# How To Sit a Rear?



## Cheyennes mom (Aug 6, 2010)

Hey guys! So I was riding Cheyenne on Thursday and she got SUPER hot because we had been having races with a friend of mine on her horse. So I was going to do the barrel pattern and Cheyenne started jumping around like crazy. I tried to get her to just halt and stand still and she did for a seconds then through up her head and started turning and hopping around again. So I stopped her and tried to back her up and she kept jumping around and then I tried to get her to just stand still for a few seconds again and she went into a HUGE rear. She's hopped up onto her back legs before but this was a huge, actual, rear and she's never done that before. So I leaned forward and pushed down on her neck and told her to 'get down' and she did then kept bouncing around. 
I thought what I did was right and my friend said that I sat it well but I was just wondering if it WAS right, what I could've done better and stuff. I had never been on a REAL rear before so I just thought it might make sense that I'd lean forward but I could be wrong, so that's why I posted this thread, I was just wondering. it was pretty scary at the time and I hope she won't do it again. However looking back on it, if I had done it on purpose I think it would've been pretty fun lol


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## kayleeloveslaneandlana (Apr 10, 2011)

You did the right thing by leaning forward. You are supposed to lean forward, give on your reins a lot, and then depending on how high it is you wrap your arms around the neck and hold on. Make sure not to pull on your reins at all because you will flip the horse right over onto you. 

I ride this Andalusian cross that is just being broken and she will rear straight in the air when you try to get her to canter. Of course I don't care cause I love rears But I just give her the reins and eventually she is fine I just ride it out. 

Good luck!


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## Cheyennes mom (Aug 6, 2010)

^^ okay thanks! must be annoying to have so many rears! A horse at my barn kicks if you ask for a canter, but strangely she kicks sideways not back. Quite strange. I wish my friend had a camera on her at the time of that rear, apparently we looked like movie stars lol


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## kayleeloveslaneandlana (Apr 10, 2011)

No I love all the rears actually! . They don't scare me at all anymore I love dealing with the sassy mares. Keeps life interesting haha. 
I'm sure you guys did look like a movie star high rears are pretty awesome to look at!


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

Don't get into a habit of loving rears, unless you want to go to Hollywood school for stunt riders. Rearing is probably THE most dangerous bad habit a horse can have. I am not saying that Cheyenne has a habit of rearing. But to me, it is not something to be taken lightly.

You should not be thinking "did I do a good job of riding through that rear?" (which you did, btw) , but "how can I avoid that ever happening again?"

You need to start feeling for when your horse is at the place where she simply cannot contain herself anymore , because if you try to bottle her up tighter in a situation like that, and expect her to stand still, then she is going to go the only direction open to her , and that;s UP!

Instead of expecting her to stand still when it's obvious that she is just too pent up to do that, let her move, but make it moving to what you ask her to do. like moving in a small circle. This will help her to stay more relaxed and you might even keep her mentally more "with" you if you can change these circles fro one direction to the other. But holding her back if she is that excited is asking for a rear, and as cute as some folks make it sound, it is not to be taken lightly.


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## MySerenity (Jul 18, 2011)

> Instead of expecting her to stand still when it's obvious that she is just too pent up to do that, let her move, but make it moving to what you ask her to do. Like moving in a small circle. This will help her to stay more relaxed and you might even keep her mentally more "with" you if you can change these circles fro one direction to the other.



If you do this with a horse regularly will it help them to relax quicker or is it just to help get through the current situation? I have a mare of does little rears and prancing when I hold her back on the trail if other people are going ahead. I just tried to keep her still like the OP did... thought we were going to end up upside down off the trail so I'd love to try this next time.
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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

There have been some other threads on how to deal with rearing. I don't have much personal experience dealing with a horse that rears, and I know I don't want to get to that place. So, I would use that way of letting the horse circle to defuse the thought of rearing. Once they get in the habit of thinking about rearing for every time they are thwarted , then it's a hard habit to break. 

