| Horse bucking can happen in an instant. I remember | | | | the ground before you know what happened-horses |
| one time I was at a horse clinic and we were riding our | | | | are lightning quick and sometimes they can launch you |
| horses around this arena. A woman was riding a | | | | off their back in a split second. So don't feel bad if you |
| horse with an attitude that had a habit of bucking and | | | | can't prevent it from happening. Even so, there is one |
| rearing while being worked on the lunge line. I took my | | | | thing you can do in a bucking situation. There are two |
| eyes off her for a split second and turned back | | | | things a horse has to do in order to buck. These are |
| around, and there was the woman-lying flat on the | | | | lowering his head and arching his back. Therefore one |
| ground. The horse didn't feel like being ridden and did | | | | thing a rider can do in order to stop this behavior is |
| something about it. | | | | keep the horse's head up. When doing so, reach both |
| There is only one sure way to prevent bucking - don't | | | | hands down as far as you can on the reins, and pull |
| ride a horse. The fact is it's completely natural for a | | | | the head up firmly and quickly. Avoid pulling back - be |
| horse to buck, especially when someone or something | | | | sure to pull up. Pulling back won't help. If you are able to |
| is on his back. To understand why they do it, all we | | | | get his head up, the hoped for result is that besides not |
| have to do is go back to our fundamental | | | | being able to get you off his back at that moment, he'll |
| understanding of a horse. A horse is a prey animal and | | | | figure out that bucking isn't an option he can use to get |
| as a prey animal, they are always looking for an | | | | what he wants. |
| escape from threatening situations. Bucking is a | | | | It would be nice if we could avoid getting into that |
| defense that evolved to get a predator off the prey | | | | situation in the first place, and the best way to do that |
| animals back. By bucking the rider off, a horse can | | | | is to adopt a back to basics approach. To rid a horse |
| escape the situation. | | | | of the fear aspect he needs to trust you as his leader. |
| A horse may resort to bucking out of fear, lack of | | | | A horse that realizes that you're not a predator out to |
| trust, or in defiance. In the case of a green/untrained | | | | eat him and trusts you as his leader will be far more |
| horse or one with a past history of abuse by humans, | | | | comfortable with you sitting on his back. And in the |
| bucking is probably a result of fear. Sitting on the | | | | other extreme- the defiant horse- to rid a horse of a |
| horse's back taps into his instincts, which tell him that's | | | | defiant attitude he needs to respect you as his leader. |
| a threatening situation. So he bucks out of instinct to | | | | So we see that the horse that bucks out of fear and |
| save himself from the threat. Horses are all about | | | | the horse that bucks out of disrespect are really two |
| escape for survival. | | | | sides of the same coin. To be safe around horses, |
| But as we mentioned earlier, a horse that knows | | | | they need to see you as their leader. |
| better, one that's learned to live with humans, can buck | | | | A good training course in the round pen is a good |
| for completely different reasons, namely out of | | | | place to start. The idea is to implement a training |
| disrespect for the rider and deciding that he doesn't | | | | program using the technique popularized by Monty |
| want to be ridden. The beauty of bucking, if there is | | | | Roberts which he calls join up. Second, make sure |
| any, is that minimizing the chances of it happening boil | | | | you're leading the horse properly. And third, incorporate |
| down to the same cure, regardless of what's | | | | a solid lunging routine into your training. Use your lunging |
| happening in the mind of the horse. | | | | not to wear the horse out but to make sure the horse |
| Before we get to that, is there anything you can do in | | | | is listening to your commands. These three exercises |
| the heat of the moment to prevent bucking? First of all | | | | will help the horse see you as a leader in his mind and |
| if you can stop it there's going to be a huge amount of | | | | gain respect. They can't prevent bucking, but it can |
| luck involved. Chances are you're going to be hitting | | | | make it less likely. |