How to stop a horse from bucking when I get him into a lope

There is a little quarter horse that I ride at my barn and he is usually a good horse, but whenever you give him any leg pressure or voice cues to get him to go faster he drops his head and pins his ears straight back. He will trot reluctantly but with his ears pinned back the whole time. But then, as soon as I ask for a lope, he might step it up, but he ends up bucking. Not huge bucks, but enough to where it is unacceptable. Does anyone know why he is doing this, and how to get him to quit? I know it might be possible that his back hurts to lope, but that doesnt explain why he gets mad being at a slow trot. Any help?

Have you had a vet out to check on the quarter horse to see if it has any pain issues going on?
It sounds like the horse is bucking because it hurts.

Absolutely would be my life it is a pain issue. Horses will certainly balk at trotting when they are in pain, as well as cantering. It depends on what exactly is causing their pain.

Ok, i'll see if we've had a vet out, thank you!

This can happen if your saddle is too long. Have you tried to get him to trot bareback? If he's ok, then it could be the saddle.The saddle as it touches his back should not be longer than his last true rib.

I didn't even thin about trying bareback, I will definitely try that! Thank you!

Sorry, but if a horse is bucking and a person turns to an internet forum to ask why, why would you tell her to try him bareback to see if he still bucks?!

OP, if you don't own the horse, have you brought this to the attention of his owner?

Have you talked to whatever professional is at the barn about the issue? And get them to work with you on it?

Rule out any pain or saddle fit issues, but it is up to the owner to take the horse to the vet or chiro. And you can check saddle fit without riding the horse. Find someone who can teach you to do that in person, rather than over the internet.

I would rule out any back issues, first.

Sheath could need cleaning too. That will cause some of this.

It could be you aren't a steady rider, and are bothering him.

Could be kissing spine, saddle fit, all sorts of things.

After pain is ruled out, I like to bring a horse that acts up when starting to canter back down to a nice, steady trot. When I have that easy trot, I will ask for a canter again. Sometimes this means doing fifty transitions, but I've found it works much better than pushing the horse forward and more or less riding out the little bucks. You have to stop the buck, not ride it. That said, I also find that you will never have a truly good canter until you have a good, balanced trot. Walk/trot transitions, circles, and change of direction at the trot will all help improve the balance of the gait. There are a lot of problems at the lower gaits that will only show themselves at the canter.
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