So, if I think the horse is thinkking about rearing, I am going to change something right then and there. It could be that I ask the horse to go forward or that I let them circle . Maybe other posters will have some better ideas. I just dont want to get into the place where my horse is rearing, int he first place.


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## Saddlebag (Jan 17, 2011)

MySerenity, when you held your mare back on a trail ride, you placed her on the outside edge of the herd where all the predators hang out. This is why she does what she does. Safety in numbers....


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## MySerenity (Jul 18, 2011)

> MySerenity, when you held your mare back on a trail ride, you placed her on the outside edge of the herd where all the predators hang out. This is why she does what she does. Safety in numbers....




Actually she was with the rest of the herd and only 1 horse was going out ahead, but this horse was her new buddy so I'm guessing your logic still partially applies. Predator or not, she's going to have to learn to deal with it better (or I'm going to have to teach her to deal with it better) 


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## Cheyennes mom (Aug 6, 2010)

tinyliny- that makes sense, thanks! She usually just jumps around so I guess I wasn't expecting her to give an actual rear!


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## Shananigan (Apr 8, 2009)

My QH Rebel used to rear. Not too high though, bout a foot or two. -I've only been on one really high rear. That was my first horse Felica. Something spooked her and she just whigged out. (Very out of the ordinary for her.) I was trying to calm her down and she backed up to where some bushes were behind her. Not being able to back up anymore, she went up. Very scary. :shock: Rebel was.. we a Rebel. If you went a direction on the trail that he just didn't feel like going -then you had a huge fight on your hands. I eventually figured out that (as tinyliny said) having him do circles and such prevented him from going up. (Our circles were pretty stressful though because he was also trying to buck you off. :-|) 

Anyways, while I was talking to a friend of mine I had mentioned Rebel's small rearing problem (after I had given him to a friend -where he is VERY happy now. ) She said she had a big warmblood that used to rear all the way up, all the time. One day, when she got on him, she took a raw egg and kept it in her hand. When he reared up, she cracked it between his ears. (Mind you not hard at all, the poll is a VERY sensitive spot on a horse and she knows that.) She just kind of crushed it in her hand and tapped the top of his head. However, feeling his head "run into something" and having the raw egg run down his head made him think he was bleeding. She said he NEVER reared again. Not saying your horse has a rearing problem. I just thought this was interesting and was wondering if anyone else had ever heard of it.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

That is an old timey method of training out rears. But most people don't have the presence of mind to have the egg ready to deal with the rear right when it'sw needed. My hat's off (well, I don't actually have a hat on right now) to anyone who deals with a real "rearer". I had a hrose rear on me last winter and follow that with acouple of tidy bucks and I was off. I am no bronc rider.


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

Please stop running and riding these horses in a way that jacks them up. Maybe it's momentarily fun, but it can very quickly ruin a good horse....for good. Makes 'em hot, makes 'em dangerous, gets them killed in the long run end result. So not worth it. Practice good horsemanship and ride right.

If you can't control the horse and defuse a rear or blow-up long before it happens, you have no business riding at high speeds or putting a horse in a stressful situation.


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## riccil0ve (Mar 28, 2009)

Amen, Bubba.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Cheyennes mom (Aug 6, 2010)

bubba13 said:


> Please stop running and riding these horses in a way that jacks them up. Maybe it's momentarily fun, but it can very quickly ruin a good horse....for good. Makes 'em hot, makes 'em dangerous, gets them killed in the long run end result. So not worth it. Practice good horsemanship and ride right.
> 
> If you can't control the horse and defuse a rear or blow-up long before it happens, you have no business riding at high speeds or putting a horse in a stressful situation.


 we were practicing for a gymkhana that's coming up. Just galloping around a bit. Cheyenne loves to run and so does my friend's horse so we were racing. Chey was exited not stressed out. She knew I was about to ask her to gallop again, I seem to get a little tense before I ask her to run, I need to work on that. So yes, you're right it's my fault. Just thought I'd point out that she wasn't rearing of unhappiness.


