How to keep confident on a horse that bucks...

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MrsMagoo

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So any tips on how i can keep my confidence on my little moo bag who squeals and bucks when excited??? Its getting to the stage now where I think about things too much and end up talking myself out of doing things. I know shes not doing it nastily and is just excitement but somtimes they are big ones and she had me of on a hack at the weekend!!

I really wanna do our xmas ride with the riding club but am getting worried just thinking about it
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can just imagine everyone else cantering and jumping and then theres me hitting the deck!!! HELP....

Apparently she used to do this alot as a youngster but her previous owner obviously got her out the habit...but its back...how do i stop it??
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Have you tried lungeing her for a while first (especially at an exciting show if possible)? So she can have her bronc without you on her?!

Otherwise I have 3 who sometimes buck. One very occassionally does, but he actually bronc's to get me off (and does). Other does it because he's a baby still but if he does it stupidly then I just give him a kick and a growl as soon as he does it so he's not getting into a habit. The other one is such an arm chair ride that his bucks just make me laugh and I actually enjoy them!!

I think the only thing you can do is lunge before getting on and maybe trying growling loudly at her when she does buck. It depends what she's like, some would say smack her when she bucks but this can make a sensitive horse explode! Is there no way you can ask her former owner how she stopped it?
 
She doesnt actually do it all the time and most the time i.e when jumping, if she does do it, they are manageable. I think cause of what happened at the weekend, its knocked me a bit and now im worried that she will do it again when out hacking.

I am lunging her about 3 times a week on top of riding to get any excess energy out but not sure if this is the way....seems to just be a cheeky side of her character!!! Any tips on staying on lol
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id say you cant stop it, sorry! Shes just getting excited bless her! They only thing you could do is take her out in lots of different exciting situations and try and get her used to all the hustle and bustle so that she learns not to get quite so excited.

Bloss has these HUGE leaps she does, straight up in the air and squeals at the same time, its quite alarming. i however cant stop her from doing it as she also does it from excitement. when i hunted her last season she was awful to start with, she'd do it every time someone cantered past. Towards the end of the season she calmed down as she knew what she was doing.

one day out hunting i was sandwiched against the fence by the hunt secretary as the jumpers were coming hurtling past us (i couldnt jump her much outhunting as it makes her rear from excitement when she has to wait to jump) anyways as they hurtled past us she got seriously excited and did a huge leap from a standstill and lept over the hunt secretarys horse!!!!! it was so funny!!!!

in all honesty you just have to learn to go with it! shes just having a bit of fun! xx
 
Try to think of them as 'practice jumps' rather than bugs....just an idea
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Trike has a buck in him too if it's any consolation....but they aren't (usually) malicious lol!
 
That is exactly what the little moo does...god she sounds more and more like bloss haha
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apart from instead of just leaping and sqeauling on sat, she put in a massive fly buck and send me flying erghhhh.....

Ok well somone please kick me up the backside and make me go on the xmas ride...maybe some superglue is needed????
 
Super Glue
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Sorry no idea apart from to try and get her out as much as poss. The less you take her out the more excited she will become when she does get to go.
 
My boy is a bucker from time to time. Unfortunately if I smack him or get cross with him he goes into rodeo mode and will have me off as he twists, turns and drops shoulders aswell as bucking...nice!
I have to sit very quietly on him when he gets in that frame of mind but use VERY strong legs and get him going forwards...no matter what the speed! So long as he is going forwards he can't buck and then forgets about it and calms down. As well as this I take my 'defensive' position and lean my upper body back slightly and bring my lower legs forward slightly, this enables me to sit really deep, ram my heels down and stay on better!!!! LOL! It works for me if I can get him past the thought of rodeo I am fine! It is a bug*er but I have got used to it and can sit the odd fly bucks that he occasionally does.
My husband (non rider) finds it very amusing and claims "it will make you into a better rider"!!!!!!!!!!!!
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im going to take Bloss on our RC xmas ride which is on boxing day, its always lovely
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she spent a lot of time bucking last year on it!! But her bucks are nothing compared to what i have to sit on Archie so it actually dosent bother me anymore!
 
I was told by a hunt master this summer when the Donkey has a bronc session on the summer ride to find a muddy ploughed field and let her go there - will soon stop her bucking - if you have a friendly farmer it's worth a try!!

Donkey bucks with excitement (on the occaisions she can be bothered to get excited) but they are not complicated and a leg on to make her move forward does seem to help

PS Meant to add that I know how horrible it is, sitting almost waiting for the bucks does not help at all - had a mare who left lippizanners in the dust with her leaping - and yes I fell off every time
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That sounds quite alarming and whilst she is doing it for fun, sounds to me like she is also doing it because she's being naughty. First thing to be aware of is whether she's trying to tell you something about her saddle or bit... assuming you've had a really good saddler check her over it's something I would want to stop her doing asap.

