The Rearing Horse

As I was wondering what I should explore this week, I got an email from Roberta asking about how to deal with a rearing horse. Great timing, Roberta!

Actually, timing has a lot to do with successful horse handling in all its forms. When you apply pressure – and just as important, when you take the pressure away – determines how clearly your message gets across to the horse.

Let’s start with the horse that rears when being led. I learned this from Clinton Anderson during the four years I hosted his tour and I had the occasion to use it when I started my filly, Sarah. By the way, when the horse rears the first time, it will probably catch you off guard. Get through that experience the safest way you can. Then, get yourself prepared and plan what you’re going to do next time.

To prepare, put on some leather gloves and put the horse in a longer-than-normal lead rope – at least 12’. Instead of avoiding the situation in which the horse reared, revisit it. When the horse rears, let the rope play out until you are safely out of reach of the horse’s hooves. Hold the rope as high as you can to make it more difficult to snag with his forelegs. Then just wait. No need to scold the horse or try to pull him back to the ground. Just keep moderate pressure on the lead rope. When the horse comes back to the ground, release the rope pressure instantly and reward the horse with kind words and a good rub. Then go right back to what you were doing when he reared. If he rears again, calmly repeat the process.

Understand why this works? The “bad” behavior doesn’t get the horse anything at all. It doesn’t get you to leave him alone and it doesn’t get the rope to go away. On top of that, it’s a lot of work! On the other hand, coming back to terra firma ends the exertion and gets a reward from you. You maintained a calm, businesslike attitude during the episode so you didn’t frighten the horse. If you are consistent with how you react to rearing, the behavior should all but disappear. I say, “all but disappear” because there are never any guarantees with training horses. We simply deal with the behavior that is presented to us at any given time.

Rearing while riding is a different issue and I’ll admit I have virtually no personal experience dealing with this. However, I do know from interviewing many experts that the worst thing you can do is what comes most naturally. We humans feel safest in a fetal position with arms and legs pulled in close to us. When a horse rears while you are riding, you may feel inclined to pull back on the reins and squeeze with your legs, closing up your body in an approximation of the fetal position. That can make matters quite a bit worse, even causing the horse to fall over backward or go into an all out flight mode.

When a horse rears while you’re riding him, move your hands forward and your legs back. Open up your body rather than closing it. If you need to grab the saddle horn or pommel, that’s just fine. The idea is for you to remain balanced on the horse instead of tumbling off and also to give the horse freedom to lower his head and come back to earth. Once the horse’s feet are back on the ground you have a choice to make. You can either reward him for ending his “bad” behavior or, if you feel he is about to rear again, you can disengage his hindquarters by pulling on one rein and asking him to cross one hind leg in front of the other. This is often called the one-rein stop. It’s not a punishment, but it does get the horse thinking about his feet and your ability to control them, thus reinforcing your role as leader and making it less likely that he will want to challenge you by rearing. Which course of action you take depends on the feel of the moment and your level of confidence … or lack thereof. If at all possible, you need to resume the activity where the rearing occurred and proceed as if nothing happened.

Rearing is most often an act of defiance that becomes a habit because the horse gets something he perceives as positive from the experience. Ironically, the act of rearing is its own punishment because of the effort it takes to perform. When given a choice, a horse will generally take the path of least effort. Many times, a good training solution is simply making that path clear.

Finding Flicka

We all have expectations about what it will be like to own a horse. The reality is usually different, but we can still make it a positive, fulfilling experience if we get the right horse. Recently dressage great, Jane Savoie, interviewed me on this subject for her DressageMentor.com web site. The links are below if you’d like to listen to this unedited, hour-long interview. In this blog, I’d just like to reiterate a few key points.

1. Choose a horse with your brain and your heart will follow.
Don't let your emotions rule. Take your time, make a plan, hire a horse expert to assist you, be realistic about your own skills and knowledge, and try to be open-minded about the appearance of the horse. You will grow to love a horse that fits your reality just as much as one that fits your fantasy.
2. Horses are not “one size fits all.”
A good horse and a good human may still make a terrible team. Your ideal horse may be very different from my ideal horse.
3. Novice riders need experienced, calm horses.
Only very experienced horsemen should take on young or untrained horses. The most compelling reason? Safety. “Green on green equals black and blue.”
4. Do not agonize about changing horses.
Many of us end up with the wrong horse our first time out. Don't feel bad. But do take action. Allow the horse to go on to life with someone who is a better fit. It’s the most loving thing you can do for the horse and for yourself. Then you can make another, smarter choice.
5. Keep learning, especially from your horse.
You must be the leader in your relationship, but your horse is giving you a continuous stream of feedback about how you’re doing. Listen to that.

