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The Critical Riding Errors Atop A Rearing Horse
Every year horse owners experience serious injuries or even tragic deaths while riding their cherished equine companions. One of the more significant causes of rider injury is a rider being tossed from a rearing horse...or worse, caught underneath a horse that reared so fiercely that it flipped over on top of the rider. While sometimes injury is extremely difficult to avoid due to the spontaneous and powerful nature of many rears, all too often the problem is actually made worse by inexperienced riders panicking and inadvertently increasing the chance of injury.
When an inexperienced rider is rudely jolted by a rearing horse he
often panics and tightens his body. This is a natural reaction... when
we perceive an impending and unavoidable blow, our body unconsciously
stiffens and braces for the impact. When atop a rearing horse, a
surprised rider will often recoil a bit and stiffen towards the
hindquarters of the horse, which is a critical error because the rider
drastically throws off what little balance he has, almost assuring that
he will be tossed.
The second critical error inexperienced riders make is using the reins
as a form of security. They feel their body being thrown backwards so
they grip the reins for dear life and try to use them to "pull"
themselves forward and back into the saddle. Again... this is a
natural knee-jerk reaction, but it's also a critical error.
When you yank the reins of a rearing horse you drastically increase the
likelihood of the horse losing control entirely and flipping over or
falling down... with a good chance of you being caught underneath.
Keep in mind that when a horse rears, he is already off balance. When
you yank the reins backwards sharply, you'll only make it that much
more difficult for the horse to resume his balance. In addition you'll
very likely harm his mouth and cause him immense pain, and the shock of
the pain could very well make the horse "freak out" even more!
So we now know that the two natural reactions people often make while
on a rearing horse will only serve to increase the chances of injury
for both the horse and rider. If we are supposed to ignore natural
bodily reflexes what should we do instead?
First, when you sense your horse's front hooves leaving the ground make
sure that you lean forwards, not backwards. This will increase both
your balance as well as your horse's, thereby lessening the chance of
the horse actually falling over. You don't want a horse that weighs
around 1000 pounds landing on you.
Second, thrust your hands forward so that there is absolutely no direct
rein pressure against the horse's mouth. Do not pull back on the reins
no matter how much your instincts shout to do so - I guarantee you'll
gain no security or balance from doing so. Let him have his mouth and
only apply direct rein pressure after he has all four hooves back on
the ground.
Finally, if you feel like you are losing control then it's generally
better to take the cautious way out and dismount rather than try and
ride the rearing out. Consider wrapping your arms around the horse's
neck as you lean forward, then slide off his side as he rears. The
moment you hit the ground you want to back up so that the horse doesn't
step on your feet when his front hooves land again. It's best if you
can keep hold of the reins as you perform this maneuver, but if you
have to let them go entirely and get out of "Dodge" then do so. Your
bodily safety is the most important consideration.
Hopefully you will never be surprised by a rearing horse, but it
doesn't hurt to practice quick dismounts in your spare time such that
if you are ever faced with the situation you'll better know how to
handle it. In addition depending on your breed of horse you might
consider jumping him a bit. While a jump has nowhere near the potency
of a strong rear, it can teach your body how to respond when a horse's
front hooves leave the ground.
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Source:
Author Jeffry Rolo - The above article covers two critical riding errors atop a rearing
horse, but if you would like to learn more tips about controlling
rearing horses be sure to check out our series How To Stop A Horse From
Rearing over at the AlphaHorse community. Copyright © Jeffrey Rolo, 2007. All Rights Reserved.
Article Source: http://www.articlesphere.com/Article/The-Critical-Riding-Errors-Atop-A-Rearing-Horse/67259
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