My horse bucks for England

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annabellerhianna

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Got a new horse from a friend, 6 year old geldng, cob x hackney. He's still bit green but great to trot and jump(in trot). When he was about four he was brought into work and he was perfect cantered fine, he was then put out in a field for a year and not worked and since hes been brought back into work he wont canter. When u ask for canter he just bucks and bucks untill he just stops still. A lot of people have told me to push him through the bucks, sitting deep and keeping his head up. I've tried and it does not work he just bucks harder and then stops still. He has been fully vet checked and had his saddle and back checked so he isnt in pain.
I am aware that he's incredibly unbalanced and doesnt do circles well so Im trying to work on that with him. He will canter hapily in a large field on a large circle or striaght but he wont canter in a school or paddock.
I'm really running out of idea's!!!
Thanks
Annabelle
 
Oh poor you, and well done for not giving up, dont really know what to say to you other than maybe keep cantering him in the field and while still in canter gradually make the area smaller, fool him into cantering in a smaller area, and keep doing that, until he's happy to do it, maybe then take him back into the arena. hope you get sorted, keep us posted!!!
 
I am not an expert but some horses hate schools??? Going round in circles my cob hated it as did my sisters sec D. But excelled at X country/pony club etc. So perhaps its not their thing?

If they are unbalanced try and do the work whilst out and about in a field?? Pole work?? but no expert. I could be wrong?

I took my cob for lessons in a menage and he just bucked and was terrible, a different horse, I did find it usually worked to kick him on and wake him up to me being on board but not so easy if they are constantly not responding. and the habit will form I assume. However on a hack I usually only ever got the excitable rumble back in transition trot to canter but as long as were going forward he was absolutely fine.

Could anyone lunge you?
 
You do not have to canter yet, work in walk and trot and having him going forward on a straight line and work on his circles.

What is he like on the lunge, trot to canter transition, with & without saddle. When that is working then worry about trot to canter ridden.

When you do ask for canter are you on a straight line or a slight bend/circle. Ask for canter on a bend or circle, the horse is less likely to buck, if slightly bent. If he does go to buck, increase the bend, bring him back to a trot , work on going forward and when you are ready ask again.

Only ask and expect a few canter strides and bring him back to a trot. Once he is handling the transition increase the length of time for the canter.

If necesary get get help from IH/NH person who will sort this out in no time.
 
Have u had his teeth checked? My friend has just got a new horse that bucks, sailed through 5* vetting, but she got dentist out just in case & he says teeth had not been done for around 4 years. He says its the probable cause of the bucking & she's to ride her in a few days, although it may take time for her to realise shes not in pain. He also said if the bucking continues it may be a hormonal imbalance.xx
 
My horse had problems with bucking in canter when I first got him. He was also unbalanced and uncomfortable. The farrier found the problem - his feet were totally uneven, he had collapsed heels and we think this was causing him discomfort further up his hind legs in the stifle area. In the words of my farrier he had been shod by a gorilla! A back expert suggested the horse had been jumped and jumped in this condition, hurting his stifles which was why he was bucking in canter and after jumping.
He had remedial shoeing, not much cantering til his feet were right and a longer time off jumping. Then went back to square one with cantering - just short stretches of a few strides focussing on getting the correct strike-off, building up to more.
I found lunging REALLY helps him get his balance and I tried to lunge him once a week. His canter got much better when we started jumping again as he tends to switch off when just schooling.
Unfortunately I have had a problem with my back caused by muscular damage from being bucked off those few years ago! With the help of my physio I am now just starting to be able to get a nice rounded canter out of horse... after 3 years of trying!!!!
 
Will he canter on the lunge?

Please don't take this the wrong way but he may be struggling due to rider imbalance. He is an inexperienced horse who might be putting a buck in purely to balance himself and as a result unbalancing you in the process, which just serves to perpetuate the cycle.
 
As well as all the other suggestions can I ask what saddle cloth and girth you use as they too can be the cause of discomfort. The rubbing they can cause and the burning is often overlooked and not checked for when fitting a saddle.
 
