Bucking

[Meme14]

We have had our pony now for around 8 months, she‘s generally good however on the odd occasion she will chuck in a buck. This buck can come from nowhere and for what seems no reason. Saddle, back and teeth have all been checked and we seem to go a while without doing it and then just as you begin to relax she’ll do a huge one! Sometimes my daughter can sit it, other times she’s off, does anyone have any tips as to how we can stop this naughty habit?

 

[stormox]

Is it when she's feeling fresh?

 

[Meme14]

Is it when she's feeling fresh?

Stormox, this is the thing, there is no particular pattern! Just recently she’s been ridden a lot and it happened today? Only once, but it was a big one and enough to get my daughter off ?

 

[Marigold4]

If it follows a pattern like transition to canter, it's easier to sort, but if it's out of the blue, I would enlist the help of a professional and keep daughter off pony for the time being. She will lose her confidence or worse might break something.

Could you also work on analysing when pony bucks? Only in canter? When jumping? In company? On its own? At the end of a session so tired? Hacking? Then at least you have something to work on.

 

[Green Bean]

There are so many reasons for bucking it is not easy unless there is something obvious or a pattern. Who checked her back? There are various professions that do this, some with more knowledge than others. If you have been the physio / chiropractor route, I would approach your vet. If your vet checked her back, how was this done? Best place to start is x-rays - you are going to end up there anyway, so save the expense of 'trying everything' before you have x-rays done (spoken from experience). If everything checks out then you are just left with naughtiness or exuberance. These just need proper training to reduce their impact.

 

[Dasher66]

How old is your daughter and how big is the pony? Also what does she do when the pony bucks?
One technique is to pull sharply on one rein when the pony bucks to change his balance so he can’t immediately buck again.
You could also try giving the pony more things to do so it has more to think about and therefore less chance to think about being naughty. Ie if it bucks after a jump ask the rider to halt at a specific point or to turn and change pace.
Schooling by someone bigger or more experienced can help but is not a guaranteed method of getting a pony to behave with a smaller rider.
A few lessons with a good instructor is always worth the money and best done before your rider loses confidence.

 

[Shay]

The way to stop bucking is to understand why she bucks - and you are not there yet. It can also matter how she bucks. A without warning handstand of a buck might suggest a pain response; a "dirty stop" type buck with a dropped shoulder and spin might suggest a learned retaliation. An "all 4 feet off the ground" shimmy type buck is often high spirits. A fly buck mught be a reaction to being touched with a whip - or to an insect annoying her. One single buck - regardless of how big, is more a single reaction than a series of bucks. All of that matters in trying to work out why she is doing it. If you know why you can stop it.

I would echo getting a professional in. It could be a very specific pain response only happening when your daughter's body comes into one particular position. It could be a rider issue with the mare responding to an odd lack of balance or just taking advantage of longer reins. You say it tends to happen when you all relax and think she won't do it again - that might change how the rider weight feels. It could be connected to her seasons, either becuase she is less patient or because something twinges. She might be reacting to something like an insect bite. The easiest way to strat to work it out is to get a professional on the ground to work with you.

 

[Loveanimals:)]

Hi,
I’ve had problems with my pony bucking in the past and being a beginner rider I came of a lot! If pain is not the problem then I would suggest getting lessons for your daughter or an experienced rider to try and find the problem However, the problem with this is that she might start bucking if she thinks she can get away with it. When riding try keep ponies head up and then if she does buck she won’t get as much power in it. And keep things different so pony doesn’t have too much time to think... Hope this is some help

 

[DreamTime22]

Does your daughter carry a whip? I've seen some do it when accidentally tickled with the whip.

 

[Courbette]

I feel for you. I gave up my share pony recently for the exact same issue. Similar to your pony there was no prior warning and a single buck was enough to lay me along his neck.

I suspected with my pony it was exuberance / evasion and, given his age, also a learned behaviour although I obviously can’t rule out pain completely. Do you know much about your ponies background?