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how would i stop buck rearing out on rides?

7K views 30 replies 11 participants last post by  murrayhallbuccaneer 
#1 ·
Hey guys :)

you see i have a problem with buck, it's probably what im doing with him but i need to know right? whenever i take him out on a ride, without company he always tries to go home, spins round and tries to take off, when he is stopped he will rear up as small as a slight hop or as big as "OH CRAP HES GONNA GO OVER" big, none of it scares me much but when you go out on your horse for a relaxing ride to get away from the stress of a work place (my case the yard haha) it gets annoying when all he does is rear up and wanna make the ride stressful and not-very-relaxing-kinda fun.

On the other hand, when we go out on rides WITH company, he wont stay with the other horses or people, we will try and go whatever way he wants to go if he spooks at something, or if he decides thats not the way he wants to go.

is this something ive brought on myself, lack of respect from him? or am i riding him wrong, ive tried to just loosen contact and stand him still to calm him down, but thats another opening to turn for home, or whatever way hes decided to go.

sorry long post but the naughty horsey needs to be stopped! haha..


in case this helps, the tack hes got is:
cavasson bridle with a kimberwick straightbar and curbchain
english saddle and high whither numnah
draw reins (was told that they might stop him rearing and taking off completely, has worked for not running off, not rearing)

maybe that might help find the problem?:-|​

Sorry for the long post again!​

:)Leanne and buck xx:wink:​
 
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#2 ·
Well first of all I'd get those draw reins off of him asap. IMO that's just dangerous. You might actually be inviting him to rear with those on. Is there any reason why you ride him in a kimberwick? Personally I don't like those bits, so maybe you could experiement with another bit? Just a thought.

When he refuses to go without company that is a confidence issue usually. Just do approach and retreat with him. Take him away from the other horses and when you feel the FIRST bit of tension, hesitation, etc. stop and walk back toward the other horses. You need to respect his thresholds. Once he has more confidence in you he will feel more comfortable with you so he won't put up a fight going out.
 
#4 ·
Well, I don't have a lot to add, because spirithorse already mentioned it, I had the same problem-still do--cause I still have to work on it. One of my mares doesn't want to leave the other one and she took of with me as well, spun around so fast I lost my balance only I wasn't as lucky as you, I bit the dust:cry:. She did that to me twice. I started to do what spirithorse said, take him out come back, take him out come back, each time take him just a little further eventually we should be able to take them wherever. Like I said I'm still working on it. As far as the bit, I'm no help:-(
Good Luck
 
#5 ·
A horse cannot rear if its weight is on its front end. The only way to truly establish the weight onto the front is to disengage his hind quarters.
The moment you feel him hesitate while going out, and wanting to head back home, disengage his hind end to the left, then right, then left, etc. basically, a serpentine. You're going to have to be on your toes and really paying attention to where his weight is. If he can hop up in front, you have not disengaged the hind end enough. You will be serpentining until you feel him say, "Geez, okay already, can we just walk forward now?" And then you release and see if he'll take you forward.
When you disengage the hind end, you must remain balanced over your saddle. If you want his hind end to go right, you lift the left rein straight up to the sky. Very important. Left leg gets busy to send it to the right. Once his hind end goes right, you ask for it left.
I stress the importance of your hand lifting straight upwards. The reason being that if you pull your rein out, or back, he can escape through that shoulder and get your number. Lifting your hand upwards speaks directly to the hind end, and blocks that shoulder from bulging out and away from the rein. Make sense?
Perhaps practice these maneuvers before you hit the trail. :)
Good luck, be safe.
Reward only the forward intention from the horse, which will come from the serpentines. If you ask for forward and your horse hesitates or refuses, serpentine some more.
 
#6 ·
ah right okay then :) i was told by julie (sold me the horse) that the draw reins would stop him blah and the kimberwick would stop him too, i also ride him in a snaffle (eggbutt jointed snaffle) when in the school and without the draw reins mostly, but ive not tried out on a ride, because i dont want to lose him if i do come off, since when i fall off in the snaffle and no draw reins, he carries on, and im afraid he would do that on a ride and go on the road and get himself killed

but i shall try that disengaging the hindend koomy56, first in the school then out on the trail when i got the hang of it :)

spirithorse i only ride him in the kimberwick because i was told he needed it by his previous owner, and since im still learning and shes been doing this for about 30 odd years maybe more, i trusted her to be right. what other kind of bit would be better? i mean i have a very mild snaffle bit but he it very leaning on that and the kimberwick probably doesnt help with the rearing because it is alot more severe than the snaffle.. and since ive had him he hasnt reared with the snaffle, just took off at amazing speeds OOPS!
 
#7 ·
Do you always ride him with contact on the reins, or do you let them be loose when out on the trail? If you DON'T ride with contact all the time your snaffle sounds fine. However if you DO ride with contact I'd look into a double jointed snaffle.

A bit should not be used for control. If a horse "needs" a bit for control there are some BIG holes in the horse's foundation that need attention. So you could ride him in a snaffle and if he goes to run off use a one rein stop on him. I would not, however, use a one rein stop with him if you are going to ride him in the kimberwick.
 
