Advice to hinder broncking?

I took that to be that she leaned over AFTER the broncing event because she wanted to test how the horse would react...

Anyway, why is this horse in a martingale? Is it necessary? If not, that's the first thing I'd take off a horse with some buck as it encourages them to put their head down - and that's the last thing you want. I'd go back to basics with her. Tack her up and put the stirrups down and lunge her - does she react at all? If not, try some side reins. The point isn't to pull her head in - it's just to mimic the contact she'd have if she were being ridden to see if you can trigger her to start the bucking (so they shouldn't be too tight). If she does, you can now correct it by really getting after her - make her work really hard, straight into a fast canter. Then relax and repeat. If you keep making her go forward from the ground every time she bucks, she'll change her mind about its benefits. And you won't need to worry about staying in the saddle. If she doesn't react, you'll have to get on (make sure the side reins are off!). Then the trick is to start slow and loose. Gradually push her more with minimal contact. If she starts to tense, turn her in a tight circle but try to keep contact light and only tighten if she pulls her head down. The less contact in her mouth, the more inclined she'll be to relax, not brace and stay forward - and the more seriously she'll take it when you do pull back. Stop when she is relaxed, get off, lunge for a bit and put her away. You may just walk the first time and trot for a week before you ever even think of cantering - that's ok. If you keep doing this daily for a little while and she never even gets the chance to buck you off, she will lose the desire to do it.
 
Some very good thoughts already but to add another possibility, could you have someone lunge you while riding for a while? then if it goes pear shaped. You concentrate on staying on while your ground help regains control ?

Also it might be good to even have a break from schooling and focus on hacking with a friend or even foot help?
 
Prince33Sp4rkle said:
can i ask why at 5yo you are still leaning over her? suggests she has not been at all easy to break as once ive been on mine and got trotting i do away with leaning completely.

all i can say is that i would triple check the saddle. i am backing my 3yo and he was fab, walking tight circles each way and straight lines with me leaning over him but then out the blue dumped me on my back and from then on wouldnt let me back on, kept swinging his head round and really tensing his back. swapped saddle for a W (rather than MW) and hes been fine. so even the tiny bit of lunging hes been doing has bulked him up! they change shape SO quickly.

we leant over bareback a few times to 1. decide if it was saddle and 2. build confidence up and it was immediately apparent that he was ok with that.
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She was a late starter and hadn't been ridden for a few days... We didn't want to take our chances as I had fallen off the last time and we didn't want her to worry!
 
Barnacle said:
I took that to be that she leaned over AFTER the broncing event because she wanted to test how the horse would react...

Anyway, why is this horse in a martingale? Is it necessary? If not, that's the first thing I'd take off a horse with some buck as it encourages them to put their head down - and that's the last thing you want. I'd go back to basics with her. Tack her up and put the stirrups down and lunge her - does she react at all? If not, try some side reins. The point isn't to pull her head in - it's just to mimic the contact she'd have if she were being ridden to see if you can trigger her to start the bucking (so they shouldn't be too tight). If she does, you can now correct it by really getting after her - make her work really hard, straight into a fast canter. Then relax and repeat. If you keep making her go forward from the ground every time she bucks, she'll change her mind about its benefits. And you won't need to worry about staying in the saddle. If she doesn't react, you'll have to get on (make sure the side reins are off!). Then the trick is to start slow and loose. Gradually push her more with minimal contact. If she starts to tense, turn her in a tight circle but try to keep contact light and only tighten if she pulls her head down. The less contact in her mouth, the more inclined she'll be to relax, not brace and stay forward - and the more seriously she'll take it when you do pull back. Stop when she is relaxed, get off, lunge for a bit and put her away. You may just walk the first time and trot for a week before you ever even think of cantering - that's ok. If you keep doing this daily for a little while and she never even gets the chance to buck you off, she will lose the desire to do it.
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We have done all of this, as I have repeated the saddle is not the issue, how can she be totally happy in it and jumping one week and the next week be so angry she doesn't even want to be leant on...
She isn't the sort to let you get in with things, if something bothered her she'd not accept it in the first place let alone wait until she has decided it hurt!
 
Once you are absolutely sure it isn't a pain/saddle/ teeth issue it might be worth getting a pair of grass reins,attaching to the ring of the bit,and crossing them over before attaching to the D rings on the saddle. We had a naughty Connie who would do this with my daughter,as he knew she wasn't strong enough to get his head up and stop him broncing. Someone recommended the grass rein trick and it worked. He did still try and bronc,but couldn't manage it as he couldn't get his head low enough and it gave my daughter the confidence to keep him going forward.
 
