How do i stop my horse from rearing and get him to come on to the bit! its driving me mad.?

Question

i have a 16.3hh 6yr old thoroughbred x warmblood and i want to do showjumping and eventing on him. Ive tried 12 different bits and bittless bridles and he rears in all of them. its mainly when i take him out on cross country that he does it, and sometimes even showjumping. he has been round pre- novice cross country courses and 3'6 showjumping courses! But he still rears 80% of the time. He can also do it during schooling. i have had his back and teeth checked by vets, dentists and 3 different back therapists and he is in no pain. if he doesnt rear all the way up, then he will just hop around and spin as many times as he can. He doesn't accept the bit to come into an outline either, he just shoves his head up and resists. which is frustrating. Ive tried gadgets, but he broke the market harborough threw rearing! What else can I try!? email back to me- [e-mail]

please please please help me! I don't want to sell him as he has so much potential when he stops rearing!

Answer 1

Some people may not like my answer (Not harmful in any way!) but it is one that I've had to use on two separate occasions.  Neither horse ever reared again that I am aware of--on the ground or in the saddle.

The two horses I used this trick on were nasty.  They'd even go so far as to flip over on their rider in order to avoid whatever it was they didn't want to do.  I believe in the beginning it was an 'honest avoidance' but they figured out really quick the result so it became habit and a trusty escape route.

Again, please use this only as last resort.  Re-training and quadriple checking tack and saddle fit should be your first priority.  You said you had this back checked and his mouth, but what about his legs?  Is the demand of jumping cause pain or discomfort?  Have you tried lunging and/or using a round pen with a training surcingle?  If it were me, I'd probably try working him at liberty in a small arena or round pen with moderately loose side reins.  If he displays the behavior then, you'll be able to get a better perspective on what is happening before during and after the episodes.

Do not try to induce the behavior ever.  Absolutely try training methods before resorting to this.  When you know there is a chance of his front end coming up, carry two or three small warm water balloons. (I held the end of them with my teeth so they were readily accessible) When he starts coming up, break the balloon against his poll.  Because the balloons are soft, there is pretty much no impact so there is no danger of harming the sensitive bones and nerve endings.  When the warm water flows down the head, the horse believes he's injured himself and bleeding so stops have his fit.  Both times for me, the horse immediately stopped all movement and stood there nervously with head down.  The immediate reaction from you needs to be nothing at all.  Don't praise him, don't ask any more.  Just let him stand and think about what happened.  When he stands quietly for a long pause, quietly ask for whatever maneuver set off the behavior in the first place.  The one horse I had to do it on two separate occasions.

Answer 2

He is rearing as there is no where else for him to go/do.  It could be the bit you are using, but more likely how he feels about what he is being asked to do.

You need to go back to basics with him, in hand work etc, and try and isolate what it is that actually causes him to rear.

Try logging onto www.Parelli.com and ask the question there, I personally am very impressed with their knowledge, and you can do the horsenality test to try and narrow down your horses temperament which will give you some more clues to why he may be rearing at certain times.

Good luck and hope all goes well for you.

Taken from Parelli.com

PROBLEMS

Rearing

Horses tend to rear for two reasons: 1. They are being held back. 2. They feel trapped or cornered. Usually a more flighty horse tends to rear, and also makes you want to hold them back. They begin by tossing their heads, and if it gets bad enough they'll rear. Think of it this way, they have a driving, forward desire yet there's something in their mouth holding them back. If you hold back strong enough there is only one way left to go... UP! Some people think horses rear on purpose to intimidate the rider but something important to understand is that the horse is thinking like a horse. He's naturally a fearful, claustrophobic animal whose main defense is to run away.

We don't believe in punishing horses for rearing, mostly because it's a fearful reaction that is often caused by the handler or rider, albeit unintentionally. Once you change your approach, regain your horse's confidence, and stop using two reins to control your horse, things will change dramatically. You can learn how to do this using our specialized techniques. The best place to start would be The Seven Games DVD - The Secret of Teaching Horses; then go to the Calm Ride DVD. Both of these DVDs will give you new and effective strategies right away. After that you should study HorsenalityTM so you know more about your horse and then Natural Attraction to learn how to get him to want to be with you instead of trying to get away from you.

Answer 3

He sounds like he has so much energy he doesn't know what to do with himself. I would let him out in a round pen and free lunge him until he calms down, if he still rearing try turning him in circles, don't go until you are ready. Take him out slowly, don't forget to sit deep in your seat, good luck!