#8 ·
i usually do ride with a contact yes, because no contact = spinning round to go home.

i will take him out in his snaffle and see what he is like, and will ask boss about a double jointed one if its needed. im guessing that i should also go without the draw reins? :) im sure that he will stop rearing if he doesnt wear the kimberwick, but ive been lead to believe its what stops him running off, and of all things to scare me, i dont want him to run off and hurt himself if i fell off. ive not done so yet and dont want to know if he will go home, since that means going on the road, and its not a nice road!

ive got a plan in my head, ill take him out, snaffle and no draw reins, and if he acts up so badly that i feel i cant control him enough, ill just hop off and lead him some way then try again... then if it persists, walk him a way again but then hop on and go home, since hes good on the way home, doesnt rush home but when your going away hes naughty.

is that a bad idea? or just needs a slight altering? haha
 
#9 ·
The kimberwick is simply acting as a band-aid for the lack of his foundation in regards to him running off. It's not fixing the problem, it's masking it. And for me, masking problems isn't good enough :) I want to FIX the problem, which means working on the horse's foundation.

Your horse needs to learn the value of riding on a loose rein. The horse will always give you signs he's going to bolt BEFORE he actually does it. So when you see those signs use your one rein stop to gain control. Follow the principles behind the one rein stop method and your horse will learn to stay calm.

It's an excellent idea to take those draw reins off him. I'm a firm believer that if you get scared when riding your horse GET OFF! You will live to see another day and your confidence will remain intact. Work it out on the ground and then get back on if you feel okay. The feeling of fear is what keeps us safe and we need to listen to it.
 
#10 ·
Groundwork helped me a lot. I had almost exactly the same problem this spring (see my thread, Naughty Rearing Horse on here). I tried Koomy's advice and that has helped too. But before I took Soda out again after he reared, I worked him on the ground a lot. Just really simple stuff: leading, backing, whoa, etc. I groomed him daily, played with his feet, etc. I walked him on a lead away from the other horses. After about a week I took him out and it was a good ride. I think that the groundwork helped increase his trust and respect in me, which leads to a better ride. That may really help esp if he's a new to you horse.

Also, I didn't let him get away with the rearing or rushing home. Whenever I rode him and he would start trying to rush home by pushing through the bit/rearing/just taking off I made him work. Just back and forth in about a block or two area. We did circles, figure-8, serpentines, transitions, etc. After probably 2x of that he walks home on a loose rein every time I take him out now. *knock on wood* :)
 
#11 ·
Do some exercises like koomy said. BUT (don't take this as being rude, please) why on earth are you riding your horse, that puts you and him in danger, out on these trails where he can escape? Especially if he is a new horse to you and you BOTH are still learning. You should never put you or him in harms way. I really think that you should stick to exercises in an enclosed area like an arena or a round pen. Ground work would probably help you out a lot to get to know each other better.

Doing the serpentines is a good exercise, they will make your horse more responsive as well. If you can, get a full cheek snaffle. When you start doing the serpentines, use light rein and light leg - when he does what you want release the pressure. Then go the other way - back and forth. There are tons of exercises you can do to soften him and make you and he both more confident.

I would absolutely NOT take him back out on the trails with or without company. You need to do a lot of work with this horse and it isn't going to happen in a day, week, or month. If you take him back out you are only putting you at risk of breaking your neck, him at risk of getting hit by a car, the people driving the car at risk. Not to mention the other people who are with you at risk because they will probably take off after him to try to catch him. There is a whole array of MESS that can happen. I know you want to just go out and have fun on your horse, but horses take A LOT of work. It isn't a turn-your-key-and-go type of thing.

I really mean this in the most caring way. I am a huge animal lover and it absolutely KILLS me to hear of them getting hurt - even worse when it's horse and rider.
 
#14 ·
@shawneen, hey i really don't think he or i are in any danger, he doesnt do anything dangerous, or scary, just irritating, and i had taken him out today (before i had come on here) out in only his snaffle and no draw reins, and he only reared once, what i believe was out of habit rather than anything, he was pretty good compared to what i thought he would be. i wouldnt say hes a new horse, he certainly isnt still learning he's always gone out on rides with beginners before i had him, and never did a thing wrong, just lately when boss said i should put a kimberwick in and go out with it has he started rearing up.

@ilovemyphillip, ive had buck for just over 6 months now, not too long but i think our relationship is pretty good, maybe not as good as some peoples but a hell of alot better than it was when i got him, i can do anything with him really, but he is just a naughty boy on rides. what type of natural horsemanship do you think would help?

@spirithorse, yes i always get off if i feel slightly un-nerved, even out on a ride.

@MN_tigerstripes, yes ground work is quite good, and im thinking ill start doing more of it! would it help if i did it out in the back field, where he would get used to the surroundings etc, and start riding him out there before taking him out again?
 
