# Horse bucks going into a lope in one direction.



## farmpony84 (Apr 21, 2008)

Well... Has his tack fit been checked? And has a vet checked him? A chiro and a message therapist are great but they aren't vets...

It could be three things that I can think of right off the top of my head.... Pain, Imbalance, and Attitude...

My guess from that tiny paragraph would be either he's got some holes in his training and he's not balanced or he's got a pain issue, maybe a stifle injury....

those are just guesses though...


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## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

farmpony84 said:


> Well... Has his tack fit been checked? And has a vet checked him? A chiro and a message therapist are great but they aren't vets...
> 
> It could be three things that I can think of right off the top of my head.... Pain, Imbalance, and Attitude...
> 
> ...


I wondered the exact same thing. I would have your friend make sure the horse gets its teeth checked and tack check. I had a mare who was very sensitive to proper fitting tack, so I would be looking into that.


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## Shandra (Jan 6, 2013)

Thank you, I knew I'd forget to mention something. His teeth have been done a couple of months ago. 
If it was his tack I'd be surprised that the only time it was an issue was going into a lope going to the right in a circle. He's fine going to the left and in every other gait. Loping to the right is his 'bad' way and he doesn't like it.
He could have a balance issue and he's been very heavy on the forehand but has come a long way and is much better. Also, he doesnt do it every time. One of the people who told her to get off and spank him and then make him work from the ground is a high end trainer and coach that she was taking lessons with. 
The question remains- if he has no physical reason to do this and she's dealing with attitude or just being stubborn- what do you think is the best way to deal with it?


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## palogal (May 30, 2008)

Sounds like he's got a hip out. Have a chiro look at him.


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## Cherie (Dec 16, 2010)

What happens when she just keeps loping him. That may be a 'high end' trainer telling her to get off, but that is the day I would change trainers. 'Getting off' is the ultimate 'pay-ff' for an unacceptable behavior.

If his teeth, saddle fit and soundness have all been checked by competent people, then I would 'study' the behavior a little more to get more 'insight' into its triggers.

Does he pick up that lead OK?

Does he move OK to the right on a longe-line or in a round pen?

Does he move to the right as well as the left under saddle without loping?

Since he is not bucking hard enough to get her off, what does he do if she continues to keep riding forward to the right and ignores it? 

Just stopping him every time he does this is about as good a 'reward' for the behavior as getting off. If everything else checks out OK, that is probably what it is.


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## Shropshirerosie (Jan 24, 2012)

I'm guessing it's a physical problem too, probably in the hips but possibly elsewhere. She needs to get a good equine vet out to do a physical work-up to find the problem.

Horses don't just buck going into the canter on one direction because they have attitude - it's probably the clearest sign you can think of to say "I can't do that, it hurts". 

A physical work-up starting with walk and trot in a straight line, moving to lunging without, then with tack on, completed with working with the rider on will find the problem.


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## Shandra (Jan 6, 2013)

Thanks everyone. 

I appreciate the suggestions as far as potential physical issues and I'm aware that I'm new to the board so nobody knows how much or how little horse experience I have. The fact is that whether he has a physical issue, has ill fitting tack, or is just being naughty, it's not acceptable for him to buck. 
The tack seems to fit but it's been my experience that just because we think something fits it doesn't necessarily mean the horse likes it which is why so many people have custom fitted saddles sitting in their tack rooms that they never use on the horse they were built for.
I'm just trying to get a general concensus from a few people to pass on to my friend regarding what to do. I have suggested what I would do but when a higher end trainer says something different it can be hard to ignore. 
I do believe he might be having a bit of a balance issue and I also think she might be making it happen by tensing up when she asks for a lope to the right, or doing something with her hands. She also sits somewhat unbalanced which could be causing it. I haven't actually seen what's really going on, the only time it happened when I was around was the other day and I wasn't watching. We're going to see what's going on this weekend when we have more time and have a few people ride him and see what happens.

So the question is still, what would you do if your horse bucked on occasion? How would you discipline him, if at all? 

Thanks Cherie, you did answer my question.


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## Shandra (Jan 6, 2013)

I almost forgot. He lopes just fine in either direction on a longe line.


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## BlueSpark (Feb 22, 2012)

this screams physical issue to me. has she tried riding him in a different saddle?

bucking is either a)fear(doubt it in this case), b)pain(possible) or c)disrespect.

working him harder when he bucks, teaching him that he cant get away with misbehavior, will work great, if its disrespect. if its pain related then you will end up with a miserable horse who learns that work = pain. you will distroy his work ethic. Thats why its so important to rule out pain first.

I second calling a vet, it sounds like it could be a hip


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## AngieLee (Feb 20, 2011)

my horse has the same issue except to the left which is his bad way. and with my horse its half an attitude issue and half him being unbalanced. My horse was vet checked for lameness, has his teeth checked and floated annually, and I have had my tack checked for fit by someone whos far more knowledgeable in that area then me and he was loping fine and then started bucking when i asked him to pick it up. 

With Cody (my gelding) we decided to back track. i worked on teaching him to bend and be balanced to the left and right at a walk, dog, trot and did LOTS of loping on the lung to the left (his bad way) to get his balance up.