Finding Flicka - Jane Savoie interviews Rick Lamb - Part 1
Finding Flicka - Jane Savoie interviews Rick Lamb - Part 2

Rick

Fidgeting, Surging while leading

hey Rick
I just use my horse for trail riding only. i have 2 problems that i would like to fix.1. he wont stand still when i stop. 2. when i lead him he wants to walk ahead of me. do you have any pointers to help me with these problems or have a book that covers this?
Mike

Hi Mike,
Many behaviors such as fidgeting during saddling, surging ahead while leading, walking off while mounting, moving around at the standstill, etc. are helped by immediately backing your horse up. Don’t do this in anger, but do adopt a strong, assertive attitude and fix the image of him backing firmly in your mind. Start with gentle pressure on the reins or lead rope and escalate as needed to get him started moving. Hold that level of pressure until he’s gone ten steps, then release it, and praise him. Then go back to whatever you were doing. If he makes the mistake again, and he probably will, repeat. Remain businesslike in your attitude, not emotional. You don’t want him to feel threatened in any way. However, you do want him to realize that there is a negative consequence every time for that behavior.

Backing reminds the horse that you are leader and gets him thinking about his feet rather than the undesirable behavior he was exhibiting. In nature, a horse very seldom backs up. He may take a step or two (usually at the request of a more dominant horse) then he goes forward or to one side.

Backing puts a horse out of position to flee predators and creates a feeling of vulnerability in the horse’s mind. When he backs up at your request, it reinforces his role as the follower in your relationship. In other words, it reminds him that he must respect you. When you maintain a neutral or businesslike attitude, it assures the horse that you are not going to hurt him and works on building his trust.

There are no “magic bullets” in training horses, but backing, lateral flexion, and disengaging the hindquarters seem to help in almost any problem situation.
R

Bucking when pushed

I received the following question from a viewer. It's a good one and I'd like to share the answer with everyone.
R

Hi there,I just watched your show for the first time and was very impressed. I have a problem that I can not find the answer for. My 6 yr old Quarter horse gelding, has started to buck when he feels pushed or doesn't want to do something. Also, if a man gets on him. I have had this horse since a baby and have broke him. I am as green as he is. It scares me that he thinks he can buck when he doesn't want to go into a situation that he doesn't like. Do you have any suggestions ground work or bits ect. Please help. Why all of sudden he started bucking? I have checked my equipment and have had him vet checked for any problems. I know you are busy, but if you could find sometime to answer this, I would appreciate it. Thanks, BB.


Hi BB,

I'm glad you enjoy my show. I'm going to make a calculated guess that what you're talking about is not really bucking in the sense that rodeo horses buck, where all four feet are off the ground and the horse is determined to throw the rider off his back. What's much more common is that the horse does a little hop or simply kicks out with his hind legs. What we call this doesn't matter. It's an act of defiance, it can unseat the rider, and it's scary when it happens. It's happened to me. It happened to my wife yesterday, and it will probably happen to you again in the future on this horse or another one.

Why would your horse do this? It could be related to a medical problem or faulty equipment, but it's far more likely that he's simply testing you. To a horse, it's very important that whoever is calling the shots is a competent leader. It's like a child who gets a little sassy. He's testing the boundaries, checking out your mood, your determination to enforce the rules. It's a power play, of sorts, and if there is no negative consequence to this behavior, it can easily become a habit, which is harder to break.

Think about what you do when this happens. Do you stop pushing your horse and let him rest while you compose yourself? That's a natural human response. It's part of your survival instinct to back away from scary things. But if you do that, you are rewarding the horse's behavior. Instead of creating a negative consequence, you are creating a positive consequence - release of pressure and rest - thereby increasing the chance that he will do it again. And because your horse has initiated all of this with his behavior, he is the one leading the team, not you. That's unacceptable. YOU must be the leader because being the leader is the only safe role for you to play when you interact with a horse. And here's some very good news: Your horse will be perfectly content with your leading the team IF you prove you are competent to do so in a way he understands.

The solution requires forethought and preparation and yes, a little courage. The next time your horse does his little bucking act, you are going to create a negative consequence for his choice.

