How to Deal with Rearing

By Your Horse

How to...

15 April 2008 09:51

Rearing is a dangerous habit, for both horse and rider, due to the risk of the horse losing balance and coming right over backwards. It is scary and difficult to tackle, so should only be dealt with by very experienced riders. Common causes are pain from the tack or poor riding, nappiness, laziness, or the horse being asked for more collection than he can handle.

Dealing with rearing:

1. Get a check up

Have your horse’s teeth, back and tack checked by the relevant experts to ensure that there is no physical cause for his rearing.

2. Invest in experience

Book some lessons so you can be confident you haven’t slipped into any bad habits that may be triggering the problem. Also, an instructor will be able to tell you whether you are asking too much of your horse, or whether you need to push him harder. They, too, may have more experience to ride a rearer through the problems.

3. Read the signs

Learn to anticipate the signs for rearing and counter them. Your horse will stop, lift his head and take his weight back onto his quarters. At this point, work on keeping him moving forward by taking him onto a tight circle. Keep your hands low and flex him strongly with the inside hand. Take him off the circle when the risk has passed but keep him working forwards.

4. Down to earth

If you do find yourself heading skywards, sit forwards and, if necessary, put your arms around your horse’s neck. Don’t hang on to your reins as your risk tipping him off balance. When he comes down, trot forward straight away to reduce the risk of him rearing again.