Hackamore in the right place?

How old is he? Does he have tooth pain and that is why he reared with a bit? Wolf teeth?

I would be concerned he would start rearing again with that hack. The amount of pressure it will put on his chin and nose and most likely sending confusing signals.

Ever tried a bosal? They are for finished horses though so that may be an option later on.

He is 4yrs old, and a quarab. I just started him this summer. He doesnt have wolf teeth, I keep an eye out for them, adn check them at every farrier appt. He reared with a bit when we first started him. And we started him twice. He would do really well for a few days then regress and start rearing. I asked my friend for help, and we started the second time, and he regresses again after a few great days, then flipped backwards with my friend on the saddle when she asked him to go right and he didnt want to. Luckily, he fell sideways. I had a professional trainer come out, and after working with him he had the same thoughts I did, and gave me tools to help. He was trying really hard (he likes to please ANY rider really), but he OVER thinks things, and then gets frustrated when you keep asking, and he was a little herd bound so he wants to seek shelter of the other horses. So I got his focus back on me by playing games and making him realize I could keep him safe, and instead of the hack, we had him in the rope halter. I had to jiggle the reins instead of pull. And it only took a few days until he turned really well, and got what I was asking him. Now we are at the point that he knows what I want him to do, but he is immature and isnt always paying attention. Or doesnt care that I am asking him, lol.... Mostly it's his breaks. He gets excited in a trot and starts going fast and faster, and he's not ready, but the rope halter wasnt slowing him, he completely ignored it. I didnt like the bitless bridle (I bought the one feature at Horse Expo this year, can't remember the name offhand). I didnt like it bc it didnt seem to loosen when a rein was pulled. It didnt get his attention much either. My friend hack worked pretty well. I was happy with it, and I only had to use small wide cues with my fingers.

I havent tried a bosal... But I would like to move him to one later if I can.

Ok I had the same problems with Lizzy. I got her this winter and she was a completely unbroken 19 year old pure arab. She still doesn't have brakes, they are better, no bolting anymore but not great.

How many different bits have you tried? It could be the bit was uncomfortable, hurt, too big in his mouth, there's many possibilities. I have not and will not ride my girl without a bit, too much risk of her bolting. She went through a rearing phase too, still does mini rears sometimes. But the easiest and quickest way to put an end to that is as soon as he pops up, while he is still in the motion of going up (this part is very important), take your hand and make a fist and hit hard between his ears. Sounds bad but it will hurt you more than him. They think they hit their head when they went up. Since he is a quarab he should learn very fast and that should work.

I would love to ride Lizzy in a sidepull, hack, bosal, eventually on the trails but at this point I don't think we will get there, she just has to much energy.

Oh and how do you check for wolf teeth when the farrier is there? He lets you put your hand all the way in his mouth? When was the last time his teeth were floated. I'm guessing there was a pain issue somewhere with the bit.

I'd probably loosen the chain just a little since those shanks give no warning.
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I can't loosen it anymore, and it was really throwing him off a little, so I have to get a longer one. I found out a girl that lives close to me is really knowledgeable with. I havent had a problem with him rearing since we started over after the trainer came out for one day! Only problem is stopping. And he seems to be getting better. Oh, and when he reared, we had started putting him in bits. Yea, we put our fingers way back to feel his molars. He is scheduled for his first float next month bc he has a few sharp spots but nothing major. I scheduled it for next month bc I have to borrow a trailer to take them to the vet stable. I always check, then my friend checks. We just do it during farrier appts so we remember to do it. I had my other friend check them today too, and she agreed that they weren't very bad, just starting. I'm going for manual float.

Well there is a very good chance that he was rearing with a bit because it was making his mouth hurt because of his teeth. Even if they aren't that bad, if he had never had a bit before it could have been the problem. After he gets his teeth done give him a couple weeks for his mouth to get better then I would try again. Could also be that his wolf teeth are starting to come in, so you can't feel them yet but he can.

It might be hard trying to find another longer chain for it, good luck.

I use a bosal and love it. My Arab likes it also. Let me see if I can get a picture on here. It is from my phone so it is not very good, but you
Get the idea.




I only use it on finished horses though, I once had a very hard mouthed QH cross and I used a simple snaffle on him instead.

If you want to ride bitless then I'd suggest you go for something on the lines of a Dr Cook. They fit more 'snugly' than a halter type bosal and work more like riding in a headcollar with the pressure just evenly on the nose. There are a few different makes out there. We bought a synthetic one from Dover saddlery for our forward going and quite strong mare who over reacts to too much pressure by running away from it.
If you wanted the extra stopping power of a hackamore you could try an English hackamore - they have much shorter shanks and you can add extra sheepskin. They were designed for the UK market - so you can ride 'side pull' in them - we don't neck rein in the UK!!!
Eva Roemaat has a good video on Youtube about 'going bitless' showing different options.

He never had a bit in his mouth except for two days of training (and he never reared. He reared after he was on day 5 of training during groundwork, no bit, just lounging, then again with a rider. All instances of his rearing were WITHOUT a bit! The rider had a hack on him. He was throwing a hissy fit. He has not reared since the professional trainer gave him an attitude adjustment and showed me how to get his focus.

And the other instances was with a rope halter on a lunge line. He was getting frustrated we wouldnt let him go back to the other horses. So we took him out and worked in in the herd. It worked! No more rearing! He is a great mount (especially for a youngster). Just need his brakes worked on, and I want to make sure nothing I use will give him a bad experience.