07.11.07

Green horse bucking and rearing issues

Posted in Horses for the horse crazy at 2:11 pm by petArtist Cmoses

Question from Horse Gal:
Hi!  Connie, I love your latest blog and pictures so much [Tom Curtin]…  My question is this:   I’m just wondering about Gilford bucking at the clinic.  What do you think made him do that? Does he do it just at the canter?  Did he just do it at the clinic or has he done that out on the trail?  Or is it because he’s a youngster and still learning about having a saddle and one of his humans on his back?  (Feel free to post this if you think others would be interested).  I know horses can buck for a variety of reasons and I’m just curious about Gil because I don’t remember you ever mentioning him bucking before!
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Your question is a really good one.

Horses buck or rear out of either frustration, discomfort (physical or mental,) annoyance, or fear. Or possibly just out of playfulness. Young and inexperienced horses are much more likely to act up than old pros, and all horses are more likely to buck when cantering than at other gaits because the extra speed gets them excited and energetic. Dealing with this behavior is a training issue and demands higher level skills and awareness on the rider’s part.

Exaggerated I admit, but love this shot of Tom Curtin in colt starting clinic 2005. He is doing remedial work with a highly fearful horse who already had an established bucking habit.

Gilford has bucked before and also reared before with Hubby on him in a field or ring. He has bucked Emmie a few times when she was doing canter work in field or ring. I honestly don’t remember him bucking or rearing with me (I have ridden canter on trails, dirt roads, and couple times in field.) I did go off him once when he stopped dead so quickly from a canter that I lost my balance completely and did a somersault down his neck (I was totally unhurt, lucky me.)

Gilford caught in the act rearing with Hubby, as a 2-yr. old just started under saddle. This is exactly the day I describe below under nervousness issue…

Bear in mind that Gilford is not a super naturally-balanced horse. He is what’s called heavy on the forehand– which means he carries his own weight more on his front end– and to be more balanced, he needs help to shift more of his weight to his hind end by bringing his hind legs further underneath himself when he travels. Gil is also not a very forward horse, which means he does not move very readily or quickly and he needs help maintaining his forward motion. Both these concepts are more advanced horsemanship concepts which his rider needs to practice as part of his ongoing training.

Here are several situations where Gilford, or any horse. might buck or rear, and ways to deal with them–

There may be balance problems… EXAMPLE: Hubby weighs more than I do so it’s harder for Gilford to balance his weight than mine, especially in the canter. Same thing with Emmie, also Em would be riding him in a circle which is in itself constricting the horse although it helps him learn to balance himself. The rider needs to be skilled enough to not be bouncy or off-balance on the green horse, or pulling on his mouth, which can worry the horse and cause an extreme reaction. At least, when the rider feels himself getting off balance, he should slow down or stop and start over again, rather than continue til a bad situation gets worse. More experienced horses can be more forgiving, but not always.

Herding instinct keeps group of horses galloping together (Tom Curtin in colt starting clinic.)

There may be an excitement issue, such as when all the other horses around you start cantering. EXAMPLE: Anytime he’s in a group of other horses, a horse may feel playful, or defensive or anxious, or start playing herd games, temporarily forgetting there’s a rider on his back. The rider’s job is to keep the horse focused on his business before the horse play gets started. The rider’s job is to BE AWARE at all times of how his horse is reacting to other horses, and to prevent his horse from kicking out at another, which can be extremely dangerous, by avoiding the situation or proximity where it might happen. Warn away other riders who crowd your horse’s space or come up suddenly behind him; aggressively steer your horse away from a stranger he seems to dislike or fear. I have not seen a horse yet that doesn’t get nervous or want to start running when all his buddies are speeding up, or when other horses run up behind him OR run off and leave him.

There may be a confusion issue, such as the horse receiving mixed signals from the rider and becoming frustrated by that. EXAMPLE: If the rider is asking for a canter with his legs and voice, but at the same time is looking down and/or has his weight leaning forward in the saddle, and/or has the reins overly tight in his hands, it’s like telling the horse to go faster and slow down all at once. The horse is confused, unbalanced and frustrated, a buck can result. A better way is to set your weight back in the saddle (and be centered from side so side,) thereby unweighting the horse’s front end and weighting his hind end more, which helps him to push off with his hind legs and strike off with his forelegs. All the things your riding instructor coaches you in.

My cantering on Gilford has been with other horses on the woods trail or dirt road, a couple times in a field, and mostly in a straight line. I like to choose uphill slopes to practice his canter, making bucking more difficult. Having no riding ring with good level footing makes me hesitate to canter him in our paddock, such as ring work going around in circles. Even his mom mare wouldn’t like it. More likely I would practice only the trot in a ring; a good trot really develops the horse athletically, especially trot work up hills and over ground poles; the canter does not serve to develop the green horse’s topline or his relaxation– a good canter will come with time.

There may be a physical discomfort issue, such as cantering on uneven footing, hard or rocky ground, pinching tack, teeth or bit pain, etc. all the effects of which are exaggerated at faster gaits. EXAMPLE: Head-tossing should be taken as extreme annoyance or frustration and as a warning sign that a buck might be next. At first sign of head-tossing or shaking, change what you are doing, distract the horse with a maneuver. Rule out any possible causes of pain.

There may be a genuine nervousness issue, from a PERCEIVED danger. Remember, this is the horse’s instinct, it is not his conscious choice. EXAMPLE: The rider might push the green horse’s envelope a little too far. As a 2 yr. old I remember Hubby first riding Gilford away from the barn, going 2 fields away so he felt isolated from his friends and worried because of that. Gilford reared up as a refusal to keep going forward in the direction Dad was taking him. A better way of doing it would be to NOT take the green horse that far away from security so quickly in a straight line; better to take him in small circles, going away from and back towards the barn, and gradually increase his distance from the barn. You want to teach him to go forward, NOT to rear up and refuse. Set him up to SUCCEED and he will learn the right things, but always be PATIENT and sensitive to his discomfort zones.

As to rearing… a rear is the horse’s ultimate refusal to go forward. When the horse just begins to feel sticky (as Joanne would call it) IE. reluctant to go forward, that is the moment to change direction, circle, do a leg yield or pivot turn, ask for gait change or stop and back up, have another horse and rider pass him if you’re on the trail, or anything else to either A) reinforce his momentum, or B) distract him from feeling upset and re-focus his attention back onto you and his job.

REALLY balky horse pulling back on lead rope trying to escape…

HERE IS THE VALUE OF BETTER HORSEMANSHIP TO TRAINING. When you are tuned in to the horse, you can sense him starting to get sticky or worried, therefore you can counter it quickly BEFORE it turns into a rear or a balk or a buck. I honestly feel that too many riders automatically assume the horse is being BAD when he acts up; instead, you should give the horse a little more credit, he does not really act up just to make you angry. He has simple thoughts and lives in the moment– do not react to him as if he was human. The only way he can communicate is through his body language, he cannot talk. He is trying to tell you that HE thinks something is wrong and he is bothered.

With bucking or rearing as with any balking, there may be an untrained or inattentive rider issue, in terms of using the aids correctly and consistently and in terms of being in tune with what the horse is feeling. EXAMPLE: all of the above!

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