Bucking Problem

Hey everyone. my dad has this horse, and he is about 8 years olf or so I think, and he is a bucker. Many of people have rode him, but they all get bucked off or jarred in the groin. He was trained and goes good, but sometimes he will jsut blow up, and other times he will go good. People have rode him all day and he has went well, and then out of the blue jsut explodes without warning. My boyfriend and dad both agree that he looks sore when he walks and that could be the problem. I agree with him looking sore, but he has done that since he was first broke in. So is it possible that he has been sore since he was 2 and no one took the time to check him out? He has been bucked out before but he doesn't always buck when asked so it isn't really for fun that he does it, from what I have seen. Any suggestions.

There could be so many variables here. Anywhere from teeth, to feet, to back being out of alignment, just all sorts of things.

I'd start first with a vet, to pull blood - anything's wrong with mine, that's the first thing I do, even though it woudln't have anything to do with bucking, check teeth, feet, etc. Like a full physical exam, maybe have a chiropractor look at him, too, see if he's out of alignment.

Try to narrow it down to what's causing it and trying to get it fixed. Which is the hard part! Don't you wish hroses could talk!

It is very possible that he has been sore since he was broke out, and that riding him continued to aggrivate whatever was going on with him. Also, have you checked your tack? Does it fit well?

How often is he ridden? and when he is riddin, for how long? Does he have shoes on?

Well he has had a couple of owners. He has been rode in a feed lot and would go good all day, and then in the last hour of work, just explode. Or he would explode in the beginning of the day and then be fine the rest of the day. Or, one time i saddled him up while tied to a post and the minutes I walked away to get the bridle, he just started bucking and bucking. Then I tried longeing him after, and he bucked circles around me. He didn't look sore but I wasn't relaly looking for that. I just thought he was spoiled horse. no he doesn't have shoed on anymore.

Hmmmm. I'd start with the vet 1st and foremost, then the farrier and
then his tack. If all of those things check out okay, you may want to
enlist the help of a "reputable" trainer.

I would really reccomend having a chiro out to look at him. Some horses are super prone to things like having a rib pop out of place, muscle tensing in the back, etc. Because it's so sporadic, I would trace it back to most like soreness, especially if he's been doing it for as long as he has. You have to think, when a horse is sore, and left untreated, they usually just get more sore, and the fact that he's being ridden often could really be making him ouchy. Anything else I would have to say would be nuerological (sp?). Vet and Chiro is a good place to start. If he's been bucked out, it's obviously not solely a behavioral problem.

You ought talk to the person that posts KIDD on here. Most of your racing folks, study the horses movement, and soreness Hard. If they are sore they won't run as well, so it's there lively hood. A friend of ours, races T-Bs and he can come over, and turn his thumb on the side, start running it over the horses body and could tell me everywhere it is hurting. My Stallion was moving stiff, he came over and told me everywhere he was hurting, He started to show me what to do to relieve the soreness. It was really interesting.

Well I would have him checked out just to be on the safe side. What bothers me is that you say he rides fine can be rode all day without any issues then out of the blue he will blow up.

I had a mare like this years ago, I could go in and win a western riding pattern, trail ride her all day, do anything on her then she would just all of a sudden blow up for no reason at all.

I had her checked out from head to toe there was nothing wrong with her she was just an unstable horse who you never knew when the wind would just blow up her butt the wrong way and she took to bucking like a rodeo bronc. Then when it was over she would jog or lope off sweet as you please. That mare got sold

Hmm, see if you can get pics and video - would help a TON!
Its amazing what you can single out on a pic that you miss live sometimes!

Personally I would:
- Check for heat everywhere!
- Check for muscle soreness (back/shoulder/stiffle/butt)
- Flex completely front and back and do a full blown flex!
- Look at every single piece of tack you use on the horse...make sure it fits well AND make sure it is clean...use a very very very mild detergent (dove dish soap works for me) and make sure it gets rinsed out...sometimes its the little things when a horse bucks...
- Clean his sheath

I will try to get some picts and videos. And some days he looks sore, but then the weather is changing and he is out there running and bucking and playing with the rest of the horses. And when he does, he isn't dragging behind, he is usually near the front and seems to not have a care in the world. He is jsut a strange horse.

I have a 2yo that BOUNCES off the walls of his stall...he's our little popcorn... but he is sore as all get out in his shoulders and he can put on a GLORIOUS show!!!

Sometimes they are so happy they ignore the pain - and sometimes it doesn't "really" hurt until they have someone on their back - sorta like you can have a cut on your hand that does't really hurt and doesn't keep you from doing things and then you get lemon juice on it and all of the sudden it hurts like a sonofagun - then eventually it doesn't hurt anymore...

what would concern me is if this a pain issue this has been going on so long it may have now become a behavioral issue too and once you get it corrected you may have a lot more training ahead of you - not ment to be a downer just trying to keep it realistic so you don't think once you find out maybe there is something causing him pain that it is an instant cure horses can really become a creature of habit- good luck and keep us posted!

Well someone suggested the same thing. Because this horse is like 8 now, and has been like that for years, and if it can be corrected, then he is going to have to possibly go back into training because he might have just become accustomed to bucking all the time, because when he does, no one rides him, not because they are scared, but because no one knows what is wrong with him. So if he learnt that while being hurt (if he is hurt) then he will probebly still do it after he is better (if he gets better).

Your dad has had a guy work on his back a few times, hasn't he?

No. dad hasn't had anyone work on him back yet. I don't think unless he didn't tell me, like everything else dad does, he never tells me anything. You know my dad!