If she were mine and I were riding her then I would have a ding dong battle to stop her doing it - riding her forward and really socking her in the teeth if she tried to get her head down, I would also not be adverse to using the stick. This will probably make her buck more in temper so you need to have some glue in yr seat.
The problem is that because she's scaring you - you're probably not riding her forward, to stop her bucking you need to ride her forward which requires some nerve.
Is there someone you know experienced with naughty horses who can come and ride her through it forcefully for you. Once they have dissuaded her, you can have a go - and the ploughed field is a good idea.

Ive had numerous animals which came to me as buckers. Children's ponies who buck are a real problem as they won't do it with a competent rider, but will as soon as the child gets on again.

I've only had one which was never cured, that had bucked it's way through numerous homes and professional riders, The first time I rode it, it bucked me off 6 times in half an hour and was so angry that I kept getting back on that it started going for me when I hit the ground
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It turned out to be a fantastic jumping pony - I won loads on her and produced fabulous foals, but she was lucky that she came to us & didn't go for meat.
 
Whilst i totally agree with what your saying - shes not quite that bad!!!! As P_G said its more of a leap and squeal but somtimes with the odd buck/bronc thrown in...

She's had all her teeth/back/tack checked and this is a religious thing i do now, as i know to well what its like to have a horse with back problems. She was brought over from Ireland as a youngster, produced by Lisa Murphey, then her previous owner and now me. Even Lisa said she has done the little squeal thing since shes had her - 7yrs ago! Shes 9 now...:)
 
If I'm on an animal which puts in the odd joy of living buck, or who has a little squeal and it's all harmless fun then I agree, it's not something to really react to - I would probably squeal as well.
If she is having the odd bronc & if you do fall off her sometimes, then do try & nip it in the bud, she will work out that she can buck you off & you really don't want that.
I personally hate things like fun rides & owuld never take the kids on one. They are an invitation to bad behaviour. I would rather go hunting & get the horse moving forwards as much as possible. In a way you need to challenge her and when she is naughty get her going straight forwards, scaring her if possible, certainly not letting on that you're scared.
 
I have a feeling you may be blocking her from moving forwards and hence she is bucking - if you knee is tight on her for example she may feel restricted - you need to be brave and do as siennamum says, ride her forwards, let her know she is in the wrong but do analyse yourself too - good luck!
 
Some tips for staying on (NB these work for me, but obviously they wont for everyone!!!)

First off i have safety irons (actually 'Barns Buckles' between the leather and the iron).. with these on i can confidently shove my foot as far into the iron as it'll go (ie not how you're taught, iron on the ball of your foot) Then there's very little chance of losing your irons!!
Second i lock the first two fingers of my right hand into a neck strap while also holding onto the right rein (tho not too tight).
Third i hold both the left and right rein in my left hand, in a 'half bridge'.

That's me locked into place!
Then i find it helps if you think about sitting like a sack of spuds (obviously not a good idea if your horse is cold backed or it has its back right up) therefore within reason sit fairly heavy in the saddle. The second you get on, try and wrap your legs round the horse, don't actually use your legs, but make sure the horse knows they are there/can feel them..

*grabing hold of as much wood as i can, i haven't been bucked off in a long time! and i've sat some belters like this*
Touch wood touch wood touch wood hahaha
 
NB.... If you are lunging her that much, she may be getting too fit. Maybe a little more fatness will calm her down a bit
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Seriously tho' if I lunged Sienna 3 times a week she would protest in the strongest terms.
 
Well as above check for discomfort.

Then it might well be her getting excited, but this can easily develop into a nasty habit.

None of mine buck other than very occasionally when having a good gallop. However I used a stock saddle, which is impossible to get ejected from bucking. Then for babies in English saddles I have a handle at the front of the saddle, so you can hold yourself in. This has the advantage over breastplate / martingale neck straps as none of your weight is forward.

If you get confident she will either stop, or just do it when having a mad moment.
 
Thanks guys for all your suggestions
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I will try and be brave and just go for it, getting her going more forward. It prob is just her wanting to go and me not letting her...

Siennamum - its not serious lunging just 5/10mins in the school to let her get all her frustrations and bucks out lol
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I know just how you feel, an old mare of mine was just the same.
I found the best way was to ignore her as much as possible as reacting made her worse. Ride forward firmly but quietly and keep circling if you need to (bad for social life but helps keep *rse on the ground).
To stay on keep your heels down and use a neck strap
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How much hard food are you giving her? She must be feeling pretty good to be bucking and squealing. I would cut the food out until you felt safe again. Obviously give her ad lib hay, but she must have loads of spare energy to be feeling sooo good
 
my boy does the odd buck but I can feel it building up - usually when we're out hacking and he just wants to go - also get a nice racing 'leap' too.

I don't think I'll ever stop it - but I've been told that shouting ye ha is only encouraging him.......
 
just stay calm and relaxed and sit the buck, don't tense your body or pull with the reins because they will pull back on you. i know how you feel about the squealing, JJ does that sometimes when i'm riding and other horses i've ridden do it too. speak to them calmly, yeah they can't understand you but who cares, it will calm you!! also, if your at a show, go to an area that is quiet and do some circles to get your horse focused, and then go to the practise ring or collecting ring.

