horse rareing up

Question
what can i do about my tenn. walker(green broke) from rareing up when i pull back on the reins?

Answer
Hi Levi,
Thank you for writing in with your question.
From what I read from your short question is your horse rears on you when you pull back on the reins. First, what kind of bit are you using? Are you pulling with both reins at the same time or one rein at a time when it happens? How far along in the training is your horse and what are you doing when this happens? These are important questions to answer in order for me to respond fully. But I will try.
You state your horse is "green broke". I would assume then that the horse is in a snaffle bit and not a leverage bit. If it is a leverage bit...dump the bit until the horse is further trained and move to a snaffle bit such as a full-cheek snaffle, o-ring snaffle or a d-ring snaffle. These bits are designed for lateral movement and to be used with two (2) hands. If you are pulling straight back with the reins you will notice that the horse's head immediately goes straight up in the air. If you keep pulling, the head keeps going up, then the feet and eventually the horse could rear up and fall back over on you. DO NOT PULL STARIGHT BACK WITH THE REINS!!!!!
So...let's go back to beginning of training your horse.
Use a snaffle bit. Now....let's start on getting the horse to soften and respect the bit. Use ONLY ONE HAND AT A TIME. First from the ground with the bit and reins apply pressure by pulling ONE rein back towards where your hip would be in the saddle. Don't yank on it. Just pull and apply some pressure. If the horse turns it's head and gives even just a little, drop the rein as if it was on fire and burning you. The horse will learn much faster this way. They learn from the release of the pressure...not the pressure itself. As the horse gets softer and is giving more and more until it's nose will touch it's side or where your boot would be you will see a difference. Do this on both sides. Once the horse is soft and giving to this exercise, move to doing it in the saddle starting all over again. Light pressure at first. Use pressure and release. As soon as you feel the horse give to you, throw the reins out of your hands. This will give the horse immediate release and he will learn. The horse will soon learn to respect the bit this way. If while in the saddle the horse moves it's feet while flexing it's head....do not let go. Don't add pressure, just maintain the same amount until the horse STOPS MOVING IT'S FEET AND YOU FEEL IT SOFTEN.
Now that the horse respects the bit and will soften laterally (side to side), you can cue your horse to walk out. Let the horse walk a few steps and then pick up ONE REIN. DO NOT PICK UP TWO REINS. Just pick up one rein and apply pressure towards your hip as you did while standing still. The horse should give it's head. It will probably walk in circles for a while. That is ok. Let it walk but don't release the pressure until the horse's feet stop moving and you feel the horse relax. Do this for a while on both sides. As the horses progresses, you can let it walk longer. Then on to a trot and a canter. But keep in mind that as a horse moves faster...so the resistance grows stronger. So, until the horse is completly giving to the bit at a walk, do not move to a trot. It is very important that you only use one rein and not two. I tell my students that if you can't ride with one rein, then you definitely won't be able to ride with two. So work on using only one rein at a time, doing one rein flexes to the side (both sides), and your one-rein stop. If you find yourself pulling on both reins you will see your horse's head go out and then up resulting in the horse rearing up on you.
I hope this has helped you and answered your question. If you have more questions, you can also email me at:
blpdoc82652@yahoo.com
Please feel free to contact me.
You can also read more about me on my website:
www.yazooequinetraining.com