# How do you manage to stay on your horse when bucking?



## debsey1 (10 June 2011)

Out yesterday in wide open fields having a good canter/gallop, we were really enjoying ourselves, the sun was shinning the grass was green.....suddenly out of sheer exuberance my cob throws a buck, not huge but enough to throw me off balance and fall off.  Luckily, it was a soft landing and wasn't hurt.  My cob looks down on me as if to say ' it was only a little buck'

But how do you manage to stay on?  Up until yesterday we don't often get to canter but we can now as we have access to a 16 acre field.  I want to be prepare for the next time


----------



## DollyDolls (10 June 2011)

Hold onto the martingale neck strap, lift bum out of saddle (so it doesn't ping you forward like a catapult) and keep heels down!

It doesn't always work, but generally I can "sit" a few.


----------



## Pipkin (10 June 2011)

I find it a lot easier to sit to them when you know when they`re coming, i know when my girl is contemplating because she lower her head, when she does this i just sit deeper in the saddle and ride her forward whilst bringing her head up at the same time.

Sometime i dont bother and just hold on and let her rip


----------



## goneshowjumping (10 June 2011)

ditto the "sit to them" you need to keep your seat in the saddle, i can tell when my boy decides to let rip as his tail starts swishing and the head comes up!!!
if you can get on a tight circle they generally seem to find it harder to buck.


----------



## YasandCrystal (10 June 2011)

Definately by using a neck strap or an SOS saddle strap and standing in stirrups.

I would recommend you watch some vids on YouTube of Ellen Whitaker on her big grey!!


----------



## flyingfeet (10 June 2011)

1. Never let them canter with their heads on the floor

2. Keep to the centre of gravity, as this implies you were leaning a little too far forward if only a small one 

3. Invest in a stock saddle for broncing sessions


----------



## LizzyandToddy (10 June 2011)

Just sit deep and try to stay in balance, if you can feel for the movement you can often tell what your horse is about to do! Weight into heels really helps aswell


----------



## ThePony (10 June 2011)

If hacking and having a good blow out then I pull my stirrups up a bit and come out of the saddle, but being mindful to keep my legs loose, heels down and body balanced - with a thumb through my balance strap too if I think we might take a sudden turn of direction!! Imp not to allow your balance to come infront of your horse though.

If schooling then I keep my instructors info in mind - 'sit on it' and do just that! Shoulders back and loose with bottom sitting down properly, no tensing or tipping!

Don't think either of these would do much if my girl was set on having me off, but for her mardy or high jinks bounces then so far so good!


----------



## ngrace (10 June 2011)

Personally I find standing out of the saddle with weight in your stirrups very effective, whilst trying to get their head up. 
Having ridden a broncer I will always do this in future. 
Definitley agree with preemptive 'get-your-head-UP!' and driving on with your leg.


----------



## debsey1 (10 June 2011)

Thanks peeps for all the replies.  What makes it probably a bit more difficult is his gait is very 'choppy' even in canter, he goes at it like 'hammer & tong' wahoooo!!  whereas the tb has a long stride, a very comfortable canter.  

But I'll take your tips on board.  Thank you


----------



## Devonshire dumpling (10 June 2011)

Good replies, i am find with the head down, back leg bucks, but the time i fall off is when all 4 feet go up same time, his back is straight and his head between his knees, he sends up up verticle and my knees end up higher than the pommel, this is fine if he doesn't change direction as you land back in the saddle, but how do you stop yourself totally leaving the saddle, he literally ejects me out of the seat, like hes pressing a red button lol.

obviously head up is great if your not caught by surprise...????


----------



## thatsmygirl (10 June 2011)

I use to have a dam good broncer and he would keep going ( never had me off) and the way I sat him was to keep head up, push my legs forward to balance myself and lean back and ride it. 
A mare out hunting one day done the biggest buck iv ever had from any horse and again I found myself with feet forward and leaning back as her back was up. Again I stayed on and was the talk off the day. 
Tbh I would never use a neck strap to hold on I could just see that pushing you/making you to forward and off balance, I wouldn't try that one.


----------



## debsey1 (10 June 2011)

thatsmygirl said:



			I use to have a dam good broncer and he would keep going ( never had me off) and the way I sat him was to keep head up, push my legs forward to balance myself and lean back and ride it. 
A mare out hunting one day done the biggest buck iv ever had from any horse and again I found myself with feet forward and leaning back as her back was up. Again I stayed on and was the talk off the day. 
Tbh I would never use a neck strap to hold on I could just see that pushing you/making you to forward and off balance, I wouldn't try that one.
		
Click to expand...

