# Bucking while lunging



## cowgirlnay (Oct 14, 2011)

I just had to work through this last week with a gelding of ours who has hardly ever been lunged...His problem was that since he hadn't been worked with much, it was more that he was confused on what I was asking of him, and what he was allowed to do. As soon as I sent him in a circle, he started running and bucking and pulling on the rope like a crazy bronc. I just stuck with him and stayed as relaxed as possible and did not urge him to go faster or slower - if he wanted to race around at top speed, that was his choice, but I gave him the opportunity to slow down if he wanted to. If he tried to switch directions without me asking, I quickly corrected him so that he knew he could not just switch whenever he pleased. While he was still running around, I started working on switching directions with him to get his mind on something else. After about 5 times, he finally figured out the drill with switching directions, and throughout this process finally began to calm down, and slowed his pace a little. He started figuring out that I wasn't asking him to go full out running, and every time he slowed down a little more, he licked his lips and realized that I was okay with him trotting, and then walking. By the end of a half hour, I had him walking in circles and switching directions on cue without picking up his pace every time we switched. The only way to cure the bucking is to stay relaxed and patient, until they figure out what you are asking of them. Stay firm, and don't let them push you around, but you just need to stick with it, and he'll eventually calm down and figure out what is being asked of him. If you are trying to get him to go into a faster pace and he starts bucking, you can try shaking the whip and making him go even faster every time he mis behaves, so he knows that is not acceptable. Make him full out sprint for a minute, then relax again and let him think about it. Make the good things easy, and the bad things hard.


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## sierrams1123 (Jul 8, 2011)

Just continue to work through it.
If he starts to buck let him get it out and continue on doing what you were asking him to do, better to get them out on the ground then while your on his back.
After some time he will realize he will be asked to continue working even after pitching a fit.


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

I would check out Clinton Anderson's "Lunging for Respect." You WANT him to pay attention to YOU. Though I've never started colts from scratch, my two 5 yo geldings were started right. When I loose lunge either of them, and I stop commands, my gelding will turn in and come to me in the center of the arena. THIS is what you want him to do. It's a little bit dangerous when your young horse goes tearing around in a small space with YOU in there with him. It is possible for your horse to misjudge distances and run into you, and you'll be healing up for several months. My two 60 & 70 pound dogs are very active and sometimes, when they run, my 70 pound dog (Pygma) has slammed into me and almost knocked me over. Your horse is one thousand pounds, so consider. The price of the DVD is worth it. =D


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## mls (Nov 28, 2006)

Corporal said:


> When I loose lunge either of them, and I stop commands, my gelding will turn in and come to me in the center of the arena. THIS is what you want him to do. It's a little bit dangerous when your young horse goes tearing around in a small space with YOU in there with him. It is possible for your horse to misjudge distances and run into you, and you'll be healing up for several months. My two 60 & 70 pound dogs are very active and sometimes, when they run, my 70 pound dog (Pygma) has slammed into me and almost knocked me over. Your horse is one thousand pounds, so consider. The price of the DVD is worth it. =D


I find it's dangerous to have the horse come towards you. I teach the horse to stand at the end of the line. I don't want them coming towards me, spooking and knocking me over. "STAND" is a word I teach as well as "WHOA"


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## cowgirlnay (Oct 14, 2011)

I do the same as "Corporal" in the sense that you want them to be attentive to you. When I stop lunging, I want them to stop, and then I always take about 2 steps backwards (without pulling on the lead rope). I want them to use this as a cue that we're done, and to walk towards me. I don't want them to be right up next to me, but just enough to walk towards me and be looking at me, stopped and relaxed. At this point, I give them a rub on the head, kind of a "good job, we're finished."


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

The OP said "free lunging", so I assume that means in a round pen without a line attached. That makes the approach a little different, but not a lot.

The horse bucks and runs to express his feelings, which could be a mixture of "whoopee! I wanna go! this feels so good!" . . .and . . . "cut it out! don't push me! I don't wanna go any faster and I'm gonna tell you about it with this angry buck"
Which do you think he is saying? Either way, it doesnt' really matter. UNLESS, he is bucking due to being asked to run when it hurts. In that case, you must listen to him.
IF he's just expressing a difference of opinion, I would basically ignore it. I would just keep asking for him to go forward. IF he wants to run off, one thing a person can do is make him move faster, for a bit. The things is that you translate his energy , that he is directing, into YOUR energy that YOU are directing. So, if he's gonna run, then you make him run a bit faster than he'd chose. Just for a bit.

If he starts to run around, completely zoned out and is looking out of the pen , his mind is really far away and your job will be to keep interupting that outward focus until he says, "oh, there's something interesting in the pen with me, something I really need to pay attention to". So, when he looks outward you can either move him faster, OR, make him change directions. Keep doing this until he stops his outward focus and looks toward you. When he does, stop any kind of driveing or directing of him and stand quietly. 