We had to stop training for approx 3 months due to medical issues. but hes cleared up and i spent a few weeks or so getting him back into work. Yesterday I lunged him with his saddle on and had him going really well and listening to me both directions, and then when he was cooled out i got on jogged and randomly asked him to lope. and he picked it up no problem with no bucks on the right lead. could have been a fluke but i was happy. Maybe she could try lunging him and doing ground work before getting on him to make him use his body and listen before hand?

What I also try when i horse has behaviors is a) disengage hip/ tight circle b) kick him and keep him going (which might lead to another buck depending on the horse), c) slam on the breaks, back up, and ask into a lope again.(which may not be ideal depending on your horse) whatever you do DONT STOP because you stop he gets rewarded. trainer or not i wouldn't suggest getting off, but that's just me.


i dont know hope i helped a little. feel free to PM me, maybe through discussion i can help out more. i just cant think of anything off hand.haha


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## beau159 (Oct 4, 2010)

If your friend is comfortable, can she ask him to lope while riding him bareback? It might help to rule out if it IS a tack issue, if he lopes fine while riding bareback. 

Keep in mind, if his saddle IS hurting him, he may still buck initially the first couple times because he is anticipating it to hurt. It takes them a couple times to go "Oh, hey! I guess this doesn't hurt. I guess I don't have to buck in protest."

But of course, if your friend isn't comfortable riding him bareback with a possible buck, then don't do it. We don't want anyone getting hurt!

If someone else rides the horse besides your friend, do he still buck? If your friend is tensing up and causing the horse to tense, that just feeds off of it. 

Since you have had the chiro, dentist, and massage therapist check him, the next potential step would be to have a lameness specialist vet check him. I use this entire TEAM approach to care for my horses, because one may spot something the other doesn't. 

Is there a saddle fitter in your area? Or somone knowledgable about saddle fit? It would be worth checking out since the horse will lunge both ways without bucking but will buck with a rider ONLY to one direction.

If it's not the saddle, and if the vet says he's fine, THEN you can progress to behavior attitude changing. 

My horse Red will test me from time to time. When I first got him, he HATED loping circles. HATED it. ANd he would protest by bucking. I suspect that got him out of work with his previous owners (who told me he never bucked ..... but then again, they never made him actually work!!). But it did NOT get him out of work with me. I kicked him harder, made him continue going in a circle, yelled at him, and when he was finally loping nicely, THEN I allowed him to stop and praise him. 

But the main thing is that when they start bucking, you have got to ride through it and do not let them stop loping. If they see they don't get to stop working from a temper tantrum, then they will quit pushing your buttons.


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## AngieLee (Feb 20, 2011)

It could also be confidence as mentioned. Alot of the problems that my horse and I have are because I broke my confidence and I will over think and freak myself out which makes him nervous which brings us in a big chaotic circle that doesn't end well. So I have to pep talk myself alot haha if its nerves on your friends part she could try finding something that works to get her in "the zone" and stop her from internally over thinking. That's my problem anyways haha

NOTE: in my previous post I talk about my horses loping problems and they do persist even when my more confident (by alot... She's pretty much fearless) rides him. 

Alot of it is trying a bit of everything and finding what works for your horse/ your friend and there horse
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## mudpie (Jul 15, 2011)

Sounds like saddle fit.

To answer your question, if Mudpie were to buck out of disrespect, I would ride him forward and through it. Were he to continue: say, buck with the intent of actually throwing me off, he would receive a sharp spanking with the dressage whip. I don't believe in "over correcting" or going crazy on the horse. I don't want him to fear me, but I do want him to respect me: fear and respect are two very different things, and I value respect and partnership well over simply scaring the horse into doing what I ask.

I grew up around an assortment of "cowboys" who would jump off and kick their horses in the belly, and really beat on their horses. I watched a lot of horses get forced down to the ground and their heads sat on, and I adamantly believe that that is wrong.

If a horse were to get out of control, a pully rein or "one-rein stop" would likely be utilized.

More likely than not, this horse's saddle does not fit. This sounds like a pain issue, from what little information we've been given (seeing as this is an internet forum).


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## GottaRide (Dec 10, 2007)

I have a horse that was sold to me because he would bolt/buck when asked for the right lead canter. By watching him, I could tell his reaction of bolting or bucking was because he was afraid of something & not because he was defiant. He seemed to be a worrier or over-thinker. So when working with one of these horses, I would not take the approach of punishing him or making him work harder. 

However, I also wouldn't use the option of disengaging his hip completely either. If this is a pain or saddle fit issue, putting him in the position of pulling his head around and disengaging his hip could contribute to more pain. So, in addition to addressing the possible pain issues, there are training holes that need to be filled. The best effort will be to take him back to the beginning, get him sacked out, do a ton of ground work, and reapproach the saddle time like he were a 2 year old.

BTW...that horse that I have doesn't buck anymore.


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## Shandra (Jan 6, 2013)

Thank you so much for all the help everyone. We did a good assessment this past weekend and it seems that it stems from him not using his body properly and being out of balance as well as my friend tensing up because of it. He's a horse that was never fully trained as the owners have a breeding barn and after their trainer left they'd let whoever wanted to work with the horses do so. We know the original owners as well as several people who've worked with him.

When my friend bought him last year he didn't have a collected lope at all and would just thunder around so he never had a problem with balance. She's been working on getting him collected and slowing down his lope and this is when the issue started. So with some consistent work and her not asking for a lope until he and she are relaxed and ready it should work itself out.


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