[angie j]

Originally Posted by anaderi14

Two weeks ago, he began rearing while I lead him. First he quickens his step, then runs past and almost over me, and rears.

Are there any simillarities as to: place, time, situations regarding the way he rears? IE. comming in from the field, preparing to tack up, leaving buddies? Or is the rearing random? Is it in a confined environment (pasture) or open space (from gate to barn). What leading type 'ground work' is being done presently to keep him well 'tuned'?

[calypsoscarnivl]

Honestly, some horses need to have that "come to Jesus" moment when it comes to rearing.

If a horse is rearing out of fear, that is something that I am willing to be calm, patient and work with. If a horse is rearing out of disrespect, that warrents an @ss kicking of epic proportion in my book. I do not beat my horses nor am I cruel to them, but rearing while leading is a direct threat to my safety and is unacceptable

The best way to stop rearing is to prevent it from happening in the first place. Do a lot of groundwork, moving your horses' hip, shoulder, head, ect. Back them up and get them to drop theie head with slight pressure. About all, praise them when they do the right thing, correct when they do the wrong thing. Don't take it personally. We have all been there at some point with a horse that is trying out new things.

I also second a trainer. My gelding went through a real rank phase while coming back from an injury and I got a real cowgirl out to help me. It was the best money I ever spent.

Please be very careful!

[BlingRacer]

I don't normally condone violence but when it comes to rearing I do. I will absolutely whup the tar out of a horse for rearing.

My mom's show horse reared up and flipped over on her twice (under saddle). Not because she was hurting him or doing anything wrong either...just because she wouldn't let him go join the other horses he wanted to be near.

The third time he tried, he didn't get enough momentum to flip, and as soon as she realized he wasn't going over, she proceeded to bop him several times square between the ears. She actually hit him so hard she thought her hand was broke.

While I'm not a big fan of violence towards animals, I have to say that was 5yrs ago and he's never brought his front feet off the ground since.

[meljean]

Also, you need to keep a better awareness of what is going on while you are leading him. A horse will tell you he is fixing to act up. He gets an "alert" feel to him, lighter on his feet, tail may start to flag, head raises, nostrils flare.
If you get one of these signs, move to correct then before the front feet come off of the ground.
Use a chain shank, can run it through near halter ring, over nose, wrapping one time around noseband, and snap to off ring. Pop it one time before you ever lead off, and each time you feel him "air up" and get light on his feet, pop.

Also, you said he is four, horses attitude can change tremendously between 3 and 5, a horse that is a dream suddenly is a holy terror, and vice versa.

Also, I assume you are leading him somewhere for a reason? So, when he rears, you need to correct him and continue to destination. If you deviate, then he is winning this battle.

And Blingracer, I loved your post, your mom got horses attention! Have done same thing as her. And solved problem, and immediately. Is your mother still living?

Many times horses just don't want to do something, they just flat don't want to. And they will try any thing they can to get out of it, and if owners let them, then you have a 1000 lb pink flamingo, or nothing but a yard ornament.

[SweetSavannah]

If you have a horse that is rearing (and you have also mentioned that he used to kick and bite) I’d be looking very closely at when and how this behaviour started. I can almost guarantee that there have been little signs leading up to this point, signs you might not have noticed but they were certainly there. Subtle things like walking in front of you when leading, placing himself in your path in the paddock or stable, maybe even coming into your space and pushing you with his body. Biting and kicking are all dominance things which makes me think that the rearing is also a dominance thing rather than a fear thing. Before you go about addressing the rearing issue you need to address how this horse is handled as a whole. Are you consistent with your training? Do you have clear boundaries? Does he stay out of your personal space unless invited? Are there any conflicting messages in your training (eg: you hit him when you want him to stand still, but also hit him to get him to move forward)?