Answer 4

It sounds like he's learned to rear as a way to avoid something he is afraid of or doesn't want to do.  The rear and spinning allows him to take control of you rather than the other way around.

You're changing so much headgear also is probably playing a part.  

What you need to understand is that the headgear is not what controls the horse - adding a cavesson, figure 8, harsher bit, etc will only make larger the issues you are combating as they don't fix the problem, they simply force the horse to accept what he's trying to tell you is wrong - if he can't accept it, you're clamping down on him and making him feel trapped - he'll respond through horrible means  - rearing, pitching, bucking, etc if it gets bad enough.

Start listening to him - analyze when he's doing what he's doing, what you are doing at that instant and why it all might come together to cause him to rear.

I suspect that he's trying to tell you he doesn't want to do what you are asking, rather than telling him "yes you will" in the means he understands, you get after him, get pissed and mad, loose your temper and you are not a lost cause.  Trust me - I'm not dissing you, this was and still is me.  I couldn't understand why my horse wouldn't trust me and stop spooking, didn't she know I wouldn't ask her to do something that would hurt her?  I had to finally ask myself "well how would she know this?  she doesn't understand the english language, she doesn't think like I do"  I had to start thinking like she did to start finding success.  My personality style makes it a constant battle within myself to have patience and not lose my temper - I have to keep telling myself "my horse is my mirror" - if she's getting frustrated or not responding the way I wish, it isn't because she's stupid, stubborn or mean - it's because she doesn't understand what I'm asking or I'm not listening to something she's trying to tell me.

So - go back to the easiest bit you can feel comfortable in.  Go back to square one in training - go back to the point at which he will act proper all the time - maybe it's just working the flat and performing maneuvers.  Focus on his head and ear carriage - get back to the point where he will respond perfectly to all cues you give him.  then begin moving back towards those things which are tough for him - he'll being to "blow" quickly when you start pushing him.  Stop - figure out what he's worried about - is he ready to jump or run or whatever?  Ask him properly in small steps to do what you request.

This is very hard without being there with you - we are limited in space and time.  Also, I do not have the luxury of watching you and he interact so I can't tell you what you are doing that he is interpreting wrong or may not like.  The only thing for certain I can tell you is that clamping his head down is not the only answer - he'll simply explode as he has and your problems will get worse.  Get books or videos on starting what your discipline is - learn the "natural" horsemanship ways which teach you how a horse thinks and how he perceives everything we do with him.  Most of the clinicians or speakers on this subject at this time here in the states are western based riders - but that doesn't mean what they have to teach is incorrect.  How a horse thinks and perceives what you tell him has nothing to do with what type of clothes you or he wears.  The clothes are simply the higher end result of what you intend to do with him and what disciplines you ride.  You problem would be no different were you riding in a reining discipline or trail discipline with a tie down and trying bigger western bits.

I hope this begins the thought process and helps.  Mind if I check in with you at the email address you've put here?

Answer 5

Here are some questions to consider:

- What might he be afraid of at the places where he rears? Is there something that might be spooking him?

- Do you lunge him before you take him out? Maybe he has so much excess energy that he really isn't able to control himself. You could try some good lunging in both directions and all three gaits before getting him out.

- How do you warm him up? Do you ensure you have separate mastery of his entire body by doing all three gaits, stops, circles large, small and tiny at all three gaits, frequent stops and back ups, and lateral work like sidepass, half pass, etc.? If not, give this a try and don't take him out until he is completely focused on you.

- Does this happen to you on other horses or only this one? If it happens on other horses, you may have to look at balance or how you handle your hands. For instance, the horse seems to react like this when in exciting conditions. Maybe you  are excited or worried and when you get after his mouth to create frame, he gets upset.

- Is his vision OK and does he trust you deeply? Remember that for a horse about to jump, the jump disappears from their vision and they need complete trust in you in order to be willing to jump over what they can't see.

- How current is the horse's training? If not within the last few months, I'd suggest sending him to a good trainer who has experience in your discipline. Expect your horse to spend a few months in training to get rid of these problems.

- What is the horse's background? Is he a former racehorse? If so, he may have suffered some abuse. Again, the answer is a good trainer.

- Finally, try reading this book(http://www.amazon.com/There-Problem-Hors... - there's a great section on rearing.

But if a new round of training doesn't get rid of the problem, this is not the horse for you. Sell this one to someone who can fix his problems and find a horse who's better suited to eventing.