Rearing - Whats Your Experience?

Flipo's Mum

Flipo's Mum

Heavy owner of a Heavy
Aug 17, 2009
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Perthshire, Scotland
Its quiet on here and I'm starting to think about expanding my knowledge again. So what is your personal experience of rearing? I've heard folk say they prefer it to bucking - but my pony always used to buck every now and then in high spirits and I felt happier dealing with that than the fear of rearing.

If you're on a horse that rears, what action should you take? Lean forward and give them their head, or pull round so they don't risk going over (I guess that depends on the height of the rear?)
What about when you're on the ground leading a horse that rears, what action should you take? How can you cure a rearer? I guess its in response to pressure so you need to work to reduce their response in that way, or pain related?

Just interested. My only experience of Flipo rearing, is when we were looking to load him and he really didn't want to play ball. Otherwise he's far too heavy upfront to put in the energy to lift himself off the ground. I think he felt there was too much pressure and nowhere else for him to go.
 
After my friends horse reared vertical and she fell off and broke both her arms, I certainly wouldn't go anywhere near a rearer! She was lucky not to be killed to be honest as her horse went over backwards and only just missed landing on her. She was out hacking on her own when it happened. After numerous vets checks, they have concluded that it is a behavioural issue and they are working on it with a NH associate who feels that the horse will simply 'grow out of it'. I'm not so sure and don't think that I could ever trust a horse who did that to me.

If Ben properly reared with me, there would be something very seriously wrong with him. I can't ever imagine him having enough energy to do it though!
 
Ziggy has only reared once while I have known him. It was when he had his first back treatment. He was in tremendous pain and couldn't get away, so the only way was up. I wasn't sitting on him at the time! After he came down, he bit me. Poor lad, he has never done anything remotely like it since.

My friend Suzi's TB Tommy tended to rear when things got too much for him. She and other riders would sit quietly, keeping vertical, and wait for him to come down. He never went up high enough to risk falling backwards, though.
 
From what I've seen horses will rear either when they're overwhelmed mentally or physically and can't escape, but it can also become a learned behaviour. Even the nicest horses can rear in the wrong circumstances, Rio's front feet did leave the ground once or twice in various circumstances when we first had her while my daughter was riding her, never anything serious, but I'd trust her with my life these days. Same went for a friend's horse when first introduced to hacking, she was patient and everything worked out very well eventually.

On the ground I've had one or two go up when being loaded with a halter, again too much pressure, the best tactic seems to be to ignore the rear itself and slow the job down a bit.
 
Some people train theirs to do it, that's another thread.

My experiences are of Jack doing mini ones when he was overwhelmed at a competition. Lent forwards gave reins and all OK. Didn't happen again and I didn't make a thing of it.

Cob-now she does it leading in from the field, I now lead in with her on the end of the 12ft line, she only does it when in season, she does it under saddle when in season. Its a warning that she is active and I am to watch my step, which I do but still get her to do as I ask if you follow. I get lots of signs before she throws one at me-she is intelligent because in the saddle she will go up higher than if I am bareback.
She has been checked over re pain, teeth, back and its an in season pattern. If she has a cob on she has a cob on, but she doesn't want me to fall off.

I have leading in over balanced her and brought her down, she still does it, backed her up, moved her around, still does it, ignored, does it, she will stop in a few days and go back to her usual placid self to lead in and ride. If she could talk she would be saying a few offs and v signs.
 
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Fortunately I have no experience on board of rearing. I have on the ground but that is different. I have seen a horse rear with a rider on board and it wasn't nice at all, poor lass came off backwards and the horse narrowly escaped landing on her - he was a stallion and had got rather over heated in a small school with a mare present. She was unharmed and unfazed, I suspect she'd seen him do his worst on more than one occasion.
 
I have never had to deal with a rearer - but I've been told that you should bring them down by pulling their head to one side and then immediately make them do what they were being asked to do again and repeat if they continue to rear but only if it is definitely a behavioural issue - obviously if it is pain that is causing them to rear then you address the pain first.
 
I have the tick in the box for this one.

Chanter use to rear and then spin on landing. Not anymore and not high.

Ginger reared a couple of months ago it was high and I jumped off and landed next to him. I got back on and carried on like nothing happened (for the record I was :poop: myself)

He tried again at a comp I just sat forward and tugged the reins down and low this stopped him. The again when out hacking on out own. I felt the tell tale signs, a couple of steps backward and the front end goes light I did the same as again, leaned forward and pulled the reins down this stopped him in his tracks and he moved froward after a while trying a new technique.

As for on the ground I am :poop: at dealing with this but luckly for me neither do it.
 
