Silly Filly - 2017-07-20 10:59 AM

I disagree that a rearing horse is always in pain.  I owned one that used rearing as his escape since the day he was born.  Any situation he did not like, he would flip himself over, no matter where he was.  Did it in the corral, in the trailer, in the barn. 
The first four years I rode him, he never did rear with me on him.  Then he did.  I took him to a new place, he was scared, insecure and whinnying like a fool.  I did the one rein stop with him each time he whinnied, until he got tired of it and flipped over so fast I couldn't even react.  Then he just stood there, relieved.  I think back on it and wish now I had really gotten his feet moving instead.  He went to the killer pen, no second chances, because of his history.
I rode another horse that had a habit of rearing.  Belonged to a friend who forgot to tell me about his rearing problem.  He learned that she would get off if he reared, so when he was ready to call it quits, he would just rear with her.  I rode him for a few months, spanked him when he reared, and he stopped rearing.  I never felt like he would flip over.  Wish they were all that easy! 
Have you tried giving your horse B-1 or calming supplements?  Sounds like she is just super anxious.
 

RacingTheArabian - 2017-07-20 10:03 AM

***kinda long bare with me.

I have had this mare for 7 years. I know her ins and her outs. She is a 13 year old QHx. I have been hauling and pattering her for close to 3 years. Taking it slow, doing a lot of slow work, making sure that I keep her mind centered because I know she has a very sensitive one. She has recently started to rear, last year it was a few pop ups, but nothing horrible. She would just let the nerves get the best of her and pop up some. Well it stopped and she began to focus again, up until about 5 weeks ago.

I have started running her this year, actually pushing for speed and making runs. Our last run she made out fastest time we've ever had in the arena we were at. First race went fine, warmed up like we always have done and she went in and made a run. Second race, she started to get a little hoppy. 3rd race she is now rearing, launching and taking off. I pull her into a couple of one rein stops to redirect her feet etc. She ripped her head away so quickly, reared and launched forward that I came off, walked her into the holding pen when we went to run. She made a fantastic run. Fast forward to last Thursday, which was the 4th race of the saddle series and I am trying to avoid doing anything to cause her to go up. We parked in a different spot, lunged her for a good 15 minutes before getting on, let her stand at the trailer and then walk up into the warm up pen, made our fastest run.

I never drill her at home, I don't even have the proper set up for a pattern. So we trail ride when we don't do circle work(which I don't do even once a week) we also have started drill team practice, I figured that would give her something else to think about. Last night while we were at practice she was fine until we were 3/4ths of the way over with it. When I had asked her to slow her gate, she got angry went to side stepping, then started to take off etc. She's also the kinda mare that will lock up and I mean lock up. She's one you could beat on all day(figuratively). I wasn't having any luck trying to move her feet etc. So a friend who is a horse trainer asked if I needed her to get on. She got on and no sooner did she get on and start asking for her head and her feet. She literally reared up and threw herself backwards. It wasn't a loss of balance, she threw herself back. She got back up, both were fine. She continued to work her and by the end of the short blow up session she was back to herself and riding fine.

This mare has never been light in the front end before. She has the softest face, I am not heavy handed. She moves off your leg, side passes, pivots etc. I mean she is pretty much what you'd call fancy broke. She doesn't seem sore anywhere, no tail swishing, no flinching, not harder to catch etc. She never refuses to load in the trailer or go in the gate at a barrel race. Her gaits are the same, walk, trot, lope no changes. She doesn't have ulcers etc.

I am having her chiropracticed today, hopefully that will help. I'm not sure if its attitude or something pain wise. I had a accident in 2013 where a training horse I had reared and flipped with me and she broke my femur. I was out of riding for a good 8 months. Rearing horses just don't set well with me anymore. More to the point, I'm devastated its my own horse now. I'm kinda at a loss if I can't figure out what it is....

Wondering if anyone could give me some advice etc?

RacingTheArabian - 2017-07-20 7:13 PM

He told me even when he pressed on her pressure points she didn't even act sore except just slightly in above her hips. I know she's got a high pain tolerance, but for how out she was I'm surprised I couldn't tell anything different.

hannahbug - 2017-07-21 7:23 PM

So you are trying to fix a horse that flipped as a "*&%$ you"? There are too many horses that will not risk their own lives to disobey a rider. You couldn't pay me enough to keep the horse alive, since I couldn't guarantee the horse would never leave my pasture and someone might try to ride it. (car wrecks happen, kids or parents sell off the stock. . . Things happen).

If you are hell bound and determined to try and fix the horse, I would give the half-empty beer bottle between the ears when the horse is antagonized into going up a try, since you say you aren't fast enough to catch her halfway up and use one rein and body to either throw her sideways or her feet back down.

A horse that flips kills people, and I've never even heard of one being successfully rehabbed. They either kill a person and are put down, or flip and kill themselves. Sometimes a brain tumor is discovered postmortem.