That sounds like a great idea :-)

Great idea!

Great idea

I think a lesson, (and maybe there is one i have not found yet,) about teaching your horse to be tied.
Some of you may have read about my filly and the fence. She was never the greatest at being tied, and i have been re- teaching her. i tied her to a tree yesterday, and she instantly started pulling back, like it was new to her, but i can tie her in the barn just fine.
Does anyone have any ideas?

Monty says in one of his Q&A that if a horse is rearing or bucking you should not be on it's back.
This is not safe!
The horse has bad ground manners and needs to be taught to stand completely still while on the ground, not a muscel is allowed to move and they are to be schooled immediately if they move a foot in any way.
His video on standing still works.
A suggestion if this happens again and you are on it's back,
pull your horse's head towards your knee, in a downward motion until they come to a close stop and dismount immediately.
There is also a video on bucking and rearing and how to stop this, again from the ground. Take no chances, it's not worth it.
There is a lesson on teaching a horse to be tied: teaching it to stand still!!!
This is one of the most important things for your horse to learn.
If a horse can stand still it will stand still when tied.
Back to basics is sometimes what is needed.
When a horse has learned to pull on it's halter it is referred to a remidial horse and needs to learn to stand still!
The dually halter teaches this very easily and quickly. The video is there for all the above problems, under dually halter: standing still.

Majestic,I totally agree with you that if you know your horse is prone to these behaviors and you are not trained enough in those areas to handle the problem yourself,you should not be on the horse and need get pro help. However, there can be situations where, for example, a large fly might bite your horse while you are riding and he starts bucking. I would like advice on how to safely ride it out. Or, if your horse suddenly takes off, what is the best way to stay calm and safe and deal with the situation? Even the most calm and trained horse can have unexpected issues and I think it is important to know how to handle them safely and calmly.This is especially true for someone like me who is newer to riding and handling horses.

I agree with maderighteos. Horses are flight animals and may on occassion spook or something causes them to run off or buck or rear. I was on a run-away horse and his behavior caused another horse in the lesson to rear- it was maddness. The rider on the rearing horse stayed on (thankfully) and the horse I was on finally settled. Through out the runaway I stayed with him making samller and smaller circles- it was not easy and I did not canter for almost a year following that incident. It took a long time to calm myself down enough to ask for the canter.
In any case some "doable actions" while in a dangerous situantion would be very helpful. I have heard of instructors who teach people how to fall off with the least anount of injury, but i do not know of any.
Take care
richandi

Greetings
Ronda is correct in saying that you should not ride a horse that is bucking or tends to run away. I would take it a little further and say you should never ride a horse that is beyond your ability. I have seen this happen enough times that you can predict the outcome, which is usually not good.
That being said every rider should know how to gain back the control of a horse that is out of control. If a horse starts to run off, don't try to ride it out and gain control with time. Immediately turn that horse is the tightest circle you can, keep a very deep seat and stay calm. Do not yell or event talk to the horse. If you turn them quickly they do not getup enough speed and once they are turning in a tight circle, ease up on the reins and ask them to stop and stand. The calmer you stay the better chance you have of gaining control quickly.
As far as a bucking horse goes, a horse cannot buck if it's head is up and turn to the stirrups. Bumping their head up with the reins and asking them to stop or turn in a tight circle will help control the horse. Also don't be afraid to grab onto the saddle or their mane and make sure you don;t lean forward.
If you are young enough and have a good place to practice, it is not a bad idea to learn how to come off a horse with our hurting yourself. At my age I am going to stick like glue to the horse. Come off would not be good!

Hope this helps
Cheers

The answer to that question would be to use the dually halter I guess.

Great advice!
I completely concur with Dennis on how to stop the horse by pulling up the head and make tight circles.
(Not so easy in a dense forest, though - I know!)
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I like to add some advice of my own:
If they rear up be careful to lean forward as much as you can. Grab around the neck with one hand and use the other to pull ONE rein down and TO THE SIDE. '
Never ever pull back, or straight down, or both reins, as this might topple the horse.
If you feel it is on the way up, you can lock one hand behind your knee - that pulls the head around and keeps the horse going in tight circles. But you need to be quick or the horse will be too strong for you.
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Here's a tip on how to stay on if your horse starts to buck for whatever reason. A friend of mine was taught this by an old military rider and it has worked for her for 50 years.
Soon as you can; push your legs forward and grab the back of the saddle with one hand and pull yourself back and down. Lift the other hand to get the head up.
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Eamon Hickey - an Irish-born horse-trainer (but lives here in Sweden)whose concepts are a lot like Monty's, starts out buy teaching every horse to turn around him in a tight circle to make sure he controls the legs.
When the horse willingly yields two laps with the inner hindleg stepping under and in front of the outer, he stops, rub its forehead. Then he proceeds to push the front away; now the horse should step over in front with the near fore.
This is done from both sides repeatedly during training and whenever the horse is crowding you. The goal is to easily turn it two laps around you and then one step away with its front.
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When the horse relax in both directions, and bends its neck easily, he has created a base for a (young) horse that says "when you have your head turned like this, I am in control and things are safe."
When he eventually goes on to mount a green horse, he gather up the near rein first, to bend the neck so that it stands still and relaxed. If it starts to move, he just keeps turning it until it realizes it isn't going anywhere and stops.
This has helped lots of riders to these horses. When they ran into trouble they could just turn the head and the horse would remember the situation and stop, no matter how frightened they had been. The effect has been proved to last up to two years after Eamon worked with them.

