# bucking vs rearing?



## roro (Aug 14, 2009)

I have always thought that bucking is spooking, but that's just out of my experiences. I have ridden many horse bucks and they were all spooks, I have never had a horse do a big rear when they spooked. When a horse rears, to me, it shows some sort of physical pain or bad riding or bad training.


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## wild_spot (Jan 30, 2008)

It depends on the situation. If the horse feels blocked/trapped, they rear. A buck normally comes about because of leg ues the horse doesn't understand, or too strong leg cues, etc. 

Of course, both can come about because of pain.


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## Britt (Apr 15, 2008)

I've ridden buckers/rearers before...

In fact, my mare is a bucker. She bucks a few times every ride... when I first got her, it was because she'd learnt that if she could intimidate her riders, they'd eventually get off her... so she tried that with me... now her bucking is just a habit... doesn't even phase me anymore, and I can read her so well that I know when she's gonna buck and usually stop it.

With rearers... well, all the rears I've ever ridden were either because something scared the horse of, when my friends and I used to race, the geldin I'd ride would rear up and take off...


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## Liberty Valance (Jul 13, 2009)

I think some of it is personality...like when you're watching them in the pasture and you can see which way they go, but then there are other factors when they're under saddle...Like if the rider has too much hand in the horse's mouth, the horse may rear because that's the only direction it can go to get away from the pressure of the bit. But if the leg is too heavy or annoying, the horse may buck for the same reason...moving in the opposite direction of whatever it wants to get away from. If it's a fear-induced reaction, I would imagine it would have everything to do with where the threat lay...in front the horse would rear, behind or above the horse would most likely buck, I'd think.


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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

Hate rearers, sorry! It's far more dangerous than bucking, rearers are evading pressure by not going forward, at least with bucking you can give them a good whack and make them go forward. Rearers can flip over backwards, land on you etc. If you come off you're pretty much always going to come off backwards and they can give you a good boot in the head on your way down, where as buckers tend to throw you clear. 
As for why they rear, generally rearers are the ones that won't get off your leg. They're evading going forward by going up. I absolutely do not stand for a horse going up to evade pressure, particuarly if it's a regular occurance. 
I'd be putting spurs on and carrying a whip, and the second she stops get right up her. Might even help to have someone behind her with a lunge whip to help get her going forward. Rearing is not on, neither is bucking, but again, I'd prefer a buck to a rear.


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## CloudsMystique (Mar 3, 2009)

I think it depends mostly on whether the behavioral problem occurs while the horse is moving or standing still. Horses don't rear while they're moving (or if they are moving, they have to stop to rear), and I almost never see horses buck at a standstill.

The collection aspect also makes sense to me. Horses that are more collected and have more weight on their hind end seem like they would be more likely to rear, and horses with more weight on their front end seem like they would be more likely to buck.


Interesting question.


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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

CloudsMystique said:


> I think it depends mostly on whether the behavioral problem occurs while the horse is moving or standing still. Horses don't rear while they're moving (or if they are moving, they have to stop to rear), and *I almost never see horses buck at a standstill.*
> 
> The collection aspect also makes sense to me. Horses that are more collected and have more weight on their hind end seem like they would be more likely to rear, and horses with more weight on their front end seem like they would be more likely to buck.
> 
> ...


Haha I always thought that till I saw my coaches 3 yr old WB gelding on the lunge one day.... He stopped, crouched and LEAPT!!! All 4 legs in the air tucked underneath him and he got so much height in the buck that his back was level with the stable block roof (about 3m high at the veranda!!!) beside the arena. When he got to the height of the jump, he kicked out (I think he is an andalusian in disguise ) and got so much power behind himself that when he landed he hit the ground on a slight angle and did a full 360 flip in mid air and landed on his side :shock: :shock: :shock: I swear the ground shook when he landed :shock: He was fine though, hopped up, shook and kept trotting around like nothing had happened, think he scared himself though and hasn't bucked since!!!!


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## Zab (Oct 4, 2008)

Crow does neither  He crow-hops at times..

But the rearers I've ridden has usually reacted very well on ''stop'' signals and at the same time have a high energy level. It's natural that they rather go up than down if they feel a need to run off but won't go against the rein. A rear is also a way beter preparation to run off fast than a buck is, so a scaredhorse should prefer rearing than bucking. In a rear they can throw themselves around in a different direction, leap forward etc. since the weight is on the hind. _(well, naturally in a rear most horses have some balance..in a really high rear that's almost falling over, of course it's more difficult to turn around and such..I'm talking of low-medium rears of frustration or nervousness rather than full blows ''I'm gonne get you off my back even if it kills me'' rears)_
In a buck, the horse is y too heavy in front to make any real manouver to escape, so a buck is more if they're scared of the rider or something on their back, happy/excited or just disobdient or protesting.

At least that's what I figure..


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## Hunter (Oct 9, 2009)

Kayty said:


> Hate rearers, sorry! It's far more dangerous than bucking, rearers are evading pressure by not going forward, at least with bucking you can give them a good whack and make them go forward. Rearers can flip over backwards, land on you etc. If you come off you're pretty much always going to come off backwards and they can give you a good boot in the head on your way down, where as buckers tend to throw you clear.
> As for why they rear, generally rearers are the ones that won't get off your leg. They're evading going forward by going up. I absolutely do not stand for a horse going up to evade pressure, particuarly if it's a regular occurance.
> I'd be putting spurs on and carrying a whip, and the second she stops get right up her. Might even help to have someone behind her with a lunge whip to help get her going forward. Rearing is not on, neither is bucking, but again, I'd prefer a buck to a rear.


Realy?
I have a horse that rears.. he only does it in the spring though. He is also not that young.. 11 acutaly.. he has some of the best training of any horse I know, and he is very gentle on the ground.
But he rears.. in the spring ... He dosn't just do the little hop to turn around, he does the full on rear, strait up, pawing the air. I agree, it is very dangerous.. but he walks, and right after he takes one step he rears. I have never had to bail, for he always goes down, and then keeps walking.. Or he does it again. He has never come close to flipping no matter how high he gets.. 
So there for it is not a huge pet peeve for me. He is a great horse. And if you know how to ride, then you know how to control him.
I am the opposite to you. I prefer a rear to a buck. I fractured my neak being bucked off a 16.2 arabian quater horse... I did not land far from him. I landed in the path of his feet. He jumped me and kept running.


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## CloudsMystique (Mar 3, 2009)

I agree with Hunter. I HATE buckers. I find them much harder to ride out than a rear. Also, I never feel like I know when a buck is coming... like it could happen at any moment. That makes me kind of nervous, and I don't like feeling nervous. You can pretty much tell whenever a horse is going to rear, and you have more warning before they do.

I've never had a horse flip on me, though. I'm sure I'd feel differently if I had.


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