bucking hell!!!

S

spanky

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My horse bucks so hard when we are on 'fun rides' that I am seriously considering giveing uphorse ownership altogether. I have hurt myself so many times I just want to weep. In every way on the ground he is a gentleman, he's had his back and teeth checked and there is nothing wrong them. He is a lovely boy but when out with other horses gets soo excited he doesnt knows what to do with himself in transition from trot to canter. I've had him for 18 months and he is aged 11 old enough to know better. I take him out hacking 5 days a week he has as chaff and hay for feed. What can I do to change this behaviour/ or my riding?
 
If fun rides just aren't, could you just not go on them? I know that's not addressing the problem, but if he is enjoyable ihn all other ways then don't force yourself to do the things that are supposed to be fun but aren't
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Really f'arfetched as haven't heard much about their use but those Daisy Reins are supposed to be "good for bucking horses." ? Not sure whether or not they are / should be used though!
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Also theres some form of buck-stop out there, but its NH so not sure I want to say about it *Ducks from pop-corn throwers*

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guess its good to ahve permission to not go thanks, just riding the same old routes without competing gets a bit dull! But logical brain is telling me to stay well away from 'fun rides'!!!!!
 
A daisy rein is quite a good idea. I used mine on my mare when she got the upperhand with me when hacking alone as she had a nasty habit of yanking the reins from my hands before pissing off for home. She used to do it in the arena as well!
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Since I've got my confidence back its less of a problem and we rarely use it now but they are great because they don't pull the horse in the mouth and takes some of the force away when they try to get their heads down. The only problem with them is that the horse can't stretch their neck and relax properly when being worked in an outline. Are you getting lessons with him? It's amazing the difference good tuition makes, you only need a few good days to get your confidence back.
 
dont give up!! you need to rde him forward out of his whooppee do s!!!! he is only glad to be out so establish the pace and ride on! best be a lead horse i think! if perfect in every other sense then persevere! and sit up!!!
 
I've not tried it myself but I know someone who's very recently used the buckstop on their son's very naughty bucking pony and it worked a treat. Stopped the bucking completely. Certainly worth a go I reckon.
 
Nope..... Merlin has a chip all of his own thanks..... Managed to dump Zoe on a jump wing a couple of weeks ago
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Try the buckstop..... he wont be able to get his head down and launch you into orbit
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Is this how the broken knuckle happened
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I am a witch
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Forgive me if I am stating the obvious and of course it is easy for me to say sitting here on my comfortable sofa
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but what do you do when he bucks?

Have you tried a short sharp smack & then sending him on forwards? Have you tried putting him in front? Or behind? Sounds to me like he needs to know that this kind of behaviour is unacceptable (which it is) so you need to find a way of stopping it, for your own safety as much as anything.

If a horse is bucking a lot then I find it is easier to stand up.
 
yes broken knuckle same as last time he puts in a lovely droppd shoulder with a twist, completely takes me by surprise and then oopie I'minjured again..... was Zoe ok? Ps Harley and Harry are in competition to see whao is the biggest twat.
 
Hmm I have done all that but today I really hurt my hand.. I have had lots of lessons I think I am just rubbish as i get scared he is alot of horse and I am small and insignificant on him...would you like him he's gorgeous in every other way lol!!!!!!!
 
Poor you
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Zoe was fine... though it was touch and go whether she ever wanted to ride him again
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She had a lovely bruise on the cheek of her arris !!!

You could try baler twine from the D rings up through the browband and down to his bit...... should stop him putting his head down..... but if he trips then your browband may be sliced in half
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I don't think so - it seems to fit to the front of the saddle, run up the crest of the neck and then fasten down the front of the face to the bit - when the horse lowers it's head to buck the buckstop pulls the bit up in their mouth, stops them from getting their head down and therefore prevents the full blown bucking episode.
 
If it went over their gum it would be terrible if the horse was to trip..... It would slice its nose off.....

Someone tell me that isnt how it works
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A comanche calmer goes over the lip.... but that is a kind of twitch
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I think its worth trying the buck stop, but if that doesn't work then I am afraid I would consider selling. It would be a shame if you couldn't go and do fun things and it certainly isn't worth getting injured on a regular basis! The fact that you say you have considered giving up means that its not working at the moment!

