Broncing horse! Help please!!

[4faults]

I have a 6 yr old gelding who was backed late due to him being such a big lad it was felt he needed more time to mature, he was brought back into work with no problems although he was very poor at the time. He works lovely in walk and trot and still needs work in the canter we have done some small jumps(mostly cavaletti) and he has been fine albeit a bit unsure. Suddenly he developed this habit of broncing out of the blue, he will go along really nice and then suddenly boom. He has only managed to unseat me once but it really knocked my confidence as I landed on the paddock fence!!! He has had all the usual checks, back, teeth, saddle and all are fine. I was wondering if anyone had experience with this kind of thing. I thought it may be due to him being so young and feeling well now with a bit of weight on and is just taking advantage???? Please help im at a loss!!

 

[Lucy_Nottingham]

1) well done for continuing to keep going with him as its hard when they have knocked your confidence!

2) If you use a flash strap or something and attach it between the D rings on the saddle, it makes a lovely little secure handle for you to hang onto without using reins to hang on

3) When he starts, it takes a LOT of confidence...... but pony club kick as HARD as you can! This should (note should! normally does) cause him to bring his head up and go forward, then you need to keep riding him forward! (this is where the steady strap helps with confidence I find!) and then its just a case of consistently doing it! If you feel there is no malice in it, then it will just be having a young fresh moment, and will eventually learn not to do it as each time it = horrid kick in the ribs! if it is malicious then maybe a) have someone watch you and then b) get a professional in to help......

So long as all the checks came back ok, then id say its just babyness and just try the above and keep going with it!! maybe ride in a back protector if you have one you are comfortable in (my one I can't school in!) just incase you lose your balance or something again!

Good luck!

 

[4faults]

Thank you so much Im going to try that today! Keep your fingers crossed for me haha

xx

 

[Twizzel]

What is he being fed, could it be giving him too much energy/fizz?

 

[Farma]

Hi my mare used to do this when i was bringing her on - she would go lovely then bang bronc like she was in a rodeo - i came off 3 times and hurt myself fairly badly but honestly lucy_nottingham is absolutely right - you really have to show you are boss and sit tight and ride them forward out of it - after 3 times off coming off i started managing to stay on more and more and when she did it as soon as i started arguing back she just stopped doing it and i never had another buck from her. I found it was a battle between us she wasnt scared shed just decide she didnt want to be ridden and throw a wobbly - im lucky it didnt really affect my confidence i never minded getting back on again - i was more annoyed she had got the better of me - but i can see how it would really affect your confidence so the quicker you deal with it the better. Good Luck & wear a body protector!

 

[4faults]

Ok I have just ridden him and I was very impressed with him today, still feel something is not quite right though. He is still a bit bum high according to his passport he is not quite 6 but is seeming to be very slow to mature.

As soon as i got on he tried it on, he has always been very very sensitive to the leg when you first get on so I just pulled his head up, put on gentle leg pressure and shouted at him which got his attention and on we went. I dont know if Im right or not but I decided to take him back to basics for my sanity/confidence if nothing else plus he rides very much like a 3/4 yr old still so always good to go over the basics. He is very sensitive for the first few mins but then he becomes dead to it, theres no in between hes just one or the other so I stuck to halt, walk and trot transitions.
If I allow him a loose rein and just try and ride him forward as soon as I put my leg on he tries to bronc if I ride him in a contact and shape he drops behind the leg and archs through his back, i dont know if he can help this as he is still very bum high. So I started quietly and eventually felt I could trust him enough to allow him a bit more rein. He started to work well in a nice flowing trot swinging nicely over his back but hes still unfit and cant keep it up for long so after 25 mins of halt, walk and trot I gave him a pat and got off.

I dont know if im right taking him back but I feel very shaky getting on him now. Also im wondering if he is letting me know of some underlying problem or is just trying it on. I dont want to be too soft if hes trying it on but I dont want to be too hard if hes in pain!! and with 7 horses(one about to drop a foal) 3 dogs and a cat to feed I really cant afford another round of vet/physio or saddler!!

Sorry to go on but im really struggling with this one!!

 

[skychick]

Oh dear, i am having the same issues with my new pony......although he is 12 yrs old....so is totally trying it on.
You may have seen my thread asking how to deal with a seriously nappy horse. That is my ponys problem....well it was last week. I had had him a week and all was well then after him being with me for a week he decided to put me to the test good and proper.
He really napped and rodeod. 3 times he bucked me off.....luckily all 3 times he bucked me off i somersaulted and landed on my feet.....i had to give in and lead him back i just couldnt sit to his broncing. I took him in the school and he tried it a 4th time at which i gave up before i got hurt. My instructor rode him the next day and got him down the road but it took all of her concentration and riding to stay on him and over 1/2 a mile of rein back to get him to go. Since then we have had some pretty uneventfull rides....a bit of resistance but less broncing. But i have to admit it does un nerve you a bit.
Last night when i got back from a ride with a friend we got to the end of the track up to the yard and paddy clocked some sheep on a bank right by the yard gate...i went in front so that my horse didnt trample my friends and we had a right performance. He would not go near them, he lept backwards, span and tried to canter down the road and right into my friends horse....so i rode him forwards with some pony club kicks etc and he did the same....bunny hopping backwards untill he went into an electric fence....he then lept forwards, spinning then bucked.....so my friends horse (a rising 4yo race horse!!) had to lead him past and eventually we were past albeit up the backside of this horse.
But in a rather long winded way of saying.....stick with your horse, ride him throught the broncing....even if you have to have neck straps, flash straps on your saddle....another person around to basically think for you and shout "kick" "tickle him up" "sit tight" etc....that really helps. You will soon find you are able to sit to these things alot better and then he will know that he cant get the better of you.
Your horse is different to mine in the sense that its young so it could be that its nervous and green etc.....mine is just plain naughty and has been allowed to get away with murder before i bought him!! but you will get there.
Before i bought him i had only ridden a few times in 6 yrs and bought him as he was lovely and quiet....!!! wrong!!! so he know he could try and get rid of me.
You will be fine, perseverance is the key and picture an instructor yelling helpfull comments at you.....i find that really helps.
If you are not confident do things in your confidence zones and build up. Before you know it you will look back and smile at how much progress you have made.