Correct way to handle rearing horse

[GoForAGallop]

Just echoing the others who say “shame on the barnowner” for not teaching the girl to handle the stallion, giving her the tools to do it properly, and then watching over her to make sure that all is okay.

I’m a small person, but I feel comfortable handling just about any stallion, up to and including live cover. But that’s because I was TAUGHT, and given the tools to succeed. Like the dressage whip for the rank 2 year old whose favorite trick was to slam the breaks on, back up, go up, and then strike. I would never think to grab a whip to handle the average horse, so thank goodness the owner made sure to hand me one my first time out the door with a warning of what the stinker liked to pull.

Similarly, I had a TB mare who was an angel for anyone competent. I led her around in nothing but a cotton rope and a flat leather halter. But heaven forbid she find out someone wasn’t quite on their ball or nervous. She’d go right up, wait for the person to drop the lead rope, and then take herself on a field trip around the farm. So you bet every time someone new handled her, I’d say “there is a chain on her door, please use it if you feel at all uncomfortable with her. She respects the chain.”

[Crockpot]

[QUOTE=SnicklefritzG;7974717]
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.[/QUOTE]

Great. That certainly puts all your other posts in context.

[ellebeaux]

[QUOTE=CrowneDragon;7975143]

Example of a handler staying out of the horse’s way when they go up: http://www.bloodhorse.com/horse-racing/videos/13454/bc-2014-california-chrome-feisty-in-paddock[/QUOTE]

I like how calm everyone behaves in that situation. Even CC

[Renn_aissance]

The horse being a stallion and normally a gentleman doesn’t necessarily mean you need new barn help- any horse can get a wild hair.

If you know the animal rears, stud chain over the nose (I prefer a rope lead- I find them easier to grip than flat leather, and certainly not nylon) and wear gloves. Keep the horse on a short lead, just long enough that you’re not applying pressure on the chain, and long enough for you to get out of the way. Walk with purpose. Cheekiness- jigging, throwing the head- gets a growl, crowding gets a pop on the shoulder with the free end of the lead. If the horse goes up, get out of the way of the front end (back towards the shoulder) and use the lead to bring the horse around towards you. He must immediately walk on. Trot forward if you have to if the animal sulks at the forward aid, which in this case is going to be a cluck, a growl, or a pop of the free end of the rope towards the hocks, but the second those front feet hit the ground that sucker needs to be moved forward. Rearing is an evasion of “forward” and they can’t go up if they’re moving on.

If you have the horse in the paddock and are taking off the halter or shank and that’s when the animal goes up, get out of the way of the front end (towards the shoulder if you can to hold on, which is easier if you know the horse is going to do it) and, if you have to to preserve your skull, drop the lead and get out of the way. You can catch the horse later. Look, if the horse habitually rears when you’re taking its halter off, that’s a serious problem that should be corrected by a professional, but we’re talking about standard barn help here- who hasn’t had a frisky horse get a little carried away at morning turnout and start trying to play before his halter is off? Or have a fieldmate provoke him? The best-mannered horse on the ground will occasionally pull a wingding out of sheer joy at being alive, and right now I’m talking about that horse, not the confirmed bad actor. It doesn’t sound from the OP like this horse is a habitual bad actor. I don’t care if it is a stallion, being intact doesn’t exempt a horse from having manners and it sounds like this one normally does (“perfect gentleman”) so maybe he was just having one of those mornings.

So the next time this girl leads this horse, she puts a stud chain on, wears gloves, wears her helmet, marches the animal towards its destination, and probably this “perfect gentleman” won’t do anything and she’ll have been prepared anyway.

[tewhann]

You’ve never had a horse act up on you when leading? Seriously?

How did you get that from my post? I suggested that the new girl get training on quiet horses until she was ready to handle all types & the stallion.

[spotteddrafter]

We had a super aggressive gelding where I used to board and work, so I handled him a lot. I never really knew what tricks he would pull - rear and spin, kick out, etc. I used a chain over the nose, a short shank, and kept one eye on his eye at all times. The moment I felt any change in energy, he got to back up for as long as I wanted him to back. Sometimes we backed all the way back into the barn and into his stall, sometimes we backed a few feet and tried again.

[SugarCubes]

Thanks for all of the responses. Like I said, this horse is usually as quiet as an old QH gelding, I’ve handled him several times with no stud chain and he never even thinks about misbehaving. I don’t know if the new girl was nervous handling him and he picked up on it and walked all over her or what, but it was very out of the ordinary for him to behave this way (it has also been freakishly cold lately and I’m sure the weather is a factor). She clearly did not know how to correct the behavior which made me realize I really wouldn’t know what the proper correction is either. I won’t be shooting him with a BB gun, I can tell you that much :lol:, but the backing up then moving him forward immediately makes sense to me. And to those of you concerned about the new girl’s safety, my trainer is aware of what happened and will be handling her stallion herself until the new girl is comfortable and confident handling him. Thanks again for all of the helpful replies!