As has been said many times, riding is supposed to be fun and enjoyable!
 
it could be a rider issue tho? i realise its not nice when you have a horse that bronks (trust me have been there
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) and really don't want to sound like i'm questioning you but maybe there is a way of dealing with this that you haven't tried and so your horse thinks its an acceptable way to behave?

if i had one that was bucking going into canter in a group then i would put him at the front and let him go into canter first. either that or go behind but again put into canter BEFORE the horse in front is cantering if that makes sense! i'd also stand up in my stirrups and be prepared to boot him forwards when he starts, most horses find it hard to buck from a faster pace. some horses are just not fun on 'fun rides'. my TB is awesome if he's at the front or on his own. but if you go in company and are constantly starting and stopping he gets really wound up and starts bouncing on the spot and reversing at speed- its the stating and stopping that makes him anticipate and gets him overexcited...i think there are things you can try before selling him....
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Hiya dear - sorry to hear of your 'bucking hell' but I've been in a similar situation and though my mare hardly ever bucks anymore, it seems the better behaved she's become the less confident I am so i've basically passed the ride onto my brother...

Well. I've tried the buckstop and the issue I have is this - if your horse has a sensitive mouth, it definately interferes unless it's loose - and if it's loose, it's basically ineffective. Also, I'm a terrible rider and my nag perfected the head-up buck/twist so again doesn't work for that.

If he is a head-between-the-knees type, give it a go but I used it a few times but wasn't effective for my purposes although it's easy to put on etc so am happy to have tried it.

Basically, what I did when horsey was a ratbag with me was get a pro rider on her back straight after she'd had me off / scared me - they always worked her till she was knackered and not once did she try and be naughty but in her instance it was my lack of balance that spooked her to a large degree.

Other than that, though - I really do think some horses ARE buckers in excited situations and to a lot of people this isn't that much of a big deal but if it is to you, don't be afraid to think of selling, being completely honest...

Good luck, anyway
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I think there are riders out there that would buy a horse that bucks if it ticks all the other boxes.

Not saying you should definitely do it, but sometimes you get to the stage when horsey knows that if he does x you sail off. Or it can be that its a pure excitement thing and you sailing off is purely incidental. But either way its no fun being injured!

Just one other thought, is there someone with serious ability to sit bucks that could take him on a fun ride for you to try to convince him that bucking is not allowed?
 
I take it you've tried a) jab in mouth HARD b) smack on the arse (very easy to say from the comfort of my armchair!) or c) a buckstop? I've heard great reviews about C from people who have real problem buckers....
 
Monty Roberts uses a buckstop, and says that it should only be used by experts, ie not the horse's owner. His is a gumline, that goes under the top lip and the horse "causes discomfort to itself". I think he always works the horse loose in a round pen first before putting a rider on board. So you might want to speak to Kelly Marks's office.
Most NH people would say that there is nothing NH about a buckstop, it's a "Monty Roberts" gadget.
Horses can't buck if they are disengaging their hind legs. The "NH" way to deal with this would be to get a good 1-rein stop and disengage, catch the thought when your horse considers bucking, and disengage him until the tension goes out of him, then just ride him on.
It you jab a horse hard in the mouth it might make it think of something other than bucking. On the other hand, it might think that every time it gets excited it's mouth gets hurt, and buck even more. Depends on the horse.
 
My horse gets excited when hacking out with others. The bucking tends to happen when cantering and he likes to be in front. So atm im schooling him out of it by going out with another horse which is unbothered by his antics and making him learn to walk and trot with others calmly when behind, next to and in front without doing any canter work for now. How about just trying that? does he stop bucking once in front? if so, why not just keep him in lead? Also, try not to step up paces on flat areas as horses on a hill find it harder work to buck. This will help him until he gets settled with others.

Ive never seen buck stop before but would it not just be better to stick up hands up, yank head up and kick on? I find it works and since I know he is a bucker then im always ready for him! Also how about another jockey on him since u seem to have fallen off and lost some confidence? Some1 with great upper body strength might be a good idea to help the horse get out of this habit.
 
thanks no he's absolutely fine walking and trotting wherever he is in the queue and we never canter on the flat. I do think it would be a good idea to get someone strong on him and they can kick him on out of it...I dont like the idea of buckstop, I am not a gadgety person. We bought a Be Nice head collar for our other horse who wont load and although we did some training that didnt work either. I am more in favour of adressing my riding but it is very hard just to stay on never mind remember to kick on I'm usually too busy just hanging on!!!!
 
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