Thank you very much Dennis,
That is what I was trying to say! Turn the horse and a safe way to do this is to tuck it's head close to your knee that will cause circles. For me it is a said to remain quiet, breath deeply.
Bucking, for me, I have always held on tightly, my brother-in-law said I had glue on my backside. Once the horse calmed down I immediately dismounted and tried to figure out the problem.
One time it was a huge horsefly stuck under the saddle, biting like crazy. The horse was in pain and started acting up, I remained calm and held on, turned it's head and when he stopped, back him up a few steps and dismounted.
It's worked for me, so far I've never been thrown or fallen off. Hope to keep it that way. I don't take chances.
If you are a new rider there are two recommendations:
Make sure your horse is safe in any situation, regardless of unexpected circumstances, a good mount will not OVER-REACT.
Secondly there is groundwork you can do to teach a horse to turn, for a newbie this may not be a great idea but you can always get help from a more experienced person.
With a halter and reins on the horse, stand on either side beside the shoulder. With both reins in your hands which are placed on the upper cresent, turn the horse's head towards you in a downward motion until it's nose touches your elbow.
Do this on both sides, it's called lateral turning.
Keep doing this until there is no tension or resistance from the horse and it stands compelety still.
The horse will then know that when you are on it's back and turn it's head in this fashion it will stand compeletly still, giving you time to dismount.
This takes time and patience but it's one of the greatest safety precautions you can do for your horse and self.
Put yourself and the horse in all types of situations and outside stimulations while you are doing this, they will learn to tune it out.
For me, we have A LOT of huge bugs and I take advantage of this when training, STAR has to stand completely still, regardless, schooling with a halter when she even moves a little, moving in any way is not permitted.
When she has done what has been asked of her she gets great praise and comfort from me.
Hope this helps,
Ronda

For bucking and taking off, the rider might have to take some of the blame. Putting your weight in your arms, and "balancing on the mouth" often makes them buck. I agree with what dennis is saying- the One Rein stop, seams to be what dennis is describing. Mejestec is describing something like a 1 rein stop, too. Take one rein and turn the horse around- its an emergency brake. If the Start to buck, DO NOT LET THEM GET THERE HEAD DOWN!!!!!!

Absolutely, no head down. Keep it high and to the side and get off !!
Ronda

Hi!
I have just been to the Monty Roberts Special Training Clinic this year and we did also have a bucking horse and a pullback-horse!
Here is what Monty did:
He put a buck-stopper on the bucking horse, and after two jumps the horse stopped bucking. In fact, this horse was not only a bucker, he was most afraid of the rider on his back, but the buck-stopper stopped him from bucking. This buck-stopper is also available in the shop of the MRILC, but maybe also in his online-shop. Otherwise just send them an e-mail, maybe they can send you one. Here is also a video I found on Youtube. It shows how effective the buck-stopper is. Monty recommends to let your horse wear it for at least the next half year when riding it. The special knots are best demonstrated in his book "From My Hands To Yours". Here is the link to the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5O4JHJhiUE
I think some of the horses we had in the course will also be put on the Uni!
For the pullback-horse I can only advise using the Dually Halter and training standing still and using the "Leader" and the "D". The Leader is an elastic leadrope, while the D is build up of a large wall (approx. 8 meters in length and 2,5 meters in heigth) and some panels. This technique is also best demonstrated in "From My Hands To Yours" and maybe the video made in the course will occur in the Uni, too.
Otherwise I can only recommend to watch the DVD "Fix Up".
Hope I could help.
Best wishes from Hamburg, Germany.
Cheers Jasmin

For the runaway horse I would recommend training with spooky things, especially those that spook your own horses, like plastic shopping bags, tarpaulins, bridges, etc.
Cheers

