Can a horse with learned bad habits like rearing be fixed?

Question
Hi Solange,

I am an experienced horse person who has grown up showing western in the midwest, broke two horses as projects during college (both were pretty uneventful), and now reside on the East Coast and am riding dressage and lower-level eventing.  I work with an excellent trainer who's philosophy parallels yours and he has been amazing.  However, I am seeking your advice about a new gelding I recently purchased.

He is a 9yo TB gelding, has shown hunters/jumpers/lower eventing.  A high school girl bought him off the track 4 years ago and has done the majority of his training.  She was selling him to go to college, but didn't get the 10k she was asking because he has developed a terrible habit.  He rides wonderfully 95% of the time and has great ground manners, but he has learned that if he wants to refuse a jump and rear, he could get away with it.  I purchased him because other than his rearing "spoiled brat" attitude that comes out when asked to do something he doesn't want to do, he is amazing.  The price was right and I figured with my trainer's help and my background, his "issue" was something we could overcome and I'd have a wonderful horse.  

However, my trainer and his assistant have been working with him the past 3 weeks (we bought him June 3rd) and feel like his issue is more than we thought.  Some rides he is fine, but on three occassions he has reared, then when he is smacked and forced forward he will kick out and buck out of anger.  Once the episode is over, he is fine and moves around the ring like nothing happened.  The last time he was ridden was Saturday, in a jumping lesson.  My trainer was giving a lesson to his assistant, who is mainly the one riding him so far.  They told me he did his typical rear after about 30 minutes of jumping fine, but then had this huge explosion after being punished for rearing.  He really fights back!  The woman riding him forced him forward and galloped him for a few minutes, all the while he was bucking and she was getting after him with the dressage whip, which I think causes more bucking.  When it was over, he again acted like everything was normal.  I love this horse and believe horses can overcome these learned behaviors and I know he has just started this with the past owner within the last year.

My question is, how would you handle it?  And should I give up on trying?  I have ridden him twice and he was a dream, but I didn't jump him nor did I ask him to do something difficult.  My trainer is worried that he will continue to fight me with everything new we come to, but I am hoping I can get him over this and enjoy our future rides!  My trainer thinks I should get rid of him, which is unusual for him because he is great at fixing problems.  He says I don't need to be dealing with that forever, but I was thinking it wouldn't take that long.  He also worries that I will get hurt in the process of trying to fix something that is unfixable. Any advice?  I really don't want to get rid of him, as EVERYTHING else about this horse is exactly what I need.  He is calm, sweet, doesn't spook... and can jump the moon!  He just is a huge brat at times.  Help!  :)

Any tips would be wonderful... and if you think some horses just will never get over something like this, I'll understand, but after my years of riding it just doesn't make sense!  (and what is the realistic amount of time I should give him before I should consider getting rid of him?) Thank you!!!

Answer
Hi Brandi!

Truthfully, I have found through experience that rearing is the worst vice a horse can have.  I have to agree with your current trainer that this is not going to go away or be "fixed" forever with him never doing it again.

See, all horses have a defense mechanism that they use when they are scared, angry or both.  Bucking, napping, spooking, dropping a shoulder and spinning....all of that is common and can usually be trained out of a mount.

But, rearing is both unacceptable and dangerous.  Once a horse learns it works to unseat a rider or get them out of doing the thing they are avoiding...they just keep going back to it time and time again.  Even if you worked a million hours to fix it and did not see it for 2 years of riding straight....I will bet the farm that he will come across a new and stressful thing and will rear.  And then it will be that battle all over again, from square one.

So.  What to do?  Put your safety first and foremost. Love him enough to let him be who he is and not try to force a square peg into a round hole. Truly consider your horse.  What would be the proper thing for him, that would not be stressful and incite rearing?  He was sold at a low price because of this.  It would be unfair to all involved to re-sell him with this vice.  Someone could be really hurt and the result could be him ending up at slaughter.  

I suggest a TB rescue organization that could market him as a kind pasture mate that should not be ridden....his rearing should be fully disclosed to any potential owner so they know not to ride him.

OTTB's have lots of issues and they were all manmade.  It's time for a human to really think about what would be best for him and show him that humans are not all bad  :-)

Good luck and remember to always wear an ASTM/SEI approved helmet!

Solange