type work, rather than collected work.  Collecting a horse too soon or improperly can lead to rearing.

     If you feel unable to resolve this problem with the help of your instructor or trainer, then you should find another horse.  It is not worth the risk

Answer 14

Kimi and the egg trick does work I have seen it in practice.

i have heard of a few other Gypsy tricks but theya re a bit cruel.

Answer 15

new research shows that egg cracking is the worst thing you can do now so plese do not take heed of this advice - not only do you endanger yourself by taking one hand off the rein to smash him with an egg - but its not good for the horse.

New research shows that the most effective way to stop a horse rearing is to hit him hard under the belly - as this is where they are most prone to being attacked by predetors in the wild. Obviously you wont be able to do this when you're onboard, so if he tries to do it have a solid piece of board and soon as he goes up hit him HARD on the belly.

xx

Answer 16

Why on earth have you changed from a french link to a gag for schooling??????? That's like going from a really mild bit to a really severe one...

Put the old bit back in and pray that going over backwards has put him off rearing.... otherwise you have a lovely evasion which is really hard to get rid of....

Two methods I have seen used to combat rearing with both you need to be an excellent rider:

1) Ignore it and carry on riding

2) Use a soft rope to gently thwack them under the belly when they rear... the idea being that they don't like exposing their belly to attack from something beneath them...

Answer 17

I would put him back into his french link snaffle, and i've heard a standing martingale prevents rearing.

Answer 18

a horse rearing (and especially rearing and falling over) is VERY dangerous!  YES, your change to the gag bit (from the snaffle, could very well be contributing to the rearing...

I would recommend going back to your basics - not tying down his head...

Go back to your snaffle - work on his flexion and moving  - instead of kicking him , you might want to try 'spanking' him on the top of his hip either with your hand or a small crop...

work on large circles...

The gag bit was probably (in his mind) giving him nowhere to go but up...since that is where the bit was going...up, up, up...

(The key to working off of the bit, won't be the gag bit...but more work and practice in your snaffle...)

If he rears on you at all again, call a professional...you, and he can be injured, seriously...

Answer 19

Martingale, or tie down if you are in the USA

Answer 20

Your horse has gone from rearing to flipping over, which is the most dangerous thing a horse can do. You can be killed and your horse can break his neck or back.

You need to get professional help so neither one of you dies. This is not something to be taken lightly.

If you want to work on this yourself (NOT a good idea) then keep this in mind-- horses rear because they are feeling trapped. If your horse thinks he can't go forward and yet has to go somewhere, he will go up. And over. On you. Tie downs would only make this problem worse. It would be trapping him even more.

Your horse needs to know there is somewhere for him to go. You say that when you kick him he rears even more. That makes sense. You are telling him to go forward with your legs but your hands are telling him to stop, so he has nowhere to go! Lighter hands and a kinder bit are definitely called for.

Seriously, this is extremely dangerous behavior.  And once a horse starts doing this, it is really hard to get them to stop. Even professional trainers have trouble with horses that do this.Please get help.

Answer 21

I would certainly try to return to the old bit if the bad behavior started when you switched.  If this has become a habit, then you have to ask yourself honestly how good a rider you are and if you can be safe working with a dangerous horse.  If you are going to do it, then I would go back to the basics.  Very Basic!!  Work the horse in side reins, on a lunge line with a whip.  The basis here is that a forward horse can't rear.  Start working him, ask him for alot of transitions and changes of direction.  If he remains quiet, then you can take off one side rein and shorten the other one. (western technique of tying the head around) If your guy is balking at the idea of moving forward while giving to the bit then this should spark his bad behavior.  If he trys to stop or rear, press him forward with your voice and then the whip if he still fights.  You want to get the dangerous stuff out of him in a situation that you won't get hurt in.  By reinforcing the forward no matter what cues then you should be able to get him past it.  If he still rears and flips, then part with that horse before you find out how heavy a horse feels when it lands on you.

Answer 22

Bring the handle end of a crop down between his ears.  More than once if you have to until he gets the message.  And I do NOT mean tap tap with the crop handle either....

Man I am sooo glad our horses don't have any bad habits & were never allowed to pick any up!!!!!

Before you get hurt, it might be an idea to contact a trainer.

***EDIT***

By the way, WHO told you to go to a gag bit?  WHY do you think you even need a bit that severe?

Do you have experience using a gag bit?

Any bit can be misused & cause problems when not used properly or by the right hands.  WHY are you using a gag bit?

Answer 23

Firstly a most people on here have said, change your bit back.  For schooling you hould be riding int he gentlest bit you possibly can with your horse and a gag is certainly not that.  It was a bit change from a snaffle to a gag and it sounds as if your horse is finding it too strong causing him to evade it by going upwards.  

Then consider honestly how you have got him to "work off the bit".  Did it only happen with the change to the gag?  

A gag gives pressure on the poll hence a horse is more likely to submit into a rounded neck line however this doesn't mean he is going in a correct outline as you also need the back to raise and hind legs to go underneath.  It can feel very different from just the head being on a vertical line.  If the horse resists with a bit that gives poll pressure the horse can go the other way and react badly against the pressure. Horses will often lean into any pressure given rather than away from it so the rearing is just that moving to the pressure placed on his poll.  Therefore you should go back to a bit that doesn't give this pressure.  If you feel a snaffle isn't right for him there are plenty of others to try and just takes time to get the right one.  

Right, now you have changed him out of the gag and into something that doesn't give poll pressure we need to deal with what to do if he does rear.  Just because we have taken away the issue doesn't mean he will automatically stop as he may have found that it works to get him out of what he was being asked.  Do not pull on both reins as the horse is more likely to go upwards instead. If he goes to rear up, take hold of one rein and tug down and round to your knee hard and sharp.  You need to do this very fast so it is like a split second reaction.  This upsets the horses balance enough to stop it going vertical and also helps pull it downwards.  You need to lean forward and release the other rein whilst docing so your weight also helps gravity with pushing the horse down.  

Lastly, although you have said that your horse didn't land on his withers but on his side when he went over, it is still worth getting him checked over by a chiropractor.  He may have twisted or pulled a muscle as he went over and if so, the sooner it is sorted the les likely it is to cause long term damage.

Good luck