rearing horse in field

Question
I recently purchased a 13yr old gelding who is also an ex competition horse.  He is fine to ride and generally in the field unless he has been able to touch a mare then he goes wild and will rear up. He also hates to go into his stable alone and gets really panicky which is starting to affect my confidence I feel we are not bonding with each other at times and just do not know what to do, do you think a chifney bit would help?

Answer
Hello,
Let's look at where your horse is coming from. When he starts to work in the field with you he starts to feel alone and scared to move forward so he rears. Our job is to learn how to present ourselves to our horses as the lead horse,  and make partners out of our horses. You do not need a stronger bit because we do not want to force our horses to do anything. What kind of ground work do you do with your horse? Could your horse do all your ground work perfectly in the field? Hang out next to you in the field? Let me know where you two stand with your ground work and I will come up with a recipe for you two to work on.
Best Wishes,
Caitlin Day Huntress