Excitement Turning to a buck?

Luckily this is just practice so there isn't a crowd or any score right now so I have the time to ask him to slow down most of the time without penalty etc. And these would be the people I'd call anyways I guess to practice on since they're the only ones who would understand lol. Luckily we haven't been exiled since he has actually mildly improved.

He gets right back to focusing rather well...so I guess I'll give it time. How long did it take your mare? Did you do anything special besides basically just practice and exposure?

I have to put my patience pants on huh....damn

Here is a video of Belle doing her bunny hop. She just started cantering under saddle a handful of times. She seems to just get excited! So, this last time, she didn't do it when I first ask her to canter, as usual......instead, she did it half way down the arena in the canter and I fell off and have pins in my finger and a cast. After I fell, she stood there and looked at me like, "Hey are we going to do that again!".....lol

Ok Sky, I just read the post you made on the thread about canter problems with a lease horse who is unbalanced at the canter. You mentioned your horse hopping due to a lack of enough muscle basically so I'm assuming the hop helps them propel into the canter better? Which totally makes sense....this guy is out out shape, that could be a definite factor on top of being around horses. Trot trot trot it is for awhile?

That sounds painful old horse lady! He's only given me one big buck mid canter but that was when he hadn't been out the three previous days and totally my fault not giving him an outlet for all that energy. I'm going to go remind myself that I shouldn't worry about falling now....Oh and Belle's hops sound/look familiar. I've only felt not seen them from my POV though haha

Well, I guess I shouldn't be so dramatic in calling it a 'buck' anyway....more of a bunny hop! Would make sense that Belle is just out of shape and unbalanced.

They look like they feel awful big though! I don't think I could ride a draft, I'm a wimp.

Yes it is!!! It feels like she is vaulting you to the moon! She is SUCH a good girl though....no way she is trying to intentionally unseat me.

Yes exactly. They spring into it because they don't have the strength or balance to go into it smoothly.

Practicing cantering on the lunge line (without tack, then with) will help a lot. Paired with trot to canter and canter to trot transitions (lots of them) will help your horse become even more efficient at the canter under-saddle.

~~

The mare isn't mine, it was a friend's that I schooled in the warm up pen since she was too nervous to.

Just keeping her going forward and pushing her through her attempts to attack other horses. I stayed out of her face and used more seat and leg and put her into circles and figures when she tried anything.

Being consistent and not changing my emotions. Acting like everything is the same, no big deal, and she caught on quickly.

As for my gelding, any horse in the arena and he enjoys snuggling up to them. So I worked on the same basics leg yielding away from the horses and going to and fro until I felt him quit his attempts to hover toward them. Except you'd stop when you felt your horse stay relaxed and focused on you. Once they get tense, put them back to work.

Hope that helps! It's a process.

TOTALLY helps! Thank you :) staying out of his face as his excitement builds but putting him to work with legs is good. I'll have to relax a bit myself but *deep breath* I can do this lol.
Posted via Mobile Device