My first priority is that you don't get hurt, so I recommend adding a "night latch" to your western saddle. This is usually a stout leather dog collar that runs through the gullet of your saddle and over the pommel, creating a loop you can hold on to that gives you much greater security than grabbing the horn. Your fist can close around it completely. Real working cowboys and colt starters often have this on their saddles so don't think it's just for beginners. Any tack store or pet store should have this.

Secondly, you need a spanker of some kind. A riding crop works well, or it could be the end of a lead rope. It needs to be something you can carry easily while riding and apply quickly to make the horse uncomfortable when he makes a bad choice.

Thirdly, I want you to practice stopping your horse with one rein. You need to be riding in a snaffle bit for this (not a curb or leverage bit). Instead of pulling back on both reins to stop him, you will pull on one rein only. Pulling your horse's head to one side unbalances him and causes him to have to think about his feet instead of whatever else was on his mind. He has to step across with his hind feet ( called "disengaging the hindquarters"). He will circle about a few times, slow down, and stop. You may think that you are giving up control with a "gentle" bit like a snaffle. You're not. A snaffle, with its jointed mouthpiece, just allows you to work each side of the horse independently, which is best for doing the one-rein stop. By practicing this ahead of time, you will get used to the feeling, your horse will get used to the feeling, and you will build your confidence that you can really stop a horse this way.

With this preparation, you are ready to retrain your horse. Be sure you feel secure in the saddle, that your stirrups are not too long, and that your cinch is tight. Wear your helmet. Have your spanker ready and be sure you can quickly grab your night latch.

Now ask your horse to do something that he has previously resisted. This time you will be ready with a surprise for him! When he bucks, instantly spank him sharply on the rump. This is not a little love tap, but a good whack that he will understand. As quickly as you can, grab the night latch with one hand and pull his head around with the other rein. He'll probably lurch forward a few steps. That's okay! You're ready for that. You're deep in the saddle, pushing against your stirrups, and already busy stopping him with one rein. Don't be angry. Don't be frightened. Be determined. He will probably go around in circles several times. That's normal. Don't release the rein until he has come to a complete stop and relaxed. Then release the rein and reward him. Give him plenty of praise and stroke him affectionately on the neck and rump. Create a POSITIVE consequence for his good choice, i.e., yielding to your leadership by stopping his feet and relaxing. Give him a minute or so to think about this. Then do the whole thing again.

A couple things are happening here. First, of course, the horse is getting an unpleasant result from his choice. Horses don't like to be spanked any more than we do. Curiously, if you react quickly and do it without anger, the horse is not likely to blame you or become frightened of you. You want him to think he did this to himself. You just happened to be there when this occurred. Second, by proving to him that you can control his movement by bending him and causing him to have to circle around to keep his balance, you are demonstrating your leadership of the team. Horses like to be straight and they like to be in control of their own movement.

By the way, I'm a believer in the "gentle as possible and firm as necessary" approach to using pressure with a horse. In this case the degree of firmness required is fairly high to be absolutely certain the horse gets the message. With repetition and consistent application of consequences, the degree of firmness needed diminishes. We work toward gentleness and lightness in communication, but the horse has to know you are willing to do whatever it takes to discourage unwanted behavior.

Your horse might learn the first time, but it will probably take several repetitions, and several days of consistent training in this manner to really convince him it's not in his best interest to throw his little temper tantrum. Try to work with him several days in a row and do not let other riders on him, at least not during this crucial training time. That will just confuse him and undo some of what he's learned from you. At this stage in his life, he needs one rider. You!

You mentioned groundwork. Groundwork does two things: it establishes the rules of the relationship (that the human leads and the horse follows) and it establishes a language of pressure and release that the horse understands. Groundwork goes a long way toward preventing riding problems because it works on the relationship. It can also help with riding problems that are relationship based, as I believe yours is. So, bottom line, I think a good program of groundwork, such as that used by Clinton Anderson, will definitely help. However, because this bucking behavior has occurred several times, a pattern has been set and you also need to break that pattern with the riding solution I described.

Always look for opportunities to reward your horse for good behavior but don't be afraid to punish him for bad behavior. He will actually feel more secure with your leadership if you show him there are boundaries of acceptable behavior. By the way, the same goes for the sassy child. He is often crying out for good parenting, to be reminded of where the limits lie.

I hope this has helped. Plan ahead and be safe. If you get too frightened or you feel the situation getting out of hand, stop. You can always train your horse another day.

Good luck!
Rick Lamb