# Bucking at the canter



## Rainbows (Mar 31, 2014)

It's been a couple weeks since I've had my Arabian. I have figured that at the canter he seems to want to buck and actually has bucked me off. I asked the lady who owns him and she said he does it when he feels good and it is pretty dangerous to me even if I can keep my seat when he does it but I have a fear for other riders that would ride him.

Any ideas how to stop this? He only does it when someone is on him. The saddle fits him and nothing is bugging him.
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## .Delete. (Jan 7, 2008)

Rainbows said:


> It's been a couple weeks since I've had my Arabian. I have figured that at the canter he seems to want to buck and actually has bucked me off. I asked the lady who owns him and she said he does it when he feels good and it is pretty dangerous to me even if I can keep my seat when he does it but I have a fear for other riders that would ride him.
> 
> Any ideas how to stop this? He only does it when someone is on him. The saddle fits him and nothing is bugging him.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


You get a professional to help you.


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## ecasey (Oct 18, 2013)

I have a new-to-me horse that is doing this too, and I'm writing it off as this: she's really out of shape after not having worked for over a year, and cantoring with a rider on her when her back muscles are so weak is difficult/painful for her. My solution was to send her to a trainer to get her in shape while also working on her attitude. I would suggest this to anyone who can afford it!


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## gigem88 (May 10, 2011)

Do you stop when he starts to buck? If so, you are teaching him that when he bucks he gets out of work. You have two choices depending on your level of riding. 1) get a trainer / instructor or 2) when he bucks, push him and make him really work and keep working him for awhile. Some might say to put an overcheck on him so he can't get his head down to buck.


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## TXhorseman (May 29, 2014)

Rainbows said:


> It's been a couple weeks since I've had my Arabian. I have figured that at the canter he seems to want to buck and actually has bucked me off. I asked the lady who owns him and she said he does it when he feels good and it is pretty dangerous to me even if I can keep my seat when he does it but I have a fear for other riders that would ride him.
> 
> Any ideas how to stop this? He only does it when someone is on him. The saddle fits him and nothing is bugging him.
> _Posted via Mobile Device_


Have you had this horse examined by a equine chiropractor? I was once asked to work with a horse that had trouble taking the canter. After one ride, I could tell that it was a physical problem rather than a training problem and told the owners their money would be better spent on an equine chiropractor.

The chiropractor came to examine the horse. After doing some preliminary work, he got up on a bench and pressed on the horse's hips. One hip moved freely, but the other appeared locked. The chiropractor broke the locked hip loose, and the horse was doing flying lead changes two weeks later.

Of course, the problem with your horse could be a matter of physical development and/or balance. If the horse feels insecure about cantering with weight on its back, the bucks could be its way of telling you.


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## Palomine (Oct 30, 2010)

Check his sheath, as that can make one buck at the canter.

It also could be your seat or hands aren't steady too and he is not happy.


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## Rainbows (Mar 31, 2014)

Before I leased him I have several professionals check him out for me. I spoke to the owner and she told me he does buck when he hasn't been worked a lot. I don't stop him when he bucks, I spin him in a circle and make him continue to canter. He doesn't buck anymore and only tries it once or twice here and there. He hasn't been ridden in 4 years so I guess you expect some issues with riding since he hasn't had anyone on his back for so long. I'm actually suprised he's acting so well when I'm on his back. 

Thanks so much!
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## TXhorseman (May 29, 2014)

If the horse hasn't been ridden in four years, his muscles will need to be developed once more for carrying weight. He may also need to relearn how to balance with a rider on his back. If he had been bucking when previously ridden, he may never have been developed well.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

Ditto checking for health issues first.

*Sheath first* -- huge beans inside the urethra can cause a lot of pain. A lady on another forum found that out when her horse became ill-mannered and spooky while riding. A bean the size of a quarter was up inside the urethra, putting pressure in places there shouldn't have been pressure.

*Chiro *- yes have the horse checked by a chiro. I rescued my Arab 21 years ago. After he was strong enough to ride, I could never get him to canter without bucking up. I soon discovered he had an injured vertebra.

He is now 28, has arthritis in that old injury, and sees a chiro as-needed. Because of the nature of the injury he cannot canter without bucking up. I know this because he's done it at liberty in the pasture, his entire life. 

Not saying that is what's wrong with your Arab but eliminating health issues before telling the horse you will do this, would be the first step. Once he's been cleared of any health issues then say, "there's nothing wrong, you will do this"


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## Rainbows (Mar 31, 2014)

walkinthewalk said:


> Ditto checking for health issues first.
> 
> *Sheath first* -- huge beans inside the urethra can cause a lot of pain. A lady on another forum found that out when her horse became ill-mannered and spooky while riding. A bean the size of a quarter was up inside the urethra, putting pressure in places there shouldn't have been pressure.
> 
> ...


I've had a vet and a chiropractor see him before I even brought him onto my property. He is not unbalanced when I ride him and it's been a month since I've had him now and he's gained muscle. It was also figured that he is more likely to buck with a martingale. All in all, he's perfectly fine now and no more bucking which I'm quiet happy for.
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## ecasey (Oct 18, 2013)

I posted a little earlier on this thread. My horse is at the trainers and I watched him working with her the other day. He carried a popper in his hand, and when she bucked, he smacked her on the shoulder with it. She stopped after two bucks and didn't do it again for the rest of the session. She was expressing something, either pain or her desire not to work, but she quickly learned it wasn't her choice and that she had to do it. He said she's just a very stubborn horse.


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## Gossalyn (Sep 12, 2013)

i've always been taught to get the horses head up when they buck. So next time I believe I will use a quick jab up using one rein.. Horses can't buck when there head is down.. horses can't buck if they are going forward.. these are things I'm trying to drill in my head. that and always lean back when the ride gets bumpy. :lol:


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## clumsychelsea (Jul 9, 2014)

Gossalyn said:


> i've always been taught to get the horses head up when they buck. So next time I believe I will use a quick jab up using one rein.. Horses can't buck when there head is down.. horses can't buck if they are going forward.. these are things I'm trying to drill in my head. that and always lean back when the ride gets bumpy. :lol:


Horses can find a way to buck or rear no matter where their head is or if they're moving or not.


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## ecasey (Oct 18, 2013)

Buck = spank.

Buck = spank.

Buck = spank.

My new horse decided she hated being spanked, so she stopped bucking.  She's pretty chill, though. Not sure how this would work on a serious bucker. I would describe my (new) horse as "stubbornly lazy" rather than bad.


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## .Delete. (Jan 7, 2008)

ecasey said:


> Buck = spank.
> 
> Buck = spank.
> 
> ...


This can get you into hot water reallly reallllllly quickly if you aren't ready for a fight. MOST of the time with a nasty horse, you spank them, they buck harder, etc. 

I DO NOT suggest this method unless you can ride through a fight and win.


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## Rainbows (Mar 31, 2014)

.Delete. said:


> This can get you into hot water reallly reallllllly quickly if you aren't ready for a fight. MOST of the time with a nasty horse, you spank them, they buck harder, etc.
> 
> I DO NOT suggest this method unless you can ride through a fight and win.


I can mostly agree, even though some horses respond better with different methods. I don't smack my horse or hit him since I've learned my lesson that smacking doesn't solve anything with my horse but makes it worse...*sigh*.... I also found him cribbing the other day and it's making me extremely nervous since he's coliced in his past due to having a sickness. We tried the cribbing spray and it works! Just not all the time and it makes me worried that one day I'll show up to find him colicing. I had the thought of hooking up one of those baby video monitors so I can watch him. Lol.
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