History Main / RearingHorse

** In "Luna Eclipsed", [[LargeHam Luna]] enhances the dramatic effect of this trope by thrusting one of her front legs skywards when rearing. [[DramaticThunder Then a lightning bolt strikes.]]

* ''Series/DoctorWho''. In "Last Christmas", SantaClaus (yes, ''that'' Santa) does this on Rudolph the Rednosed Reindeer.

[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyEquestriaGirls'', the statue in the frontyard of Canterlot High School, atop the portal leading to Equestria, is that of a rearing horse.

[[folder:Films -- Animation]]

** [[TheFashionista Rarity]] appears [[SilkHidingSteel to know kung fu]], [[CulturedBadass or a pony equivalent]]. [[GirlyBruiser She is not shy to use it, should the situation call for it]] -- ask the [[EmotionEater changeling]] she punched in the jaw (with a [[GrinOfAudacity small smile of enjoyment]], it should be said). Naturally, the stances have her forelegs in the air.

* The horse the cheetah rides in the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "Survival". Yes, ''the horse the cheetah rides.'' Note: During filming, the stunt man couldn't get the horse to rear, or do anything else, but the actress playing the cheetah-girl could. It turned out that the horse hated men.

[[quoteright:350:[[Franchise/{{Zorro}} http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Zorro.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350: Kids, don't try this at home. [[RealityEnsues You'll fall off.]]]]

The RearingHorse is an iconic pose of a horse rearing back so its front hooves are off the ground. It is used in movies because it is so dramatic.

[[folder: Advertising ]]

[[folder: Anime and Manga ]]

* Done in the intro of the ''VampireHunterD : Bloodlust'' movie, posing in front of the hugeass moon, right after catching an arrow in flight. Just to show how cool and BadAss D was. For bonus point it was a cyber horse with horns.
** And to make it even ''cooler'', his cape flies up to form the shape of a massive pair of bat wings.
* In ''PokemonSpecial'', Platina's just evolved [[HellishHorse Rapidash]] strikes this pose after Platina mounts it and declares [[spoiler:her intention to protect the three Lake Guardians with Diamond and Pearl despite her father's protests]].

[[folder: Art ]]

* The Equestrian statues of [[http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/1283/plazabolivar12hs.jpg Simón Bolívar]]
* The original design LeonardoDaVinci wanted for his horse statue was this pose. However he deemed it to difficult, so he went with a less awesome design, it was never finished due to a war.
* Velazquez's portrait of [[http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/39/Retrato_ecuestre_del_conde-duque_de_Olivares%2C_by_Diego_Vel%C3%A1zquez.jpg Count-Duke of Olivares]]. Velazquez was fond of this, he has several --more downplayed-- portrayals of the spanish nobility in this way.

[[folder: Film ]]

* When ''{{Zorro}}'' movies stop having slow-motion rearing-horse scenes with the hero waving his sword as his cloak ripples in the wind, Zorro will be officially dead.
* In Creator/StanleyKubrick's classic ''Film/BarryLyndon'', the protagonist's son tries this at home. He falls off.
* At the end of Creator/TerryGilliam's ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBaronMunchausen'' the Baron raises his hat as his horse rears up... and they both vanish. Both the horse and rider in this shot were doubles.
* Happens in ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' film when Aragorn and his army are at the Black Gates at the end of a RousingSpeech. According to the DVD Commentary, [[ThrowItIn this happened entirely by accident, but Viggo Mortensen stayed on the horse and it looked good so they kept the shot.]]

* ''The Sicilian''. The bandit protagonist Guilliano is robbing a train. The train's whistle goes off causing his horse to rear at the same time as a captured soldier takes his picture. The resulting photo is splashed across the newspapers.
* ''Film/SleepyHollow'' has this occur several times with the Headless Horseman's steed.
* Mr. Bison from ''Film/StreetFighter'' is featured in a painting that is just the abovementioned ''Napoleon Crossing The Alps'' [[http://s9.postimage.org/l951nxll9/tumblr_ly3dzy2w_Er1qghhwyo1_500.jpg after a switcheroo]].
* Taken UpToEleven in ''Film/{{Alexander}}'' (2004) where we have Alexander's horse rearing as it faces an enemy [[WarElephants War Elephant]] ''which is also rearing!'' Then the horse gets speared and Alexander falls off it.

