# Cold Backed Horses



## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

I don't know about a horse that cannot be trained to not buck. I've always sold off my problem horses, so I've never been around to find out! LOL
Agreed about proper saddle positioning and I snug up, lead out, snug again, check tack and tighten a 3rd time before I get on. It's habit. I like my horses to learn to hold their breath so that when I mount the saddle is tight, but after a workout, you can get your hand in between the girth and the horse.
Wish you lived closer to me. =D


----------



## BlueSpark (Feb 22, 2012)

You should have put this in "training" section . I was thinking of starting a 'bucking' thread, but you beat me to it.
On the same line as you, I think horses buck from 1)pain, 2)disrespect, 3) fear, or any combination there of. So many people don't understand that the causes are pretty simple.

I have known two nice, big, strong geldings that I've put miles on. I COULD NOT get either horse to buck. I tried riding in high tension, unfamiliar situations, riding like a 'newbie', bouncing around, off balance, kick the butt as I mount, holding back as other horses ran on ahead, having another horse race by me, riding on windy, cool spring days after weeks off, EVERYTHING, and I never even got a crowhop. However, if you put a rider on him that was lower than him, especially nervous, they were off. And he bucked HARD. It took him all of 30 seconds to size up a rider. I remember one time when the second one of these geldings was being ridden by an experienced rider, with a green rider along on a different horse. The green riders horse was being a jerk, and the gelding was so well behaved, that his rider offered to switch horses. It took the gelding 30 seconds to decide the newbie was below him, turn around, run up the hill and buck him off. The experienced rider hopped back up on him and gave him a work out, and he never so much as put a foot wrong.


----------



## jaydee (May 10, 2012)

My Irish Draft Willow is 'cold backed' she has learnt to have enough self control to do nothing more than crow hop and only does it when she's had more than a month off work - once she's back in regular work she stops doing it.
My pinto can't deal with anything that pinches her and would get very tense and jumpy but a sheepskin lined girth stopped all of that
I've known and owned a few horses that would suddenly explode for no real reason that all proved to have serious and un-repairable back problems when properly examined using X rays, Ultra sound etc - all were seen previously and treated by chiropractors who never noted anything more than some muscle soreness or that some 'adjustment' was needed


----------



## Foxhunter (Feb 5, 2012)

Horses with pain in their backs will _rarely_ ever buck. 

If you have ever suffered with bad back pain then the last thing you want to do would be to go to a gymnastic class.

I do agree that there are some horses that bucking is in their genes but generally of a horse bucks to dislodge the rider then it is fear related with a big hole in their training.

Sometimes something happens when the horse is first backed or ridden and it drops its rider, it has learned how to drop the order and will continue to do so for two reasons, first because it has frightened itself and secondly because it can. 

As said above, if a rider can sit this out then it often stops. A horse bucking uses a heck of a lot of energy and although it can seem like an age, it doesn't continue for very long.

I have had many horses that bucked from bad habit, usually because they have got away with it and nothing really bad. Two horses that come to mind that were bad, one was a racehorse that had obviously been punished from the ground for doing this and was terrified of being ridden. It took me several weeks before I truly had his trust. Brother, could he get off the ground! Only horse that I have ever seen on the lunge, with side reins capable of bucking the neck strap of the martingale over his head.

The other was a thick set hunter type. He too was petrified of people. He spent weeks tied in the farriers forge with people and horses coming and going. When he bucked it was more like a bull in that he could bring his back end almost over his head. 

In the end, after many bruises, trying to ride him out in the sea, that worked as long as he was belly deep but as soon as he was out the water you were off - didn't matter how tired he was.
If we had rodeos in the UK he would have been a star. In the end we welded a cross to a saddle, dressed the cross with a jacket, had boots filled with concrete tied to the irons. We had him in the arena, got the lot on him and just let him loose. I have never seen a horse go for so long and as he was uncatchable, he was left to stew. It was three days before he was caught and by that time he was sore from the girth, crupper and breast plate.
He was turned out to heal for a month. Came back and was a different horse. We put the dumb jockey back on and there was no reaction. 

I don't mind if a fit horse that is working hard, gives a 'whoopee' buck for the joys of being alive, totally different to the one that is meant to dislodge you.


----------



## princessfluffybritches (Aug 10, 2012)

I had a horse that would buck me off unless I lunged first. That becomes tiring-after 8 years. I finally sold him and was so relieved.

I don't know how well those head set anti bucking device work.


----------

