My rearing?

Question

my horse just started rearing out of no where. he is sound and checked by the vet. idk why. he is just a brat. and i dont want to fall. please help

Answer 1

Usually, horses don't just start rearing out of no where, there has to be a reason...when the vet checked him, did he check his eyes?  Maybe he is being pushed a little to fast in his training...when does he rear?  Is he consistent when he rears?  You may need to go back to ground driving him and develop a better communication line with him before you do get hurt.

Answer 2

If he just started this. Then something is wronger. Either don't like his job or there is something going on fiscally.  Have you tried having him adjusted.

Answer 3

try and keep the horse moving, it cant rear when moving....

my horse reared, she done this when she was scared, i spoke to her calmly when she began to tense up and made her keep going when she tryed to stop xx

Answer 4

Rearing is much more dangerous than bucking, and I would take this seriously.  You may need a trainer or experienced person's help to nip this in the bud.  A horse that rears to get away with things in dangerous and a pain in the neck.

If they are just half rearing and acting silly, sorta with the "no, I don't wanna" attitude, but not rearing high or freaking out, I probably would bring the crop down across their neck with all the force I could, and then spin them around in a circle.  I think that type of horse, that's just being a brat, could be talking out of the behavior if it had serious consquences.

But if the horse is rearing high, spinning and spooking, and really acting up, I think its more than an amateur or youth should handle.  Especially if its quickly becoming a habit.  

This should be taken seriously.  Keep safe and good luck.  And whatever you do, I would stay away from all the suggestions you're sure to get about cracking an egg on their head, or hitting them with a water balloon and such.  If you can do such a thing safely, while controling your horse, not falling off, etc then you are a better rider than the average pro.

Answer 5

Need more info...

When is the horse rearing, under saddle, when leading, when its refusing to go somewhere you want it, anywhere or only certain spots?

OK Thanks...

How old is he and how much training has he had?  Is he well broke or green broke?  Did you ever get off of him when he did rear or allow him to return home?

Answer 6

My girl starting to reat at certain spots when I rode her.  Had her teeth checked & found she had a wolf tooth irritating her.  Also checked the saddle fitted properly. With these checked and a bit of riding discipline she now behaves.

Answer 7

Nose to butt circles. If he crosses his legs he can't rear/buck/run. Lean forward if he does rear and soon as he feet hit the ground pull the saliva out his mouth, and yank his nose around. A good swat with the crop would also work.

Answer 8

First and foremost you want to determine how your horse is rearing as well as why your horse is rearing. Horse rearing can be caused by:

  A mischievous younger horse trying to release a few extra oats out of his system.

Serious pain and discomfort.

Fear and apprehension.

Rebellion or disrespect for the owner.  

Many horse owners want to know how to stop a horse from rearing while riding, and honestly I think this is a poor approach. First, you place yourself at far greater harm while on the saddle, yet at the same time you maintain far less control. That's a bad duo. Second, I strongly believe that solid groundwork is far more effective at tackling the root causes of horse rearing. Rearing is the result of a root cause, so tackling the reaction rather than the cause is less effective.

That having been said, here are two old-fashioned techniques that you should not depend on:

  Harshly smack a horse over its head with the handle of riding crop or a 2x4. While there are some isolated occasions where force is necessary in horse training, this is not one of them. You can injure your horse and you won't get any results from bringing him pain. In fact, there is a strong likelihood that you'll make the horse worse since the fear and pain caused by such an action will only compound the strong emotions he's already grappling with.

Break an egg or a plastic bag of water over his head. The concept behind this old wives' tale is that the horse will think it is bleeding and therefore stop rearing. While this technique won't cause any harm (though it may create a mess to clean if you use an egg), it's too gimmicky for my tastes. I'd rather rely on solid, effective practices.  

First and foremost it's imperative that you maintain proper balance and riding technique while sitting on a rearing horse, otherwise the horse can cause you serious harm and vice versa. When a horse rears, a lot of riders become surprised and their first reaction is to lean back in the saddle and yank on the reins for dear life. The problem is yanking the reins provides false hope. When you yank on the reins of a rearing horse, you won't be able to pull yourself forward as your instincts tell you. Instead what you'll do is pull an unbalanced horse backwards, thereby drastically increasing the chance of flipping him over on top of you.

When a horse rears you need to immediately lean forward against his neck and loosen the reins entirely. Give the horse his head in the midst of a rear – he'll need all his balance to prevent him from falling over. Reapply direct rein pressure only after all four hooves are back on the ground.

Unless you are a very experienced rider (and even if you are one), you want to realistically assess your risks. Don't try and "ride out" serious rearing unless you are in a supervised and controlled situation. If your horse rears somewhere outside of a riding ring, I would modify the above tidbit a bit. Instead of leaning forward and incorporating loose reins, wrap your arms around the horse's neck and quickly slide off. Once your feet hit the ground back away instantly so the horse doesn't hit your leg or land on your foot as it returns to all fours.

Some riders can do this while maintaining loose reins, others may elect to drop the reins completely and focus on sliding off ASAP. The key here is caution. Pride isn't worth broken bones… or worse. "Ride out" furious rearing only while in the confines of a supervised riding arena.