# Horse rears, acts up, and doesn't listen - Only at shows



## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

How do you act? Do you expect her to start rearing at the shows? What is your routine like when you show? How old is the horse?


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## Tennessee (Dec 7, 2008)

I know some horses get ruined because people over show them. We bought a horse that absolutely WOULD NOT let a rider sit on him when we got around the arena because his previous owners pushed him too much. If he even saw the barrel pattern he would take off rearing.

Not saying you did that, but maybe your horse is just not meant for showing?


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## Cerko (Jul 14, 2009)

Spastic_Dove said:


> How do you act? Do you expect her to start rearing at the shows? What is your routine like when you show? How old is the horse?


This year & last I didn't expect the rearing, since last year she'd never done it before and this year i thought she was over it. I guess I'm probably nervous, since we only go to a maximum of 3 shows a year (We only participate in our local 4H shows). The horse is 9 years old, although this is only her second year of showing

As for the other answer of overshowing, she doesn't do gamin and she only goes to 2-3 shows a year, and her previous owner didn't show her. So, I don' think that's the problem...


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## Shalani (Jul 16, 2009)

First thing is I would have the usual things looked at.
Teeth
feet
chiropracter.

I know you prob have already. 
My sis horse refused to work in a sand arena rearing and playing up ( was fine on trail or plodding around) Turns out the stupid farrier had put shoes on him 2x too small!

Maybe try adding some calming herbs to her feed? Chamomile works well

Do you dismount when she rears? As thats an easy way out for her.

Its more than likely the pressure you put on yourself to perform at shows and she is really sensitive to how you feel.


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## Scoutrider (Jun 4, 2009)

First of all, rule out any physical reason for the behavior.

If this is only the second year showing for your horse, and only around 3 shows a year, she's still pretty green as far as showing experience goes. My first horse did a lot of acting up for the first couple of years of showing. Not as much as you're describing, but enough that I didn't feel comfortable riding him in the warmup area (an open field, we have really tiny shows :lol. He was a wonderfully quiet horse at home, and he did really mellow out at shows after a couple of years of experiencing them. I'm going through the same thing with my new horse as well. We go to a new place, and he starts whinnying and just not paying the kind of attention that he usually does. It can be an "info overload." If you can, try taking your horse to a show to just watch and get used to the atmosphere. Take the saddle, and ride around if you feel comfortable. Sort of going to the show, but not showing, if that makes sense. 

Others can give far better information on dealing with her specific behaviors (the rearing does need to stop, that can really be dangerous if it gets out of control), but I think that a degree of behavioral change in such a different environment is to be expected, and with time and continued show exposure, she should calm down.

With the impatience standing tied, does she get tied up at all at home? I find it helpful to practice the aspects of showing that the horse will have to deal with as well as practice for my classes. Scout gets to practice standing tied to our trailer, eating from a haybag, etc. so it isn't totally foreign to him in a strange place.

Good luck!


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## goldilockz (Aug 1, 2008)

Maybe show her more often at smaller shows or something? She may be nervous and not showing, or picking up on your nerves.


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## Sunny06 (Jun 22, 2009)

Rearing, eh? He he.
There is an old cowboy trick (well, can't be TOO old) where they filled up water baloons with warm water and threw it on the horse's head when they rear, and the horse will freeze because they think it is blood. BUT...I wouldn't reccommend that 
Never done it and never plan to. Also can't do that at a show.
Just thought I'd share, though.

Try the whole 're-training-with-a-snaffle-in-the-ring' spiel and get your horse's respect back.
Oh, and try riding in the ring with other horses so he can get used to it and not freak out at a show.
Rearing is a HUGE no-no. Make a loud 'AGG!' noise when he dose it and slap him on the neck. TURN HIM IN A CIRCLE when he does it. A horse can't rear/buck/run when their nose is at your boot.

Of course there is _always_ the ONE. *rolls eyes*

Stay on him when he dose it or he will know if he rears he will get away with not working. If it's REALLY dangerous get off and lunge him so he still has to work.


