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  Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
  
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | This may get long, but my gelding I bought to show bucked my butt off 2 days ago. Here is his background.
I put the first 3 rides on him last fall after his last show as a 2yr old. The rides were really spaced out, like weeks apart just because of weather or shipping cattle etc. He had a lot of ground work done and he never bucked with the saddle the first 5 times or so. The 2nd ride, he did buck, playfully, when saddled. But not while I rode him in the round pen at a walk and trot. He also bucked playing when I lunged him saddled a few times after that. Ride 3 he did really good at first, but when I asked him to turn to the right he kind of spooked, jumped and then bucked a little rolling buck and got me off. I worked his behind off and got back on and he was great. Decided it was time to just send him off as I wasn't having the time to work him steady. All this time he was on Ultium, locked in a corral and pretty fed up.
The trainer had him 30-40 days and he was off grain the day I dropped him off. He was pretty playful at first, but great under saddle and never never bucked. The day I went to pick him up he cut his foot so he had a good 30-45 days off before I started to work with him again. He was also back on his Ultium. The first 3 days or so I saddled him, he bucked and this was after I lunged him outside first. It wasn't so playful this time, but not hard. Just a jump up and lunge forward. No kicking up or throwing head down far. I got on him and he acted strange so I kept things easy, just walk and trot and he didn't want to go to the right well so I stopped at a good point and made a vet appt. Had his teeth done and he had an upper right wolf tooth pulled. Gave him a couple days off.
I round penned him instead the next time and he ran and ran. He was worked up pretty good before I saddled him and he never bucked under saddle. I got on him bareback with just a halter (due to teeth being done) and we just walked and jogged about 4 strides around the round pen. So the next day I did the same round penning and again no bucking. I got on him and walked, trotted him both ways, stopped, backed, turned into the fence, small circles trotting and he was doing good. Kicked him into a lope and he went around about 2 times and drifted down to a trot. Asked him to lope again and I could tell he was pi$$y and that is when he went to bucking. He just kind of lunges up and out. Enough I came off against the round pen and banged up my back really good. First time I couldn't get up after getting bucked off and it scared the crap out of me. I also was wearing a helmet. I worked his butt again in the round pen and I did get back on him, sunk my butt low in the saddle, and had a death grip on the reins and made him lope around a few times. My saddle was really wanting to slide and I figured I was about to have an even worse wreck so asked him to stop and stepped off. Didn't make a deal of it as he did what I asked. I don't want him scared of me, just need this bucking to stop NOW.
So my question is-where he was riding in the arena and out in big pastures with the trainer...is it saddle fit (that is my guess)? Time off? the ulitum? The trainer is taking him back in a week to ride him steady for a week or 2 and see if he pulls it with him. He literally never made a bad move at the trainer. I have tried all 4 saddles I own and he is a strange fit so I put the best one on him. I don't feel any pressure under the saddle, but it does stick up in the back under the cantle. He is also hard to cinch up tight enough to keep it from rolling side to side and still not so tight he is uncomfortable. My other options are an old ranch saddle of my sister in laws that I used to start colts in, but it is a bad fit for me-sits really wide and hard to sit in if they buck. Or my husband has 2 rope/ranch saddles that weight a TON and this horse is 16.2+ and I am already having to get on a bucket to get on him. He is gentle despite the bucking. I'm honestly not sure I can get the heavy saddles on him. I'm 5'2".
Am I going to be doomed with a horse I have so much invested in that he now bucks? I feel since he was so good for the trainer, it must be a problem that can be fixed. The not knowing is killing me. |
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 Party Girl
Posts: 12293
 
Location: Buffalo, Wyoming | Is there anyway the trainer could use everything that you are using on him to see if he does it?
Was he off his grain the whole time he was with the trainer? I would say it is either the grain or your saddle maybe both. |
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Expert
Posts: 1543
Location: MI | I was wondering if you could ride him while at the trainers also, maybe the 2nd week, and see if he pulls it there? Could try different combinations then...with the trainers equipment, trainer riding with your equipment, etc... |
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Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | I so appreciate the responses. I do plan to ride in front of him. He was off his grain the day we took him, and I do believe he worked with him right away. He said when he turned him out in the arena before he worked with him that he ran and bucked and played the first week from being fresh. After than he was just perfect. And believe me, this big guy is pathetic at bucking, but it is just enough he is getting me off. I started colts, never was a bronc buster.
I am going to try a couple different saddles here (if I can get them on him) and see what he does. I don't plan to warm him up much so I can see if he bucks from discomfort. I don't want him so tired he just doesn't want to. He's been getting worked enough he shouldn't be all that fresh anyways and he is only on grass hay. I really hope I can get the guy to get on him the day I drop him off so I know what he is right then. If he doesn't try a thing, I am going to say saddle fit. I am so so short that it is hard for me to ride in other's saddles, but maybe we can make his work. |
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 Expert
Posts: 3782
Location: Gainesville, TX | I feed Ultium some. It can definitely make one fresh. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1119
| Sounds like to me he's just a fresh young horse. I don't what your schedule is like, but I would be extremly consitent about working him. Even if its 15 mintues in the round pen and 30 minutes being bitted up or tied. Send him to the trainers, ride him there, check saddle fit, and decrease his grain. He won't be young forever I promise!  |
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Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | kissmybarrelbutt - 2014-06-11 1:51 PM Sounds like to me he's just a fresh young horse. I don't what your schedule is like, but I would be extremly consitent about working him. Even if its 15 mintues in the round pen and 30 minutes being bitted up or tied. Send him to the trainers, ride him there, check saddle fit, and decrease his grain. He won't be young forever I promise!
I sure hope you are right. My problem is I don't want to ride when no one is close by. My husband drives truck hauling cattle Tues-Fri night. My father in law goes to town on a daily basis it seems (that is a whole new story) and when he is here, he is checking water or off doing whatever. So I am home alone with my 2 and 6yr old boys. Riding every day is a thing of the past it seems. I have been trying these past 2 weeks to work him steady and will do so even if it is just saddling and standing tied for a few hours (he is not going to be babied). He is getting the past couple days off because I am so beat up I can't even lift my 2yr old much less a saddle. I do plan to keep working with him until the 23rd when he leaves for boot camp. |
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 Dog Resuce Agent
Posts: 3459
Location: southeast Texas | IMHO, get him off the Ultium. Get back to feed basics. Good hay and minerals. See how he rides after being on that diet about a week. Growing grass can also have a higher starch content.
If you have to use grain, look for something with a ten percent combined total of starch and sugars. any thing with corn, oats, barley and a few others are way high in sugars.
These horses are not worth getting crippled over.
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Neat Freak
Posts: 11216
Location: Wonderful Wyoming | he is neg for the 5 panel so unless he has PSSM 2 and he really doesn't have enough symptoms for me suspect that. I'm picking up some ADM PrimeGLO tomorrow for him. It is pretty low in starch and sugars. But he's not going to get any of that until he is riding nice and showing me he can be a good boy. |
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I need to hear some warm fuzzies