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## bubba13 (Jan 6, 2007)

I know you're young, and I'm not trying to beat you into the ground, but this is a lesson you've got to learn, and better sooner than later.

She's rearing out of anticipation of expectations. She expects to be asks to run; when you hold her back, she becomes frustrated and rears. This is an easy habit for a horse to develop and a very difficult one to break. And it generally just gets worse and worse unless you nip it in the bud. Rearing (and the closely related phenomenon of running backwards) are without a doubt the most dangerous things a horse can do, because once they get activated, there is absolutely no way the rider can stop them. It's generally not safe to bail off when the horse is moving so quickly, but then you run the risk of the horse overbalancing and falling backwards on top of you, or in the case of the latter scenario, backing off a steep embankment or into busy traffic. And none of those things will likely end well. So the key, clearly, is stopping them long before they start.

If you sense that a horse may be about to rear, but still have time to try and prevent it, the best thing to do is to get it moving _forward_, preferably while bending in a circle. So long as a horse has forward momentum, and particularly if its head is flexed to the side, it physically cannot rear. If this becomes a recurring, escalating problem, it's time to bring in a professional trainer to address it *now*, rather than down the line, when it may be too late.

In regards to running and galloping, yes, most horses love to do that. Doesn't mean it's in their best interest, though. It brings out the competitive and herd-bound nature in them, and again teaches them to anticipate a gallop, so that when you want to go slow and the still want to run, it can become a battle of the wills....ending in a rear or worse. The vast majority of riding time should be spent at a walk, and ever session should also include actively attempting to relax and release the horse, so that this *good* habit is the one that is remembered.


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## Cheyennes mom (Aug 6, 2010)

^^ok thanks, I'll remember to turn her in a circle like you and tinyliny said. Hopefully she won't keep rearing, I can't see her doing it again, I rode the other day and she the only time she misbehaved in any way was giving the tiniest buck (just a small warning buck, it was more like a stomp of a back hoof lol) at a gelding when he rammed into her butt (but that's pretty normal for mares isn't it, I mean this person drove their horse right into her butt and then brought him right beside her so that they were litterally running into eachother. She was a beginner getting a lesson). So so far we're good I think, but who knows?
Thanks for all the tips guys, appreciate it!


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

MySerenity said:


> If you do this with a horse regularly will it help them to relax quicker or is it just to help get through the current situation? I have a mare of does little rears and prancing when I hold her back on the trail if other people are going ahead. I just tried to keep her still like the OP did... thought we were going to end up upside down off the trail so I'd love to try this next time.


I just had a conversation with my trainer about it last lesson. My horse is very nervous and hot and didn't want to stand at all. So what she made me to do is sit VERY quietly with legs resting on sides. If horse moves forward - it runs into my hands, backward - calves on, sides - the outside calf on. And just stay calm, calm, calm. Guess what? After couple mins of moving here and there she just stand there. I tried it again yesterday - same thing. 

Moving their feet is great (AND the right thing to do when they are going to rear), however horse needs to learn to stand still when is asked.


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## kitten_Val (Apr 25, 2007)

Cheyennes mom said:


> ^^ok thanks, I'll remember to turn her in a circle like you and tinyliny said. Hopefully she won't keep rearing, I can't see her doing it again, I rode the other day and she the only time she misbehaved in any way was giving the tiniest buck (just a small warning buck, it was more like a stomp of a back hoof lol) at a gelding when he rammed into her butt (but that's pretty normal for mares isn't it, I mean this person drove their horse right into her butt and then brought him right beside her so that they were litterally running into eachother. She was a beginner getting a lesson). So so far we're good I think, but who knows?
> Thanks for all the tips guys, appreciate it!


CM, you can usually tell when rear is coming. The tight circle is one thing to prevent the rear (or bucking), you can also just change the gate, change the direction, anything to keep the horse focused on you. 

