Endurance.Net Ridecamp Archives

Several people have already mentioned several things for you to look into. I doubt that it is saddle fit - since he only seems to do this when he's going home. A horse that's in pain, will generally do this going out as well as coming back.

I've got two horses that 'kick out'; (a 'baby buck' -not enough to bother the rider - but enough to tell you they aren't happy)... One is my SSH who had originally been trained with severe methods (didn't 'break' her - just made her basically untrusting and 'untrainable')..... She's normally fine, but if she's cantering slowly and I ask for more speed - she's prone to 'kicking out' and then doing what I ask. The other one is my daughter's SSpony. Who's used for lessons and is PERFECT! The ONLY rider she'll kick out under - is my Daughter. Frankly, because my little daughter makes her work much harder than my riding students..

Here's what has worked well with BOTH of them. I began to warm-them-up prior to getting on - by using simple showmanship. Bending their head to girth on both sides, pivoting on hind and fore, backing and coming foreward, etc... Then I taught both to do the same thing when I'm mounted.  Now, when they kick out - I'll use one of two techniques (depending on WHY they're acting up)... 

If they're acting up because they DON'T want to speed up - I'll hoot once (my bark is much meaner than a bite) - close my legs abruptly - bring their head up and in (collection - little harder to buck in this frame) and make them go on..(ride the buck out).... If they're acting up because they don't want to listen/slow down/etc. (Most of the horses I've trained, do this a little when they're still green)  I'll make them come a complete stop - do all the showmanship routine. Then let them go foreward at a walk - if they're still fighting/pissed - I'll stop and do the routine again. It takes a while the first few times you do it - eventually they'll figure it out that they can't go foreward until they're relaxed and soft.  If they're prone to rear - you may want to get off and do the ground routine first - then mount and do it again.. A little safer since a horse that's light on it's front may rear when you back them up - when THEY want to bolt foreward.

And do a bunch of rides by yourself... If you can, go away and back to the barn a dozen times each ride. This way the horse will quit associating going home - with getting the 'reward' of finishing the ride...

Good luck! - LP