I don't like rearers, Petri can rear on the ground from time to time and when her poll was out she would go vertical and lunge with her feet .. but that was due to pain and is sorted now .. on the ground I can't deal with it very well ..

ridden Petri doesn't rear the most she has done is bunnyhop .. again that was sure to sore poll and sorted now .. Menna however will lift her front end when excited or scared .. I lean forward and give her her head as she only does tiny ones ..

as for what would I prefer ... bucks always .. as much as they come from nowhere and can unseat you .. I would rather be thrown over my horses head .. than the horse go up fall over and land on top of me .. as I have seen happen ..



and as for people who teach their horse to rear ... well .. lets just say I do not agree .. and I won't say anymore on that matter or I will be here all day
 
WeeBarraxO said:
and as for people who teach their horse to rear ... well .. lets just say I do not agree .. and I won't say anymore on that matter or I will be here all day
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We would need a glass a wine because I would join you on the not agreeing with it part. Its not clever.
 
newforest said:
We would need a glass a wine because I would join you on the not agreeing with it part. Its not clever.
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oh yes,

I have seen it go wrong so many times .. and also have a friend whos horse was taught to rear by someone who loaned her off of previous owner .. again not ended well .. so stupid
 
A rearer, side saddle is a potential killer, if they go over there's no way you can get out from under them. Bucking is easier than astride.

I find rearing is either a young, impatient stallion thing. (front end of a stallion is far more dangerous than the back end) or it's pain or the last ditch attempt to communicae with a human.

If you can feel a rear coming, I tend to back off and change the subject. One of our stallions discovered rearing as a threat, "let me do what I want or I'll rear" in company. One day he reared really violently and he went over backwards with me. I managed to get out from under and roll out the way before a massive pair of buttocks descended on top of me. He was so shocked and so upset he never did it again! :D
 
In my experience only ever had a horse rear once.... it was my loveable Victory... only did it once due to being absolutely terrified in an enclosed space.... as it was his first time rearing he lost his balance and sat down.. I fell off and he rolled on top of me.

I never ever ever want to experience that again. I would prefer a massive buck any day.

Also.. as Victory had no rearing history and hasn't ever done it since.. I was totally unprepared and didn't even get a sign he was going to do it... it was wham bam too late... I didn't have a chance to do anything.
 
Claire1605 said:
In my experience only ever had a horse rear once.... it was my loveable Victory... only did it once due to being absolutely terrified in an enclosed space.... as it was his first time rearing he lost his balance and sat down.. I fell off and he rolled on top of me.

I never ever ever want to experience that again. I would prefer a massive buck any day.

Also.. as Victory had no rearing history and hasn't ever done it since.. I was totally unprepared and didn't even get a sign he was going to do it... it was wham bam too late... I didn't have a chance to do anything.
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That's really:skull: scary:poop:
 
Wally said:
If you can feel a rear coming, I tend to back off and change the subject. One of our stallions discovered rearing as a threat, "let me do what I want or I'll rear" in company. One day he reared really violently and he went over backwards with me. I managed to get out from under and roll out the way before a massive pair of buttocks descended on top of me. He was so shocked and so upset he never did it again! :D
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:poop::poop: I would be shocked and upset too - never mind the horse!!
 
Claire1605 said:
Funnily enough Mrs T.. your :poop: is not too far wrong... I wet myself when it happened... literally... but I also put that down to having two children and a not so good undercarriage anymore lol :frown: :redface:
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Yeah, it was definitely the having children - you had an excuse, I fear I wouldn't lol!!!
 
Yann said:
From what I've seen horses will rear either when they're overwhelmed mentally or physically and can't escape, but it can also become a learned behaviour. Even the nicest horses can rear in the wrong circumstances, Rio's front feet did leave the ground once or twice in various circumstances when we first had her while my daughter was riding her, never anything serious, but I'd trust her with my life these days. Same went for a friend's horse when first introduced to hacking, she was patient and everything worked out very well eventually.

On the ground I've had one or two go up when being loaded with a halter, again too much pressure, the best tactic seems to be to ignore the rear itself and slow the job down a bit.
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I agree Yann .. Victory reared because he was mentally overwhelmed that he couldn't escape... he didn't know what else to do. Luckily though it didn't result in learned behaviour as 4 years on he has never done this again... I think it scared him as much as me... it gave him whiplash and had to get the back lady out and gave me a broken toe, severely bruised pelvis and severe mental consequences that took me a long time to overcome.
 
Littles rears on the ground if he's anxious. I just get him going round me in a circle when this happens and ignore him until he's back to normal then give him a scratch and try something else. It'd be wrong to escalate pressure, tell him off or get excitable. Poor fella didn't have a good start to life.

My favourite horse when I was a teenager was an Appaloosa used to rear. He was was used for driving and objected to any use of leg or gripping. It had to be all voice and rein. As many youngster are, I was fearless back then.
 
My horse reared once, but he was in pain and no where else to go. When he did that I knew he must have been in immense pain. We were clipping his feathers and his legs were so sore answer swollen. :(
 
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