Our barn just hired a new girl to feed and bring horses in and out from turnout. Yesterday, she was leading my trainers stallion, who is usually a perfect gentleman, and he totally took advantage of her and started rearing and bucking. She managed to get him into his paddock where he reared again and pulled the leadrope out of her hands and took off (she already had the gate closed, thank goodness!). She was noticeably shaken from the ordeal. I started thinking about it, and I’ve never dealt with a horse who has pulled that while being led…what is the proper action to take if a horse starts rearing and bucking while being led? With my gelding, a sharp “Quit It” is all he needs to hear to behave, but I’m thinking that wouldn’t cut it with a wild stallion!
Chain over the nose and a good yank if they get a bit “up” to remind them you’re still attached.
real short lead so the handler has control over the lad’s head… and please do not warp one’s hand into the horse’s halter
Oh my gosh, that’s scary. I wouldn’t lead a horse with bad manners like that without a chain. Firm pressure on the chain and watch him intently. And head flick deserves a good yank downward on the chain.
She should be careful though, because if he’s willing to rear/buck in hand, he is likely to strike and could injure the handler.
I despise horses that can’t lead properly…
Staff training and “SUPERVISION” with stallions regardless of past behavior ~ IMHO
[B]
Staff training and “SUPERVISION” with ALL horses especially stallions regardless of past behavior during the beginning 'getting acquainted" time period ~ to ensure safety for ALL !
IMHO ![/B]
Get a pellet gun and ping him in the nuts if he does that again. I know one guy who did that to a horse who used to rear when you went in the stallion’s stall. It only took one time to cure the horse of that bad behavior.
WTF?? OK, I’m going to be radical here and suggest that you not shoot the horse for bad behavior.
The problem in this case isn’t the horse, but a person who lacks the skills to handle all types of horses. She needs to get more confidence on other, quiet horses before she handles a stallion.
She needs a lesson in the proper use of the chain shank, which ought to be an extra-long (stallion) shank so she can get out of the way while still having hold of him if he goes straight up. The most important thing is to GET AWAY from the striking range of the forefeet, preferably by dropping back close to his shoulder.
Then I would shank him HARD and pull him around me in a circle, which not only gets his attention but spills the energy like doubling would under saddle. Stick close as a tick to the area just back of his shoulder, where he can’t reach you with EITHER set of feet OR his teeth! You can NOT let them know they’re intimidating you, and the trouble is they can read you like a book. A horse like this should only be handled by someone whose authority the horse respects. Chances are he was “checking her out” to see what he could get away with.
ABOVE ALL, WEAR A HELMET leading stallions and handling them for breeding. My old farrier taught me, “The hind feet will hurt you; the FRONT feet will KILL you.” BTW, the BO and trainer ought to know this is a lawsuit in the making if that girl gets hurt w/her stud. Maybe SHE better turn him out!
He should only be handled by someone confident and competent (not this girl). Stallion shank (which is an extra long lead with a chain - I actually use one for my studdish gelding that rears in hand sometimes). Hold the lead close to the horse’s head so that you have more control of the head and can hopefully prevent misbehavior. Walk with PURPOSE towards your destination and refocus the horse’s attention on you if he gets distracted or starts to act up. If the horse does rear, stay clear of hooves and then shank him, back him up quickly a few step, then drag him forward swiftly towards your original destination.
But really, not everyone can or should handle a horse like this.
And I cannot even BELIEVE someone suggested shooting the horse in the testicles with a pellet gun. That’s highly inappropriate and abusive. Just learn how to properly handle the horse.
Get a pellet gun and ping him in the nuts if he does that again. I know one guy who did that to a horse who used to rear when you went in the stallion’s stall. It only took one time to cure the horse of that bad behavior.
This may actually be the worst advice I’ve ever read on this forum. I’m still trying to comprehend the logic. You want to shoot a breeding stallion in the testicles with a BB gun as a training strategy? I have no words for this level of ignorance.
I agree with LE & FA. Teach her what to do and if she’s scared she shouldn’t lead him.
