March 15, 2024
Being bucked off a horse can lead to several kinds of injuries, including everything from a pinched nerve to a spine fracture. When your horse is bucking and cutting your riding short, we suggest figuring out why your horse may be bucking instead of risking anything from a minor injury to permanent paralysis.
But figuring out why your horse is bucking may be easier said than done. In actuality, there are several common reasons why horses start bucking. This gives you a place to start, and while you’re trying to discern the cause of this strange equine behavior, we can also suggest some solutions.
One of the solutions for dangerous and strange equine behavior is Gladiator Equine’s Reign Ease® device, which can help calm your horse.
Understanding How a Buck Happens
Before we can address the issue, it’s important to understand if your horse is actually bucking, or if you’re witnessing a different kind of horse behavior entirely. A buck is where they get on their hind legs and attempt to throw you off. More than that, a buck from your horse is how a horse communicates its distress, conflict, or misunderstanding.
Horses are intelligent creatures, but they lack safer ways to communicate with you. They are animals, specifically prey animals, so they spook more easily than some more common domesticated animals. Due to their large size and strength, if their bucks are ignored, they can escalate into more aggressive behavior and pose a dangerous risk to you.
Reasons for Bucking
1. Physical Pain
Physical discomfort is one of the most common and simple reasons a horse might buck. Many things can cause your horse physical pain, and pain causes distress. If the saddle doesn’t fit correctly, or if there is an underlying health issue, then riding can quickly become torture for your horse.
2. Psychological Trappings
We mentioned before that horses are prey animals. Because of this, they will often react from a place of fear. Certain objects, sounds, and even the discipline of their rider can invoke a fight-or-flight response. Bucking can be an attempt to flee from a perceived danger or to assert dominance over a situation that has them anxious or frustrated.
3. You’re Not Stern Enough With Your Horse
Domesticating an animal also includes training it to be obedient. If you don’t properly train your horse, your horse may buck as an act of defiance. Horses require leadership if they’re being trained for equestrian performances. Without clear boundaries and direction, they can become stressed or resistant to your requests, leading to a display of unruliness.
How to Prevent Being Bucked Off Your Horse
Don’t rely on being able to predict when your horse will buck you off. Look out, but also prepare for when it may happen. You never know when something will come up and frighten your horse. You can’t control everything, even if you train them to be obedient when calm.
If a horse tries to buck because it is spooked, it’s not likely to buck again once the cause is gone. While it’s bucking, you want to avoid falling off and being injured. Making sure you’re saddled correctly can do that.
An ill-fitting saddle can cause two problems. It doesn’t strap you in safely, and it can cause your horse pain, which may also cause it to buck. Make sure your saddle is properly put on, and that it’s in good condition.
Prevent Your Horse From Bucking
Preventing bucking requires both time and resources. A thorough warm-up routine means maintaining your horse’s peak physical well-being and employing consistent training techniques. Being inconsistent doesn’t help your horse and doesn’t protect you.
1. Never Skip a Good Warm-Up
A good warm-up is key to avoiding muscular injury and serves as an opportunity for a horse and rider to get in sync. Slow, controlled exercises and the process of communication well before the serious riding begins can ward off any territorial impulses.
2. Consistency Is Key
A horse learns best when it’s receiving consistent and constant lessons, just like people. The more consistent you are, the more likely they are to remember what you’re teaching them. By establishing and maintaining clear commands, boundaries, and rewards, you create a confident horse who trusts you.
3. Gladiator Equine’s Reign Ease® Device
The Reign Ease® PRO-C specializes in calming and relaxing horses. It can help your horse without using medication. Instead, it stimulates your horse’s cerebellum and enhances their responsiveness to your aids and commands.
More than that, it promotes relaxation in your horse’s head-to-neck connection. This improves suppleness in the neck and upper back, which can also positively impact the horse’s stride and extension. This makes it an invaluable training tool to prevent horse bucking.
Contact Gladiator Equine For More Information About the Reign Ease PRO® Equine Behavioral and Healing Device
Preventing bucking equates to preventing a future injury. With the Reign Ease® PRO and other horse training techniques, you can protect yourself and your horse when you’re training, competing, or just riding recreationally. Stay safe, and take care of your horse with our device. Contact us today for more information.
