Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Thanks for all the information and responses about my 6 yr old Arab I 
bought this spring that seemed to just start bucking after riding for 3 
months.  I took several people's advice and had the saddle checked by 
someone who has rode horses all her life, is an Arab person and worked 
in a tack shop for years.  She checked out his saddle on him and said 
it fits him fine (I didn't think it was the saddle because it is wide 
enough and seems to fit him fine).  My vet came out (he has trained 
show Arabs for probably 30 years).   He said the horse was not 
respectful to the bit.  I can stop and steer him but sometimes he 
resists the bit or puts his head up.  He said I need more control, that 
he has to learn to respect the bit.  I use a snaffle and he showed me 
how to put reins on him with a surcingle in the round pen, 10 minutes 
on both reins, 10 minutes with them shortened on one side then 10 
minutes shortened on the other side.  He says that will teach him to 
give to the bit and not resist it.
My friend also pointed out that if he was in pain, he would buck every 
time at the canter and he doesn't.  He didn't buck at all when I  first 
bought him and then very occasionally a little crow but the 4 out of 
the last 6 rides he bucked majorly.  It was not a little crow hop.  A 
couple times he bucked several times and so hard that is was hard to 
stay on and I have rode for quite a while.  My seat is pretty balanced 
and I my hands are pretty soft.  He was a race horse for a couple years 
and it kind of seems the times he has bucked is when he wanted to get 
going real fast and I was trying to slow him down (I am careful not to 
jerk on his mouth though),
So I am assuming it is a training issue.  Have anyone else had trouble 
with their young horses getting frustrated and bucking occasionally and 
what did you do?   I am going back to basics with training him.  I have 
done join up with him and I can get him to follow me around without a 
lead in the round pen and back up etc.    And the last couple times I 
have rode him I have practiced walking and whoaing, trotting and 
whoaing and cantering and whoaing and getting a good whoa out of him.
Thanks,
Katie


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