He does struggle to canter on the lunge with or without saddle he bucks a lot but it is possible to get him through it and he will canter a few strides before coming back to trot he tends to. I did think about daisy reins any thoughts? Ive been doing lots of circles and bending and i think its helping him because he used to really fall in on his inside shoulder like riding a motorbike but hes a bit better now. I've read some other advice on other sites about letting him work it out himself, pushing him through his gaits till he naturally canters and just go with him till he stops and go with him. I tried ittoday and it seemed to work he broke into a few strides of canter a couple of times then droped back and no bucks so i think I'm gonna try that for a bit. Any thoughts?
Thanks xxx
 
Kaylum said:
As well as all the other suggestions can I ask what saddle cloth and girth you use as they too can be the cause of discomfort. The rubbing they can cause and the burning is often overlooked and not checked for when fitting a saddle.
Click to expand...
I use a Atherstone Humane Elasticated Leather Girth, and a standard all purpose quilted numner x
 
I would get a second opinion from a vet and maybe get your horse a physio session. It sounds like there could be something wrong with him whether it's his back, legs or shoulders. If he is bucking that much then there must be an issue somewhere that is causing him discomfort. I wouldn't dismiss it as just bad behaviour or being unbalanced\green.
 
try to keep the horse occupied when in the school or outside. serpentine's, loops, circles, squares, changes of rein and pace can all help to keep the horse thinking and not make it think about bucking. have you had all the tack checked etc?
 
If you’ve had a horse that bucks and found the source of the problem and overcome it, I’d be really interested in talking to you for a feature in Horse Magazine.

If you reply here or PM me, we’ll sort out exchanging phone numbers!
 
1st has his back been checked? Might be something that needs "tweaking" to help him with his balance.
Then saddle. Does it fit him properly, not impede his movement in anyway, or pinch him?
Using gadgets to stop the bucking will only work while you use them. Far far better to address the problem and stop the bucking totally.
For me, what you are describing sounds like a physical problem possibly being made worse by a saddle that doesn't suit him.
 
If he is that green he may just find it physically hard to canter on a circle or enclosed space. You say he can canter happily in a straight line or large space so this may be the case. Have you tried really really big circles in a field? and also are you sitting evenly on him and really "looking ahead" when you are turning? Mine is green and big and bless him, I have to really exagerate the whole "head turning" bit to give him enough notice to turn otherwise he struggles. Your head is the heaviest part of your body and if you turn your head, you are also moving your weight as well. On a well balanced horse it isn't qutie such a big deal but on a green horse it does.
 
Assuming there aren't any physical problems (and in my experience its usually a training issue but always rule it out), just gentle perseverance will see them realise they can't get away with it, and they will get bored and eventually stop.

Although you are saying that he struggles to canter, so maybe he needs a bit more strength before he can canter propertly, in which case I'd get him fit first, then be asking for him to work properly.

My last horse (ex-racer) use to do it, what I found worked was a monkey grip on the front of the saddle (for my benefit :)) and then if he started (or preferably before, if you can feel he is about to start) I'd just hold on and put him on a tight 5-10m circle but keep him going. That way, you are getting the forward to keep riding them through, but they can't really buck when they are turning like that. The when he settles, back on the full school and keep going till you feel he is thinking about it, then repeat.
 
He is still a baby in term of schooling, just help him along with good steady canters out hacking.
Both horse and rider are getting uptight when schooling, change the plan a bit using grid work and trotting poles and little jumps which are set so that he will naturally go in to a correct canter lead.
does he canter in the field or is he stuck in the trot?
 
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Some horses just can't canter in the school. We had an ex trotter and she seemed incapable of cantering in the school. She could manage a canter in a straight line and then she would canter so fast it seemed as though she was bolting....but she wasn't, it was just the only way she could manage the pace. Great and trot though and a lovely old girl.
 
My horse bucked like stink, and my vet, chiro, saddler and instructors initially thought it was behavoural, as he showed no signs of back trouble. I too had " had all the checks done" However it was gut instinct, and certain things could trigger the bucking, flexing on a circle was one, and I asked the vet to investigate further, and we decided to xray - which is only then, when we discovered the cause. My horse has KS.

There are 3 horses on the yard I'm at that have been diagnosed by x-ray to have KS. All had what was initially though to be 'behavoural problems' and KS in all 3 horses was not considered until all other investigations had been inconclusive and x-rays were done as a last resort.

I'm not suggesting your horse has this, but for a horse to so violently buck, and to also seem unbalanced and buck on the lunge I think you need to investigate deeper. Good luck
 
Agree with the posts saying some horses just don't do schooling. I have one at present who hates schooling, and as I do too we just hack and do a little 'work' as we go.

The other thing is that you've almost answered yourself. Your horse is cob x hackney, i.e. the product of probably two of the greatest trotting breeds in the world. They'll always trot for preference, especially in a controlled environment. I once saw a bolting Orlov Trotter - but he was bolting in trot - quite amazing.
 
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