I've been watching Monty's YouTube video on the buck stopper. I would love to see this broght into a University Lesson and expanded. I bought a 4 year old gelding who was rescued from going to slaughter at 3 years old. He is sweet, easy to handle on the ground, trains well, great getting bridle on; and as far as I know, he's bucked off everyone who's tried to ride him. He has been vet checked and there are no issues with his back. So I was excited to find Monty's video but it doesn't go into how to rig the gumline and I want to be sure to do it correctly.

jstoddart

Have you had a saddle on your horse yet? Your horse is only three years old so I know he could not have had very much training if he is bucking everyone off. I would not start out with the buck stopper until I was sure that the horse would always buck. It takes time and patience to have a horse get use to a saddle. We always start our ground work with young horses with a saddle on their back but no stirrups that will bang into their sides. The next thing we do is just lay across their back with the saddle on. Be sure to have someone at their head so they don't just walk away. When we feel confident that the horse will tolerate someone sitting on them we put them in the round pen with a lounge line attached and do our first ride. All we do at first is to sit the horse and ask him to walk a few steps then stop and reward him with a rub. After a short time you will have him walking without issue.
Horses usually buck when they are forced into a situation that don't like. Event the best trained horse will buck if provoked. The only time I would use a buck stopper if I have done all the ground work and desensitizing and he is bucking out of habit and needs to just go through a good experience with a rider to get over it.

Cheers

Hi Dennis,
Thanks for your comments and I should clarify; he was rescued last summer at 3 years old, he is now 4 years old. I purchased him from the couple who rescued him. I know he was sent for a month's training last winter and was sold to me after he bucked both of his previous owners off (both of whom are accomplished riders). I got him in June and went back to the basics, his groundwork and manners are excellent, he is willing to work and seems eager to please. He has now been saddled, driven with long lines and free lunged; all without issue. He hop/bucks as soon as weight is put on him. I have been slowly trying to get him to accept weight while standing... we have hits and misses, but if he takes a step with the weight on his back he starts bucking like mad!! I wish I knew what happened before he was sent to slaughter!?!?!? Cheers and thanks again.

One thing that I notice that Monty does is use a dummy rider that is ties don to the saddle and then he lets the horse loose in the round pen. Eventually the horse quits bucking and then a real rider gets on but is prepared for the horse to buck. If he starts crow hopping or bucking the rider just holds tight to the saddle until the horse quits. This usually take two or three jumps. The bucking does not look to be all that powerful and if the horse cannot get his head down he cannot buck your with any power I guess if you still are un able to ride him then yes indeed the buck stopper would be the answer. I would just use that as a last resort, since you know it will work if applied correctly. The buck stopper justs keeps the horses head up, thus no more bucking
Good luck and let us know how you are progressing. It is helpful to know what works for you.

Cheers

Hi jstoddart!
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If the problem is moving the horse with the weight on his back, I would recommend not only a vet checking his back, but also a horse chiropractor.
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How to rig the gumline is best declared in Monty's book "From My Hands To Yours". There are also pictures so that you can do it step by step. Maybe just practice it on the ground before putting buck-stopper and saddle on your horse.
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After the scene you have seen in the video Monty puts a dummy rider ("Herman the German") onto the horse's back and lets him loose, as Dennis already said. When the horse stops bucking and is fine with the dummy, he puts a rider on the horse.
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In the case of the horse we had at our course at Flag Is Up, the horse was not a hard bucking horse, two jumps with the buck-stopper and he quit.
But the bigger problem was that he was terrified of the dummy-rider or any human riders sitting on his back. He paniced and did not want to stop running.
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Cheers,
Jasmin

Hi Dennis and renjaho ...

I'm going to try a dummy, and keep with it slowly. I'll keep you informed on our progress.

Thanks ... Jayne

Just a last recommendation: Use a SMALL (!) dummy! The terrified horse we had in the Special Training Clinic got calmer with the small dummy. And be careful!

I was at Monty's and watched him work with a huge 2 year old steel grey TB stallion "pull back" horse. He explained the Queen had problems with her horses as pull back horses because they spent so much time stalled. That was the first time I had heard of "The Leader". The colt gave a huge pull on the leader and he did not have any resistance and almost sat on his behind. Quite a new sensation for this kid. If that colt could talk he would have said what the heck just happened. It was brilliant. He was in a round pen with the leader hooked to one of the support timbers. Next one of the instructors placed two panels of fencing in a V behind him so that he knew how much room he had behind him. No pain no fear and the kid taught himself this is a silly idea and I should stop doing this. Intrinsic learning!