BTW, to some comments in thread, rearing is NOT fun and VERY dangerous habit. Especially when horse loses balance and go backwards slamming the weight on top of the rider. I've seen that happened - NOT cute, and the rider ended up in ER.


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## Cheyennes mom (Aug 6, 2010)

^^yeah, jumping's fun though lol I'll keep jumping, it's sorta similar...haha thanks for the tips


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## Klassic Superstar (Nov 30, 2009)

I have to agree with bubba, I last year had a horrible accident, my horse out of now where 5 minutes into my ride went straight up and bashed me in the head 4 times, giving me a very serouise concussion and a hair line fracture in my right cheek bone.

Also my good friend was killed by one single rear, she was a trainer at a clinic and something made the horse rear from a standstill and she was hit just once in the head, she was on life support and never came back. A week after life support they took her off. She died. 

Rearing is not something to take lightly, I see a lot of gaming horses start this habit cause they hold there hors to tight. Make them move if they feel stuck...horses first reaction is to go backwards sometimes when feeling stuck but ussaly ends up in up into a rear! 

I hope you hear a helmet, my friend was and still didn't make it. 
Be safe but have fun!


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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

*shudders* Black stallion syndrome... 
Kids thinking rearing is fun, thinking their the 'coolest kid on the block' when they teach their horse to rear...

Jumping is not like rearing...

The number of people I know and have heard of locally that have been killed or severly injured by a rearer is phenomenal. Flipping a horse over, being crushed by 500+kg with a solid saddle on top of you... Personally I'm not really enthralled by the idea of having my internal organs crushed, my rib cage shattered, internal haemoraging... no thanks. 
And its not just when they flip on you - how many people do I know that have slid off backwards and copped a kick in the head or chest from the tail end of a rear? 

Sorry, I don't hold a scrap of respect for people who 'like' rearing horses and teach their horse to rear, whether as a party trick, or accidentally through giving the horse no other escape but up. Might be cool for you - but what about if/when you sell the horse, or a friend rides it, bottles it up - you've just indirectly killed or disabled your best friend, or a young child. 

Is Kayty passionate about the topic of rearing? Yes, she is.


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## AngieLee (Feb 20, 2011)

Circles help ALOT to get your horses head back. that's what my instructor teaches. if you feel like she's about to snap and rear get her moving and get her bending.

also they are not telling you not to gallop and not to enjoy speed. but just saying that if you are going up to such speeds you need to have 100% COMPLETE control. meaning you need to be able to shut her down at ANY TIME. which will be very good if your doing any kind of gaming. you need to know that if you ask her to she can slow down and calm down. no matter what.

rearing is not like jumping, its very very different in every possible way!

Also you mentioned that another rider literally ran into your horse. i know this isn't your fault as you don't control the other riders but you need to learn to pay attention to what the other riders in the ring are doing. use your peripherals. you want to know were the other horses and riders are in the ring and what there doing. so if something un predictable happens (eg. beginner rider cant control horse. or horse spooks, freaks out, and takes off etc etc etc) you see it as its happening and can appropriately respond to the situation to the best of your abilities. This takes practise. but it is a VERY good skill to have, especially when riding with others.

i know your young and im not trying to jump down your throught and by no means am i claiming to be an expert, at all. because i'm not. i continue to learn from my own experiences and mistakes everyday (espeshally owning a horse who may be smarter then i am LOL), so i'm just sharing what my instructor has taught me or what i have learned the hard way (or a combination of both) with you.

But as for the original topic. i beilive you handled the rear itself perfectly fine, tho i, thankfully, have never been in the situation


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## faye (Oct 13, 2010)

bubba13 said:


> Rearing (and the closely related phenomenon of running backwards) are without a doubt the most dangerous things a horse can do, because once they get activated, there is absolutely no way the rider can stop them.
> 
> If you sense that a horse may be about to rear, but still have time to try and prevent it, the best thing to do is to get it moving _forward_, preferably while bending in a circle. So long as a horse has forward momentum, and particularly if its head is flexed to the side, it physically cannot rear. If this becomes a recurring, escalating problem, it's time to bring in a professional trainer to address it *now*, rather than down the line, when it may be too late.


