bucking!!

my pony bucks.... a lot - and pretty violently as well - ive managed to stick on to date but its crazy.... ive considered saddle, etc... any ideas to train it out of him? hes a lovely little man and would be even lovlier if he didnt buck!!!
any ideas??

The only way to prevent him bucking is to find the root cause of the problem.

Get a PROFESSIONAL saddle-fitter to check your saddle-fit, have a PROFESSIONAL Chiro check out his poll, neck, shoulders, back, hips etc. Get a PROFESSIONAL TRAINED dentist to check out his mouth & teeth for you.

What do you feed him and how much? How much work is he in? Does he buck after a specific thing, when you ask for canter for example, or does he buck randomly?

What bit is he wearing? Might be work getting a saddler to check that too as it may be pinching or hurting somewhere.

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There is never a music so sweet as a soft whinney at dawn

he bucked with his other owner as well, and just as bad.... advice i got was that he may have been ridden by inexperienced riders, heavy hands, had bad fitting saddles etc - the saddle he had now is the only one i could get my hands on and with help from where i agist it fits but its a stupid saddle and the front of the pommel sits quite low... but i pad it up so much when i do ride him that it sits ok and isnt causing him discomfort. As for where he bucks he bucks only in the arena - he hasnt bucked riding out as yet.... he bucks about 5 mins into working in the arena and last time i rode only stopped bucking once i started jumping about 2 ft.... and my sister refuses to ride him coz shes scared because the bucking is so violent - and hes only 12hh so i still ride because horses like that dont scare me haha... (i do trackwork atm so im getting gutsy lol)hes not overweight or anything, hes at a lovely weight and isnt on any 'hot' feed - im still experimenting with the amount and type coz ive only had him a couple of weeks and not much advice on what to feed him.
i need to get a new saddle for him too... and all the other stuff isnt a bad idea either!
hes happy with the bit as well...
i think hes just picked up bad habits over the years!
and im riding very soft in the hands with him as well...

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Definently have someone out to check your horses back. Where are you located and someone here might be able to give you some contact details.
By the sounds of the violent bucking I would guess your horse is definently sore so have a saddle fitter out also to double check it fits ok. Also check the rest of your tack.
It won't happen over night but with regular visits from your bowen therapist or who ever you choose and follow their advice your horse will come good.
Goodluck.

its not the fit of the saddle - even with his last owner who i lease him off had the right saddle for him and he still bucked - i think its psychological - but i want to get his back checked etc anyway - and he has very high withers so of course it would be difficult to find saddles to fit and so i dont know his life story but i do believe he has got a lot of bad habits - and im located in orange grove

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Horse's backs change. As they mature, as they progress in their schooling, as they lose or gain muscle or fat - their backs can change shape enough to warrant a re-fit done.

Please have the saddle and bridle checked by a professional anyway to 100% rule out a pain issue. And yes, do get his back checked too.

If you've had professionals look him over from top to tail and he's still doing it then yes it is likely to be phsycological.

What and how much are you feeding him? Is he on pasture and what kind? Some feeds can be very heating and few people realise that particular kind of feed can be!

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There is never a music so sweet as a soft whinney at dawn

hes getting about half a really small bucket of chaff, and a couple of handfuls of lucerne, and some barley... and oaten hay, hes out in a paddock with not much feed as its all dissapearing in the season so hes getting extra hay to make up for it haha, but soon the paddock is gonna about triple in size because the paddock up top is about to be fenced off because of the lack of grazing..
as for a proffesional for his sadle, bridle, back etc do you have any reccomendations?

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OK, rare, but oaten hay can make a horse fizzy, switch to wheaten and try it for a few weeks to see if it helps any. I know a lady who couldn't feed her TB oaten hay as he'd act up on it.

I would recommend a lady called Margo to check his back for you, she's a qualified equine vet who also went back to uni to study for her animal chiropractic degree & she's very good.: 0407061350

As for a saddler, try Gary Johnson from saddles plus, he's excellent: 041 790 0023

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There is never a music so sweet as a soft whinney at dawn

just wondering about how much this will cost?
thanks Smile

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OK I haven't had Margo out for a while but I beleive she's $110 per visit. But I stress here, yes it is pricey but you will get exceptional service from a very experienced and FULLY quaified person.

Im pretty sure the saddler charges $60 Smile

Well worth it if it stops the bucking Smile

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There is never a music so sweet as a soft whinney at dawn

thankyou^^
hopefully i'll get paid enough for at least margo to come out at some point soon hehe

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Great idea as Margo will be able to tell if it is the saddle or an unrelated problem by checking his body over. The other thing is, she'll be able to tell if he's had a fall in the paddock which you may not know he's done, which can cause pain which in turn can cause bucking etc.

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There is never a music so sweet as a soft whinney at dawn