If he walks up to you , great, but it better be a polite walk up. If he charges up to you like, "oh, there you are, now I've got you!" then immediately send him out again for a bit. He should walk up with ears pricked on you and with a " hi! may I come up and sniff you?" kind of walk that is interested but maybe a tiny bit cautious. I guess that would qualify for the word "respectful".


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## Corporal (Jul 29, 2010)

*THIS is why I was recommending CA's DVD.* I like his theory about the "circle".
I don't have a video to show you but my geldings are relaxed when they come in to me when we loose lunge. It gives my horse a break--maybe 5 minutes, and ONE of my geldings needs relaxtion and reassurance, so he gets loved on until I verbally send him off again. He and I worked on trust in 2011, and I practice it with him every day that he gets turned out. He went from ear-shy to scratch-my-face-please and play-with-my-forelock-whenever-you-wish. I've trained him to "walk on", "Halt", "back" and "around" verbally. When I walk him from his stall to the gate for turnout he goes around the gate to the other side, puts his head over the gate and waits for me to take off his halter, while the lead is slack.
EVERY LITTLE OBEDIENCE YOU TRAIN YOUR HORSE TO DO ESTABLISHES RESPECT.
OK, how does your horse behave on the lead? Maybe you should go back and train for perfect manners on the lead, so he'll listen better everywhere else.


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## sierrams1123 (Jul 8, 2011)

mls said:


> I find it's dangerous to have the horse come towards you. I teach the horse to stand at the end of the line. I don't want them coming towards me, spooking and knocking me over. "STAND" is a word I teach as well as "WHOA"



Although I do not teach my horses "STAND" I agree with this.
The whole point of having your horse respect you is so they do things when you want them to.
I only want my horse to walk towards me when I want them to. I usually ask them to stop and then I walk towards them at an diagonal with my back towards them then I walk off. If they follow me then I am done if they don't we start over.

I never call my lunge sections done until going both directions my horse is pointing its inner ear towards me, head is kinda low, and they are licking and chewing, then I do the follow thing and I am done.
I think some people call it "Joining Up" but I have heard different names for it.

If there are any videos for you to watch about round pen work of any kind I would recommend Monty Roberts, he is full of great information.


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## sierrams1123 (Jul 8, 2011)

Corporal said:


> I don't have a video to show you but my geldings are relaxed when they come in to me when we loose lunge.



Of course he is, in his mind he just won.

You have to think and respond like a horse.
In a horses mind round pen work is almost like him entering a herd for the first time.
When a horse first enters a new herd they are not excepted immediately. If you have ever noticed the domanate horse or more with chase him around. The herd with stick together and after they are done chasing him the with exil him to an extent, he will be alone of in another area until the herd welcomes him in. If he does try to join the herd before they are ready or before he surrenders to listen/respect the herd then they send him off again.
Monty Roberts explains this all a lot better in his videos.


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## bellagris (Dec 6, 2010)

If you're sure he isn't sore somewhere and is just giving you sass, when he bucks I'd work him harder and faster, when he stops bucking, let him slow the pace. 
The reason he shouldn't buck on a long line, free lunge or round pen is it is bad manners and he is liable to buck while you're on him as well. Your horse should elarn that anytime you are working with him he needs to respect and listen to you. To them it is a game, when they make the rules and the choices, they win. 

Kicking, bucking, turning into you etc are all signs of disrespect in a horse and you don't want that if you can help it. IMO anyways


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

*OP read this post!!*



tinyliny said:


> The OP said "free lunging", so I assume that means in a round pen without a line attached. That makes the approach a little different, but not a lot.
> 
> The horse bucks and runs to express his feelings, which could be a mixture of "whoopee! I wanna go! this feels so good!" . . .and . . . "cut it out! don't push me! I don't wanna go any faster and I'm gonna tell you about it with this angry buck"
> Which do you think he is saying? Either way, it doesnt' really matter. UNLESS, he is bucking due to being asked to run when it hurts. In that case, you must listen to him.
> ...



I just wanted to repost this post that tinyliny wrote. It's so important and very helpful!

Do not go into a mindset like "oh he must be disrespecting me" or "oh he must be hurt" or "AHH he is crazy!!!" be mindful and watch the signs of your horse.

Keep in mind when your horse zones.. they become more dangerous because they are unaware of what they are doing or where their feet are. In that case, I wouldn't make them go faster.. I'd make them change directions and "come back to earth." When I whistle, my horse knows he is zoning and immediately his focus comes back to me, no matter what we're doing. 

Just be careful and keep a whip in your hand. You don't have to use it but it's better to be with one that without.


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