I have a 7 year old welsh D x and I have only had her 6 months. She has some spook issues in hand and while being ridden and I have been doing ground work with her to address these. Recently on a hack with other horses she seemed to spook at nothing but her reaction was to take a massive cat leap forward followed by a massive buck that send me flying.
When loose she trotted over to the others and started eating.
I got back on her and we all walked back home - Im looking for adv on what to do when she reacts like that.. (1) if I manage to stay on and (2) if she gets me off, when I get back on.
Iv had adv to dicipline her with the stick but dont want to go down that road, but how do you communicate that bucking is not a behaviour I want.
Thanks
Hi Claire
I agree, it's not a behaviour you want :-)However, can I also respectfully suggest that you should not be riding a horse that bucks you off as this can become a repeating habit with a positive result for the horse (i.e. you get off!). Regarding the 'spooking at nothing', I know it can seem like nothing to us but they do see and hear much more than we do, how many times have I thought, "there's noting there" only a couple of minutes later to see/hear what they see. Good for you for refusing to use a stick, you are right, it won't help and in fact could make things worse.
A typical progress plan could be: (1) You continue with the groundwork covering all the basics (see Kelly and Montys books/lessons etc.), (2) Extra work on the desensitising to whatever it is that bothers her (no matter how 'silly' it seems to us) (3) progress to long lining under saddle so that she really understands the signals from the reins etc. (5) Begin to ride in a safe environment to assess how she behaves ridden (4) Walk the route that she spooks at (unridden) and watch her behaviour reactions and focus on anything that is an issue. Only then start to ride again out. I know it seems a bit long-winded but by breaking the process down you can begin to identify exactly what it is that is bothering her.
If you have any doubts about your techniques/abilty to re-train her get some professional help in - the expense is worth it I promise if it prevents you from potentially receiving nasty injuries after being bucked off.
Along with the above mentioned advice:
1. I would have the horse checked by a vet to rule out any physical causes.
2. Make sure your saddle fits correctly. An incorrect saddle fit can cause serious pain.
3. Do a self assessment to make sure you are not the cause of the problem, ie; heavy hands, not being centered, etc.
4. On the ground put a lateral mouth on your horse by flexing head around to touch the body on both sides.
5. Practice the one rein stop. This is what you need to do the moment your horse signals you that it is going to react. This one rein stop each and every time will stop this leaping and bucking because you will be shutting down the trigger for this bad behavior. He can not buck to any great degree when you have his head around and he can't cat leap when you have his head around. And anything that does not work for the horse he will stop doing! Be thorough, and safe.
I agree with both boldy1056 and viccihh1 but I would also recommend firstly asking a friend or relative to film you riding in a safe environment-this can be a great help in finding out what you could do to ride your mare better and therefore making you more secure- and secondly I would very strongly recommend that you try Join-Up with your mare. I have also recently found a horse that was quite spooky, but I quickly realised that I was part of the problem as I was tensing up and leaning forward, causing my horse to be more worried. After successfully completing Join-Up with him, I found myself far more able to put trust in him and our relationship has now gone from strength to strength. I would also second the idea of getting your saddle checked- bucking and leaping are common signs of back pain. A new saddle worked miracles for my horse! Finally, although I have heard many good things about the one rein stop, but it could cause more damage if used in an inappropriate situation. There are alternatives, for example the cavalry stop and the pulley rein stop. Search 'cavalry stop' into google and have a look at the HorseAdvice.com page, which has views on all three types of stop. I hope this helps and good luck with your horse!