#15 ·
@shawneen, hey i really don't think he or i are in any danger, he doesnt do anything dangerous, or scary, just irritating, and i had taken him out today (before i had come on here) out in only his snaffle and no draw reins, and he only reared once, what i believe was out of habit rather than anything, he was pretty good compared to what i thought he would be. i wouldnt say hes a new horse, he certainly isnt still learning he's always gone out on rides with beginners before i had him, and never did a thing wrong, just lately when boss said i should put a kimberwick in and go out with it has he started rearing up.

@ilovemyphillip, ive had buck for just over 6 months now, not too long but i think our relationship is pretty good, maybe not as good as some peoples but a hell of alot better than it was when i got him, i can do anything with him really, but he is just a naughty boy on rides. what type of natural horsemanship do you think would help?

@spirithorse, yes i always get off if i feel slightly un-nerved, even out on a ride.

@MN_tigerstripes, yes ground work is quite good, and im thinking ill start doing more of it! would it help if i did it out in the back field, where he would get used to the surroundings etc, and start riding him out there before taking him out again?
He shouldn't be rearing AT ALL. This IS dangerous whether he got you off of him or not - whether you were afraid or not. I think you and he both have trust issues. You can't completely trust him because you expect him to rear up and he can't trust you for whatever reason is causing him to rear. He is trying to tell you something is not right. Maybe it was the bit. I agree you shouldn't be riding with draw reins, which is good you got rid of them. I really think you should work with him more in a controlled environment to make sure that he is responding to you correctly, and you to him.

Good luck!
 
#16 ·
Yeah, I would start in "safer" areas, both for him and you. Then start moving to the "scary" areas. I also ponied Soda off my old mare after doing groundwork for a couple of days. My thought was to show him new "scary" areas with his herd (me and the mare). I worked with him on listening to me when I'm riding another horse (whoa, back up, etc). Of course you need another horse for that.
 
#18 ·
okay then, rode him today in the arena instead of going out so if he did go crazy we were inside, he was rather mental to say the least, i think that he does need more ground work so tomorrow i think no riding just some groundwork, i shall have to look some stuff up on the internet to see what i can find, who is the best one to go from, i was told parelli not too useful because they use long orange sticks or something like that?? ive not done anything really like that! lol :)
 
#19 ·
It is all personal preference. See if you can find some natural horsemanship videos on youtube. I can't get on youtube here or I would get you some links.

Or you can just google "natural horsemanship exercises" or something along those lines.
 
#20 ·
Does he rear in the arena? Are there any other times that he rears?

I agree that you definitely need to do some ground work. Lunge him near his buddies or the barn and get him sweaty. I like Clinton Anderson's ground work exercises. When he is sweaty and worked up take him for a nice relaxing walk down the trail. Before he starts getting antsy take him back and work him again... go a little farther... and repeat. You want him to depend on that trail for rest and relaxation. Do this several times before you go riding down the trail.

Now is this a really narrow trail? If you needed to get off on the trail could you lunge him?

Ride him into a sweat and head out on the trail to relax (bring your lunge line)and if he acts up get off and work him all the way back to the barn. When hes tired get back on and walk him calmly down the trail and so on.... Try to end on a good note.

Its a lot of work and its a pain in the butt... you want him to think that trail is the most relaxing thing in the work and he has to work back at the barn.
 
#21 ·
i think i should say this as i remember now..
he will willingly go for a walk out on a ride, leading him, just not riding.

and he doesnt usually rear in the arena, he has a few times, but thats only when hes gotten very over excited when the boss and i jumped him quite high! ;) he's never reared when ive lead him out on the trail and he never reared properly in the arena, a little jump up, not even a few inches off the ground type of rear, and thats also only been recently
 
#23 ·
Parelli is VERY useful. I've been doing it for years and it's by far the best program out there, IMO. I did some Monty Roberts and John Lyons before I found Parelli and it just wasn't ever complete enough for me. I always felt like there was something missing. I don't feel that way with Parelli :) And yes, Parelli does use orange sticks but it's just a training tool.
 
#24 ·
Ok if he is fine with you leading him then start with step two.... Lunge and ride the crap out of him in the arena first then cool him out on the trail. When he get shifty get on and lunge the crap out of him and then get back on him. It will probably take several times for him to get the hint.

Or plan B.. smack him between the ears with a crop every time he rears. BUT I will warn you.. sometimes it will make it worse before it gets better if it gets better at all.
 
#25 ·
LOL Or like my hubby says (old cowboy tricks mind you) get you a water balloon and fill it with warm water and when he rears pop it on his head. He says it makes them think they are bleeding and they've hurt themselves and won't do it again. I guess he speaks horse...???... hahahaha
 
#27 ·
Definately Definately take off the draw reins. They are not an aid you want to use. They actually don't encourage correct carriage of the body. I would try a french link loose ring, or something similar. A lot of horses rear because they don't like the pressure of the chain under their chin, stud chains run under the jaw have the same effect. And I'd encourage you to take him for little walks with you on the ground, away from other horses to get him to listen to you better, and so you have a bit better control. If you need to, put a stud chain on him, if he gets really naughty, but wrap it around the noseband.
 
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