Now for the big question, if I keep Cosmo what can I do to make sure he never bucks again? Is there some secret training method that teaches a horse not to buck no matter what, even if a deerfly bites him, etc..? Any and all advice is appreciated and I will say Thanks in advance.
Carol, I believe you mentioned that Cosmo is a green 7yo. I will tell you this -- my youngster, a 6yo Arabian, is just getting started in distance riding. I bred and raised this colt. When he was 4, on our 2nd trail ride, he did the same thing. He was going along quite well, with two other very calm trail horses, when all of a sudden for no apparent reason, he did a HUGE buck and launched me through the air. Could have been a fly, could have been a branch tickled his belly, whatever. Never determined what caused it. Luckily (unlike you), I wasn't hurt. Since then, he has never done that again. He would buck occasionally (very mildly) whenever I asked him to pick up the pace, but never that HUGE buck. And he has totally stopped bucking as of this time.
So far this year, he has done Chicken Chase (two 25 milers) and Top of the Rock (two 30 milers). And on each ride, he has gained more confidence in the lead, less/milder spooks, horses coming at him/passing him do not bother him now, bicycles flying past do not bother him, etc.
My point is that your green youngster may never do that again. A lot has to do with mental maturity. If you really like him and he's good in most other areas, you may want to just keep on with him and maybe get a friend to ride him while you are laid up. Lots of long, slow miles and wet saddle pads are a wondrous cure for this problem!
