# Horse that bucks when taking off into a canter.



## Duskylove (Jul 3, 2007)

My friend has a horse that is very energetic and bucks just about everytime she takes off into a canter. Her rider is very petite and somewhat young and she is almost afraid to canter because of the horses bucking. 
Its very obvious that she bucks because she is excited and it has nothing to do with pain etc. She has been lounging her before she rides and that helps get her energy out so she doesn't have as much energy to buck. 
I was just wondering if there is anyway to actually "fix" the bucking problem instead of just tiring the horse out before she rides. It would be nice for my friend to be able to just jump on and not worry about her horse bucking because she is a really nice little rider.
Thanks for any help =]


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## FoxyRoxy1507 (Jul 15, 2008)

when she asks the horse to canter, have her put both hands high in the air about 3-4 inches above where they normally are, overexaggerate them so that way when the horse goes to take off it cant put it's head down to buck and if it does it pulls itself on the bit. I had to do this with one young gelding that was always really excited. at this point you dont have to worry about how the horse looks or anything, if you do this for a while eventually the horse learns it causes itself more pain if it bucks and then it will soon quit bucking everytime you ask it to canter. 

trust me this is very affective bc i'm a very petite girl too, i'm only 5'2 and weigh like 105lbs and i use to ride big old 18h warmbloods that would try to do the same thing and everytime i used this method they quit.

let me know how it goes.


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## aappyfan1 (Jun 28, 2008)

This is only my opinion, but I would think that a "hot" horse should be worked abit in the round pen to take the edge off., or at least warmed up slowly, I always warm up my horse before I let them canter especially if they haven't been riden in awhile. start out with the walk, trot etc......I usually leave the canter to when I am heading home and my mare is really wanting to go home, I canter her up our hill, she doesn't even offer to buck.and she is ready to walk home the last 1/2 mile or so. :lol:


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## FutureVetGirl (Aug 5, 2008)

I had somewhat of the same problem with a pony, as well as with a horse I rode a couple of years ago. What my trainers told me to do was instead of giving the horse a lot of rein (if it's western... umm... no idea what to do), but before moving into the canter, hold the reins a bit tighter (not too tight... remember baby birds...  ) and then ask for the canter. If the horse can't get his head down, he can't jump. So just try to keep the head up. Not SO high that the horse's movements are hindered.. but a bit higher than the withers, to right at them. Any lower and the horse is able to buck. Also, if she wants, she could find a good enough rider who can ride the horse, and when the horse acts up, make him stop immidiately. Then canter again, and when the horse bucks, stop once more. Like, a complete halt, pretty much right as he's bucking. Don't wait until he finishes. Pretty soon, he'll learn that he can't do anything if he bucks. Hopefully... 

I just know that this is what I was told to do, and what I did, and it helped. 

Also.. just work out all those jitters before getting on!


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## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

FutureVetGirl said:


> she could find a good enough rider who can ride the horse, and when the horse acts up, make him stop immidiately. Then canter again, and when the horse bucks, stop once more. Like, a complete halt, pretty much right as he's bucking. Don't wait until he finishes. Pretty soon, he'll learn that he can't do anything if he bucks.


Actually that is the wrong thing. It teaches a horse that bucking means he gets to stop working.

The best way is to either work his energy off before riding by lunging him or being ready to pull his head up and move him forward when you start out on a canter.

A lot of horses do that. On a cool or windy day my guy will do that if I ask for a canter before he is warmed up. It's a good thing to warm him up anyway before cantering off to get those muscles in shape. There are some Western horses (English too) that are considered "cold backed" meaning that they may be a little rodeo before warming up.

Lunging him is not to wear him out but take the edge off.


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

I think lunging before a ride is a good idea.  It really can work to calm the energy of the horse down. I'd try that.