Hope your horse calms down a bit for you.
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Lizzie x
 
She only gets a small scoop of basic horse/pony nuts with a small handful of staypower mix for dinner and just a handful of nuts for breakfast...

dont feel shes overfed, especially for her workload. The person at the feed store was shocked when i said how little she is fed lol
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shes a very good doer and even has her grazing muzzle on every other day to keep her weight down
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[ QUOTE ]
My boy is a bucker from time to time. Unfortunately if I smack him or get cross with him he goes into rodeo mode and will have me off as he twists, turns and drops shoulders aswell as bucking...nice!
I have to sit very quietly on him when he gets in that frame of mind but use VERY strong legs and get him going forwards...no matter what the speed! So long as he is going forwards he can't buck and then forgets about it and calms down. As well as this I take my 'defensive' position and lean my upper body back slightly and bring my lower legs forward slightly, this enables me to sit really deep, ram my heels down and stay on better!!!! LOL! It works for me if I can get him past the thought of rodeo I am fine! It is a bug*er but I have got used to it and can sit the odd fly bucks that he occasionally does.
My husband (non rider) finds it very amusing and claims "it will make you into a better rider"!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Reading this has made me feel a lot better about my new mare as she does the same to me!! She is very nappy, and explodes like that when i try and ride her past the mares field or do other things she doesnt want to do- ie, she has one mighty protest!! Everyone tells me to dig my spurs in, and whack her but IMO it just makes her worse and she retaliates further. Trouble is, my instincts are trying to just keep me on board, so anything that will make the situation worse i dont feel confident to do!!

However, she did it today out on a hack, not wanting to go into a new field - i just sat there, firmly said "NO" to her when she reared/bucked and then really praised her when she stopped. If i was then able to get a step forward, again i really praised her, and made it very simple for her to realise what was good and what was bad. After about 10 mins i got her into the field at a calm walk....feel like i won that battle. Personally, i dont feel confident being really strong with her, prefer to sit quietly and ride through it with a deep seat
 
Hi MM. My mare is very similar - she is usually pretty sane but get her in an exciting situation & she is very sharp. She usually settles fairly quickly but she tests my nerve GETTING to that point. She does the same as your mare - leaps of the ground with all 4s & squeals or sometimes does a leap that you're not to sure if it was a sort of buck or rear type leap.. You just feel yourself flying through the air not too sure if you're sitting a buck, rear or leap becuase it all happened so quickly... Scary stuff!

Anyway, here's what helps me:

Start the Rescue Remedy 1st thing in morning (only human - haven't gone as far as using it on the horse, but could be worth a try...)

Firstly, lunge before any exciting event (i.e. on the same day, just before leaving) - also try to give a bit of turnout in the morning before leaving if poss, even if only an hour.

When get there, allow plenty of time to soak up the atmosphere - to relax BOTH parties!

Once on, if possible try to work in at walk - works for my mare as she only explodes once I go in to trot, so I spend a while working in at walk - lateral work, inside/outside flexion etc. If I can get her focussing on ME then it makes the trot easier. HOWEVER, if your mare will explode immediately, then best to trot asap to get her going forwards - trying to contain energy is never good.

Once in trot & once I can feel something bubbling get her really concentrating on ME. Keep her on circles with a bit too much inside bend, leg yeilding out. It is extremely difficult for her to leap with bending & when on a circle. As she doesn't naturally want to go forwards as much on lateral work, the leg yeilding works very well to back her off & get her on her hocks (opposite end to where the weight is during a buck!). As I feel her relax & settle, I try to let the trot out - let it out rather than push it on as the natural energy means you don't NEED to put your leg on too much which inevitably causes a reaction. If I feel her tense up again, immediately bring her back, reduce the circle, start the spiralling leg yeilding again - try again once settled.

Of course it goes without saying that a neck strap is invaluable & a body pro sensible - not just for safety but for your confidence level. On the same note, having someone watching you 100%of the time until she settles helps pyscologically - nothing worse than falling off with no-one to tell you what happened or how impressive it was!

I certainly would not recommend using a stick or getting after her in any way whilst she's feeling like a ticking time bomb.

I find doing all the trot work sitting is very advantageous - you don't want to be in mid-rise when the horse leaves the ground. Sit deep & get a little behind the movement.

If she DOES do anything, I give my mare a kick & a sharp retort ('NO', 'BITCH', whatever springs to mind...) & then immediately turn her onto a small circle leg yeilding, holding onto the outside shoulder so she has to cross properly rather than run out through the shoulder. Once in this position, I'll use my leg fairly strongly so she's having to work but I can contain her with the sideways movement so feel safe to use my leg. She soon thinks 'oh bugger this, too much like hard work'...

Sorry, total ramble not helped by glass of port. Hope there's something here you can use...

S.
 
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