GreenEyedMonster said:
We have done all of this, as I have repeated the saddle is not the issue, how can she be totally happy in it and jumping one week and the next week be so angry she doesn't even want to be leant on...
She isn't the sort to let you get in with things, if something bothered her she'd not accept it in the first place let alone wait until she has decided it hurt!
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I am confused - was this a reply to me? You quoted me but I didn't say anything at all about the saddle being painful.
 
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GreenEyedMonster said:
We have done all of this, as I have repeated the saddle is not the issue, how can she be totally happy in it and jumping one week and the next week be so angry she doesn't even want to be leant on...
She isn't the sort to let you get in with things, if something bothered her she'd not accept it in the first place let alone wait until she has decided it hurt!
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This indicates that pain or a badly fitting saddle is your issue, as someone else has said horses change shape in a matter of weeks, I would do all of the saddle teeth ad back checks before sending her off to be forced into being ridden,if she was being ridden before without the bucking something has obviously changed and causing her to do this it really does not sound like naughtiness.

If you have had her jumping surely she is backed?
 
LJR said:
Is she only just backed?

I would also recommend that you rule out any pain.

I wouldn't personally be taking a youngster that reacts in this way into the arena, I have found that these sort of antics are far better worked through out hacking. Use a neck strap and ride her forwards at all times, if this means trotting the whole ride then so be it, do not let her think backwards.

Ultimately if it is naughtiness then you will have to find the way to work through it yourself, good luck.
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I agree with LJR it will give her more to think about than broncing , she will have lots to listen and look at . My 5 year old (5today ) has started leaping and frolicking if excited and not ridden enough , she's naturally very lazy so took her to an up hill stretch on a bridleway and pushed her to a flat out gallop , every time she backed off my leg she got a jab in the side . She had been trying to take off at canter spots and bronc me off , today we walked calmly all the way down the bridleway dos it seems that broncing isn't worth it any more . Neck strap , martingale and sounds crazy a pair of Spurs have helped me . I've had hine since yesrling and backed and produced myself . The Spurs help me keep her in front of my leg and forward , even if she takes off kick her on don't let her stop u til you're ready , always always make the decisions for you both
 
UPDATE!!

Hi all, good news!

We sent her back to the breakers and she is getting on great! She seems to have settled and I've realised (having read the new Ask The Trainer magazine) that I must've been putting her off work because I was asking for too much too soon!

I would be lunging for half an hour and then riding for a good 45 minutes and then doing a short hack, which must've just fried her brain and she was obviously completely put off!

When she's home and happy again I will be doing 2-3 sessions a week of 20 minutes schooling and 1-2 light hacks with 2 days off where we will go for a little walk to the end of the lane or round the fields!

Thought it would be nice to let you know she is fine now, at least she is for the breakers! No worries!
 
Good luck to your mare, this thread has gotten weirder and weirder.

If you were going to send her to the breakers anyway then why post a thread? Just seems pointless.

Very strange
 
Black Beastie said:
Good luck to your mare, this thread has gotten weirder and weirder.

If you were going to send her to the breakers anyway then why post a thread? Just seems pointless.

Very strange
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There is no need to be so rude. I asked for advice so that if she continued to do it when I got home then I'd have some tips on how to ride it out, if you weren't going to say something nice, supportive or constructive why did you even respond?
 
GreenEyedMonster said:
I would be lunging for half an hour and then riding for a good 45 minutes and then doing a short hack, which must've just fried her brain and she was obviously completely put off!
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That is WAY too much, you are right. Not sure about frying her brain, that would have pushed her way too far physically. Even an older, established, fully fit horse, I would never lunge for more than 20 minutes, that alone is really tough on them. Let alone, then ask her to school on top. Your new plan sounds much more suitable :)
 
SkewbyTwo said:
That is WAY too much, you are right. Not sure about frying her brain, that would have pushed her way too far physically. Even an older, established, fully fit horse, I would never lunge for more than 20 minutes, that alone is really tough on them. Let alone, then ask her to school on top. Your new plan sounds much more suitable :)
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Agree completely with SkewbyTwo; I guess that is one of the main problems with forums. You can get lots and lots of advice but it is often better to have someone who can go through every aspect of the horse's training etc. to spot the problem.
 
GreenEyedMonster said:
There is no need to be so rude. I asked for advice so that if she continued to do it when I got home then I'd have some tips on how to ride it out, if you weren't going to say something nice, supportive or constructive why did you even respond?
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It's a forum I'm entitled to my opinion on what is posted and being honest it could have been much ruder really in the history of this forum and if you don't like to the point your on the wrong forum.

Everything people suggested you had an answer for as to why it wasn't that. You sent her to the breakers anyway, regardless of the info and suggestions you were given. I found it strange so I said so.
 
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