[[folder: Literature ]]


* ''Literature/BlackBeauty''! It's on the freaking cover!

* The coat of arms of MercedesLackey's [[TheKingdom Kingdom]] of [[HeraldsOfValdemar Valdemar]] is the Windrider, a winged horse rampant with broken chains.

[[folder: Live Action TV ]]


* ''TheLoneRanger'' and his horse, Silver.

* Lancelot in the episode named after him does this on ''Series/{{Merlin}}'' just before he kills the griffin.
* Parodied during the credits of the first season of {{Blackadder}}. After a montage of Blackadder riding his horse swiftly across the countryside to dramatic music, the horse rears up... and Blackadder falls off.

[[folder: Toys ]]


* The G1 MyLittlePony pegasus "Firefly" is one of few ponies posed in a rampant position.

[[folder: Video Games ]]


* Players have the option of Heroic Pose in ''TheSims3'' if the Sim rider has enough experience. The result is a rearing horse.
* In ''ShadowOfTheColossus'', you can make the protagonist's horse do this, and with practice you can use it to get the horse right into a gallop.
* You can do almost the same thing in ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaTwilightPrincess''.

** There's a moment which should be cliche, but somehow isn't, where [[spoiler:Ganondorf]], the true BigBad and the {{Foil}} to Link, rears up on his horse surrounded by fire in contrast to Link with Epona in the sunset.

* Pegasus is a ridiculously useful creature in ''{{Scribblenauts}}''. He also rears sometimes. It's possible from time to time for him to rear just as you grab the Starite, making for an extremely awesome end scene.
* This happens in some of the critical hit animations in the ''FireEmblem'' series. FridgeLogic ensues when you realize that even more damage could be done if the horse reared and pummeled the opponent in the middle of the attack, rather than the beginning.
** Bizarrely, even pegasi (i.e. flying horses) do this sometimes.

* Can be done in ''RedDeadRedemption''. Try doing it while the camera is facing the sunrise/sunset.

[[folder: Western Animation ]]

* ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'': Twilight Sparkle obliges Spike by doing this when they go off to rescue Rarity. The ponies sometimes rear without a rider (it's not like they usually have one) as a kind of stock gesture, but they're so diminutive that it tends to look more cute than impressive.

** [[TheFashionista Rarity]] appears [[SilkHidingSteel to know kung fu]], [[CulturedBadass or a pony equivalent]]. [[GirlyBruiser She is not shy to use it, should the situation call for it]] - ask the [[EmotionEater changeling]] she punched in the jaw (with a [[GrinOfAudacity small smile of enjoyment]], it should be said). Naturally, the stances have her forelegs in the air.

* ''TheNewAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh'': In "Paw and Order", Winnie-the-Pooh as [[NonPoweredCostumedHero the Masked Bear]] tries to do a Zorro-style dramatic rear with Eeyore twice. On the first go he falls off. The second time he pulls it off, but then falls off almost immediately afterwards as Eeyore walks away.

[[folder: Real Life ]]


* The [[http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Image:Kent_flag.svg rearing white horse on red]] (though he looks more like he's about to kung fu some mother into next week), the arms and flag of the State of Lower Saxony in Germany, and of Westphalia (nowadays part of North Rhine-Westphalia).
* There is a statue of a horse in this pose atop the scoreboard at INVESCO Field, home of the Denver Broncos.
* In Washington, D.C., stands a statue of Andrew Jackson upon a rearing horse. The popular wisdom of the time was that such a statue -- balancing solely upon the horse's hind legs -- could not possibly be stable, and it's said that people used to take bets as to when it would finally collapse.

