I've encountered a new situation and am looking for advice. My 5 year old gelding is starting a new habit of rearing when I want him to stand still. He's not getting much height however I want to get this sorted out before it gets serious.

I have lounged him and he stops and stands well. The same in the round pen. He likes open spaces and loves to run. I've had him for about six months and all his previous training and experience has been in riding arenas, whereas I take him out into open fields and trails. On trails he's excellent and at times cautious. In the open he's impatient to run. Thoughts.....

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Hi,
my initial response to this is "let him run". Give him a good canter in the open field. If he is running well he will not run much more than 2000m without offering to slow down by himself. Accept it after let's say another 50m. It may just be that ne needs to live out his power. Do it about 2 or 3 times per week. He will slow down. Don't overstrain him, you just want him to use his power, you don't need to win a race. It may well be that his initial rearing attemps were just a sign of impatience.

When he does stand in the arena, just reward him with a treat. This will make him feel comfortable and eating horses don't rear. After a while you ask for a little longer stand still before he gets the treat. Make sure you don't pull too heavy at the reins.

If that doen't work you will have to research a bit more about the reasons. Maybe he gets sensitive to the reins, which is a very frequent reason or there is some pain involved. Ask for a Vet check. There maybe something wrong with the teeth, back, legs, saddle, bridle anything etc.

Ask a professional to have a look at you and your horse. He may see pretty quickly if there is a problem with your exercising of the horse and he can suggest what to do.

I have corrected some rearing horses in the past. From what you write here I think the best bet is to give him more work without pulling the reins too much and reward the correct behaviour.
If that won't work, I'm afraid you will need professional advice.
My experience is that really rearing horses -much worse than your's- have a health problem (80%+) some way or the other or have been mistreated very badly by some people. (leading to a health problem)

However your description sounds more like a young horse being a bit nervous in new environment with a need to use his power and learn to accept a new situation. That would be nothing really difficult, just don't fall off in the first 300m when you let him run :-)))
Good stuff to think on. My gut feeling is that you're right, it is impatience to get moving. I often see him out in the pasture with the rest of the herd shaking his head encouraging them to play and run.
I once bought an Arabian stallion who who came with a rearing problem when asked to do something he found objectionable. He always warned you by hopping a bit first. As it turned out he disliked being spun to the left, and by doing that when he started hopping he made the connection and stopped the behavior with occasional reminders.

However, I would agree that it sounds more of a I-don't-want-to-stand-still-would- rather- run situation. Just remember that if you allow him to go for a nice run to never let him go full out and ask him to go a little farther than he wants to go so that you can be the one to slow him down and ask him to stop.

Rearing is often a sign that the horse feels the need to move forward and feels trapped. Perhaps walking him with lots of short stops and gradually making the halts longer before you attempt to mount. Also, you might try a mounting block so that you do not have to pull on the reins when mounting as that might be part of the problem as well.

Liz
Thanks, I give the short halts a try. He's an great horse who's curious and gentle, just seems to get impatient after he's discovered the fun of open pastures and trails.
Rearing is a very serious problem, usually horses rear because they want to avoid something. I had a really bad rearing horse and the way I handled it was to move him forward before he could go up. I also used a crop and knocked him on the head lightly to keep him from going up.
A horse cannot rear if he is going forward so when you feel like he is going to go up squeeze him forward and circle him.
I have worked with off the track horses who love to run what you need to do is teach them to relax, hold off on the running and do lots of one rein stops and circles. The second your horse goes faster then you want bend him around and circle a few times. Trying to run it out of them only creates a fit horse that is being taught to run.
I would also get on my horse and sit there for a minue or two before going anywhere have his head turned towards your foot and you should be fine. Is he getting too much grain and enough exercise?
Good luck
Good advice. The difficulty is that he wants to get moving now even before I'm fully seated in the saddle. I halt him and that's when he starts his hopping and rearing, he wants to go. I've been moving him forward then pulling his head around so that we go in circles until he stops on his own. Then I hold him there for a few moments and then relax and praise him. Then we go in the other direction. Just as I think he's settled he wants to get going again and it is becoming more difficult to get him to stand still.

Now when we are on the trail and we turn around to wait for others he's fine. Once they catch up he wants to get moving right away. If he is following others and they stop, he'll stop. The problem seems to exist when he's out front or on his own. I'm also not letting him take his head and run whenever he wants. Actually I'm not letting him run when we go for a ride. Once I can get some snow cleared out of the riding arena I'll do some work at the canter with him then.

