A horse rearing can be extremely dangerous. It is not only dangerous for the rider but also for the horse. This is often a problem that requires an actual horse trainer to rectify. It is not for the faint of heart to handle if you are inexperienced or an amateur but here are a few tips that might help.
1) Your first step will be to try to determine why your horse is rearing. Is it a young horse? Is the horse simply acting up out of a need to release energy? Is the horse in pain? Is the horse afraid? Is the horse rebelling? Does the horse respect you? Is the horse older and perhaps learned that this is the way to get what it wants? Is the horse mean? Does your tack fit the horse well? Please ask yourself all of these questions and give each one an honest answer.
2) In my life I have seen many old ‘cowboys’ deal with horses that reared in harsh ways. I have seen them smack the horse between the ears. I have also seen them use water balloons on the horse which they would smack hard between the horses ears. The water balloon would explode and the warm water would flow over the horses face. The horse would actually think that the force of the blow had caused it to bleed. I even saw some horses go to their knees with this practice. To me it seemed cruel and harsh. I would never recommend using such a practice when dealing with a horse. These are old ways and far from acceptable in my viewpoint. I feel that if you reach the root of why exactly your horse is rearing then you can fix the problem.
3) Remember that if your horse rears back to not lean back in the saddle and pull the reins. This will not stop the horse and might bring the horse over on top of you. This is extremely dangerous. I have seen horse trainers bring a horse over to stop it from rearing on purpose by placing fear in the horse but no one should ever try this tactic. If your horse rears then lean forward against its neck. Loosen the reins and do not pull back.
4) If you are truly inexperienced and your horse rears then wrap your arms around its neck and slide off the horse to the side. Step away fast so the horse does not step on you when it comes back down.
5) If you feel your horse is going to rear do not stop but go forward. A horse that is moving forward cannot rear. It needs to stop to rear so do not allow the horse to stop.
6) Take the saddle off your horse and go back to square one. Do groundwork again. Start over. You will need your horse to respect you so begin to do ground work in a round pen.
7) Keep your horses head collected threw reining. A horse needs its head to rear. It must throw its head back.
8) When teaching your horse groundwork make sure you teach him to lower his head on cue. A horse needs his head to rear. But if you control his head on the ground then he cannot rear. So teach the horse to lower his head.
9) Sometimes a defiant or older horse who wants to be in charge will not lower his head. You will need to use a dressage crop. If he will not lower his head and he begins to rear then pop him in the chest or front shoulder while growling at him. Remember that you are in charge and he will respect you. Issue a command such as “Down”. Each time this happens repeat the word while growling.
10) Many trainers use a chain that is wrapped around the horses nose to yank his head down or apply steady pressure to make him lower his head. This is fine in the hands of someone experienced but if you are not experienced then you can seriously hurt the horse.
Rearing can be corrected over time with good groundwork and persistence. Remember to always react quickly. Also be careful to always maintain your own safety. Rearing can be extremely dangerous. If it is too much for your to handle then you will need to turn to a professional trainer to rectify the problem.
Sources:
http://www.todayshorse.com/Experts/LauraPhelps-Bell/AskLauraPhelps-Bell28.htm
http://www.alphahorse.com/horse-training.html
http://www.horsewhisperer.com/horse_rearing_problem.html
