My new horse tries to rear when napping, would a martingale stop this?

Question

i've had her 3 weeks and she refuses to leave home. she bunny hop rears,spins and generally messes about so i have to get off and lead her out. only when i get a certain distance from home can i then ride her. would a martingale stop the rearing, (which is gradually getting higher) which would take one component out, so i can then deal with getting her moving without worrying about coming off?

Answer 1

1 never lead her back when she is bad and do not get off stay on and ride when she rears push your heels down and lean forward since you have never have be on her when she rears when her is done with her temper tandem she might bolt if she does sit back and pull do some circles and relaxes if you get scared your horse will get scared and you may come off you always what to remand clam and never panic when your horse rears or bolts you may panic all you what when you and your horse are put away. email me for and more problem

Answer 2

like everyone else before has said, don't use a martingale. if you've only had her for three weeks i would suggest giving her a little more time to get adjusted. or maybe get her a companion if you don't have any other horses. ex. a goat, a sheep, really any other farm animal.  if it's a problem of her being scared of leaving, either take her by halter and walk her around the place with her tack on. or if you have another horse, ride that one, and bring her alongside via halter to show her its okay. i wouldn't use a martingale this early cuz she will most likely get aggrivated and break it or hurt herself.  as for rearing, you could smash an egg, which does scare them into not rearing, but that's hard to time and plus it's hard to keep only one hand on the reins while the other holds the egg. you can try my technique, but i don't advise it unless you have a really good seat and balence.  there's a way you can make your horse tired while rearing so that she won't want to do it again, but there's the risk of her toppling backwards. you have to get the timing just right and always think ahead. when she is rearing upwards, lean all the way forward and loosen the reins (as if you were jumping a large jump) but when she begins to go downwards to land, lean backwards and make the reins tight and she will go up again. you have to make her go up and down so that she gets tired and she doesn't really want to try it again. if doing this you MUST make sure her front feet never touch the ground otherwise she won't get tired and this will most likely have reverse effects cuz she will rear even more. make sure you only go up and down around four or five times cuz otherwise you could be pushing her limit and hurting her. if worst comes to worst, attach a sandbag or a sack of potatoes (something that could immitate the weight of a person) and strap it onto your saddle. then lunge her out so that she realizes that no matter what she does, that weight is going to be on her. just make sure whatever you stapped onto your saddle is on tight.

Answer 3

i wouldnt advise a martingale to stop rearing

my 16.1 warmblood used to do this alot

the trick i did with her was turn her in tight circles as soon as she started to play up or refuse to move, eventully she acciated bad behavior with constant circles

i used to keep turning her untill she felt bored of it then ask her to walk forward.

try not to get off her this way she wins!

to help stop the rearing use an egg or wet cloth to hit her inbetween her ears (poll area) this must be done whist actually up tho, easier said than done :) they think their behavior has resulted in injury

hope this helped :)

Answer 4

When I got my horse he was a napper. I always ride in a standing martingale, but this isn't everyone's taste. I would only get past the end of the field on the road then he would spin round, so i tried turning him in the opposite direction that he was spinning, but he would try to rear. Everytime he got braver and went a bit higher, so in the end i had someone ride out with me a few times(i don't know if this is possible for you). Then i gradually started going out a few days at a time by myself and with the aid of a whip and spurs(only use if you've had someone professional show you how to!!! Don't be cruel with them just be forceful.) i had him going out all the time with no problems. Then after a move to new stables he had a bit of a relapse, there was a big scarey bath in the field he would graze next to it, but when i was riding him he would pretend it was a monster!!! With the aid of the spurs and whip again, 3 hours and a lot of sweat later we were walking, trotting and cantering past it with no problems. What i'm trying to say is that horses aren't stupid and she's probably testing you to see what she can get away with. I don't know how experienced you are, but i certainly wouldn't advise getting off her, this way she's won and next time it'll be 10 times harded to get her past. I also wouldn't advise the egg or water over the head because i know someone who did that and the horse went mad and ended up coming over on top of her!! Maybe just a one off, but thought i'd let you know that there could be a chance of it happening. Anyway i hope some of this was helpful and good luck, I know how frustrating it is when all you want to do is go for a nice ride.

Answer 5

NO DONT.. You will just cause her to rear more, higher.. because it will cause tension and she will just pull harder against it..  my recomendation is ride her close to the barn then work your way out when she naps do circles and leg yeild and carry a whip and just send her forward and if she goes fast away from the barn o well you said forward. Also when comming home stop and do different things so that way she knows once your done she dosent go directly home. Tak different ways home to the barn..

Answer 6

if you have a martigal on running or german the point is to keep thier head down... when galloping race horses we use running martingals to lower ther head so the do not rear.... If your reins are in a martingal then she will not be able to rear very well.... It is opposite when a horse bucks if their head is up they cant buck up... martingals give you more control... this situation seems like its her being stubborn... rearing is dangerous... if sending her foward will leg or a whip doesn't work i suggest you fix her rearing problem... When i have horses with this problem i ride with a wet sponge and when she rears squeez the sponge over the top of her head.. this usualy startals them and makes them think they hit thier head and then the are more reluctent to go up the next time.. But remember... be sure to sent her foward during all of this.... the end of whip works in replacement of the sponge... if she dosent know dont hold her back and push her foward at the same time because they sometimes will go up... good luck

