# Excitement bucking



## MagicMelon (5 June 2007)

My Welshie has always bucked a bit when excited which I dont mind and TBH find it pretty funny (they're never nasty bucks, and he knows when to behave!). However I took him for a little ride yesterday around our other field which has lots of trees and exciting things to see (apparently). He was absolutely excited as hell (jogging on the spot / going sideways / wanting to basically run off!), I didnt mind this but a few times (we were just walking) all of a sudden he would plunge and do a massive buck which very nearly unseated me. Got me wondering what I should be doing in this situation. Ive had lots of horses with differing behaviour but TBH Ive been lucky to never have had a bucker! I always ignore it when he does it during schooling / at a show etc. because they're just little funny humpy bucks in canter etc. but these ones were proper "I want you off so I can tank off!" type ones. I think if I smacked him then he would have thrown a humungous tantrum! What do you think?


----------



## jumpthemoon (5 June 2007)

Have you checked his back/teeth/saddle fit etc? It might be a pain response. If not it would be worth ruling it out...


----------



## Bex7 (5 June 2007)

Sounds like Bert's behaviour to me!

I try to ignore it until it becomes really naughty rather than excitement. I tried smacking him but it made it a whole lot worse so now I about turn him and make him stand until he settles down. It is not easy and I make a point of wearing gloves as I have burned my hands with the reins whilst trying to hold him.

With the big bucks I would try to get his head up and circle him but keep him going forward.

ETA: sorry should have mentioned Bert's saddle and teeth etc were checked also.


----------



## MagicMelon (5 June 2007)

His saddle was checked not that long ago, teeth done 2 months ago and his back I believe is fine. He's always done the odd buck during schooling when he gets worked up, not all the time and not at specific times (like going into canter etc.) which is what I would expect if he was sore. I VERY rarely hack this horse so it was out of his comfort zone going into the "spooky field"! 

Thing is Bex7, he doesnt get his head down. Its weird. He just sort of plunges (like mini-rears in front) and then kicks out hugely behind. He has a high head carriage (being a Welshie) so somehow manages this without putting his head down at all! Will try circling him next time if he does it again, that might put him off doing it.


----------



## Bex7 (5 June 2007)

TBH the approach I take with the bigger ones is to drive him forward if there is room.

Bert does it when he wants to GO GO GO, unfortunately for him he has no stamina so where there is room and it is safe I tend to push him forward fast enough that he doesn't have the chance to buck and as soon as I feel him pulling up I drive him forward more. Technically I am not sure this is the correct thing to do but Bert is learning that is is much harder work that way. 
	
	
		
		
	


	




 I also use this when he runs away with me.

It has begun working for me as Bert is back to the excitement bucks and have had no biggy's for a few months now. I guess it depends on the horse.


----------



## Bex7 (5 June 2007)

Also I have added a neck strap and put a large flash through the D rings on the saddle to give something extra to hold.  If all else fails I grab a chunk of mane too


----------



## JessPickle (5 June 2007)

We have a pony like that at our yard, allthough he is usually half asleep schooling, he really only does it out on excitement but like yours doesnt put his head down, I ride him an awful lot of hack escorts for the RS, , he occasionally puts a big one in, but usually if you ride him foward out of them he is fine.  Circling did him no good, just made him think I was turning him home and made him faster!  Lots of people have ridden him but he never doesnt buck, think its just him!    Like you they dont really bother me, so now everytime he messes about with anyone I am told to get on him, and he usually stops bothering once he realising I will push him foward.

He very un usually bucked in the school at the show at our yard, rider was pushing him to go faster was going towards last jump and he bucked, which he never does in the school!  I rode him next and if he isnt pushed too hard he seemed fine we went clear!  some horses just dont like being pushed.

One way that seemed to stop him in his tracks is holding a schooling stick then when he bucks just moving it foward so he can see the end of it, in the corner of his eye but dont touch him with it, usually does the trick!
Sorry for long essay!  

Meant to say everything has been checked!


----------



## Toby_Zaphod (5 June 2007)

Unfortunately you have made the problem you are having with your horse escalate though accepting his bad manners for this long. You have allowed him to buck, prance about, nap etc &amp; 'found it pretty funny'. The longer he gets away with it the more ingrained the behavior becomes. It will take alot of effort on your behalf to change this behavior now. You should not have let him get away with it in the first place.