He is 4 years old, almost fully grown, he sure does not count as a “baby” anymore. It’s one thing when a foal rears but another thing completely when an adult horse rears. You could seriously get hurt. Get a professional to help you before it becomes a habit, and have someone show you how to deal with the horse when he acts up. Rears don’t just come out of nowhere, the horse will usually give you a few signs that he is thinking of rearing. When you see these signs you need to keep his attention, make him move his feet, yield his hindquarters… do something to distract him. Horses are not good at multi-tasking. If you give him something that he has to THINK about then he will not be able to think about rearing. The biggest mistake people make with a rearing horse is to try and get it to stand still. No. Keep him moving. Don’t give him the chance to stand still and think about clever tricks like rearing. Make him move and keep him thinking about what you’re going to ask him to do next. You need to get your groundwork up to scratch so he knows what you are asking him to do. As much as I hate to say it… get some Parelli dvds and watch how Pat keeps his horse’s mind occupied. Try and make your training more interesting and keep his attention focused on you!

[BlingRacer]

Yes she's still living. And still showing that stupid horse....I could write a whole thread about how quirky he is.

[angie j]

Originally Posted by SweetSavannah

Rears don’t just come out of nowhere, the horse will usually give you a few signs that he is thinking of rearing. ....... Don’t give him the chance to stand still and think about clever tricks like rearing.

That's what I was getting at when asking about the circumstances under which the horse rears.

My gelding reared earlier this year while leading into the pasture. NOw, he was just being led with a rope slung over his neck and He decided the paddock was just to far away from his 'harem', so, he reared and returned to them. Next day, same thing, same place and I know He is just 'stickin his tongue out at me' ...in a horsey way. Day 3 I put a halter on Him and carry a longue whip (I have NEVER hit him with a whip); Boy, did that get his attention! "But mom.... I was just kiddin... Don't take it so seriously!!" To him it was just a game. He hasn't reared since and It just took 'me' changing my behavior to attain the correct responce.

[nicz2cu]

Bumping this up for a friend .

[MuckMuck]

There are a couple points that I would like to make about a rearing horse and the dynamics of a horse being on two legs.

A horse is front heavy and not very balanced standing on two legs (they really need 4 to get around).

A horse can not rear if their rear end is moving sideways (disengage the hind quarters).

If a horse rears,then step to the side of the horse and pull the lead rope.
The horse is off balance and does not like feeling off balance.
The horse likes to feel in control.
The horse will feel like he is falling over and horses don't like to feel like they are falling over at all.

If you know that a horse has a tendency to rear,then catch the rear before it happens and disengage the hind end every time the horse starts to get ready to rear.

No beating required!

[StarfireArizona]

Originally Posted by MuckMuck

If you know that a horse has a tendency to rear,then catch the rear before it happens and disengage the hind end every time the horse starts to get ready to rear.

No beating required!

I don't believe in beating a horse or any animal either, but some need as calypsoscarnivl mentioned, that come to Jesus moment. My big OTTB gelding's response to EVERYTHING was to rear. Leading, asking him to back up, moving out on a line or in the round pen.....etc etc etc. 3 years ago my family was getting ready for an informal holiday portrait for Xmas cards.....and my husband trying to lead Tino from the stall to where we were gathering at the far end of the arena prompted a rearing marathon. Rick got flustered & yelled "it AIN'T gonna happen tonight"....and I responded "ooooooooooooooh YES it IS gonna happen!".

I initiated a rear from Tino, which didn't take much & then proceeded to do as stated above. The second I saw the look come into his eyes & he started up, I walked outward to the side but facing his shoulder, and I pulled him back down to the side. Once all 4 were on the ground, I started chasing that hiney around & giving it a snap with the end of the lead to enforce my command. Did it for at least 15-20 seconds both ways where that rear end was flying around in a circle....and then made him briskly back up. He started to consider rearing again, and the millisecond I saw that body language, I did the hindquarter yielding again. Once he kept his feet down and I could make him back up without incident, I started bumping him in the chest to make him back up faster. You could see he was thinking about rearing, but I kept those feet moving so fast there was no way to go anywhere but backwards. We got our portrait done within 20 minutes.

This was not the last attempt at rearing, but I did the very same thing every time, and finished with FAST backing....so fast I was walking ahead at full speed and he was flying backwards just like in Clint Anderson's videos. It didn't take long before he realized there was a definite pattern forming here, and he gave up on that little show of evasion. Every once in a while he tests my position, and I begin the 75 mph backing sequence....but the only rearing is when I am walking so fast at him bumping him in the chest that he can't get that front end away from me fast enough & he lifts the front feet slightly trying to avoid the bumping & sort of jumps back. We now have an understanding