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

Well if he is not in pain, I would say it is nerves.
He is probably experiencing sensory overload. I would start trailering him to different events and just letting him look around and get used to things. If he is fine on the ground, get up on him and walk him around without showing. 
Often this kind of thing is the result of your own nerves. If he rears, correct the behavior, but don't make it a stressful situation from him. Obviously, rearing is unnacceptable, but you don't want every trip to a show to be overdramatic for him.


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## Angel_Leaguer (Jun 13, 2008)

make the horse work everytime it acts up. When you want to stand still and she gets ansy make her move, depending on the show grounds, find a warm-up arena or open area and trot circles- lope... keep her busy. ask her to stand, if not work some more. You may have to go to a show and not show but instead just keep her running around. Soon it will get into her head that "I must stand or Im going to have to work"

I had a sorrel mare that I gamed when I was younger and she was just like what you explained with the never standing still. It took a few shows but she got the message (I also made her still game so she was tired by the end of the day).

When horses are new at the showing and getting out they typically get a little nervous and side tracked. The more shows you two go two the better both of you are going to be at them.


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## .Delete. (Jan 7, 2008)

Well, i had the exact same problem. Only, mine because show sour persay. 

Try doing listening techniques. Such as bending. Pull the horses head to your toe and make him spin. Pull and release pull and release. Eventually your goal is to get the horse to keep its nose at your toe on a loose rein. This keeps the horse's attention on your and gives it something to think about. When you do this, donot pull out on the rein pull up towards your hip. Once the horse has its nose where you want it drop your hand to your knee. And repeat. After millions of times doing this you will be able to drop your hand to your knee and the horse keep its nose at your toe. Once your ready to switch sides drop the rein out of your hand and keep one hand on the rein on his withers. This should relax the horse aswell. Do this exercise with both sides, but make sure you keep forward motion while doing so! Thats important. Once your horse gets good at this try transtions out of the bending. Bend your horse to the left, drop the rein, one hand them and make them go right into the lope or jog. Then grab left side of the rein and bend them around to the left right out of the lope or jog. Mix it up. Keep your horse thinking. Eventually your horse will be happy and willing to work for you. Also when you are standing still, it helps to bend. Bend your horse to the left and right to keep him occupied and such. If your horse wishes to dance around instead of standing let him. Just keep reminding him whoa. And eventually your horse will relax and stand for you. Once your horse decided he wants to stand leave him a loose rein. If he begins to dance once again. Bend, again. Its alot of consistancy but i find when you have a unsafe horse that your having trouble controling this is a lovely exercise to get the horses mind focused on you and relaxes not only the horse but you too. It sure helped me a ton. It corrected my horses "show sourness" 100%. I hope this helps. Goodluck.


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## mom2pride (May 5, 2009)

If she is doing this only at shows, then it is probably a nervous reaction; she knows the trailer is a 'safe place' associated with home, so that is why she wants to return there. 

Perhaps take her to a couple of shows and just walk her around on lead, perhaps pony her around, if you can. That way she can get used to being in a different setting like this without being too stressed out. Then the next time, you go, just ride her around, but not show. Maybe trailer to show grounds when there are no shows...I know for our horses this has helped greatly; you can't always expect every horse to take to showing really well, without desensitization. 

I also agree with the putting her to work when she gets antzy...trying to keep her still will only frustrate her, and can actually cause the rear to happen; if you can keep her feet moving, then ask her to stop and relax after a bit of work, she will eventually learn that standing still is okay.


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## Goosen (Dec 28, 2008)

It's interesting, really. Allegra does pretty much all of this at home. If I'm not letting her near another horse she'll refuse to move, I try to enforce her more and she'll rear. Ehem. I happen to have that one horse that /can/ run with her head bent to your knee - it's wonderful until I made her move in circles with her head to my knee...That helped a bit.

But anyways, I just find it slightly interesting that, while "my" mare behaved very well at the show with just one or two rather small problems, it's totally opposite with your horse. I can't really say anything new : everyone has pretty much got anything and everything I would want to point out. I'd just try to go to a few shows and get her feeling relaxed at new places. We have a mare at our barn that hates going anywhere new. Eventually we started taking her to shows with us and just kind of jumping on her and walking around for a few minutes...Then we'd go home. Once she got the sense that she would end up back at home she was fine.


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