Training Tips

QUESTION: Good morning Sylvia, I have to say I am so happy for you and your family that you will be together for the holidays. While I've never had a son in the military as I am the mother of two daughters, I can't imagine the worry you've experienced sending your son overseas. I have a brother who is going to Iraq end of this month and a husband who has also gone - that is hard enough. So God bless you and your family! You should be proud of the bravery your son has shown by being in the military.

Now to horse talk. I do have a question for you. I have a filly that I have (as a project) started and "trained" myself. First time doing this and I'm proud of how far we've come. I would classify her as an A type firey personality; she's half saddlebred and half Arab. Very brave, but has a temper (and I admit-since I've raised her she's very spoiled). At a walk she will do whatever I ask - left, right, front end around back, pivoting on her back end, and I can get her to pivot on her front end and move her hindquarters around. She will also side pass over a pole left and right as well.

Here's where I'm having difficulty. When I ask her to canter, she takes off fast, and while I had her circling the other day and tried to keep her nose bent in, she got frustrated and started bucking. She bucked hard enough that I got nervous and bailed so I wouldn't get thrown out of control. She did come back to me. I got back on her and we walked around a bit to calm down and then I put her away. Should I have asked her to canter again? I was a little surprised as she has crow hopped before, but this was different. She caught me off guard and it was a snorting, squealing buck fest. What do I do to get her over this? Now I'm a little nervous about getting back on. If she started again, do I tip her head to force her to circle? HELP!

REPLY: Yes, you want to instill the one-rein stop into your horse's foundation so that you have that to call upon in any emergency like that -- drill, drill drill that one-rein stop into her (first taught on the ground, then in saddle) until it's complete reflex for both of you. Let me direct you to a link on my web site that goes over teaching the one rein stop, in more detail:

One Rein Stop - How to do it and why it's important

I have a suspicion that the cause of the bucking (but it's just a guess) might be because she doesn't know how to ride straight. I see this foundation hole a lot in green horses -- let me direct you to a link on my website that goes over this issue and how to fix it, if this is indeed the case there:

Riding Straight - Horse can't ride straight

Another issue that is a common cause of this kind of irrational behavior is what is called an "eye changing problem" -- let me direct you to another link on my site that talks about this & shows how to fix it:

Eye Changing Problem - What is an eye changing problem all about/how is it manifested?

It also goes without saying, but I'll say it anyhow, that sometimes pain/poor fitting saddle, etc., can be a cause of this kind of bucking behavior at the canter -- let me direct you to another link on my site that goes over saddle fit, etc.:

Saddle Fit - How to tell if horse's saddle fits well and what to know about pad

One more link I wanted to send you to on my web site in case you see some good ideas that will help you there:

Horse Bucks at the Canter

Hope at least some of this helps you there!

And please thank your brother and your husband for their service to our country!!

Further Help for Horses That Buck
Stop Bucking Downloadable E-Book Course
Written by John Lyons Certified Trainer Keith Hosman

Five-day E-book course teaches you how to make your horse quit bucking

Is this you? "I love my horse and I don't want to sell it but... it's trying to kill me."

• He explodes with no warning!

• I can't put anybody else on the horse

• He won't canter - he just bucks

• My horse is a lawn ornament

• I can't ride with my friends

• Will I break something today?

• One more time and he's going to the auction!

There is a way to truly break a horse from the dangerous habit of bucking. If you've you got the time and patience, the "Stop Bucking" online study course, written by John Lyons Certified Trainer Keith Hosman, will guide you through the process of transforming your horse into a calm partner. Not just a series of exercises, the course first arms you with the theories behind the material, enabling you to "think out of the box," to tailor your plan to your particular horse and situation.

You will not fix your horse in five days. That's not the promise. The promise is that you will find the tools and understanding you need to begin the hard work of "retraining" your horse in this study course.

Each chapter gives you a plan, a goal, some theory and homework. It may take you a week - and it might take you months to go through this material. Regardless, when you arrive at the other side, you will have made significant progress in your horse's training. Here's a rundown of the five segments:

• Day 1: "Don't Even Think of Getting On Until..."

• Day 2: "What Do I Do If My Horse Does Buck?"

• Day 3: "One Inch At A Time" and "The Calm Down Cue"

• Day 4: "The Crash Taught Me This" (Don't Make This Mistake)

• Day 5: "Demon Slaying" with Speed Control

The document is 23 pages long and comes in a format that every computer can read and print out called "pdf."

For more information, and to order Keith Hosman's Stop Bucking E-Book, CLICK HERE