Hire better help. He’s not a problem for anyone else, that tells you everything you need to know.
Great Heavens to Murgatroyd! Do not shoot the horse with a pellet gun.
I agree with the others that have said the new hire is not the one to be handling this horse. As a groom years ago I dealt with a horse prone to rearing (I later bought him from the trainer) and it was important to not let him get to the point that he did rear. No rough handling required. Just common sense, experience with horses and a calm, firm hand on the lead.
In my experience, if the horse does rear and pull backwards, go with him. You generally aren’t going to be able to strong-arm an animal that is in the air, and once he’s pulling backwards a taught line won’t help you. He will come down and when he does you’ll be right there to get him in hand again.
[QUOTE=Dressagelvr;7974788]
You want to shoot a breeding stallion in the testicles with a BB gun as a training strategy? I have no words for this level of ignorance.[/QUOTE]
Oh come on! What could possibly go wrong with this awesome plan?
[QUOTE=Lady Eboshi;7974765]
The most important thing is to GET AWAY from the striking range of the forefeet, preferably by dropping back close to his shoulder.
Then I would shank him HARD and pull him around me in a circle, which not only gets his attention but spills the energy like doubling would under saddle. Stick close as a tick to the area just back of his shoulder, where he can’t reach you with EITHER set of feet OR his teeth!
ABOVE ALL, WEAR A HELMET leading stallions and handling them for breeding. [/QUOTE]
I agree with this. The motion that LE describes, dropping back to his shoulder and pulling him around in a circle, puts weight on his front feet.
The motion described by another poster - backing him up - puts weight on his hind legs, making it easier for him to rear again. Not ideal, imo.
And absolutely, she should wear a helmet.
[QUOTE=Dressagelvr;7974788]
This may actually be the worst advice I’ve ever read on this forum. I’m still trying to comprehend the logic. You want to shoot a breeding stallion in the testicles with a BB gun as a training strategy? I have no words for this level of ignorance.
I agree with LE & FA. Teach her what to do and if she’s scared she shouldn’t lead him.[/QUOTE]
I know somebody who did that and it worked.I’m not telling people to go ahead and do that, but I’m relaying what I know worked for one person who has been in the business for several decades and has been to the olympics.
You can get your panties in a wad if you want, go ahead. I’m going to go enjoy a nice ride on my horse. 
[QUOTE=stryder;7974837]
I agree with this. The motion that LE describes, dropping back to his shoulder and pulling him around in a circle, puts weight on his front feet.
The motion described by another poster - backing him up - puts weight on his hind legs, making it easier for him to rear again. Not ideal, imo. YY
And absolutely, she should wear a helmet.[/QUOTE]
I was taught the backing up method by a vet and have found it to be very effective. They can’t rear while they are backing, so the key is to keep backing until they settle. When I handle stallions I make sure their full attention is on me. As soon as I feel their attention start to go elsewhere I will have them back a few steps.
[QUOTE=Coanteen;7974824]
Oh come on! What could possibly go wrong with this awesome plan?[/QUOTE]
LOL, I’d probably shoot myself!
The backing has worked great for me, but it must be followed by a swift forward motion.
You can’t back and halt them. You go back and immediately forward. Immediately!
[QUOTE=SnicklefritzG;7974838]
I know somebody who did that and it worked.I’m not telling people to go ahead and do that, but I’m relaying what I know worked for one person who has been in the business for several decades and has been to the olympics.
You can get your panties in a wad if you want, go ahead. I’m going to go enjoy a nice ride on my horse. :-)[/QUOTE]
I think they were telling a fish tale. I mean seriously…think about the logistics of what you are saying…You would have to carry a bb gun with you when turning out a horse that presumably is being fractious. Then you would have to be able to (while still holing lead rope) take aim when they go up, and move into a position for a clear shot at an object about 8" in size. Then you would have to fire at a moving target.
The chance of successfully doing that is slim to nil. I think the person telling you that is making it up.
