How Do You Break a Horse From Rearing Up?

Lil' Ramona

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Hey ya'll! I am a relatively inexperienced rider. I've had 2 years of English lessons and leased a horse for the last year so I'm used to pampered, lazy lesson horses. My husband and I want to do some trail riding together so we started looking for horses of our own. I found a quarter horse that "needed me". Newbie mistake. He is 11 years old and has a history of abuse. He was being trained as a barrel horse and they used harsh discipline. He has a scar on one cheek where it looks like they used a barbed bit. He is terribly headshy. He is a beautiful horse tho and seeing the look of fear in his eyes broke my heart. I do have somewhat of a natural way with animals. I bought him from a young gal that purchased him at an auction. She had him for over a year and made good progress with him but she no longer had time for him since she started college.

I've had Chief for about 3 weeks. I did not ride him prior to buying him because I wanted to build trust first. I did see him riden tho and was impressed. I have been lunging him daily and leading him around. I've been using a lot of possitive reinforcement and rewards (treats) when he does well. I've made progress. I can now touch his face some.

Today I saddled him up and we went for our first ride. I used a copper snaffle bit on him and even tho his bridle fit well he didn't seem comfortable with the bit. He was just kind of figgity with it. I walked him down my neighbors dirt drive, past her horses and he did great so I decided to take him on our trail thru the woods to the creek and he was wonderful. When we came out of the woods however he started acting rather stubborn. I wanted to go right towards home and he wanted to go left to the neighbors. I stood my ground with him and gave him a lot of left leg and pulled the right rein. He reared on me! I reached down and grabbed the reins as close as I could to the bit and managed to stay on.

I'm not sure what the problem was but I am afraid of it happening again. I spoke to the seller and she was surprised. She said she's never known him to do that and I believe her. I saw her ride him hard and I also saw her put her 4 year old on him. She's an experienced rider and never would have put her child on him if he were not gentle. I've never seen the slightest bit of aggression from him until today and he has always been ready to please.

My question is this: given his abusive history how do I discourage this behavior without making him fearful of me? He needs to know who's boss and that foolishness will not be tollerated. I think I did good by staying on him; I didn't let him win. I'm hoping this was just a one time thing.

Thanks for reading!
Laura
 

mully

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He may not like the bit...see if you can get the bit from the seller that she was using.... horses do not like change and can put up a fuss. See if that does not make a difference.
 

LauraM

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The very first thing you should check is physical problems. While it's natural in this situation to automatically think that it is behavioral, very often rearing (especially with the prior behavior of "fidgeting with the bit") is the result of a mouth or tooth problem. Have you had his teeth checked? When was the last time he had his teeth floated? He could have an abcessed tooth or a gum infection.

You said you used a copper snaffle, which is the mouthpiece, but what about the outer part of the bit (that the reins and headstall attach to)? Check to make sure it is not too small for his mouth. You should be able to lay a finger between the corner of his lips and the ring of the bit. If it's too small, it will smash the opposite side (of the rein you are using) against his teeth. Also, if you use a loose ring, those can often catch and pinch the lips when engaged by a rein (I don't care for them for this reason).

A bit I often use on sensitive or abused horses is a french-link eggbut. This is a very mild bit that is comfortable for any horse's mouth, even those with a fat tongue or a low palette.
 

Lil' Ramona

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Thank you both for the great info! I was inclined to think it was a bit problem since he was so figgity with it and he has no history of rearing up. I'll try the french-link eggbut bit until I receive his bit from the seller. I think he has potential to be a good horse and he was really starting to bond with me. I just hope that has not been damaged.

Thanks again!
Laura
 

FarmerChick

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new place, new owner, new everything.....he might have been just testing you and not sure of himself yet with his surroundings and you as a rider. be firm...never give in or he wins. you gotta be boss and let him know you will keep him in good situations and not bad ones. you are the leader.

if he has no history of rearing, you should be fine..

honestly, for me, I would NEVER buy a horse I did not ride. There is no way I would do that---I know how easy one can fall into that trap...I almost always want to buy every single horse I ever see...LOL

My first horse Willy (QH)---they said he was dead broke and perfect. Icy, icy day. Lady said she wouldn't ride him on ice, I said I sure was if I was going to buy him.....when saddling him up I noticed he tried to bite my elbow when I chinced the girth...lol..broke him of that real fast, but honestly, saddling and riding and working that horse just like you would every day after you buy him sure makes you know if he is the right horse for you. Willy rode perfect on ice.....didn't ride long but I had to have a feel for what I was buying. Perfect horse for 20 years after that icy ride day..lol
 

freemotion

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Number ONE, he must go FORWARD when you tell him to, no matter what. Forward is the cure for rearing when it is happening, unless they went too high and go over. I'd rather deal with a running or bucking horse any day of the week over a rearing horse. I know of too many people who were injured or permanently off horses from having a horse go over backwards on them. (Their horse often ends up at the auction, btw......)

So work on sending him forward on the lunge and from the saddle, so that the instant you say "go" with legs, voice, etc, he goes! He's gotta get that front end back on the ground in order to go forward. Do NOT pull on the reins no matter what, give him his head so you don't pull him over backwards.

Of all the naughty things a horse can do, rearing is probably the most dangerous. Don't mean to sound....er.....mean?.....but I've been around horses long enough to have a very healthy respect for the damage they can do. Be careful!!!
 

mully

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Lil' Ramona said:
Thank you both for the great info! I was inclined to think it was a bit problem since he was so figgity with it and he has no history of rearing up. I'll try the french-link eggbut bit until I receive his bit from the seller. I think he has potential to be a good horse and he was really starting to bond with me. I just hope that has not been damaged.

Thanks again!
Laura
I do not think you "damaged him" Get him a bit he likes and start over...this is a learning process for both of you. Positive reinforcement will go far. Remember you are the boss and he is your student, do it with love, kindness and firmness with repetition and it will all fall into place. Good Luck !!
 

()relics

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freemotion said:
Number ONE, he must go FORWARD when you tell him to, no matter what. Forward is the cure for rearing when it is happening, unless they went too high and go over. I'd rather deal with a running or bucking horse any day of the week over a rearing horse. I know of too many people who were injured or permanently off horses from having a horse go over backwards on them. (Their horse often ends up at the auction, btw......)

So work on sending him forward on the lunge and from the saddle, so that the instant you say "go" with legs, voice, etc, he goes! He's gotta get that front end back on the ground in order to go forward. Do NOT pull on the reins no matter what, give him his head so you don't pull him over backwards.

Of all the naughty things a horse can do, rearing is probably the most dangerous. Don't mean to sound....er.....mean?.....but I've been around horses long enough to have a very healthy respect for the damage they can do. Be careful!!!
Yep...if he starts to rear push him forward hard...you will feel when he is thinking about rearing and that is the time to push, with your heels,spurs,crop,whatever lets him know "It is time to go"...You will feel him gather himself as he decides whether or not he wants to rear...Make sure you are balanced and get a firm grip on him then PUSH him...Don't let him stop until you want him to stop....bucking and running are a fact of life...Rearing is not to be tolerated....JMO...It would be easier if you were more experienced.....Don't hurt yourself, if you can't handle the horse hire someone to "fix" him before he does hurt you...
 

ducks4you

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Has anybody here ever tried the trick where you burst a balloon full of warm water on the poll as the chronic horse rears? I know...it sounds like a juggling trick, but I hear that the horse believes he hit something and has started to bleed, so it scares him into stopping the behavior.
 
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