Why is my horse bucking and what can I do to make him stop??

He is a 6 year old thoroughbred gelding. I bought him about 4 or 5 months ago from someone that had only had him a week. Before that, he was on the track. I was the first one to ride him since he had been off the track and besides being a little quick, he was a perfect gentleman. I rode pretty consistently for a while, and then not so much for about two months because of school and finals. When I started riding again, everytime we picked up the canter he would buck. I stopped him firmly and told him no. This continued so I lounged. He doesn't buck on the lounge line, but when I get back on he bucks. I have now ridden him HARD 6 out of 8 days and each day he has bucked. I changed saddles, put a traumatech therapy pad on, changed bits, had his teeth checked. I'm not overweight at all... 5'4" and 115 lbs, and I have been riding and training for over 10 years so it's not like I'm unbalanced and all over the place. Please help, I don't know what else to do except sell him. I hate buckers!

Why is my horse bucking and what can I do to make him stop??
If you have ruled out pain then my guess is he is either doing it to get out of work (you said you make him stop = BREAK TIME!) - or just high spirits. I have had a couple of horses that have bucked from sheer exhilaration when they broke into a canter.





A lady I was taking lessons from advised me to do quick transitions - preferably before the buck happens - trot-canter-trot and change of directions too. The idea is to keep the horse focused and having the horse expecting that a transition is coming up so don't waste energy bucking.





Also does he buck EVERY time you ask for a canter or just the first few times, and then behave once a little tired?





Other poster had a good point about how he has had layoff time and may have lost condition - TBs are notoriously sensitive to little things that wouldn't faze a QH. Work on slower gaits and conditioning, bending, etc.





Also work on flexing to either side, "giving his face" as the big name trainers call it - then if you have a bucking issue use ONE rein to disengage his hindquarters.





Another trick I tried with a bucker was to do a 1-rein stop and 180 degree direction change - then push him right back into a canter. Repeat till bucking stops. It worked for that one and he was really bad about bucking. For him I think it was an "I feel great and I'm excited" buck as he did it in the field too.





Good luck - he is young still - you should be able to work thru it in time.
Reply:is he bucking or crow hopping? there is a big difference and depending on which it is, you need to do different things
Reply:well from what it might sound like he either developed a bad habit and you need to ride him through it until he undeveloped it or try these few ideas.





run your fingers down his Back and see if he twitches. if he does then he has a sore back and needs a chiropractor. mist people think horses do not need something that seems so human. that is not true. horses need chiropractors more then us because they actually carry weight on their back which causes discomfort. this can make a huge difference.





the other thing is don;t fight him on the bucking. if you get all mad and throw a fit when he bucks he will fight you back.. and guess what... he will win. you need to push him forward through all the buck and give him no room to do it again. if you are asking him to move forward while he is trying to buck then he won;t have the time to plan a buck. i have ridden many bickers in my time and riding them through it is the only way they learn to stop....
Reply:I have a horse who used to buck constantly. It took a lot of work and training to get him to be the polite gelding he is now, but we had to go through a lot to get him here. We also have been through many saddle pads, bits, vets and dentists.





I would suggest a chiropractor, because horses can also become just as structurally unsound as humans.





If you are sure there is nothing hurting him, and you have checked every physical problem, it is most likely an emotional or communication problem. My gelding would buck every time I asked him to do something he did not know how to do. (i.e. when I asked him to canter for the first time, he didn't know what I was asking him to do.) If your horse seems to have been responding to the cues before this started, then this is probably not the case.





Last of all, it may be because he feels unbalanced. A horse may seem to be a completely sound, safe, easykeeper horse, and be totally off balance. This was another problem with my gelding. He was uncomfortable performing the tasks I set for him because he didn't feel safe with me on his back. If he became unbalance he could hurt me, and that scared him. His bucks were simply his way of communicating to me that he felt uncomfortable.





If this seems to be the case, you can improve balance by practising slow work, curving, and transitions. Use your inside rein and inside leg to get a gentle bend. If you can see the corner of his inside eye, you have a nice bend. Practising transitions (walk/trot, trot/walk, walk/halt) will help him become more comfortable and balanced. Although the slow work can be incredibly boring, it is worth it to make your horse happier and safer.





Hope this helps. : )
Reply:Seen this many times. Sometimes our horses are not always ready to take it up a step. The canter may be too much for him right now. If you saddle really fits (which I am sure it does seeming you do have so much experience) I would take him back to the trot and with some horses it is patience, patience, patience. The Canter is a gait that they need to be mentally ready for when carrying a rider. I would suggest doing lots of figure 8's at a walk and trot, get him supple and listning to your commands. When he is really focused on you and waiting for your next turn, he may be too focused to buck. Stay at a trot till you have him perfect, don't move on until there is nothing more perfect then you two together at a walk and trot. He will come around. He is still new for you and the slower the better, you push him and this bucking could turn into a much larger problem.
Reply:I would try a chiropractor .... they can put their back out from something as small as rolling in the paddock. And if you've been riding him hard to sort him out, and it is his back - then he's really not going to appreciate you for it!


I've used chiro's for mine regularly - and glad i did.





If you get one to look at him, and it's not his back - then you can eliminate the possiblity that he is in pain, and start working on his manners!
Reply:We've had this problem with a polo pony who did it to get out of work. She was in perfect health but just a very ornery mare. We were baffled because just trying to get her to work through it and keep moving forward was hopeless.





We turned to some antiquarian horse training books my husband had collected and found our solution in a Victorian English training guide. When a horse begins to buck, really just pull as hard as you can on their mouth. I know this sounds severe but consider you are not a very heavy person so you can't do much damage and it is better the horse than you.





We did it twice and the mare never bucked again and has become a wonderful polo pony. I realize Victorian solutions may seem very harsh but its also very true that they, unlike our SUV ridden world today, depended upon, truly trained and used their horses. You must address this issue a horse will use it in its advantage to manipulate you. If your horse reacts adversely to this, pull the head around and make them circle. Should they try to buck, apply the same.





The mechanics of this method are simply this: If he cannot get his head down, by action of your hands on the bit, he cannot plant his front feet and toss his rear skyward.
Reply:Well, a lot of horses that have been out of work for a period of time do not have the muscles to just be cantering around under saddle right away. He may just need to get back in shape with a lot of trotting(and hill work if you have hills) to build his muscles for cantering again. I would ride him consistently with a lot of trotting for a week or two, then ask for the canter on a straight line, canter a few strides(make sure he is under control and not strung out), then trot again. As he builds his strength up, ask for more canter strides and begin working on circles. Many times, they just need to get fit to canter properly. And if he still bucks, I'd give him a good smack with a crop and ride him through it. He may just be testing you and needs to be disciplined and gotten over it.





Also, with a horse that's been out of work, check saddle fit that nothings pinching or hurting his back. If he continues to buck, he may need his back or hind end(SI, hocks, stifles) checked. Those are common problem areas in OTTBs (Off the Track Thoroughbreds), and many get injected(especially by his age) so the effects may be wearing off if that is the case.
Reply:be patient!





since you have been working so hard, give hima little break. Just walk/trot him for a couple days. He might be upset that your not letting him relax.



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