Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

I do so enjoy Ridecamp....because sooner or later, just about every question you have is addressed....

 

I recently took in a border...while my new neighbors are building their dream house...they asked me to keep their 17h Hunter/Jumper TB....so he could get used to the area, the cows and my horses....since they will be riding with me.  At 8, he seems to know his job, and while somewhat aloof compared to Arabs...he is a pretty sweet boy...even though somewhat insecure.  Problem is, he has gotten sooooo attached to my boss mare that when I bring him into the barn for ANY reason....he has a LOT of separation anxiety....If I try to "handle" him, groom, trim his feet, take down to the arena, etc. within the first  hour of separation, he goes nuts....he will rear and strike....which makes this guy about 10 feet high above me on the ground at 5 feet high...

 

I understand where he is coming from and I am okay working through his anxiety by giving him the time he needs to seperate..but I am not sure what to do if he doesn't "get over it" and I HAVE to handle him in, say, an emergency situation...

 

In the meantime, I am "moving him" around in the herd....sometimes out with boss mare, sometimes in alternately with each of the other 8 horses.....sometimes out with everybody, as was said "to build his confidence"...I can pony him with one of my other mares that is tall enough and walks fast enough to be compatible, but he protests and can be a handful. 

 

It's just that.....WOW..when he is way up there, what do I do???

 

BTW, his owner says "he sometimes bolts or rears on trail, but has never gone over backwards" which leads me to suspect this is "his thing" when he is upset....if so....do they ever get over it????

 

Your thoughts and experiences would be helpful....as always

 

 

----- Original Message -----

From: Nancy Reed

To: ridecamp@xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Sent: Wednesday, February 02, 2005 6:47 PM

Subject: [RC] rearing horse

First I have to say that I am not a trainer, this is just my experience. That said, Lyric my daughter's 7 year old grey Arab mare came to us with some "issues."  One was rearing when ever she was afraid, stressed or just did not want to do what was asked of her.  It was very bad for about 6 to 12 months.  She will still do it if she is having a bad day.

What worked for her was slowing down with her training and not overwhelming her.  We also found that she was a very insecure horse and needed to learn to trust us and herself.  Once she was more comfortable doing what we asked, the less she reared.  Our first ride (CTR) was more of a rodeo than anything else.

 The first time we took her to do barrels at a local fun show she just about came unglued.  All these strange horses were milling around the gate.  It totally unnerved her and she reared so high she was straight up.  The reason Lyric was so upset is that she had been telling us she was afraid with her behavior, but we were not listening.  She had to scream at us her fear and fright before we would listen. 

After that we started to really listen to her.  When her behavior told us she was afraid, we would back off, take her away or just stop for a bit.  Once we started listening to her and not pushing her too hard the rearing stopped.  It took a while for Lyric to calm down and stop rearing, but it was worth it.

 Today my daughter who is 12 spent over an hour on Lyric's back reading a book with only a halter and lead rope.  Oh, and last month they took hi point in their division at the local gymkhana!  Yep, I'm one proud mom, proud of both of them  :-) I hope this helps, I know how difficult it can be.  Just learn to listen to your horse; it will make a big difference. Nancy Reed, Lazy J Ranch, Elfin Forest, CA