This is all very well, but quite often the bucking takes you by suprise, next minute you know is that you're off!  Trouble is it all happens so quickly, one minute you're galloping along like the Grand National winner & next you're on the ground lol


----------



## Devonshire dumpling (10 June 2011)

debsey1 said:



			This is all very well, but quite often the bucking takes you by suprise, next minute you know is that you're off!  Trouble is it all happens so quickly, one minute you're galloping along like the Grand National winner & next you're on the ground lol

Click to expand...

I always say when you think you are going to fall off you rarely do, the time you fall off you don't actually know how it happened lol!

Anyone got any advice for the 4 footed take off and you shotting upwards at speed?


----------



## MissMincePie&Brandy (10 June 2011)

I've always found it best to sit to those big bronking style bucks; heels down, legs forward and sit back.  They need to get their heads down to bronk, so by sitting up like this, it's easier to keep your balance, get their heads up and take control again.


----------



## ngrace (10 June 2011)

Devonshire dumpling said:



			Anyone got any advice for the 4 footed take off and you shotting upwards at speed?
		
Click to expand...

Weight in your stirrups and try to go with it, IFF you saw it coming obviously! If its a completed surprise then well good luck


----------



## Devonshire dumpling (10 June 2011)

ngrace said:



			Weight in your stirrups and try to go with it, IFF you saw it coming obviously! If its a completed surprise then well good luck 

Click to expand...

haha hes so young and plyable every bit of his back moves  tis goodluck lol xx


----------



## Dizzle (10 June 2011)

No idea! My horse bucks vertically, I knew they were big when my old RI told me to dismount and shed lunge him... shes one of those old school RIs where it has to be SERIOUS before you are allowed to get off! Thankfully since my (far more experienced than me friend that works in racing) fell off him after one of his bucking episodes he hasnt done it, which begs the question why on earth didnt I just fall off and cure it the first time! His bucks are that big aggravate my old whipslash injury and apparently he was famed for them when he was in training (although funnily no one mentioned this to me until Id fallen in love with him!). Gut reation during a buck is to grip with the legs, pull the head up and if need be grab a handful of something! Im bloody determined not to fall off (hence me scoring the 2nd highest score on the bucking bronco at a show, beaten only by my RI!)


----------



## Devonshire dumpling (10 June 2011)

Dizzle said:



			No idea! My horse bucks vertically, I knew they were big when my old RI told me to dismount and shed lunge him... shes one of those old school RIs where it has to be SERIOUS before you are allowed to get off! Thankfully since my (far more experienced than me friend that works in racing) fell off him after one of his bucking episodes he hasnt done it, which begs the question why on earth didnt I just fall off and cure it the first time! His bucks are that big aggravate my old whipslash injury and apparently he was famed for them when he was in training (although funnily no one mentioned this to me until Id fallen in love with him!). Gut reation during a buck is to grip with the legs, pull the head up and if need be grab a handful of something! Im bloody determined not to fall off (hence me scoring the 2nd highest score on the bucking bronco at a show, beaten only by my RI!)
		
Click to expand...

lol so what you are all saying with verticle all 4 feet bucks with a straight back issssss  Good luck!


----------



## houdinilover (10 June 2011)

my cobby does sometimes small, sometimes massive bucks when asked to canter. if ur on a hack u can take forward seat so u dont get the whole power f the buck but otherwise experience teaches u to sit them out  x


----------



## debsey1 (10 June 2011)

my cobby does sometimes small, sometimes massive bucks when asked to canter. if ur on a hack u can take forward seat so u dont get the whole power f the buck but otherwise experience teaches u to sit them out  x  

lol...but how many times does one have to fall off before one knows how to sit them out??


----------



## moodymare1987 (10 June 2011)

I used to ride some buckers and broncers aswell. I found just sit deep and send horse on and try get its head up. If was galloping I was generally out of the saddle anyway so just dropped my heels to really lower my weight and again would get horses head up. Only fell of twice through bucking so cant be doing too much wrong. 

But to be honest it was more natural reaction wasnt something I thought oh I should do this. I just did it.


----------



## Business (10 June 2011)

ngrace said:



			Personally I find standing out of the saddle with weight in your stirrups very effective, whilst trying to get their head up. 
Having ridden a broncer I will always do this in future. 
Definitley agree with preemptive 'get-your-head-UP!' and driving on with your leg.
		
Click to expand...

Agree but heels as deep as you can get them.....the more down your heel is, the more secure you will be. Keep body perpendicular to the ground at all times through each buck! You will need good balance for that. Don't allow your head to go forwards, if you tilt your head forwards your body will follow it to the floor.