I agree however I have seen a horse going forwards go up. I've also seen one that was bent right round go up and over on a girl. Mind you this was at a yard where they deal with (and attempt to reschool) some seriously messed up horses, this horse that went over backwards also bolted out through the wall of the indoor school, through the gate (which was closed at the time) galloped down the duel carriage way and bounced off several cars!



Kayty said:


> The number of people I know and have heard of locally that have been killed or severly injured by a rearer is phenomenal. Flipping a horse over, being crushed by 500+kg with a solid saddle on top of you... Personally I'm not really enthralled by the idea of having my internal organs crushed, my rib cage shattered, internal haemoraging... no thanks.
> And its not just when they flip on you - how many people do I know that have slid off backwards and copped a kick in the head or chest from the tail end of a rear?
> 
> Sorry, I don't hold a scrap of respect for people who 'like' rearing horses and teach their horse to rear, whether as a party trick, or accidentally through giving the horse no other escape but up. Might be cool for you - but what about if/when you sell the horse, or a friend rides it, bottles it up - you've just indirectly killed or disabled your best friend, or a young child.
> ...


I totaly agree with you. I will NOT ride a rearer. I will ride some fairly serious buckers, I will ride bolters. I recently got back on a horse after it drilled me into the ground after bucking and bolting.

I've had a horse rear on me 3 times. First time sounded very similar to the OP's except I was on an XC course at the time, desperatly trying to contain a very very explosive horse who was trying to go at any jump at any speed and off any stride (this horse I had pointed into an 8ft wall about 2 mins earlier and I swear he was eyeing it up). It took me a fraction of a second too long to react to the bunching muscles that I felt and he went up. I came off backwards and for a few seconds I swear he was going to come over on me andI was winded and couldnt move. Luckily he regained his balance and didnt go over backwards but it was a very very close thing and a horse without his balance would not have managed.

second time horse was napping and trying to turn for home whilst out on a hack, he decided that in the centre of the road on a blind bend was an appropriate time to throw a hissy fit. I said go and unfortunatly he went upright. I have never smacked a horse so hard in my life. I upended a schooling whip and took a full swing at his backside and it left a great big mark for nearly a week afterwards. But my god did it move him forwards, he practically lept forwards accross the road and onto the verge where I had time and safety to deal with him. That horse never reared again after that.

3rd time was more of a levade then rear, It was a horse who's saddle was not fitting and I hadnt noticed. He gave me plenty of notice which I blithely ignored. So he resorted to a rear. He practicaly sat down and I slipped off over his backside he was never in danger of coming over on me and it was so out of character for him that it shocked all ofus into the realisation that something was wrong.

The first 2 times were terrifying and I never ever want to be in that position ever again. I have absolutly no respect whatso ever for anyone who says they enjoy a rearing horse not do I have any patience for ammatures who teach thier horse to rear.

OP, you need to calm the pony down. If you want to be successful at games they you need total and utter control at every single moment. I had a very very good games pony, He was very very very fast and he loved his job, you could see it in every line of his body as soon as he saw the games cones or flags. We won an awful lot however I could control him completly from my seat. I could block my back and he came to a dead stop. Yes he would prance and prat around at the start but If I told him to stand he would stand. What happens if you miss a flag? can't quite get your hand on it, you need to circle the pony tight and fast so that you don't lose any more time then absolutly nessecary, you cant do that on a horse that is going to rear when pulled up sharply.


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## Cheyennes mom (Aug 6, 2010)

Klassic Superstar said:


> I hope you hear a helmet, my friend was and still didn't make it.
> Be safe but have fun!


 oh yes, I wish EVERYONE wore a helmet. Horses are unpredictable, you never know what could happen.


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## churumbeque (Dec 20, 2009)

I wouldn't back her up when she is acting up as that will encourage her to go up. Keep her moving forward and bento the side


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