Answer 7

I think the main reason of this is either insucurity or pain. Get a vet to come over and give your mare a full phisical exam. If he doesn't find anything, move over to your horse's mental side. Did your horse switch barns when you got her? Maybe something happened away from the barn that was scarey to her. Try to identify the problem. The next step is to make her comfort zone larger. Try to find out where the maximum is of her comfort zone. Apparentally this horse cannot deal with much, so try to work her right on the edge of where she is comfterable from the barn. Do leg yeilds and half-halts, circles, etc. Things that challenge her mind and get her off of the fact that there's a big scary, man eating squirrel out there in the woods and you are really close to it. Once you have her full attention, try to ask her to go a little further out. Then do your leg yeilds and half-halts again. Each day, work on getting a little further out. If she's really difficult, take an older, calmer horse out with you. Let that horse go first, then follow. Your horse might be a bit more okay about going away. Slowly but surely, your horse will learn that being away from the barn isn't a bad thing! I strongly suggest looking into Parelli Natural Horsemanship. Fill out the Horsenallity chart for your horse and study it. I would also purchase Parelli Level 1 DVDs, where you learn to strenghten the bond between your mare and yourself, while improving your riding and having fun.

I hope I helped!

Answer 8

No!  It's too dangerous to use a martingale, as it may cause her to flip over (standing martingale) and a running martingale does nothing but impede your control.  And a martingale doesn't address the root of the problem.  Are you confident enough to fix the problem while riding her?

If you are, you'll need to catch her as she first THINKS about rearing, and pull her around, and keep her circling, as quickly, in a tight circle as possible.  Stop and send her forward again.  If she starts to rear, repeat.  Be sure when you pull her around, to keep your hands low, and to only put pressure on one side, alone.  The other, inactive rein needs to be completely slack.  That's really important.  Make her circle much more quickly than she would choose, and preferably in the opposite direction in which she likes to spin.

You really need to deal with the nappiness the second it surfaces, because the rearing is just napping in extreme!  Do you carry a crop or dressage whip?  The latter would be better as you can keep both hands on the reins and tap or smack her behind without losing your steering, as she likes to spin.  If you take control at the outset, she'll probably give up and go on as she should.

If you don't feel confident to do this, then don't.  Get someone who has dealt with this problem and go out with them and watch what he/she does.  It's no fun to have a horse flip over on you.

Answer 9

Wow, I really feel bad for you.  My first horse was an 8 year old thoroughbred mare, she was off the track, and had not had much work done with her for over 3 years.  She would rear when she had to leave home or do more work than she wanted to.  We tried martingales, and we even used to use a crop to pop her lightly on top of the head when she went up.  Unfortunately, a horse that rears is unsafe, and when they are progressively getting worse, that is not a good sign.  We worked with my first horse for over a year, and even under professional trainers, until no one could stay on her.  

Usually with a horse like that, there is potential that they want to move out, at a faster gate, the horse would probably be good for cross country jumping, or barrel racing, something where she can't focus on being naughty so much.

You could also try lunging your horse before you ride, try to get her respecting you before you take her out.

It is really not a good scenario if she is rearing already though it is a real problem, and very dangerous, so be careful.

If she gets worse, it may be a good idea to try to place her, or trade her for something that may be easier to work with, that doesn't rear on you.

Hope this helps.

Answer 10

A martingale might actually make the problem worse.  If she feels something pulling on her, she will probably just rear higher and flip over backwards on top of you.

If you think your horse is going to rear/buck/spin/hop you must do everything in your power to make the horse move its feet.  Turn the horse sharply or spin it in a tight circle so that the horse is off balance.  The horse should be so uncomfortable that she moves to catch herself.

Answer 11

Absolutely not!!!! This may likely result in her rearing, hitting the resistance of the martingale, totally freaking out bc she thinks she trapped, and flipping over. Definitely not your solution. Nor is a tie down, should someone suggest that to you.

ADD: My best advice to you (I have a horse that used to be a napper and then would be startled awake, even when we were working) is to keep her feet moving. Keep her busy; a horse that has to move her feet, is an alert horse. If she starts jigging and you're experienced/comfortable enough, channel that energy into some lateral movement, for instance. If you can't quickly convince her to quit it, then take whatever she is doing, like spinning, as an opportunity to put her to work on spinning at your request - so it is now YOUR IDEA.  And make her keep spinning until YOU decide to stop. Be firm and calm. If you're having a case of it's a new horse and suddenly I'm freaking out though I never did on horses that aren't mine/ I'm plain scared?I can't handle it or I don't want to handle it...that's okay. Don't beat yourself up. Just be honest about it and ask someone who can (professional or reliable experienced friend) to work through this behavior with her. Getting off is the ultimate reward for a horse. It stinks, but it's true. They quickly learn if I do this, my rider gets off, so I'll do it whenever I want my rider to get off and stop working me. The key is: once you commit to working through it, you stay on her for the distance or you won't succeed. So if that isn't you, get help.

Answer 12

PLEASE DO NOT USE A MARTINGALE, this is very dangerous for you and stressfull for her. If you get off of her it will start a bad habbit. and by the sound of it she knows you will get off if she rears.

DONT GET OFF, if she tries to rear then make her do circles continuesly. Do not stop the circles untill she is calm then move her a little farther away from the barn then if she tries to rear more circles, continue this untill she is calm. if you repeat this exersize she will then relize that you are in control and will stop. it may take time but this method will work.

RELIZE THAT SHE IS A NEW HORSE, she probobly is home sick even if it has been 3 weeks. she will get used to you in her own time

One more thing, do not be afraid to fall off.

If you are afraid then you will make her afraid. she can sence you emotions and this will change her attitude for the better or the worse