Bucking in canter

[[59668]]

So ex polo mare and I are getting on pretty well! Getting over 70% in intro tests and winning rosettes! Been xc schooling and she really picked it up quick!
But I'm still having issues with bucking in canter. Worse on the left rein. Physio, saddler, vet all say no issues. Which I'm not sure about.
Instructor says she needs riding through it.
Horses history is that she was with my instructor a year or so ago and was wonderful. Sold to a family with a large, unbalanced teenager. Horse started bucking there and teenager used to get off. So it could be a learned evasion?
Other thing that makes me think it possibly is is that she doesn't really do it when jumping and also that if you keep at it in a session she does tend to stop doing it.
Doesn't do it on the lunge in tack.
Any thoughts? I've always been dubious about the whole "ride them through it" thing but maybe I do need to.
She doesn't do it in the transition weirdly....its after a few strides. Or half a circle. Or a long side. But not in the transition. I guess my question is....is there ever really a case for "riding through"?
ETA pure bred Appy, tested neg for pssm1.
Also ETA doesn't do it out hacking

 

[Equi]

What exactly did the vet look at?

 

[J&S]

Are you sitting comfortably? Perhaps you are tensing a little in anticipation of the bucks?

 

[[59668]]

What exactly did the vet look at?

Sort of a general once over....trotting up, soft, hard, on the lunge, a feel over the back/hind end, flexions....no xrays.

 

[[59668]]

Are you sitting comfortably? Perhaps you are tensing a little in anticipation of the bucks?

Oh quite probably!!!!! I've actually always found the canter transition and riding into canter really difficult, for some reason, on any horse.
Instructor rides once a week and does get the bucking too but I think not as badly or consistently as I do. So... yeah I don't think I help!
Oh also she doesn't do it out hacking.

 

[ycbm]

Is she a TB? It might be worth checking out the neck, particularly C6/7. This sounds almost like an "I need to get something in the right place" buck after a few strides of canter. There's a known problem with C6/7 malformation in a lot of TBs that results in this kind of thing.
.

 

[[59668]]

Is she a TB? It might be worth checking out the neck, particularly C6/7. This sounds almost like an "I need to get something in the right place" buck after a few strides of canter. There's a known problem with C6/7 malformation in a lot of TBs that results in this kind of thing.
.

No she's pure bred Appy. Also tested for pssm1 which came back negative.

 

[Skib]

I've actually always found the canter transition and riding into canter really difficult, for some reason, on any horse.

I dont know if this will help but it made a big difference to me to understand the footfall in the transition to canter.
The first thng the horse does is push off into canter using its outside hind leg. To do that it first lifts that leg, and that causes your outside seat bone to dip. And that happens at a moment when you may be unbalanced from sitting the trot, or from using your outside leg to cue for canter. The next thing that happens is that your outside hip which has just fallen, gets pushed up quite strongly as the horse starts the first stride of canter.
If one is relaxed in the canter transition this isnt a problem but if you are tense it can unbalance you.
Our RI told me to let the horse bound into canter if she found it necessary, but then immediately to control the forward movment by closing my shoulder blades behind my back. It gives a little break and calms the horse.
I am not particularly expert, but I learned canter as an adult and got there in the end.

 

[scats]

Scan the suspensories.

 

[greenbean10]

I’m another who would look at suspensories but I’d probably just go in straight away and block them.

Being ok to jump doesn’t mean a huge amount as sometimes adrenaline can take over and they’re able to block out the issue.

My horse had suspensory issues and would seem to ‘work out of it’ when my instructor got on. Sadly I think the horse just gave up fighting it.

Not saying that’s the issue at all but I would definitely be looking at them.

 

[Red-1]

I think sometimes the horse does a bit of bucking to get his breathing going when he has been tense and holding his breath. I had a couple like this, the breathing was noticeably different after a round of bucking. They would do a noticeable exhale per stride.

It was not to get me off, or to avoid work, I would just see it as part of the warm up. In fact the less I bothered about it, the less they did anyway. I would keep the canter circular, so the bucking was part of the canter stride. Ride the canter rhythm, and after a few whoopies, they would take the proper stride and breathe properly. Once it was done, it was done, and didn't reoccur during the session.

Anything other than this, I would have the vet back.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

Does she buck in canter or into canter ie the transition? My tb was terrible. He didn't buck but would scoot off which was really unnerving. The exercise i found really helped me was the snowman. So say you your at A on right rein, trot a 20m circle, then when you cross x for second time change rein on to a 15m circle, then when you cross x change rein again and ask for canter. I think it helped me as I had something focus on! When horse going well you can do the head ( 15m circle ) in canter. I found he started to anticipate the transition which in his case wS good as he gained confidence from knowing what was coming!

 

[IrishMilo]

How can the vet say there's no issues without doing any blocks or Xrays? ? I'd go straight in with Xrays of back, hocks and stifles and go from there. I've never come across an issue like this and there NOT be something wrong, tbh.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

I think sometimes the horse does a bit of bucking to get his breathing going when he has been tense and holding his breath. I had a couple like this, the breathing was noticeably different after a round of bucking. They would do a noticeable exhale per stride.

It was not to get me off, or to avoid work, I would just see it as part of the warm up. In fact the less I bothered about it, the less they did anyway. I would keep the canter circular, so the bucking was part of the canter stride. Ride the canter rhythm, and after a few whoopies, they would take the proper stride and breathe properly. Once it was done, it was done, and didn't reoccur during the session.

Anything other than this, I would have the vet back.

Funny you should mention the breathing. I've got a new trainer and she commented my horse didn't breathe in canter. He would grunt and shoot off. We have taken him back to basics and built on the canter being extremely relaxed. He now breathes in canter and its made a huge difference. He is an expointer so wondered if he was waiting for a go gallop signal!!

 

[[59668]]

Funny you should mention the breathing. I've got a new trainer and she commented my horse didn't breathe in canter. He would grunt and shoot off. We have taken him back to basics and built on the canter being extremely relaxed. He now breathes in canter and its made a huge difference. He is an expointer so wondered if he was waiting for a go gallop signal!!

That's interesting. Of course polo would have been stop.....GO! She does hold her breath when she gets worried....
We've been doing a lot of work on canter on the lunge and it still isn't as relaxed as I would ideally like but it's not bucky...

 

[[59668]]

How can the vet say there's no issues without doing any blocks or Xrays? ? I'd go straight in with Xrays of back, hocks and stifles and go from there. I've never come across an issue like this and there NOT be something wrong, tbh.

Yeah my instinct is to think there's something wrong. But not doing it on the lunge, hacking etc and with her past makes me think maybe there is something in it being an evasion.

 

[[59668]]

Does she buck in canter or into canter ie the transition? My tb was terrible. He didn't buck but would scoot off which was really unnerving. The exercise i found really helped me was the snowman. So say you your at A on right rein, trot a 20m circle, then when you cross x for second time change rein on to a 15m circle, then when you cross x change rein again and ask for canter. I think it helped me as I had something focus on! When horse going well you can do the head ( 15m circle ) in canter. I found he started to anticipate the transition which in his case wS good as he gained confidence from knowing what was coming!

She bucks in canter, not in the transition.
I will try this exercise great idea thanks.