[Jim_R]

Did a search and found this thread. Have a client that wants me to train their trainer to handle their stallion for collection. The wife trained another vet to do the collection and I handled the horse. So she is new to this. The trainer is afraid of the horse and the last time they tried she was on the floor with stud standing over her. Horse was a good boy and nobody got hurt. I guess this thread reconfirms what I was thinking, if you are afraid it wont work.
The first time I went he was so relieved that I would handle him and he left so I saw no interest in him wanting to learn.
I want to tell them that I can’t, won’t teach him as I would feel terrible if somebody got hurt when I knew his heart was not in it.
I would come handle him for $75 and it is an hour of driving round trip, so I think this is more than a fair price. Does that seem fair?
I don’t want them to think I won’t train him so I can make money. Because that is below my pay grade and I work from home.
Wife can’t collect him as she has another job and can’t be there as often as needed.

[sid]

How much of your time does it take once you get there? That, is are they all ready for the collection? Does the stallion accomplish his “mission” on the first mount?

I’m assuming you wait until they know the collection/semen is good (in case there is a problem and you have to re-collect – and there is more “wait” time in that event).

[PaintPony]

[QUOTE=Highflyer;7975585]
Well, nothing calms people down like a bb in the genitals![/QUOTE]

I know this thread is old, but this post just made Coke Zero come out of my nose. I’m trying to cover up my laughing with a coughing fit but I’m not sure I’m fooling anyone. :lol:

[Jim_R]

[QUOTE=sid;8126641]
How much of your time does it take once you get there? That, is are they all ready for the collection? Does the stallion accomplish his “mission” on the first mount?

I’m assuming you wait until they know the collection/semen is good (in case there is a problem and you have to re-collect – and there is more “wait” time in that event).[/QUOTE] Every time it went pretty fast. I would always stick around for testing and packing since this vet is new to this.They have real nice lab and barn. I would say 3/4 to an hour. The drive is all I want to be paid for, if they were a neighbor I would do it for free. When I go with the wife I don’t get a dime,lol.
Only about 10-15 minutes of work. And I just don’t want anybody hurt too.

[sid]

[QUOTE=Jim R;8126861]
Every time it went pretty fast. I would always stick around for testing and packing since this vet is new to this.They have real nice lab and barn. I would say 3/4 to an hour. The drive is all I want to be paid for, if they were a neighbor I would do it for free. When I go with the wife I don’t get a dime,lol.
Only about 10-15 minutes of work. And I just don’t want anybody hurt too.[/QUOTE]

Then I think that’s a very fair price. It can get a little dicey in the breeding shed if people don’t really know what they are doing, so kudos to you for looking out for others’ safety.

[FineAlready]

[QUOTE=Jim R;8126499]
Did a search and found this thread. Have a client that wants me to train their trainer to handle their stallion for collection. The wife trained another vet to do the collection and I handled the horse. So she is new to this. The trainer is afraid of the horse and the last time they tried she was on the floor with stud standing over her. Horse was a good boy and nobody got hurt. I guess this thread reconfirms what I was thinking, if you are afraid it wont work.
The first time I went he was so relieved that I would handle him and he left so I saw no interest in him wanting to learn.
I want to tell them that I can’t, won’t teach him as I would feel terrible if somebody got hurt when I knew his heart was not in it.
I would come handle him for $75 and it is an hour of driving round trip, so I think this is more than a fair price. Does that seem fair?
I don’t want them to think I won’t train him so I can make money. Because that is below my pay grade and I work from home.
Wife can’t collect him as she has another job and can’t be there as often as needed.[/QUOTE]

This is a more than fair price. And I absolutely agree that a person who is afraid or just simply uninterested in handling a stallion for collection should not do it. Stallion handling, even for very nice stallions and even at times other than collection time, is kind of something you have to be fully invested in/focused on/confident in at all times during the handling, or there are going to be problems.

[Jim_R]

Just got back. They asked me for some pointers, I just said I only do it, I don’t know how to teach. I suggested I could come handle him and they thought it was a good idea. Told them that I have to charge $75.00 and that was only because of the travel.
It will help with a relationship with the other vet too. Always good when 2 vets can work together.
Poor guy was so relieved.

[sid]

[QUOTE=Jim R;8127221]
Just got back. They asked me for some pointers, I just said I only do it, I don’t know how to teach. I suggested I could come handle him and they thought it was a good idea. Told them that I have to charge $75.00 and that was only because of the travel.
It will help with a relationship with the other vet too. Always good when 2 vets can work together.
Poor guy was so relieved.[/QUOTE]

Splendid! :yes:

[OveroHunter]

Old thread I know, but there’s a reason they call them stud chains!

Oh and here’s DH… The second (significantly less awesome looking) pic shows him hauling his butt back down and having a CTJ meeting. This was “Dennis the Menace’s” first breeding of the season and he was happy IIRC.

https://scontent-atl.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xfp1/v/t1.0-9/1931014_546315911833_2331_n.jpg?oh=e6cddfd4c7de011e537327507775e05c&oe=55D497BB