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## jeddah31 (Jun 11, 2008)

my mare kicks out going into canter is i smack her with the whip for which ever reason.. I always steady her back and ask for a repeat until I get the correct response. 
If you do a one rein stop on a bucking horse, it will work. not two reins, one rein straight back to your hip. Release the pressure once the horse halts, and ask again..
iridehorses says that stopping the horse is wrong. I think it is too, but, if instead of just halting, you do a one rein stop, it not only cuts out resistence to the two reins, your making the horse do something harder due to its bad work which is trying to run around in a circle on the spot. Horse get tired of repeating hard things


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## palogal (May 30, 2008)

Hmmm is the horse bucking because he's not being cued correctly and can't figure out the correct lead, or is he bucking for the fun of it? How is she asking for it? If she's getting nervous (understandably so) before the cue or cuing like she really doesn't want to that could be part of the issue too. Does he do this when everyone rides him, or just your friend?


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## palogal (May 30, 2008)

iridehorses said:


> [
> Actually that is the wrong thing. It teaches a horse that bucking means he gets to stop working.
> 
> The best way is to either work his energy off before riding by lunging him or being ready to pull his head up and move him forward when you start out on a canter.
> ...


I disagree with this post. First of all, if you stop and start and stop and start it's much harder for the horse than just to canter. So the "trial and error" approach is successful if you are able to carry it out.

A cold backed horse is not excused from the "no bucking" rule either. Precautions are taken with these horses to make sure they are properly warmed up. There is never an excuse for bucking. Yeah spring comes and with it comes some spunk so then I would trail and error in that case too.


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## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

I hope you didn't think that being cold backed was offered as an excuse. I mentioned it only meaning that it exists. I agree that bucking should never be excused or tolerated only understood.

Other then that, I stand by the no stopping once he starts to buck, that is what has always worked for me. Stopping is a reward in my opinion even if you make him go forward again.

Anyway that's why we have these forums, so that a poster can get several alternatives and opinions. Gotta love that.


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## palogal (May 30, 2008)

The disobedience was in the transition, not the canter. So if you continue on without going back to fix the original issue you're rewarding the horse because the canter is what he wanted in the first place.


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## Sara (Jul 6, 2007)

If its on the transition, I'm guessing its rider error. Hard to tell without seeing though.


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## Vicizmax (Aug 11, 2008)

I had the same problem after my pony had an injury, he just had so much energy he'd try to run faster or buck when I made him canter.

What i did, is as soon as he bucks i whip him on his behind and stop him completely and make a "UUURRGG!!!" kind of sound xD
I dont know how to spell that sound, but its a stern sound which I always use so he knows I'm angry at him.

Althouth whipping him (dont exaggerate, i dont mean whip as hard as you can, just so your horse knows its for punishment) caused him to buck once more or kind of "jump", it still works since the horse realises its not time for fun and play and he'll have to do his bucking afterwards.

Stopping him helps too since the horse realises that bucking wont release him of his energy since he'd only have to stop, energy still there.

Then I make him canter from a stop and then he doesnt buck. (If your horse does, you just repeat the whole thing)

You might think it wont help to stop the horse because it means he's not working, or that giving him a small whip will only make it wilder, but actually its not.
See, when u give him a whip, he'll want to run faster and buck more but since you're practiclly stopping him at the same time, he realises that if he bucks or tries to run off, he'll only feel some pain and not even get to run anyway.

Then, why make him canter from stop (or at least walk)?
Because then the horse realises that just because he stopped doesnt mean he'll get to trot or walk (aka. rest). You have to canter straight away so that even though you had to stop him completely so he wont buck and run off, it doesnt mean he wont canter anyway! He'll just be continuing where you left off, as if there was no incident.

I hope you understood that. 
I'm not very good at explaining over internet, it'd be easier if I was there, but I'm not so oh well xD
Of course you alsohave to consider that this MIGHT not work on your horse! Since I cant see how you're doing it, I cant correct you incase you do something wrong, or your horse might just be too stubborn or something.

Oh and, one more advise xD
About once or twice a month I let my horse run on a stretch of land / field. Just let him go (sitting on him, of course, but letting go of the reins) and let him gallop his heart off until he doesnt want to anymore or is tired.  He loves it! And you will too. And he'll be more calmer when riding in the riding house / arena.


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## girl_on_black_pony (Jul 19, 2008)

My pony does the axact thing. I pull one of my reins out(we're western) and make him do lots of tiny circles. He hates it, so he wont buck much anymore


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