The Main reason people get hurt!

I hope everyone has had a very safe and enjoyable Labor Day.  We here at Rising Sun Stables have.

The foals are growing like weeds and we don't have any new ones yet.  We will update the photos soon.  I have received several new questions, I thought I'd share them with you!  Hope it is interesting and helpful!

Question

I'm working a filly who was abused and is very dominant towards people. I have worked many ground hours with her and she has joined up, if I may say so, quite well.

She saddles fine and is very supple. I have been walking and trotting in arena doing circles. Today as I trotted around in a semi-small circle, she stopped and reared.

After she reared I asked for a trot again and exaggerated my posture forward. When I could feel her begin to stop and rear again, I would round my back more and lean further back.

How to correct and am I doing the right thing. I thank you.

D.A.

My answer:

Hi D.A.
I wouldn't worry about your posture when the horse rears.  I'd be more concerned with knowing WHY she reared in the first place. There is always a reason for bad behavior.

Knowing "why" is the key to permanently fixing the problem.

Usually, a horse rears as a result of balking or refusing to go forward. It is  usually a sign of disrespect toward the rider or a lack of discipline.

In your email you said this mare is very dominant toward people… well, there you go. You need to change that. She needs to learn to respect people, not dominate them.

By the way, I don't buy the "she was abused" theory. If that was true, she would be afraid of people, not pushing them around.

I also don't believe that the mare "all of a sudden" just started rearing. This has been coming on for a while,  you just haven't recognized the warning signs.

Now, the other possible reason for a horse rearing is when the rider has a death-grip on the horse's mouth, so make sure the reins are loose.

You can counter the rearing by going forward.

A horse can't rear if he is moving ahead. When she begins to stop to rear, make sure the bit isn't restricting her and then spank her butt to make her go. Don't be timid with this, get her going.

Take care, enjoy the rest of your day