* The Norfolk Southern Railway's locomotives are painted with the silhouette of a rearing horse on the front ends. Their corporate logo is also a silhouette of a horse's head next to the letters: NS. (This logo is usually seen painted on locomotives and vehicles they own.)
* Artwork depicting a general or head-of-state on a rearing horse was a symbol of power in the 17th century. The most famous example is perhaps [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Napoleon4.jpg]] painting of NapoleonBonaparte. Of course, Napoleon actually crossed the Alps on a sure-footed mule.

** Also appears in the original cover art for the Valdemar novel ''Arrow's Fall'', though the "horse" is Talia's Companion, who is more like a guardian angel made flesh.

* This is a manoeuvre frequently used in ''[[Literature/TheThreeMusketeers Twenty Years After]]'' to save the rider.

* Averted in Literature/TheLordOfTheRings, the only time a horse rears is when King Theoden's horse is spooked by a Nazgul. The horse falls over and crushes Theoden to death.

^ Averted in Literature/TheLordOfTheRings, the only time a horse rears is when King Theoden's horse is spooked by a Nazgul. The horse falls over and crushes Theoden to death.

** [[TheFashionista Rarity]] appears [[SilkHidingSteel to know kung fu]], [[CulturedBadass or a pony equivalent]]. [[GirlyBruiser She is not shy to use it, should the situation call for it]] - ask the [[EmotionalVampire changeling]] she punched in the jaw (with a [[GrinOfAudacity small smile of enjoyment]], it should be said). Naturally, the stances have her forelegs in the air.

[[SomewhereAnEquestrianIsCrying In real life]], it's a Very Bad Thing, and ''only'' experienced trainers should even get on a horse with a rearing habit (although there is a difference between an actual rear and several of the dressage moves known as the "Airs Above the Ground"). It is very easy to cause a rearing horse to fall over backwards on top of the rider, which can easily lead to serious injuries or even death.

* In ''Discworld/Going Postal'', Moist Von Lipwig and Boris the horse get themselves splashed all over the front page of the newspaper in this pose.

* In ''[[Literature/{{Discworld}} Going Postal]]'', Moist Von Lipwig and Boris the horse get themselves splashed all over the front page of the newspaper in this pose.

* In the second opening of the first season of ''SailorMoon'', the steed that Tuxedo Mask appears on [[http://www.sailorgalaxy.de/tl_files/gallery/anime_screenshots/Opening-ending-eyecatch/Season1_opening3/SailorMoon_opening3%20%2873%29.JPG strikes this pose.]]

* The fourth book of the ''[[TortallUniverse Song of the Lioness]]'' series is called ''Lioness Rampant'', which is also the design the main character has on her shield.

* In StanleyKubrick's classic ''Film/BarryLyndon'', the protagonist's son tries this at home. He falls off.

* Artwork depicting a general or head-of-state on a rearing horse was a symbol of power in the 17th century. The most famous example is perhaps [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Napoleon4.jpg]] painting of NapoleonBonaparte.

* Taken UpToEleven in ''Film/{{Alexander}}'' (2004) where we have Alexander's horse rearing as it faces an enemy WarElephant ''which is also rearing!'' Then the horse gets speared and Alexander falls off it.

** In "Luna Eclipsed", [[LargeHam Luna]] enhances the dramatic effect of this trope by thrusting one of her front legs skywards when rearing. [[DramaticThunder Then a lightning bolt strikes]].
** In "Too many Pinkie Pies" one of Pinkie's clones does this [[CrazyAwesome while being ridden by another Pinkie clone]].

** In "Luna Eclipsed", [[LargeHam Luna]] enhances the dramatic effect of this trope by thrusting one of her front legs skywards when rearing. [[UpToEleven Then a]] [[CueTheThunder lightning bolt strikes]].

** In "Luna Eclipsed", [[LargeHam Luna]] enhances the dramatic effect of this trope by thrusting one of her front legs skywards when rearing. [[UpToEleven Then a lightning strikes]].
** In "Too many Pinkie Pies" one of Pinkie's clones does this [[CrazyAwesome while being ridden by another Pinkie clone]]

* The Ferrari logo
* The Winchester logo and the Colt, sans rider