I have a beautiful horse who 9 times out of 10 is fantastic. But unfortunately on the other 1 time he can be an absolute menace.
its not pain related, nor is it the saddle or ulcers. I think he’s previously been allowed to get away with this behaviour when he doesn’t want to do something and now he knows he can get away with it. It’s frustrating because he is such a lovely horse for the majority of the time and I know how good he can be when he wants to.
this is a horse who hacks past buses and vans without flinching, and who I’ve galloped in a field with lost stirrups, and who flies over jumps. But he can be so quirky and it’s tiring at times. He can buck, rear, hop- basically all the quirks when he doesn’t get his own way. He also has very little respect for me and drags me inhand, pulls me off my feet and barges me about. I don’t think he was ever taught proper manners before we got him so it’s not his fault at all but it’s obviously not ok either. He doesn’t do it with everyone, it’s just certain people whom he thinks he can push his luck with.
today he decided he didn’t want to go into the arena and instead wanted to go elsewhere. Cue an absolute tantrum- rearing, bucking, broncing. Trying everything to get me off.
im not a scared rider and I wasn’t phased by it, but tonight I suddenly feel a bit overwhelmed by it all. Usually his rears are only little hops, but today he went completely up on to his back legs and as embarrassing as it is to admit, I was actually quite frightened at one point. I suddenly thought he was at risk of toppling back over on to me.
im not a scared rider, I’ve had awful falls before and have had quirky horses but tonight it suddenly hit me that if he rears back onto me and lands on me, it could be catastrophic. He’s a very big horse and suddenly it all seems so scary and overwhelming.
once he realised he wasn’t getting his way, he behaved like an angel and rode beautifully!
i just don’t know why I’m suddenly so overwhelmed by it all. The big rear today was just so unexpected and I suddenly felt so scared of falling off. Usually I’m so unphased and am always the one to ride the quirky horses so I don’t know why I suddenly feel so frightened of falling off when it’s never bothered me before
i know it’s baby steps, and I am seeing an improvement in his manners and we’re working very hard to bring out the best in him, but sometimes it’s so tiring and frustrating.
im riding him again tomorrow and I’m just praying we don’t have anymore tantrums and absolutely no more big rears. The thought of it fills me with absolute fear which I know is ridiculous but I can’t get it out of my head
has anyone else had a similar experience?
AIBU?
To have felt so frightened- horse rider
Applechaff · 23/09/2022 23:12
Am I being unreasonable?
53 votes. Final results.
POLLFurAndFeathers · 23/09/2022 23:46
How do you know he’s not in pain?
are there any particular triggers for the rearing/bucking?
it sounds like he’s telling you very clearly that he really didn’t want to go into the indoor school. Why not?
does he dislike the work done there? Is it painful, is he bored?
I know it’s unfashionable but animal behaviour is as a result of learning or emotion. It’s very likely he’s trying to tell you he’s unhappy about something and unfortunately in horses we have a tendency to write this behaviour off as naughty/difficult
Muminabun · 23/09/2022 23:36
Hi op get this moved to the tack room. You are not ridiculous at all. Plenty of very experienced riders lose their nerve. What you wen through sounds very concerning. He sounds dangerous. How long have you had him? Do you do plenty of ground work with him. Some horses if new can take ages to calm down with a new owner. He may also just be highly strung in his temperament. Take it easy and don’t ride him if you don’t want to. Give it a break for a few days. Do some excercise in hand. Ride a safe pony to get your confidence and perspective back. Many older riders would in no way in hell get on horses we were happy to ride when we were younger.
FurAndFeathers · 23/09/2022 23:59
That makes sense OP - it does sound like previous learning.
I appreciate it’s pretty scary though. You don’t want to be in the receiving end of a tantrum going over!
Does he get plenty of turn out time, and horsey social company too? He’ll likely be more receptive and less bolshy if he’s otherwise relaxed and happy.
CandyLeBonBon · 24/09/2022 00:39
It's a long long time since I was in your position op but I remember it well. Learned behaviour. Just like humans. Even if it's not 'good' behaviour, it serves us/them in some way.
Agree with Pp that ground work/getting back to basics seems key here. He sounds quite clever? You haven't said how old he is?
Also what breed. My experience of this sort of behaviour very much relates to cob/ cob types but that could just be my luck!
They're like super-powered toddlers.
QuestionableMouse · 24/09/2022 00:28
You need to get the groundwork sorted. If he doesn't respect you on the ground, he'll never respect you under saddle. Find a good trainer who isn't into crackpot NH and really work on that. Get him going long reining too. In the shirt term, I'd look at either putting a chain over his nose or getting a rope halter so he can't drag you around. Be really firm with him - you need him to respect you and your space.
I'd rather they bucked than reared - less chance of them going over on you! If you feel him getting light in front, circle him but drive him forward. They can't go up if they're going forward. You might get a buck instead but that's better!
CaptainThe95thRifles · 24/09/2022 00:35
Horses don't just flip out for no reason. I know that it's the done thing to push horses through this sort of shit, but nine times out of ten, the horse has a good reason for how he's behaving.
In the nicest possible way, you should be scared, because a horse coming down on top of you is fucking scary - 600kg landing on you could kill you, if not seriously injure you. If he's rearing vertical, you don't piss about - you work out what's gone wrong. And that invariably begins with a vet. I've known so many "quirky" horses who everyone thinks are just "naughty", but invariably, there is something going on.
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