From: Lesley Rygh
I would appreciate some advice regarding rearing.
First our history. I bought my gorgeous, sound, athletic thoroughbred last October. He is an excellent horse in many ways and full of potential. Unfortunately the persons who sold him to me "forgot" to mention to me that he rears when frightened or angry. Of all the nasty habits things. This has to be the worst thing a horse can do and very dangerous. I probably wouldn't have bought him if I'd known, and there was no indication of this trouble until two weeks after I'd brought him home. He has pulled this on three different riders now, today being the worst.
It started with a gravel truck unloading just outside of our lesson ring.
He freaked out, spooked and reared fairly high. humped his back up and bolted (I of course chose that moment to loose my stirrups). I was unable to punnish his rear in time for him to connect the two. The gravel truck that caused the spook was still there and it took me too long to calm him down (myself included) and by that time it was too late. My trainer said this was a misteak and I agreed.
My trainer is suggesting that after he has reached peak and is at a lower angle, grab mane/ and one rein and pull him around so that he cannot repeat the rear and at the same time give timely discipline. This I agree on. Turning his head around is an old trick I knew from way back to arrest forward movement and gain control. Unfortunately it was the last thing on my mind today.
I would love it if this were a situation that I could set him up for and have a profesional on his back. But these are unpredicatable events.
Today I feel like a failure, but really, I have been riding for a long time (25 years) and currently under professional supervision.
What other techniques are there, and what would you have done in the same situation?
Also, selling is out of the question. WE WILL WORK THROUGH THIS.
Lesley & Gryphon(the jerk)
Having said that, though, there are some things that you can try.
First, before anything else, have the horse's teeth checked, just in case there's something causing mouth pain. Check his bit, as well, for fit and suitability -- ANY mouth pain can provoke a rear, even if it's pain that he causes himself by pushing at his bit when he's frightened. Similarly, check the saddle fit -- it's possible for a horse to be comfortable in ordinary riding, then hump his back in fear and hurt himself, and then rear because of the pain. It's always best to begin by investigating and eliminating all possible PHYSICAL causes of a behaviour problem.
Your trainer's suggestion was absolutely correct. When a horse goes UP, you can only bring him back down onto all four feet by sending him forward and sideways immediately. This has three effects: first, it shifts the weight of the horse's forehand to one side, and he will naturally try to put his front feet down to balance his weight. Second, it puts his attention on YOU, because you aren't just yelling at him, you are telling him to DO something -- "Get moving and bend THIS way!" is a much more effective command than "Don't rear!" Third, it's a distraction -- often, a horse taken sharply sideways and forward will put his front feet back down and forget that he was thinking about rearing.
Prevention IS cure! Anticipate situations that will frighten your horse, and be instantly aware of the sounds/sights that will make him anxious, and then keep him very busy doing something. This works in two ways: first, it keeps him occupied and keeps him listening to you and thinking about what you are asking him to do, and he really can only think of ONE thing at a time (which is precisely why he forgets about you when he spooks). Second, what you are asking him to do can be helpful in avoiding a rear. A horse can't rear if he's moving forward -- he has to rear and THEN bolt, he can't do both at once.
When a horse rears under saddle, there is always that brief moment BEFORE the rear when he must stop and shift his balance backward onto his hind legs. If this happens, send him forward and sideways just as your trainer suggested. Lean forward, loosen your outside rein, and take your inside rein hand quite low, bringing his nose toward your knee. At the same time, use your legs strongly to send the horse forward -- the result SHOULD be a circle in the direction of your low inside hand. Again, you are putting weight onto his forehand (your weight and his), and taking his head and neck to the side, while sending him forward -- this makes it easier for him to go forward in a circle, and more difficult for him to rear, as he will have to stop and rebalance before he can do it. He can't rear until he has both hind legs together underneath him, and he can't get them there if he is moving forward on a circle.
You've probably heard the saying "When in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout." I'm going to suggest a variation of this for you and your horse, because going forward and turning in a circle, as your trainer suggested that you do, is a time-honored way to discourage rearing, and because a scream or shout or loud buzzer-noise from you SHOULD be a significant distraction for your horse, and take his mind off what he THOUGHT he wanted to do. ;-)
When in danger or in doubt, try shoulder-in! It's an ideal movement for the purpose, since you can bend him toward or away from the source of his fear, and yet keep him moving energetically forward. ANY good bending or lateral work will make rearing physically difficult -- with his body bent and his inside hind leg stepping under his midline, he's balanced correctly to do a lot of different things, but rearing isn't one of them. ;-)
If your horse spooks and rears before you can prevent it, immediately lean forward, loosening the reins and stretching your arms around his neck (and get ready to kick your feet out of the stirrups). Weighting his forehand like this may send him down and forward, or it may not, but at least it will make it more difficult for him to rear straight up, and very difficult for him to go over backward.
Whatever you do, do NOT sit back or lift your hands or pull on both reins -- this just makes it easy for the horse to rear, and in fact ENCOURAGES him to rear, and makes it more likely that he will go over backward. Riders have been killed when that happens! If you feel him going up high enough that he is likely to go over backward, take your feet out of the stirrups immediately, lean forward with both arms around his neck, and slide off to one side. If your horse does go over backward, you do NOT want your body to be between him and the ground!
The keys to all of this are knowledge, planning, and focus. You must know what is involved in a rear, and in what position the horse must place himself to be able to rear. You must have a plan so that you can act without hesitation at the very moment that the idea of rearing comes into the horse's mind. And you must be sensitive to what the horse is doing and thinking, and keep your focus on the horse and on the information he is giving you, so that you will sense that tiny hesitation and send him forward and sideways before the rear actually happens. It's much easier to avoid a rear than it is to deal with one that's in progress.
Good luck, and be careful. And if all of your best efforts and your trainer's best efforts are in vain, please consider getting another horse. Life is too short to ride a dangerous horse -- and life doesn't need to be any shorter!
Jessica
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