Most horses have a steed and kick from time to time, bucking is quite a natural and normal thing for a horse – watch them play in the field and you’ll see plenty of examples. However, under the saddle, bucking is a less desirable trait and can become a serious and dangerous problem.
Horses generally buck for one of several reasons:-
- Harmless excitement before they gallop into a trick or on the way to a jump.
- A sharp temper that could be a reflection of age or greenness, breeding, cold weather, or even too much food.
- They have pain most often in the back or saddle area, but possibly elsewhere.
- It is an established habit and is used as resistance to avoid work; this can be caused by pain, mismanagement or training and persist even after the cause has been removed.
Stopping the bucking of the horses will depend on the origin of the problem and the competence of the rider. Sudden and unexplained onset bucking can be very scary and difficult to deal with, so here are 11 top tips to stop this problem before it becomes serious.
Pain
1. Make sure your horse isn’t suffering from back pain from an ill-fitting saddle or some other underlying problem of which the bucking may just be a manifestation. Horses with a back problem may be difficult to ride or show other stamina problems when working, such as a reluctance to move forward.
2. Make sure there are no hidden strength issues, bucking can be used as an obstruction to work and indicate discomfort or pain
3. Check the dentition and comfort in the horse’s mouth
Feeding and management
4. After eliminating any obvious causes of pain, take a look at diet and participation. An overfed horse that is not getting enough input is more likely to buck into an exuberance of energy. The horse should be fed sufficient roughage and hard feed for the work in which it is placed and to reflect the age, temperament and season. There are many feeds for hard-working horses that use slow-releasing energy sources like oil and fiber instead of the fast-releasing energy that often comes from grains like oats and barley, which can result in excitable behavior and energy bursts.
5. Make sure the horse has a good routine and has adequate performance and enough work for the feed or reduce the amount being given.
ride and train
6. Some horses will snap at an inexperienced rider, so if you think you may be overstretched, ask a more capable rider or your instructor to ride the horse to determine if this might be bad behavior you can’t deal with. A more established rider can quickly and effectively address the problem and nip it in the bud.
7. Some horses worry about less confident riders, for example if you lose your balance after a jump this can throw the horse off balance as well.
8. If the problem with your horse is becoming quite persistent and established, you may need a stronger rider to take over for a while to sort out what’s going on.
9. Horses thrive on repetition, so it’s important not to allow a habit to take hold or establish itself; Sometimes bucking can persist just because it has been going on for a while and the original cause might have been forgotten or simply impossible to establish – a stronger and more capable rider can fix this or it might just be a matter of reprimanding the horse when it happens. does
10. Standing up to young horses is a sure way to encourage difficult behavior as the horse struggles to cope with what is being asked of it. This could be working for the first time among a group of horses in a competition or riding in an arena when other horses are starting nearby. Some unpredictable behavior would be considered normal in these situations, any horse is likely to react. Young horses need riders who are confident and experienced and who can handle their green behavior in a strong but sensitive way; a young horse that does not have confidence in its rider will continue to be mischievous and may develop some very unpleasant behavioral traits
eleven Putting a less experienced or lighter rider on a horse or pony that has previously been ridden by a heavier, more competent child can lead to unwanted behavior that the previous rider controlled. These situations can be resolved, but it can be helpful to have a second rider to keep the pony by his side and to ensure that the confidence of the younger rider is not damaged while this issue is being resolved. This scenario doesn’t just apply to children, novice adult riders who buy a horse that is essentially too much for them will find that the horse will quickly try it out with a less capable and experienced rider and bucking can be one of the tricks of the party. . . Horses like to know where they stand and will always push the limits and seize opportunities, whether it be in handling or riding weaknesses.
No rider cares about the odd happy buck and this will not bring a rider down for sure. However, persistent bucking needs to be addressed as either there is a source of pain that needs to be investigated or there is another cause within horse handling or riding work that makes this a problem. An unresolved bucking problem is unlikely to go away on its own. Always start by eliminating pain as a possible cause and work from there through management and then mounting problems.
