Green Horse Bucking when Excited: Help Please (quite long!)

[Bubbles]

Hi guys, my first thread in CR so please be kind

In Aug of last year I bought a lovely 4yo Irish gelding with a mind to event, and he is fabulous, kind, quiet (most of the time, I'm getting to that...!) and as my trainer put it, as straight forward in front of a fence as you could possibly get, which I totally need cos I'm rubbish

. I'm lacking transport at the mo, so he's had an easy few months where we've only done one HT, his first, and whilst green he jumped everything and was really well behaved, eyes on stalks but that was it.

Anyway, we've been doing lots of hacking and schooling/jumping at home, and since I got him he's pretty much not put a foot wrong. Apart from two nasty incidents when he's bucked me off, once out hacking and once at a training clinic. He's had me by surprise both times, no warning, just one absolutely enormous buck with a proper kick back when his bum is in the air (watched him do it on the lunge last night - very rare, usually an angel, not quite so when he's doing a near perfect hand stand

). I have managed to sit a few of them, but I must admit I find his athleticism quite unnerving!! When he does do it I just kick him on, I haven't walloped him for it.

He's fit and well, checked over by a physio, saddle recently checked, teeth fine, feed adjusted so he's on high fibre with low starchy stuff. He's out everyday and ridden everyday with a variety of activities. It just seems that when he's in an exciting situation he's liable to buck, so currently jumping with a friend is what I'm working on. I'm going to start having lessons away from the yard so he has to jump away from home with another horse in the lesson, and then from there I'll start thinking about some little shows that I can potter about at. He has done some shows and hunting before I got him, so he does know his job. He's an angel to hack (usually).

I'm starting to worry about what he's going to be like next time I take him out to compete, so has anyone got any good tips about how to curb this?? I've thought about a calmer, but he's usually such a dobbin that I wonder if that will help with these momentary bursts of exuberance. All advice greatly appreciated, thanks in advance

 

[kerilli]

if he is doing it very very infrequently, as it sounds, it's unlikely to be saddle, back, etc etc. perhaps it is just his way of saying "whoopeeee, i'm at a party" or "wheeee, i feel great", in which case he'll prob grow out of it! if you feel him think a naughty thought (tense up, ears back or something as a forewarning) then a quick NO! and drive him forwards with firm contact on reins (if he can't get his head down, he can't buck) is the answer. however, if it is really out of the blue then i think sticky-bum jodhs are the only answer - rts sport are by far the stickiest i've ever found! as Andrew Nicholson says, if you can still see their ears, you're alright... he only starts worrying when he can't see their ears any more!
i'd also take him to shows whenever you can, even if it is just to sightsee, so he doesn't find them quite as exciting.

 

[Bubbles]

Thanks Kerilli. When he's about to do it he's usually shortened his neck right up and I've got nothing in front of me. Instructor has shouted at me to chuck the reins at him but then I'm worried he is going to put his head between his knees! He had been getting quite strong jumping so he had a twisted snaffle in (trainer recommended and that really seemed to help but when misbehaving it's a good excuse to back off) but I took that out and put the eggbutt back in so I could be a bit tougher with the contact.
Ok, rts breeches here I come...

 

[kerilli]

if one shortens his neck right up with me (tenses up, basically!) i don't chuck the reins at them unless they have a history of rearing and go light in front (very distinctive feeling). if they're thinking of bucking i think chucking the reins gives them lots of scope (and permission!) to do it! i'd have a softer bit (or something between an eggbutt and a twisted snaffle, maybe a waterford as it is soft and rounded, but not possible to lean on) and keep contact, sending him forwards. that and sticky-bums, of course! best of luck, he sounds a lovely horse other than the naughty moments!

 

[TableDancer]

I agree with K's advice and would add, try pushing him forward on a small circle when you feel the signs (ie neck shortening, backing off the contact) - it gives him something else to think about and lets you ride him forward towards the contact without fear of him shooting off bucking

I would also use my voice to chide him so he knows he's doing wrong - he sounds kind enough not to want to behave badly

I'm sure it's just a phase and he'll grow out of it - I have a pupil who also has a baby who is doing exactly the same thing atm and that's what I've told her too! One other thing, if there is somewhere to do it I would give him a quick lunge before you mount at the show, no sidereins or anything - gives him a chance to look around and get a buck and a leap out of his system if he needs to. Good luck

 

[only_me]

you sound like you have just described my horse

merlin will buck when very excited; his first event ever last season he spent the entire event very very excited and showing his "enthusiasm" for being at a party

and again i have stayed away from a calmer as normally he needs all the energy he can get

You will learn to sit his bucks fairly quickly; you have already learnt when to recognise when he is about to buck.

When he shortens his neck try and push him out of it, and do not let his head drop

and my boy HATES it when i shout at him/tell him off (proper little mummys boy

) so when i tell him off for even thinking about bucking he usually stops

 

[Bubbles]

Will def do the lunging! Thanks for your advice, v. helpful.
He is a super little horse and I'm so enjoying jumping again, it's just that this one silly thing is threatening to get in the way so I want to knobble it right now. The thought of going BE is terrifying on it's own at the moment, let alone having to take a fully equipped gymnast!!

 

[Sal_E]

Without a doubt lunge before anything potentially exciting even if you have to do it at home before you leave off. Invest in a nack strap that you can hook onto if you feel worried & basically ride him through it. He's possibly a bit young for lateral work, but immediately push him into the limits of his ability so the extra energy is harnessed - hoefully his natual laziness will soon teach him that being sharp is too much like hard work. You need toget him out & about as much as possible - the problem should soon pass.

 

[Potato!]

I had a similar thing Yesterday whilst riding my 5yo in the woods with a friend. Went we asked for a canter I has a few ‘yipeee’ bucks, I sat through it and pushed him on forwards. When he I brought him back he was good as gold then we had another canter and as soon as I put my leg on I had a another buck then he was good as gold. My friend who is experienced thinks he will grow out of it as it was a couple but as soon as we stopped was good and actually better behaved than her 8yo.

 

[Copperpot]

You have described my horse too. He is Irish and as he has got older the bucks have lessened in frequency and ferocity. He will still have one when excited but nothing like he used to. Tbh I think he was just very unbalanced and took a long time to mature. He has no malice in him and is a very straight forward horse. I wear sticky bum jods now. I also found that if I tried to hold his head so he couldn't throw in a big buck he would get annoyed. But if I growl at him when I feel his back coming up, he won't buck.

 

[Lucyad]

I have the quietest (laziest) horse imaginable, but like yours, when he was younger, he could through a cracker of a buck when excited.

When I bought him, as a 5 year old, he actually bucked me off in my viewing, as he got very excited jumping his first crosspole. He also decked me out hacking when I dared to pop over a tiny jump on some wasteground. Like you I learned to anticipate him doing it, and to keep a hold and get his head up, which meant that I didn't fall off again.

He got settled jumping as he learned that it wasn't as exciting as he first anticipated. He did still buck when he wanted to gallop and I didn't let him, for a few years, but rather than push him on to stop him, as he wanted to go faster, I actually made him halt, then walk, and as soon as he tried to bounce he was made to halt again until calm. A loud 'no!' every time his back feet left the ground helped as well.
I had to be careful of leting him gallop in the same spots as this could set him off.

He hasn't done it for years now - don't think he still has it in him!

 

[ecrozier]

Mine also went through a phase of this. He's pretty much outgrown it now, luckily he never managed to buck me off but there were some real handstand moments! His default when excited is still to buck but as the others say, keep a contact, ride forward, shoulders back and hold on tight!