Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Janice,

You mentioned that he starts to buck when he canters...any chance you saddle might not fit him?  Might be pinching his withers?  My mare used to buck when she'd canter when she had a saddle that pinched her withers.  She'd also do it sometimes when crossing a creek (up and down steep banks), and also when she was annoyed, such as when leaving buddies.  Got a saddle that fit, and the bucking stopped.

 

Dawn in East Texas

 

On 11/2/06, JANUSTUDIO@xxxxxx <JANUSTUDIO@xxxxxx> wrote:

Hi all,

I have a question for you that have dealt with the bucking issue.
I'm about fed up with my horse's little quirk and need some advice as how to make his little hissy fits immediately uncomfortable enough to discourage the disobedience.

He is better than he used to be, but darn it, he still resorts to this form of expressing his frustration when things aren't going his way and I'm really tired of it.

This is what he does:

Conditioning rides.  He is usually fine going out (from the trailer), maybe a bit of head snaking if he thinks he's being left, (he used to be really bad about snaking his head and tossing it up, I finally got that stopped) but I can fuss at him a bit, tap on his neck with my knuckles, and he goes on.  But, when we turn for home and he thinks his buddy is getting too far ahead or starts to canter, then he hops into a canter and then down goes his head.  At this point all I can do is pull on one rein to break his pull on me and sit back enough to keep from going over his head while he does his stiff legged dance.  I eventually get his head up and around, smack him a time or two, turn him in circles and go back up the trail, then insist that he walk when headed back to his buddy. This is really not fun when on a narrow trail.

Thankfully he doesn't do this when in competition...well, he used to kick up some at the start, and one time he did buck half heartedly when he had to leave his buddy at camp at the start. Mostly, he is a fun horse to ride and I feel he has loads of potential, so would like to stick with him.

Any ideas are welcome.

How many calories do bronc riders burn???<g>

Janice ~ not as young and bouncy as she used to be...