Bucking- is it always because of pain?

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matthew

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Probably a bit odd but just read a article in horse and riden re: a horse bucking whilst hacking- owner had back and saddle/ teeth etc check as matter of course. All the advise that was given to the owner seemed to be focused around the horse feeling insecure ect! fine- but do you not think it could just be down to exess energy/ general fizzyness and excitment. I used to ride a horse that was 100% happy and healthy -bucked when ridden out when doing faster work or if fresh- i just but this down to excitment-was i wrong?
I just think that it is in some horses nature to buck due to exuberence and happyness rather than fear or insecurity!
Any thoughts?
 
IMO no its not always due to pain but I always get them thourghly checked, tack etc before thinking its just the horse, I had a bucker and that was his temperment, after few years work ,change of diet and more TO he settled down, thou he did throw in the odd buck or two when jumping.
 
Totally agree with you! Bucking is often just down to playfulness/excitement/cheekiness, or sometimes, imo, as a little 'tester' for the rider. Horses love to romp around in the field and I am always a little suprised when people express shock that this occassionally happens with them on board too!!
 
my mare has started bucking when going into canter. Its really weird she's never done it before
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she's moved home and is now stable so maybe its because she is more fresh than when she lived out?
 
I have a mare that is a bucker. She is 7 years old and has been checked over thouroughly. She can bronc for England if she feels like it and will then get on and do what you ask! She also does it regardless of whether she's out 24x7 or in at night/out during the day.
Her ears are never back when she bucks though so I think some horses just learn the art of bucking and it's not a pain thing.
It is annoying but I wouldn't change her for the world.
 
I can normally tell the difference between pain and excitement when mine bucks.

She sometimes bucks when getting over excited or when jumping but they are more like little hops along and the more experience we get in jumping the less she does it (she's 20 but was out of work for 2 years so its all very exciting now!).
However once she tried to buck me off and I knew something was definately wrong so I jumped straight off, turned out she had a viral infection and was probably not best pleased at being ridden.
 
PF bucks when she's fresh or on the lunge. She will also buck if, for example, the school is wet and she slips a bit; makes her very cross (for a moment!) Antifaz used to buck because he was mean (and probably afraid of getting hurt) he still bucks when fresh.
I know another horse that bucks all the time, but HE, I'm pretty sure, is hurting somewhere, but owner won't have him checked
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I had one that used to fly buck through exuberence, but was also quite capable of bucking me off if she was upset (scary plastic bag, rustling leaves, you name it)
the only pain involved was suffered by me.
 
Pride often throws in a buck if he is what I call 'Happy'
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He is regularly checked by a backman and his tack fits, I think its just down to playfulness TBH. It's his way of having fun, you can tell when he is fresh because he does flying changes up one side of the school
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my pony was described as a bit of a bucker when i got her. largely this was because her saddle didnt fit correctly.

but she does buck in the school (not that i school very often) - not because she is in pain but because she hates schooling. if she's miss-behaving and you give her a kick she will put in a huge buck to tell you how rude that was!! she has on occasion bucked when over excited too (especially doing fast work the week after hunting as she is still fresh!)
her teeth back and saddle are all up to date so nothings wrong its just a chestnut mare teenage attitude !!

if shes insecure she will rear and spin - then and only then do i know she is geniunely frightened of something, with which i get off - walk her past said frightening object - remount and carry on!
 
My mare can buck for britian, but she either does it out of excitment, or because she finds something hard, or doesn't understand how to do something new she's learning, so bucks in temper.
 
hi

not always in the back / teeth / saddle area that are painful if a horse bucks...

my brand new mare started bucking - thought it was excitement (she put me in hosp too!) and then gradually she went lame, turns out it was in her feet. friend of mine had that with her horse too - again feet were the cause. now her feet are being treated, she's back in work and not in pain anymore.... she's bucking an awful lot less however, think she still associates some things with the pain she used to have, and does the odd one, but not like before, and hopefully as she gets in more work and fitter she won't start to buck as much!!!

i'm sure 9 out of 10 bucks are playful / excited ones, and that is what I thought i was dealing with, but it wasn't!!

Bx
 
Grace does huge bucks when we first have a canter in the school, and again there is no pain (had back, saddle, teeth etc all checked). It is shear enthusiasm and excitement with her!
 
My youngster can play buck or again, when he gets frustrated he can't/won't want to do something!! Hopefully he will grow out of it when he grows up a bit and we start to do a bit more with him.
 
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