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Discussion on "Playful" (?) bucking on trail at canter
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Member:
3rsatsmf
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Posted on Friday, Sep 17, 2004 - 1:02 pm:
I have a 6 yo Friesian gelding, 16H1, about 1600 lbs. He's a very nice trail horse; super-quiet and not forward at all. He doesn't like to canter and as a matter of fact, we still don't canter on the right lead; he only canters on the left. But I'm fine with that.
When I do take him for a run on trail, he'll go about 100 yards, and then buck. He comes right back to me with a simple "Remy, Whoa", and stops dead in his tracks. I just don't get the feeling he's trying to toss me because he could, if he wanted to.
So, I'm thinking they're those "happy bucks" where he is "feeling good" (or so I've been told). Any thoughts on how to address this issue on the trail, without fighting?
I haven't checked his saddle fit, but he's still growing so I d
Thanks,
Joni
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Member:
Cowgrl
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Posted on Friday, Sep 17, 2004 - 5:20 pm:
I would definitely check his saddle fit first. If that's not the cause, then I would have the vet evaluate him. Does your horse buck when he's on the lunge without a saddle?
My horse used to do the same and I thought he was doing "happy bucks" but it was the saddle that was causing pain. I changed saddles and he was a different horse. He'd canter along as long as I wanted on a nice long rein with no buck.
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Member:
Christos
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Posted on Friday, Sep 17, 2004 - 6:49 pm:
Hi Joni,
The one thing I remember from the few Friesians I have seen is that their back was very flat, to the extend that they'd need, it appeared to me, an extra wide tree, if not a special saddle. A medium tree would pinch them horribly, I think.
If it is not the saddle fit, it can be, of course, the happy bucks you describe. Kind of expected from a young horse on its first trail canters. No big deal.
But you should not allow him to stop right after bucking, he may easily associate bucking with stopping and then he may buck every time he wants to stop.
It is fairly easy to correct this. Just don't let him canter long enough to get excited on the first canter. Go for five-ten steps, come back to trot until he calms down, then canter again some twenty steps, come back to trot and so on.
I wouldn't want a young horse to canter in an excited manner. It can easily escalate to rein pulling or running away with you altogether, both very difficult to correct afterwards.
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Member:
Mrose
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Posted on Saturday, Sep 18, 2004 - 9:06 am:
My first Arab, who I got when he was 2 yrs. old, did one little buck everytime we went for a trail ride, regardless of saddle or even if bareback. He did this even at almost 30 yrs. of age. It was never a "hard" buck, and I just grew to expect it as his little "quirk." Infact, on the rare occassion that he didn't start out a ride this way, I worried about him.
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Member:
3rsatsmf
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Posted on Sunday, Sep 19, 2004 - 5:38 pm:
Thank you for all the great ideas! I hate the thought of his saddle not fitting, because it is a custom. It was not made for him, but for my large-barreled, 15H3 Paint; it cost me a fortune! But if that is the problem, so be it. He doesn't buck in the arena, though, and we canter longer there, than on trail....
But I like all of these suggestions, and I'm going to try every single one, even the new saddle. I've been wanting to try one of those Fryso saddles, just for Friesians...
P.S. - If it is the saddle, Remy says "thanks" too. Otherwise, he's not so thrilled that he won't get to stop mid-canter. 
Best Regards,
Joni
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