----------



## Business (10 June 2011)

Devonshire dumpling said:



			Anyone got any advice for the 4 footed take off and you shotting upwards at speed?
		
Click to expand...

My old boy used to do that, stand up, keep body perpendicular to the ground and heels deep, sat over half a mile of those produced on every stride in that manner, flybucks. I know the distance because we wereon gallops at the time.

By the age of about 18 he had modified that into plunging down head first landing on both front legs with head between knees and then shooting off to the side at a 90 degree angle in gallop. Still sitting there so on good spongy soft ground he modified that into plunging down head first and landing on his two front legs, head between knees and stopping dead with the back end still in the air as steep as he could manage! Could never master sitting that. Analysed the fall here...it went land still in saddle but force of stopping dead from a galloping start would push my head infront of my body, spent milliseconds trying to get my head back above my body mean while it felt as if someone had dropped a sack of bricks on my shoulders....there was nothing more I could do but follow my head to the floor. Catapulted in very fast summersult and land with very hard thud flat on my back. Killer to kidneys! I nicknamed that one his "slam dunk".

Tried to get my friend who had schooled her horse through the grades to advanced eventing to gallop him for me. When she saw what he was doing she said "I am not getting on that!"  Didn't blame her! Was a tad relieved (sad too though) when he got too old to gallop and I didn't have to do it any more either!


----------



## Miss L Toe (10 June 2011)

Bridge your reins when cantering, this means you can relax and rest your fists lightly on his withers/shoulders but he can't get his head down, sounds like a normal horse buck, not the ferocious huge four feet type so beloved of horses with a lot of pep, and which need a lot of work.


----------



## team barney (10 June 2011)

Building up core strength, hula-hooping works a treat!

I don't know what 'technique' I use to stay on, but strong stomach muscles certainly helps.  I used to ride a mare who was habitual bucker (she was a pro at rounding and leaping into the bucks) she never got me off and she gave up trying eventually as I just ignored her, she did however continue bucking other people off!!!
Riding bareback also helps develop a feel for when the bucks are coming, and helps establish a really good balanced seat.


----------



## spotty_pony (10 June 2011)

My boy bucks a lot when he gets excited and I have learnt from experience, not too let him get his head down in the first place! Also, sit up and sit back and make sure you keep your lower leg underneath you so that you are secure if he does take you by surprise. I hunt my boy and have even learnt to sit to the gallop so that I can keep his head up and be prepared! Good luck!


----------



## Cadfael&Coffee (10 June 2011)

I clamp my legs on and get the head up ASAP and ride them forward- I can't remember being bucked off at all, and I've ridden a hell of a lot of buckers!!! (watch me get pinged right off next time I ride lol!!!) 

The only time I haven't been able to stay on was a horse that used to do a dirty 'hump' followed by a shoulder drop- sneaky sod that he was lol!!!


----------



## ngrace (10 June 2011)

Business said:



			Agree but heels as deep as you can get them.....the more down your heel is, the more secure you will be. Keep body perpendicular to the ground at all times through each buck! You will need good balance for that. Don't allow your head to go forwards, if you tilt your head forwards your body will follow it to the floor.
		
Click to expand...

that was what i tried to say, lol.

I know its really annoying when people say 'my horse is naughtier and I love it and im an awesome rider bla bla', but I do get a bit of an adrenaline rush when they are getting all excited at the same time as being a bit nervous! And its a very wierd feeling when they bronk and gallop at the same time, and your sortof just standing over them looking down thinking woah :-o


----------



## SuperCoblet (10 June 2011)

i lift my seat up slightly and open my knees... then it doesnt even feel like a buck


----------



## Business (10 June 2011)

ngrace said:



			that was what i tried to say, lol.

I know its really annoying when people say 'my horse is naughtier and I love it and im an awesome rider bla bla', but I do get a bit of an adrenaline rush when they are getting all excited at the same time as being a bit nervous! And its a very wierd feeling when they bronk and gallop at the same time, and your sortof just standing over them looking down thinking woah :-o
		
Click to expand...

I know what you mean but to be honest by the time he had developed the slam dunk I was reduced to crossing my chest with the sign of the cross and offering up a little prayer before we set off...and I am not even a real believer!


----------



## Beatrice5 (10 June 2011)

My Mum had a lesson on and equsimulator and I asked if it could buck as I really would like to know I can stay on if my mare ever trys it on. My old gelding was a total git and I sometimes sat I sometimes came off and never felt confident in knowing I could sit when he really meant it 

Sadly the eqisimulator can't buck so I am hoping I stumble accross a bucking broncho one day so I can try and sit a few bucks - anyone ever had a go on one?


----------

