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 Veteran
Posts: 262
 
| Last year my young barrel horse launched me pretty good at a barrel race. I got back on her and made 2 more runs with no buck and she hasn't bucked since. But I'm having a hard time trusting her to drop the reins and letting her run. Any suggestions on how to get past this fear and build trust? |
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 Dog Resuce Agent
Posts: 3459
 
Location: southeast Texas | One day at a time. If you can't get past it, time for a new horse |
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 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | If you dont trust her then time to sell and find something that you wont fear.  |
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Veteran
Posts: 171
| My dad always told me that if they buck, sell them because you will never trust them to their full potential. |
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Veteran
Posts: 262
| Thanks all. Wow, most of you believe sell. l'm worried I won't ride her to her full potential ethier. Sucks so bad that she bucked because I was starting to get comfortable pushing her. |
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 Queen Bee Cat Owner
Posts: 3629
Location: Way up North | I'll be the odd man out here. I think I would put some ride time on her and see if you can get out of your head and get past this before deciding to sell. If it has only happened once, well we all get a mulligan. I got backed off my four year old pretty dang hard last year just riding around. Not my most favorite moment but I vetted her and rode her all last fall and she is off at training right now to hopefully be ready for fall futurities. If people quit on a horse that bucked them off once we would have less NFR and Houstan Rodeo champions for starters. |
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Veteran
Posts: 160
| I agree give the horse a chance. Yes its scary to get bucked off but if she isnt a habitual bucker i would keep working with her. You need to get on her and not think about getting bucked off but be prepared that if she is going to buck you are ready to disengage that hind end. I do this anyways because my horse only has a go button but it really helps with many other things like bucking, trot a few strides sit deep, woah and flex her head til she gives. Go a few more strides same thing. Eventually your strides will go from 3, 10 etc and once your confidence is up lope her sit down and woah then flex. I have a sensitive horse that if I don't pull his legs out after cinching him up he will buck so could be something like that.
Give her a chance if you can't get over it then sell her. Good luck! Remember confidence takes time but if you don't get on her and ride her it's going to become harder and harder even for other horses! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1118
Location: The South | I know how you feel. Last summer at a big shoot in Guthrie my horse broke in two on the rundown (similar to the run home after the third barrel, it's in a straight line). I saw some pictures, it looked like he was trying out to be a saddle bronc horse! Luckily I stayed on but I don't know if I'll ever be able to ask for speed on the rundown without being scared and wondering if its going to happen again. |
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 Expert
Posts: 1273
Location: South Dakota | That is a tough one. I can see both sides of it. What if you had someone else ride her awhile and really push her. |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 507
Location: Lost in the corn of Iowa. | Timber Creek - 2014-05-22 8:07 AM
That is a tough one. I can see both sides of it. What if you had someone else ride her awhile and really push her.
^^ This. My mare dumped me really hard last year (broke my collar bone), this past Saturday she face planted me. I am on call for work for a week and I sent her to friend's house to ride her while I'm on call for work. My friend has WAY more experience and confidence than I do. She is working out the kinks with her and telling me what I need to do different to help both of us. If after that then your horse won't work and you still can't trust him not to break in two, then it might be time for him to find another home. But at least give him a chance. You never know until you try. Me personally, I'd rather exhaust all options before giving up. Then be happy that someone else can get along with the horse I didn't click with. JMHO |
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 The One
Posts: 7997
Location: South Georgia | If it was a really aggressive buck where he meant to send you flying, I'd never trust him again. That's just me. |
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Veteran
Posts: 262
| Thank you for all the responses! I like the advice about disengaging the hind end. I had forgotten about that and it's a great idea.
I have a trainer working with her now. Helping with her lead changes and putting more of a handle on her. I'm going to ask the trainer to open her up a few times to see if the buck is still there. Luckily the barrel race she bucked me at was videoed so I've analyzed it and I believe the buck happened when she was making lead change between barrel 1 and 2. It looks like she was cross cantering. I think being a young 4 yr old didn't know what happened and probably hurt or uncomfortable.
Hopefully she's done bucking and I can ride her like I stole her! |
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A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | Had a friend get hurt because her horse bucked her off after they came out of the 3rd barrel and on the way home her horse broke in two at a full run, this happen at the ANHA in Waco a few years back was not pretty. |
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