How do I prevent my horse from bucking?

Question

I know I can't really make him just stop, but are there any things I can do to make him not want to buck? He usually bucks after the first few jumps in a course.

Answer 1

Horses buck for generally 2 reasons - either they are feeling very frisky and feeling good, or because something is upsetting or hurting them. The trick is to figure out which one of the two is the reason.

If your horse is only bucking under a specific set of circumstances (after a little jumping), but settles down quickly and doesn't do it all the time during the activity, I'm leaning towards him being a bit fizzy. But if it's all the time under these conditions, you need to take a look at his comfort level.

Check the fit of the saddle to make sure it's not pinching or rubbing anywhere, and that the girth gives him enough room to really breathe. If he's not an experienced jumper or is not physically fit, he might be trying to tell you that he's not happy with jumping. He might also be sore or have a minor back injury that can impact on his comfort level. Having an equine chiropractor check him can't hurt.

Have your trainer watch him while you're jumping. It's hard to see things that might be wrong while your riding, so having someone watch from the ground and see what exactly is triggering his behavior will help a great deal.

Answer 2

You can make him stop bucking, but it's going to take time. If your horse bucks you off then you need to try to let him rest as little as possible because a rest is a reward to him. If your hurt that's a different story. When you get up if he's not in a small pen you need to catch him and lunge him. Make him run until he's pretty tired. Please remember that horses may seem tired when they aren't and that horses are naturally lazy animals. If you don't get thrown, you need to make him turn tight circles, about 5 each way, then lope him in larger cirlces until he's tired. Then go out away from the jumps and just walk him then walk him through the patern again and then ask him to go through them at a lope. This will probably take a lot of time and about a week to accomplish possibly more. Just keep that in mind that you have to work with him every day on this or he will have a harder time learning.

Answer 3

Have you made sure all the tack is in good repair? It is possible there is something about the saddle that gouges your horse? Is there any medical problem that could explain it? Does he buck at any other times? If he doesn't, I would look at something that is physically bothering him that kicks in on the first few jumps.

The only thing I'd know to do does not work with jumping, and that is to put a martingale on.

Answer 4

First off I would recommend getting a vet check and possibly a chiropractic check to make sure that there are no underlying muscle or joint issues causing him to buck. If he comes up clean after that, I would suggest a slightly longer warm up. NOT to wear him out, but rather to make sure he is limber and warm before you start jumping. He may be bucking from discomfort from not being quite ready to jump. He may also need to do a few shorter jumps (cross rails, maybe even trot/canter poles) to get his body stretched properly and to his satisfaction. I'm assuming you know how to ride him properly up to a jump so he's under himself and moving well from his hind quarters and not strung out. If he's strung out, I would try doing some dressage type exercises to get him round and on the bit before you jump him. He may be excited and need a different avenue for his excitement. Maybe try a gymnastic line or a single with poles before and after to keep his mind busy for the mental and physical "area" around the jump. If that does not work, the last resort would be to drive him forward when you feel him round and ready himself to buck. Don't jump him again, drive him into a forward, impulsive trot or collected canter so he's doing something physically demanding and not just stringing out after the jump. If these suggestions don't work, I would talk to a trainer to see if they can pick up any other issues he may have that need to be corrected. Best of luck with him!

Answer 5

My horse was a bucker and I thought it was a behavior issue due to being young. He would buck after awhile at the canter or after a few jumps,also. He vet checked fine and always seems sound but at the suggestion of a trainer I placed him on a joint supplement.Within a month or two after starting him on the supplement he has stopped bucking.I don't know if it is coincidental or what but he seems to be moving freer on a whole since I started him on this.I hope this helps because I know the frustration of this problem personally!

Answer 6

Like everyone has said, check his blankets, and saddle. Make sure nothing is pinching, poking, or rubbing the wrong direction. Make sure his back isn't sore. Easy test, take your thumb and your pointer finger and place one on either side of his backbone starting at his withers. Kind of pinch it, but not to hard, just firmly press, and do this slowly all the way down. If your horse puts his ears back, switches his tail, stomps a foot, ect... anything that looks like he is in pain then his back is probly sore right there. Check the saddle and blanket to look at where it sits on him right there and make sure nothing has caused it. If the saddle and blanket turn up clean, then give your horse a break, and see about massaging him. You can do it by just rubbing the area firmly, adding ice packs, then hot packs, or you can hire someone.
If it ends up being a behavior problem, fully tack him up as if you were going to ride, but take the reins off of the bit, or tie them up out of the way. Send him around the round pen a few times, no lines or attachments, as later this could prove dangerous going over jumps. Then add regular jumps he would normally jump with you on him and send him over those. You will need a lunge whip for this. If he refuses, pop him in the butt. show him who's boss, but don't hit the face, or anywhere in front of the girth 1) it will make him head shy 2) you will be sending a mixed message by hitting his shoulder or chest, cause you will be telling him to stop or turn around. When he begins to buck let him do it for about 6 seconds, if it lasts longer than that, pop him in the butt with the whip and ask for a forward motion. keep popping him until he quits bucking. but do it rhythmically, pop,pop,pop,pop, not pop,pop, pause, p,p,p,p,pop, pause, pop,pop, pop. It will confuse the horse, and as soon as he quits, leave him alone. Work with him until you can get 6 sessions in a row without a single buck. That includes, crowhops, butt bounces, arched back rear ups, skips, anything that throws off a smooth canter. the moment he does anything little, pop him. Give him an inch and he'll take a dangerous mile. please tell me how it goes with you and your horse. [e-mail]

Answer 7

First, make sure your tack fits right and that he is not in any pain. If he is, contact your vet immediatly. If that is not the case, then pick up your left (or right) rein and make him turn his head. Make him hold it there until he becomes more relaxed. After he relaxes, walk him out of it. If he continues to buck, do it again. This is called a one rein stop. If he doesn't respond to this after a long time of doing that, make him trot in circles and tilt his head to the inside of the circles. It will take a while, but if you do this every day, he will learn not to buck, no matter how long it takes.

Answer 8

Something may be wrong with your tack or your horse. This has happened to me before. His back may be in pain or may be out of place. My 17 year old POA mare is the best and I still ride her, but she throws her back out every once and a while. Also, when we first got her, she was bucking. Turned out her tack didn't fit well and we had to get it fitted. You should measure your horses back and withers, then measure the tack to make sure it fits properly.

Answer 9

maybe he doesnt like to jump he may want to be a trail horse or do a different dicipline
I had a horse who was a hunter and a trail horse and when it was time to jump the warm up was an argument half the time cuz he hated it so I started just trail riding him and he was soooo much more happy...

then when I did want to jump him he was fine I think it was cuz he knew that was not his only job that there would be something else too(trails)

Answer 10

make sure his tack is on right that is usually a not to often thing that can happen but if he is doing this EVERY time then try working him in the round pen for a bit before riding him and see how that works you might just have to get some of the spunk out of him especially if he is young and in a paddock instead of pastor