my horse....................?

Question

my horse has these things i call half bucks but he doesn't acutally buck he just lifts his feet off the ground but he only does this when I am riding him he doesn't do it to my friend who is a lot lighter or my dad who is a lot heavier. I am afraid they are going to get wrose so how do I correct this behavior

he is perfectly healthy and by healthy i mean fat and energetic. He is also farely stout and short. almost as small as pony regulation. The only problem he has is not wanting to walk on gravel so when we are around it we just let him have his rein. We also put bleach on his hoof so it heals it and we never ride on no gravel so it can't be his hoof we have also had him checked out by a vet so a health problem can't be the issue.

Answer 1

I totally know what you mean. My gelding used to do that all the time. What you need to do is when he starts to do this, pull his head around to his side and kick him really good with both legs. Keep putting him in the circle every time he trys to do this. When his head is around like that, there is NO way he can buck you or rear or anything else nasty. He will learn that when he does this, you are going to make his life more difficult. Give him a job....if he has the time to think about wanting to buck, give him something to do. Keep his head around and his feet moving. After awhile, he will realize that he is better off just behaving. Just make sure you have control of his head....then you have no way of getting hurt. I truly believe it has nothing to do with size. It is who he thinks is in charge. If all else fails, consider a trainer. My gelding goes to a professional for show training and when he is home, we stable with a professional trainer. These are all things they told me. Just BE CONSISTENT! EVERY TIME HE DOES IT! Give him some really good kicks with his head pulled around. Then let him out of it and go on with what you were planning to do. Good luck and stay safe. The big rule is: if you can control the head, you've got control of the horse.

Answer 2

Mary Twelveponies wrote a book titled "There Are No Problem Horses Only Problem Owners". Sounds to me like you might be part of the problem. Horses are very habitual and once you "break the rules" and create a new "habit" you can end up with problems.

I would recommend you find yourself an independent third party - a coach/trainer to watch you with your horse both on the ground and in the saddle. I suspect there is something that you are doing to make the horse buck. A frequent cause of bucking and/or rearing in finished horses is heavy handedness or too tight a rein. Ease off the hands and ride with your seat. Soft hands make for a soft horse. You might ride with a crop or dressage whip for a short time, but please only use it behind the leg. Using the crop or whip in front of your leg on his shoulder is only going to make the situation worse.

Answer 3

well is ur friend nicer 2 the horse then u are?
but your horse might not even like the way u ride or have a problem about the weight as u said because some horses might be sensative about the weight. and the horse might think it can get away with more things with u coz ur not totaly in control of him. but if it really doesnt change get some 1 that doesnt pay 2 much n get him trained 2 the basics...n even ride him more.. like there are pony clubs around..

from sam

Answer 4

in my neck of the woods, we call that a crow hop...why? i dont know :)...if he is only doing it with you, and youve had him checked by a vet...i would say he thinks you are afraid for some reason. you did say you think they are going to get worse...horses sense alot of things and if he senses you are overly tense, he probably is doing that thinking he gets to go back home all the quicker or doesnt have to do the work you have in mind for him. i had a horse just like this when i was about 12. i hadnt been able to have horses for a few years...he would do just enough to scare me, not enough to hurt me, but i would go home at that point. initially i got my confidence back by riding in my back yard and then making the short trip to the arena down the road. when he would do his little "fit" i would just hold on and keep going. it really didnt take too long for him not to do it anymore. once he sees your confidence is up there again...i bet you dont have any problems with him:) good luck:)

Answer 5

It could just be the way you ride, you might be doing something that your horse doesnt like. Or he could just be testing you, - How long have you been riding him? - My horse tends to put his head to the ground with a new person on him just to see if they can controll him or not and to see where they are at in there riding ability's. So next time you ride get someone to watch you on him and when he does it ask want you were doing maybe you put your feet in the wrong place or your pulling on his mouth or something.

Hope I helped.....Good Luck

Answer 6

The closest Yahoo! Answers has ever come to suggesting the proper class (in relation to the pony phase) is 'Horse Racing'. UGH! My dream horse could be a dapple gray, eleven yr ancient Hanoverian PSG schoolmaster. Woot.

Answer 7

I had a similar problem with a mare that would crow hop, except she would do it do everyone. Does he/she do it when you ask him to do something? What I did when I rode this mare was take her out into a field or arena where there wasn't anything for her to run into and I would ask her to do something like trot or back up or even just walk. When I felt her tense her back up like she was going to crow hop, I would turn her head into my knee and wait until she would quit turning and then let go. I did this everytime she would try anything and now no one has any trouble with her. I also used this method on a horse that would rear everytime I asked her to do something and it worked beautifully! Hope this helps!

Answer 8

Your horse knows he can get by with it with you. I agree with the first answer you got. She is right and if you follow those instructions you will cure this problem with your horse. You also need to make sure that when you make him go in a certain direction that he goes. Don't let him turn around or take you another direction. This is how they test you and if you ever once let him win then your horse will get progressively worse. Good luck and remember you are the Boss.............Happy trails

Answer 9

If you are sure it is not pain related (considering it is only you, probably not), I would say just give him a kick or squeeze and make him keep going. If you make him do something harder (leg yield, shoulder in, etc, he will learn that bucking makes him have to work harder. Definately never get off of him and make him go on- he is taking advantage of you. By doing it to only you it means that you are either letting him get away with stuff OR the only one actually making him work.
My mare used to do this to me (I am her only rider) on occasion and I would crack her on the butt with the whip and say knock it off. She would do one bigger buck (but still not a full fledged) and then quit it. I wouldn't suggest this if your horse is very afraid of whips though, I just tried it and it worked in this one case. Other cases, the first method worked better.

Answer 10

You need to work with a trainer. It sounds like your horse is testing you. Make sure you are communicating clearly with your horse while you are in the saddle. Only a reputable trainer can evaluate the situation and suggest ways to correct this behavior that will work for you and your horse. Good luck!