Here is a question from one of my students:
I have been on Trey bareback and he has been doing very well, except for loping. He will walk and trot fine and I can almost ride him without reigns, but when I ask him to lope he is a little testy and bucks me off. As soon as i am off he stands there and waits patiently as I remount, then we continue on our way. Then when I ask him for a lope again he does the exact same thing. When I have the saddle on all he does is buck a few times then he is fine. I know it's because he knows I won't fall off with a saddle. I try to stay on as long as I can when he bucks because it isn't violent, just like an irritated buck.
Thank you for putting your confidence in me to help you with this problem. First of all horses shouldn't be allowed to buck. Of course it is better to prevent the bucking before it becomes a habit, because they just get better and better at it with practice.
Most of the time bucking occurs only when putting the horse into a canter because it is easier for a horse to buck from the canter since he is already bounding. More often than not the rider's cue is too sudden and severe when asking for the canter. Another big reason a horse bucks is that the rider's hands are punishing the horse's mouth causing conflicting aids with the legs.
Because you mentioned that the horse bucks worse while you are riding bareback, I have a feeling that you may be relying on your reins for some balance and therefore you may be jerking on the horse's mouth without even realizing it. You may also be squeezing more with your knees than when you ride in the saddle. All of these things can confuse and hurt the horse enough to make him buck when he canters.
The majority of people who change from a curb bit to a snaffle or rope halter, then change their riding habits for relaxed, steady, thoughtful ones can cure most horses from wanting to buck.
A relaxed horse doesn't buck! So always have your horse good and relaxed before you ask him for the canter. At first train your horse to take the canter easily from the trot on a very large circle. Ease him into it slowly and politely. See how little it takes to get him moving forward. Don't kick him or pull back on the reins. Instead drive him forward with your seat not your knees and maintain a light and steady contact with the reins.
Keep in mind that a horse must slow down to buck . Don't ask him for the canter if the trot feels like the emergency brake is always on. The key is going to be in fixing your forward motion , even at the walk and the trot. A horse can't buck well when he's going forward with energy . You can also work on his forward motion from the ground while circling him on a long lead. The more he respects your cues on the ground for forward motion the better he will respond while riding.
A horse like yours that is already in the habit of bucking at the canter may take a while to fix. So give him plenty of time to learn a positive reflex to forward motion .
Any time he offers to buck, don't bring him to a complete stop. If you do, pretty soon he may buck just so he can stop and rest. Instead hold your arms in tight against your body, relax, lean back, and drive him forward with your seat and legs if necessary. Driving him forward will make him quit trying to buck. Continue to drive him with energy until he quits trying to buck, then control his speed. If you can't do this bareback, then I suggest you only do it in the saddle until it is good. Then you can go back to bareback riding.
I have been told to hold the horse's head up because it will slow him down, but I have found that when he slows down he can buck even better. If you find it necessary to hold the horse's head up it is always better to lift up, not back, on the reins .
All horses should be taught to yield to one-rein in order to slow them down, especially a horse that bucks. You don't need to do a complete one-rein stop, but it can sure be used to change his mind about bucking, if you do it the moment he thinks of bucking . However if you wait until he is already bucking hard, it is too late. Get him on the first jump. Tip his nose, then drive him forward. The tip his nose the other way, and drive him forward again. The important thing is to keep him moving!
When your horse has learned that he must go forward willingly when you ask, the bucking will start to disappear.
"F ocus 90% of your time on solutions and only 10% of your time on problems." -- Anthony J. D'Angelo
Happy Trails,
sherry
www.heartinyourhand.com
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