----------



## Como (5 June 2007)

Sounds like he's feeling very well at the moment, try lunging him before you ride to get rid of the pent up energy and bucks. He sounds like he wants to blow off steam and go go go! Also is he being turned out enough, stabling for too long each day can make that energy build up. My welshie was the same in his younger days, he did the same thing because of excess energy and not being turned out enough.


----------



## Law (5 June 2007)

Mine started to do this when life got a bit too exciting.  I got my instructor to come and give us a lesson and got myself in the situation where I knew he'd start being a pratt.  We spent 30 minutes solid trotting flat out left right, circling, straight and went all over the field.  Sole point of the exercise was to get him going forward.  Mine was bucking when he wanted to go flat out gallop and rearing with it- doing a buck and rear together, like an airs above the ground! boing boing.  Not very nice at all. 
She said I had to make it so that he didn't find hacking so exciting after all and so that he got the message that hacking was still work and not just galloping about through fields. 
After that session she said I had to take him out and trot him from the word go, no walking unless absolutely necessary!  Was told to literally canter him for 15/20 mins in the school to wear him out before we went for our hack (only for the next 2-3 hacks)  and it worked a treat. 
So, bearing in mind he doesn't hack on his own, off we went, flat out trot 1/2 mile down the road, round the fields at canter, walked for a few mins on the long drive, trotted the next 20 mins and home.  I was buzzing and not a buck in sight! 

I then put him on calmer and we've not really been hacking much since but when we have he's behaved himself.


----------



## samp (5 June 2007)

Mine used to do this behind and I used to keep him forward and not allow his head to lower. You must keep your legs on at all times though. All horses throw occassional buck my mare does but knows it is not tolerated so soon decides she had better move forward - fortunately as her bucks are huge


----------



## rara007 (5 June 2007)

Sorry not sure, my pony has an exitement problem but he just squeles (sp.) we get funny looks doing dressage, at the national chamipionships last year he squeled with exitment doing extemded trot!!!

Haz


----------



## Flicker (5 June 2007)

You say you rarely hack him - perhaps try hacking him more often so it is not such a new and exciting experience.  One of the horses on our yard was a complete donkey until his owner started jumping him and he bronked for britain the first couple of times before he settled down.
I'm not one for smacking, especially when they are just excited, but agree that if you push them forward it gives them something else to think about.  
If the mare starts playing up on a hack, I make her work on the bit and get her to do some shoulder in or something to take her mind off being a spoon.  Maybe help you?


----------



## MagicMelon (5 June 2007)

[ QUOTE ]
Unfortunately you have made the problem you are having with your horse escalate though accepting his bad manners for this long. You have allowed him to buck, prance about, nap etc &amp; 'found it pretty funny'. The longer he gets away with it the more ingrained the behavior becomes. It will take alot of effort on your behalf to change this behavior now. You should not have let him get away with it in the first place. 

[/ QUOTE ]

I havent "allowed" him to prance about, nap etc. at all and certainly dont find it funny, especially napping. He is a very prancey type of horse - he has so much presence it is inevitable that it can spill over. Napping is something entirely different which I never allow him to get away with. With regard to the odd buck during schooling and jumping - no, I dont mind them. Some horses just do this. As long as its out of excitement and joy at doing the job then why should I punish him for that? I know of quite a lot of show jumpers locally who are so full of beans they throw in a buck here and there and the riders simply ignore it (and these are decent riders). I like the fact that my horse is not a machine and that his personality shines through sometimes. Obviously I have boundaries though which he isn't to cross (this 'proper' bucking yesterday being one).

I would love to hack him more so he wouldn't find it so novel and exciting but I hate venturing out onto my roads (have to go on them to get off-road) after a few too many incidents. I usually only hack if its a really warm, quiet day!


----------



## sarahebradshaw (5 June 2007)

My horse went through a stage of bucking last summer. He really wanted me to come off. This was different to an excitement buck. He would buck completely out of the blue. Luckily I hacked with a friend who gave me some good advice. She advised that when I suspected a buck was likely I kept his head up, kept him going forward but turned him in circles. He couldnt buck with his head turned. I would then allow him to walk on as normal if he walked nicely. I kept doing this and he has stopped bucking now. Think he was just seeing what he could get away with. Obviously I had his back and saddle checked and all was ok.

Hope this helps.


----------

