In dancing horse shows and Classical Dressage performances, similar
feats (though ideally much more controlled and rhythmic movements) are often called the
“Courbette” and the “Levade.”
Onlookers seem to love seeing the underside of horses. A rearing
horse may be exciting to spectators, but it’s certainly no joyride for the
person aboard.
.
.
Have you ever sat on
a rearing horse?
The professional was riding my Westfalen mare, introducing the show horse and former eventer to riding out quietly for the first time.
She had insisted we swap horses for the jaunt, as her mare
had been on the trails many times.
We completed the woodsy trail loop and followed the path
along the county highway, returning to the stables. Just then, an
eighteen-wheeler rumbled by. The driver honked his horn and waved.
.
.
And the schoolmaster
went upright.
I stood up in the stirrups of the shiny Passier dressage
saddle, grabbing as much of the 18-hand mare’s mane as I could. She landed on
all four hooves before rearing a second time, and a third.
With each bounce, I somehow managed to stay on the horse.
How could I not? If I bailed, the fancy imported equine would likely head for
the highway. Who knows how that would have turned out?
Once the excitement was over, I realized my own maiden trail
had not even flinched.
Rearing is not nearly as much fun as it may appear to those
watching. Often, the experience does not end as well as ours did.
Here’s a scary
example.
Take a look at this video (shot three years ago), in which
Towns Ender (then eight years old) reared up and tumbled backwards, nearly crushing
U.K. jockey John Kington. This took place while the trainer held a longe line
for schooling the horse and rider.
The same horse, having injured jockey Tom Scudamore a week
prior, was retired after the incident with Kington.
.
Horse vs. Rider - watch
more funny videos
.
I had to put my young mount into 60 days of paid training
afterwards. Honestly, I wanted to send the hot-dogging trainer wannabee a bill
for the damages.
Here’s another one, a
whole lot closer to home.
Not long ago, I allowed a young horse trainer to borrow one
of my horses, so he could show a student how to complete a trail obstacle
pattern on her own horse. With a couple of free rides and the aggressive use of
a pair of rowel spurs, this hotshot had taught my quiet pleasure horse to rear. What's more, my little horse (whom I'd raised since birth) had
spur scars on both his sides.
Now, who wants to teach a horse to rear?
.
.
Image/s:
Rearing
Bronco, by Erwin Evans
1909
Die
Corbette, by Von Ludwig Koch
1925
Public
Domain/Wikipedia Commons Photos
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