My friends experienced with warmbloods say they all go through their bucking/rearing stages in early training and it should grow out of them when they mature (around 6 or 7) but has anyone had any real problems or is the occasional buck/rear just common? How many years did it take before the occurences stopped completely?

Depends on the style of training, i've worked with warmbloods in the UK, when they are forced to soon to come back to the bridle, this is when is seems to happen. Only from my experience. Unless it's like a naughty teenage thing

Hmmm.. we are having slight issues with this at present too....
Confidence seems to be part of it, but I think it is also evasiveness.
My mare is CBxTB, and I have only had her 2 weeks, but she has already chucked a few spazzes on the ground (thankfully none under saddle) when I ask her for more.
I HOPE this won't transfer to the saddle, but I need to amend it in case it does.

So...more brushing, saddling up, groundwork, relaxation excercises, in hand work....

Hi Casey Rose - Nemo went through a stage of rearing just recently. He would do it when ever he got a little nervous or unsure of a situation. At first it was just the occasional rear and then he started doing it regularly. I was really starting to lose my confidence as I can put up with the odd buck, pigroot etc but hate horses that rear. I ended up sending him off to Fred Watkins in Bakers Hill for 2 weeks just to expose him to any thing and everything. Fred threw what he could at him and Nemo did rear LOTS. Fred being the good horseman he is was able to nip it in the bud for me very quickly. Nemo has been back from Freds since March and has been really good.

I'm glad I'm not the only one having these problems

I would say that it is too much when you start to lose confidence!

I took Nemo to his first show last weekend and he started to get a bit upset at one stage and I thought he was going to go up but I just kept riding him forward until he relaxed. Thankfully he behaved for the rest of the day and even ended up getting champion hack and got 3rd in his first ever jumping event.

I have read that you have to deal with the rearing before they go up, or you are wasting your time reprimanding them once they are back on the ground...which does make sense.
I had a look at horseproblems.com.au and found some interesting reading there.

Yes you are correct Sassafrass. The problem needs to be dealt with whilst the horse is in the air. Fred Watkins who sorted the problem for Nemo is one of John O'leary's (HP Australia) protoge's. He is going to assist John at the Perth Horse Problem Clinic this weekend.

Just read on the horse problems website, that someone had a cleveland bay cross. Wonder how they are going?

Where did you find that TPO?
Hope they have it ll sorted then

Been there too! Lots of groundwork sorted mine out (he's a full CB). Mainly it was due to the "Kevins" but he is quite dominant. It also helped cos it exposes them to scary stuff and as my leadership became more engrained he began to trust me and not just go off on one.