I also do not want to use restraints of any sort as I want to correct the behaviour not just restrict it. Oh, he does this under western and english saddle, blankets, or pads.
I agree with Steve Wawryk, with the running just be patient and work on slow and quiet and trying to get him to relax, working with him in the arena beforehand is also a good idea. Just go slow and get him in the right mind-set for work, stay at a walk or a trot but ask some collection of him (squeze with your legs and gently pull on the reins- he does know how to collect), Do patterns (I can drop off a book that has a ton of working patterns to help) Ride him in the arena but do something other than just go in circles. I'd also suggest not running in the fields untill you can get him quiet. nothing faster than a slow trot for several weeks even. Once he learns that being out in the field does not mean running, then you can go back up to a gentle canter. The gentle is important. Theres a big difference between a slow quiet lope and the full out gallop he wants to do.


for the walking away: when you're trying to mount, put him on long split reins, go to get on him and when he starts to move lunge him in a small circle around you. stop him and try again. try to make standing still his "happy place" when he stands quietly prasie him, rub him. the second he starts to move, lunge him around. Don't get on him untill he is standing still. This will take a few tries. He will quickly learn that he will get what he wants (to get going) will be achieved by standing still and getting you on his back, but moving around gets small circles. I try to make the lunging around you a not happy place - voice & body can be kind of agressive with him, he's not a shy or spooky horse. I've had lots of sucess with this. (and no problems lunging in a normal atmosphere).

As far as the rearing goes, its Regent's way of saying no. When I was riding him, it was when I asked him to stand still or go a direction he didn't want to go. He's not nervous/hurt/ect. Part of the problem you're facing right now is starting a fight with a rearing horse in knee deep or higher snow (or ice) is problematic. Normally I'd suggest a solid correction and then making him do whatever it is that he's objecting to (I usally take rearing very seriously as it can be very dangerous and I alwasy seem to get handed down the rearing ones), however taking in the footing into consideration, I'd ride through the rearing, essentially ignoring it the same way you would prancing. Let him throw his hissy fit, then ask him to stand, then make him do whatever it was he didn't want to do. Just be patient and let him know it doesn't faze you, and he's still going to have to do what he didn't want to do. He's trying it on with you, and this may solve it. Its not the best solution, but the footing does concern me, the last thing you need is him slipping and comming back on you.
Some horses do well to learn to bend and flex.... turn him and bend him whenever he starts to go forward and soften him..... he might not feel the need to bolt...
Sounds good.....thnx
Thanks Sarah, now if this weather would just break.....
Steve If he is moving when you are getting up make sure you have his head bent in towards you that way if he trys to walk away he will have to turn into you . I would work on getting him to stand still, if he moves when you try to get on then step down and make him move drive his back end away fron you and make him want to stand still. This is a lot of work with a sensitive horse but pays off in the long run. you can swing the end of your split rein at his hip don't hit him just take control of his feet when he stops quit and try to get up again. You can also try and back him up from the ground if he moves befor you are up. If you are up and he walks on back him up or turn him and bend him if you think he is going to rear. Good Luck I know how frustrating rearing horses can be but you will fix it.
Steve
I would have to disagree with letting him run. I think as others do that he is impatient and wants to go go go. For me, I wouldn't let him go go go, I would be more concerned on asking for a nice walk down the trail (using the half halts that were mentioned) and a good stand still and whoa until their is no chomping on the bit, and their is complete relaxation, also He will then start to assume that he gets to run which can make him have an even bigger hissy fit when you don't let him. As for him walking away when you are trying to mount, hold the opposite rein tighter than the inside rein as you don't mount from his head, you mount from his barrel, so having his barrel closer to you while your in the midst of mounting will be easier then getting headbutted or bulled right into you. I really like backing up, asking for shoulder over and hip over as it keeps their minds focused and not bored, as a slowing down method.

If you choose to keep letting him have a good run try and keep it on the lunge. If you choose to run undersaddle with him make sure he KNOWS HIS WHOA!

when he walks away from you when your mounting, whoa, and back him back up to the mounting block, make him stand, play around with your tack just really make him be patient, then try again, once he hasn't moved, mount, then walk undersaddle, then get off, and try mounting again (you want to see if he learned something) if he stays quiet and doesn't walk off then mount and continue your ride, if he walks repeat the process until you can get off, and then remount without him walking away. (remember he may take A step in order to balance the change of weight)

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