Are Efforts To Stop Horse Bucking Doomed To Failure?
Nothing strikes as much fear in most riders as horse bucking. What can you do about it, and why do horses buck in the first place?
To get a better idea about what to do when a horse bucks, I consulted "Breaking Your Horse's Bad Habits" by the late W. Dayton Sumner. The experienced horseman pointed out that mechanically speaking, a horse can't buck if his head is raised high. To buck, a horse lowers his head and arches his back. If his head is elevated, its simply not possible on a physical level for him to buck or at least do so with any strength.
Sumner advises that you clamp down on the saddle, slide your hands down the reins, and then pull up hard. Pulling back on the reins won't help, you need to pull up on them to get the horse's head high enough so he can't buck. He also says to give the horse a verbal reprimand as you're doing this. After a few moments the horse will calm down, at that point he says to comfort the horse.
Well that's all fine and good, but as any experienced horse person knows things with horses often happen with lightning quickness. Chances are to have the presence of mind to do all this you're going to need lots of previous experience, and even then horse bucking can happen so fast even an experienced horseman isn't going to be able to execute this plan. If you are brave, you could purposefully put yourself in the situation with the intent of teaching the horse that this escape route is not an option.
So why do horses buck, and what can be done about it?
The principle reason that horses buck is that it's an escape route. As prey animals, horses look for an escape when threatened or uncomfortable. Horse bucking can occur because the horse is in a state of fear, or because the horse is being defiant. Either way they're looking for an escape-provided by getting the rider off their backs.
The fear aspect of bucking can come from a sudden stimulation that startles the horse, like something smacking the saddle, a cinch that's too tight and so on. A defiant horse isn't seeing you as a respected leader.
Establishing leadership and respect with the horse is important in both cases. This can be done with a training program centered on round pen training, leading, basic groundwork and lunging. Doing these exercises properly will help a defiant horse see you as a respected leader making bucking less likely. For the fearful horse, these exercises will help her build trust and gain confidence. Desensitization exercises are also necessary with the fearful horse.
If horse bucking is a problem that you're facing, start by asking yourself why the horse is doing this behavior. Then tailor your training program for the defiant or the fearful horse. In both cases establishing some leadership on the ground first will be necessary before conquering this problem.
To get a better idea about what to do when a horse bucks, I consulted "Breaking Your Horse's Bad Habits" by the late W. Dayton Sumner. The experienced horseman pointed out that mechanically speaking, a horse can't buck if his head is raised high. To buck, a horse lowers his head and arches his back. If his head is elevated, its simply not possible on a physical level for him to buck or at least do so with any strength.
Sumner advises that you clamp down on the saddle, slide your hands down the reins, and then pull up hard. Pulling back on the reins won't help, you need to pull up on them to get the horse's head high enough so he can't buck. He also says to give the horse a verbal reprimand as you're doing this. After a few moments the horse will calm down, at that point he says to comfort the horse.
Well that's all fine and good, but as any experienced horse person knows things with horses often happen with lightning quickness. Chances are to have the presence of mind to do all this you're going to need lots of previous experience, and even then horse bucking can happen so fast even an experienced horseman isn't going to be able to execute this plan. If you are brave, you could purposefully put yourself in the situation with the intent of teaching the horse that this escape route is not an option.
So why do horses buck, and what can be done about it?
The principle reason that horses buck is that it's an escape route. As prey animals, horses look for an escape when threatened or uncomfortable. Horse bucking can occur because the horse is in a state of fear, or because the horse is being defiant. Either way they're looking for an escape-provided by getting the rider off their backs.
The fear aspect of bucking can come from a sudden stimulation that startles the horse, like something smacking the saddle, a cinch that's too tight and so on. A defiant horse isn't seeing you as a respected leader.
Establishing leadership and respect with the horse is important in both cases. This can be done with a training program centered on round pen training, leading, basic groundwork and lunging. Doing these exercises properly will help a defiant horse see you as a respected leader making bucking less likely. For the fearful horse, these exercises will help her build trust and gain confidence. Desensitization exercises are also necessary with the fearful horse.
If horse bucking is a problem that you're facing, start by asking yourself why the horse is doing this behavior. Then tailor your training program for the defiant or the fearful horse. In both cases establishing some leadership on the ground first will be necessary before conquering this problem.
