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[RC] Rearing (& I'll take your rearing horse) - Lra1222Hi all. Thanks for the advice. Just a few things-- I will NEVER resort to a violent method to eliminate this problem!! -- The horse was sent into "professional training" at 2 1/2 years old. Supposedly they did lots of ground work and then taught him to ground drive and later pull a small, light weight cart. He is 4 1/2 now, and has been under saddle for a year (so 3 1/2 when backed). "Work" for us is in a very large arena- I try very hard not to over-work him. When I feel he is getting stressed, we WALK on a LOOSE rein. We only trot for short periods of time, maybe one or two laps of the ring, then back to a walk for a break. He is usually good for the first 5-10 minutes or so--however, after this, and especially after we turn around to go the other way, comes the "attitude problem." We'll be walking along, no stress, no problem, and he will either stop or try to turn around. When I ask him (always nicely, as in the "tap, Tap, TAP" method) to turn around or continue walking, he will start to pitch a fit. He'll either start backing and moving sideways or rear. Sometimes he will try this while trotting- slamming on the brakes and acting like a fool. Because he is just a youngin' :) I always keep our sessions short (25-30 minutes) and try to do different things to keep his over-active mind occupied. Some days I will just go over and brush him and do ground work with him. He has fairly good ground manners (getting better by the day), and will put his head down when you ask from the ground fairly consistently. He clips, bathes, and loads well. It's just the rearing that has me in a fit. WHAT A PAIN!! :) :) He is not spooky or fearful, just young. I just don't feel like getting killed! I will definitely try some of the humane ideas given (pressure on the neck, turning his head, etc.). If anyone has any further advice, you can email me privately so as not to clutter the list. Thanks again! Lindsey M21756 Lra1222(at)cs(dot)com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= http://www.endurance.net/ads/seabiscuit.html Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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