Bucking horse?

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noodle_

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If your horse bucked from trot to canter.... (when asking not IN canter) - assume its a baby horse (ok ish.... 5). Assume back/saddle/teeth are all good...have a good instructor....

How do you handle it?

NOTE; I'm going with what my instructor tells me how to handle it (as i fully trust) ...., however id be intersted to see how you resolved the issue and what you did?

p.s They arnt quite GTFO me bucks... however today they felt bigger/twistier and lost count at 9 in 30 mins..... :o
 
just keep asking, buck pull up, circle, ask again, buck, circle ask again etc etc etc!

its horrificly (sp) dull but it has worked my 5 (nearly 6yo) TB has been going through a phase! It seems to be coming to an end though as he only does it every now and again when he gets in a real muddle.

I found the best thing to do is ignore it! give him nothing to fight against or get worried about just do it over and over and over.

You can tell when I've been in the school due to the 15m circle trenches dug out!
 
Thanks for the reply :)

I did try the other day smacking her (whip) but that just p1ssed her off more - i had been very nice up until then...

Normally im not very stickable in the saddle but im surprising myself i havent hit the deck yet *touches wood* :D
 
My mare did this from word go at 4. She found canter hardwork and anything associated with canter resulted in bucking. My instructor told me to ignore it, telling her off made it worse, and eventually she grew out of it. She's 6 now and she hasn't bucked since last summer.

She did get me off a couple of times, although I don't believe it was GTFO my back, as when I did hit the deck, she just went one buck too far, and me falling off her actually gave her quite a shock.

She's quirky and sensitive, but on a plus, stickability improved vastly!! ;)
 
Thanks :)

She is fab in walk/trot and i think its just pure excitement (physio is out next week and im just lunging until then...) her teeth/saddle are fine - shes seen the vet about 3? months ago too.... soo all well there - just a baby thing?

I hated smacking her but she annoyed me so much i pulled her up and cracked her then carried on....wont smack her again because it did fire her up and i felt awful... but she bucked and pushed me too far :D :o lol.



stormy - we crossposted - thanks for the reply :)


One buck today i thought i was a gonner.... but my stickabillity im very impressed with myself so far... they have ranged from mini bucks to me feeling like im going to get whiplash but they arnt actually that big!!!.... they just feel twisty and feel big!...

Hopefully she will improve like yours did :)
 
I smacked mine. Sorry prob not answer you were looking for! He wasn't unbalanced, he was testing the water..
The first time, quite small and I ignored it. 2nd time bit bigger, growled at him. 3rd time was a bit bigger and meaner and I sat tight, slapped him twice on the arse and kicked on and he's never done it since. That was a year ago. As long as they aren't in pain then there is no excuse IMO.
Youngsters will sometimes try these things, after all how are they meant to know it's wrong unless you tell them?
 
firewell said:
I smacked mine. Sorry prob not answer you were looking for! He wasn't unbalanced, he was testing the water..
The first time, quite small and I ignored it. 2nd time bit bigger, growled at him. 3rd time was a bit bigger and meaner and I sat tight, slapped him twice on the arse and kicked on and he's never done it since. That was a year ago. As long as they aren't in pain then there is no excuse IMO.
Youngsters will sometimes try these things, after all how are they meant to know it's wrong unless you tell them?
Click to expand...

i should have made it clear - im totally not against smacking! :)

they need it - they get a smack - :)
 
firewell said:
I smacked mine. Sorry prob not answer you were looking for! He wasn't unbalanced, he was testing the water..
The first time, quite small and I ignored it. 2nd time bit bigger, growled at him. 3rd time was a bit bigger and meaner and I sat tight, slapped him twice on the arse and kicked on and he's never done it since. That was a year ago. As long as they aren't in pain then there is no excuse IMO.
Youngsters will sometimes try these things, after all how are they meant to know it's wrong unless you tell them?
Click to expand...

very much agreed! at the end of the day we have to understand horses don't speak english and a smack sometimes gets the point across better!!
 
Agree with the other replies, but just a thought - have you had the horse long and has it always done this? Other thing to add is some horses I've known do this because the aids are being given too strongly. I had a mare that would be foot perfect if I used the lightest possible aids, but would show her displeasure very quickly if I put my leg on to strongly. Anyway just a thought
 
0ldmare said:
Agree with the other replies, but just a thought - have you had the horse long and has it always done this? Other thing to add is some horses I've known do this because the aids are being given too strongly. I had a mare that would be foot perfect if I used the lightest possible aids, but would show her displeasure very quickly if I put my leg on to strongly. Anyway just a thought
Click to expand...

hiya

Ive had her about 9? months... but canter is pretty new as shes young -

definately i was applying aids too heavy - shes sensitive (as discovered!) so i started that wrong - my instructor solved that on sat - so now light aids does the trick!

i will report back once we have had the physio - shes just been lunged since out last bucking episode :)
 
just a thought.....daisy reins ?? Just to get her out of the habit before it gets worse ? Has anyone tried this, and do they work ???

Shy is a BIG bucker in canter, he does handstands. Even when I work to keep his head up - and especially when out with another horse :eek: The first thing i checked was his saddle (pinching and now on ebay - we're now treeless), and his bit, which I also changed. We have not siince cantered in company tho.......
 
^^ thanks - someone else suggested that too!

Ive had the physio who found some soreness - so i am going to get another saddle and then invest in a daisy rein as i dont want her to get into the habit of it!!!
 
My (relatively green) 6yr old used to buck making the trot to canter transition. We had her back and saddle checked before getting some flatwork lessons! For me it turned out to be a case of her having to 'kickstart' herself into canter because she was so unbalanced and weak in the back and hind leg muscles!! Now we've been having lessons once a week for about 3 months and I'm pleased to say she no longer needs to buck into canter and is really starting to come on!!
 
Shy does go much better treeless tbh, moves so much better. I went out with a friend yesterday, walking and trotting only, and could feel a buck building up when the other horse trotted in front of him - I'm sure it's mainly young horse excitement (his bucking while loose schooling today was amazing :D).

So i have dug out said daisy reins, and am going to give them a try. I've also ordered - wait for it - a leather balance strap :eek: i certainly don't want to smack him unless I have to - I'll be too busy hanging on with both hands, and trying to push him forwards and thru it. I have come off too many times to mess about any more.

Let me know how you get on ;)
 
^^thanks all

i am having lessons and shes progressed massively and my instructor is honestly brilliant!....

I have a balance strap that goes on the d rings - need to stick it back on act for when she f_ks off in canter :D :D lol!!

will keep you updated :)
 
definitely have a neck strap. I rode one that did this briefly (also young) and did smack him (eventually when i was coordinated to cop him just as he did it otherwise no point) it did make him cross but did get out of it just as quick as it started. It is down to it been hard work, and been unbalanced but unless you correct/reprimand it will turn into a habit or evolve into another evasion when it gets tough, definitely not what you want!
 
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