A horse that I am beggining to barrel race on is giving me some problems. She's well adjusted to trotting the barrels, but now, whenever I ask her to go faster, she bucks. If I continue, then she continues bucking. Wether I just click my toungue or give her a little kick to get going, she trys to buck!! She also bucks on occasion when we are loping. any ideas???
First few things I always look into if I have a horse that bucks is tack fit and soreness. If her tack fits properly, and she does not have any other medical issues then you can properly address the bucking from a training perspective.
First and foremost, make sure that nothing you are doing is creating the issue. If your in the horses mouth constantly, or have a sloppy seat that is uncomfortable for the horse, you could be creating the issue. If that is not the problem, you-need-to ride her through the bucking. Most horses that buck do so because they are either uncomfortable (which by now should've been ruled out) or because they don't want to do what you're asking of them. in that case, you need to make the right thing easy for them and the wrong thing difficult. Pushing them through the bucks and only allowing them to stop when they give you a stride or two with no bucking. Then a few more strides, etc . When they don't buck, stop and let them have time to stand and relax. You can also canter starting in smaller circles and slowly creating bigger ones. And remember, it is more difficult for a horse to buck when their hindquarters are disengaged . So if the bucks are too big to ride through, bend the horses head around to your knee and get her hindquarters disengaged. Your safety should always come first. If the bucks are too much, you may want to find someone who-can- ride though them to help you out.
Have you tried checking the saddle for fit? If she's gaining muscle, the saddle might be pinching her withers. What about the bridle/bit? Does it fit well? Is the bit a comfortable one for her? Is her back sore?
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Whenever a horse starts bucking, the first thing you want to think about is "pain." Pain in the back, pain in the mouth, pain in the legs. Once pain is ruled out, check your position. Are you leaning, are you pulling on her mouth, are you jabbing her with your legs?
If none of this is a problem, then you can move to training. Make sure she doesn't have any holes in her training. Go back to basics and start cantering all over again. If she bucks, ride through it. When you can get a good canter on the rail, then go back to the barrel pattern. Maybe she just needs a break from the pattern - do you ever trail ride or do anything more interesting?
I personally dont like using spurs, crops are sometimes ok personally i like to do circles, take your inside rein and pull it in and make her do tight circles for a minute then go again, this makes them work many horses will try to avoid having to work, once they make the relation between bucking and circles it stops, where as crops can confuse and anger them making it more difficult.
Get yourself a crop or a whip, so every time she bucks you swat her on the butt, and ride her through the buck. Don ' t give in and let her get away with it!
have you tried wearing spurs .... a few good kicks with them then she'll settle down.
sounds like over training, take her out and do a trail ride for a few days.
