Bucking

[enjoytheride]

Once a bucker always a bucker?

A friend of mine bought a very very nice horse with no history that had been used as a broodmare with the intentions of making it a riding horse.

The horse loads, ties, fly sprays, leads, picks up feet. Friendly on the ground. It lunges like a pro, whoas on command, and reverses. Wears a bridle. Added a western saddle and horse didn't blink. Climbed on mounting block, patted sides, layed over butt, didn't blink.

My friend was very very pleased and we thought that this horse had been broke and broke well before.

Yesterday we lunged and saddled the horse and my friend stood up in the stirrup for a minute, while I held the horse's head and then swung a leg over.

I think she lasted 6 seconds and the horse bucked for 2 more laps around the ring until she stepped on her leadrope. I ended up getting dragged a couple strides trying to hold the horse. That horse bucked with intent and would have held her own at a rodeo.

We finished up by lunging her again, standing in the stirrups, hanging weight off the side, etc. the only thing she got humpy about was when I swung the stirrups around so we did that and after about 10 seconds the mare didn't move.

So either someone started her right and then screwed up royally or they started her right and quit after she turned up with this bucking issue. I believe if you start a horse right it never thinks about bucking. We obviously are not going to get back on this horse and the trainers we know we would not risk their neck.

We are trying to figure out if it is worth sending the horse to a trainer that rides saddle broncs so they have a better chance of staying on. If they started the work over, got on, and the horse didn't buck my friend would keep it. But if it had to be bucked out they would sell it.

Has anyone had experience with a horse where everything else is good but it bucks like that? The vet was out and the horse checked out fine. Did you end up fixing the horse?

[Sebastian]

First thoughts are...

Does the saddle fit properly?
Is her back sore??

Seb :)

[Tiffani B]

I know several well broke horses who hump up and throw in a buck or two because their sides are sensitive (either thin skinned, or ulcers). If you say she responds negatively to the stirrups moving around, I would start with desensitising her to things moving around on her flanks.

[Beverley]

[quote=enjoytheride;4224452]
Has anyone had experience with a horse where everything else is good but it bucks like that? quote]

Yes, I have. I suppose I could eventually have brought the buggar around, but long story short, he had a happy career as a saddle bronc on an east coast rodeo circuit, in fact, he was saddle bronc of the year in his first or second year on the job.

[vbunny]

How long has she been off for? If she hasn't been ridden for a while she might be unused to the feeling of it and need to be re-introduced. I think I would go ahead and treat her as if you were breaking her and carefully take her through each stage again.

[enjoytheride]

Well none of us are going to get back on her because it was "I know what I'm doing" bucking and not scared bucking so the owner is trying to decide if it is worth sending her to a trainer that rides bucking horses or just sell her. If the cowboy stops the bucking is it going to come up again whenever there is an issue is the question.

[bort84]

A good trainer could likely fix it. I'd be careful about sending her to someone that consistently deals with this issue by just trying to ride it out of them... A lot of ground work basics in long lines and in a round pen eventually with the saddle added would probably be of great help. She will probably need a couple of "tough love" sessions, but those might be nothing more than her figuring out that bucking is NOT the easist road.

If you like her, I'd certainly send her to a good trainer for 60-90 days. My grandma is 5'2" and has dealt with the "bad seeds" her entire life because she can think "horse." Her timing is impeccible, so she makes one quickly find the easiest path. Most horses are fixable. She's fixed numerous horses that had been deemed too crazy to be worth anything but a bullet... Afterwards, most of them went on to have successful show careers and some lived happy lives with junior riders.

If you don't like her, it might not be worth it to waste the cash, but you need to be careful of where her next home is... If she hurts someone, it could be the kill pen for her.

[rainechyldes]

No, not once a bucker -always a bucker.

But:
You are dealing with a mature horse, who A/ are stronger B/recover more quickly to new stuff c/ figure out life much faster (ie buck) when asked to do something they are uncomfortable
with.

also, it sounds like you were moving pretty fast, stood in her stirrups once, and then tried to climb on? Or maybe I'm misreading that part. I don't always believe the statement a horse started correctly never bucks. I've got one horse who began to buck 2 years u/s after he was broke.. same rider. Go figure. That lasted about a month, lots of hard work before climbing on, settled him down and now he's back to normal. It was just one of those 'points' hit in training for him, he was being asked for more and balked and hit a plateau.

[rhymeswithfizz]

Did you lunge first and then saddle, or saddled then lunged? It would make a big, big difference to a horse who might be naturally cold-backed or new to a saddle.

I had a very green mare off the track who taught me (the hard way of course) that she preferred to have a stretch AFTER the saddle was put on. If I did not lunge her after saddling (lunging before made no difference), I would not be able to get all the way on before she would bolt out from beneathe me and take off bucking. She was so quick out from under me that I would still manage to land on my feet. But a nice little stretch in the round pen after the saddle went on, and then she was a happy girl!

[Seven-up]

Maybe there's a reason this horse is a broodmare?;)

Are you sure the horse was really broke to ride?