|
|
Veteran
Posts: 158
 
Location: Pa | Cold-backed horses.
Would you have one? Do you have one? What routine do you use with it if you do? What do you think causes it? Is being mishandled a possible reason for one being that way?
Thanks for any informative feedback. =]
|
|
| |
|
  Damn Yankee
Posts: 12390
 
Location: Somewhere between raising hell and Amazing Grace | Own one currently and wouldn't trade him for the world.
I do believe poor training and abuse attributed to his. When I first bought him he would flip over backwards as soon as the girth even touched him.....gradually led to where he would just lay down, and once he realized we werent going to hurt him, and once I learned how to handle him, he has been great for years. I just treat him a lil different then the other horses. He has never ever offered to buck though. |
|
| |
|
 Expert
Posts: 1343
Location: Oklahoma | I usually call a horse cold backed that bucks at a lope or run, especially if he's not warmed up well. This kind usually does much better with being ridden nearly every day and warmed up well before working him. I tend to have a knack for buying this kind, though at my age I would rather avoid them. Some of them just outgrow it later in life, some don't. I honestly think it is more their breeding than handling that causes it. |
|
| |
|
 More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | We have 2. One is mine and one my daughers. Daughters horse is dirtier than mine. I could cinch him up and lunge him but there's no fun in that. Have his nose at my leg, step on and if its one of those days you ride it out of him. I'm in love with him though. |
|
| |
|
The Advice Guru
Posts: 6419
| Had two, it was passed down through the maternal side, known 3 generations of cold backed buckers.
The one became a successful barrel horse, it only took 3 years to get him to quit bucking in the barrel pattern.
The other I sold, as if she had a day off, she would go back to bucking, even after lunging, ponying etc, if you could get on and last the first minute she was good.
I had another out of the same mare I canned as the trainer said she bucked for 2 hours straight with just the saddle on.
None of mine were mishandled, all were imprinted, wore horse blankets in the winter, etc. The two were started correctly.
Would I ever knowlingly buy one, nope, too many good horses out there, my legs are too short to be climbing on a cold backed horse. |
|
| |
|
 Queen Bee Cat Owner
Posts: 3629
Location: Way up North | I have one. She has only ever bucked with me on her once and she made quick work of dumping my a$$. In hind sight it was a lot my fault; she hadn't been ridden for a couple of weeks because of the heat and she seemed a bit on edge before I got on her and I was well aware she can be a little cold backed. If you cinch her slowly and warm her up good before loping she has never been a problem, if she seems a little tense I will ground work a bit first.
I bred and raised this mare and know she has never been mistreated or abused. I have vetted her too and found nothing wrong. I think some are just that way. I had one before that was cold backed and she matured out of it so this one may too beings she is still young. She is at the trainers right now deciding if she has what it takes to be a barrel horse or not so we shall see. |
|
| |
|
Veteran
Posts: 158
Location: Pa | Thank you all for the replies so far.
My situation is, I bought this guy knowing the story that he bucked off the girl who owned him. When that happened, a friend immediately got on and started dogging him. Kicking and yanking his mouth. Quite a big girl, and this boy is all of 13.2 This is the story I was told. I did see video of him being ridden though, so I know he has been. When I went to look at him, the owner, who was just a teenage girl, was trying to ride him for me so I could see him move. Saddled up fine. Not a flinch or bad move. Everytime she would try to mount, he would step away. Nothing too bad, but started to look panicy.
I said I would take him at a lower price without seeing some one ride him. Again, he saddled fine, and lunged without any problem.
Bring him home, saddled and worked him a few times, no problem. The story he kinda told me is, that he hasn't been handled too much or taught too much. Third time saddled and worked, then tied to the trailer to unsaddle, and he just lost it and broke in two. Bucked a good 3' in the air for his size. Was planning to send him to a trainer anyway. Had him adjusted. Out in about every bone he could be. Poll, neck, shoulders, back, rear end, and everywhere.
Let him relax for a bit after that. Started saddling and working him again. Still very touchy, and a buck a couple times, but nothing horrible.
He's at the trainers now. First day he bucked a lot again in the round pen. A couple humps when the trainer got on, but then rode out as good as he could for obviously being pretty green. Second day, a little buck, not much. Then rode out good again, and even down into the arena with other riders without any incidents. Third day, a lot of buck again. But down to the arena again, this time by himself, with no incidents. Yesterday, the fourth day, round pen, no buck, rode out to arena, doing good. I was there for all those first 4 days. Not sure how today went yet. Just a little edit. Trainer just texted, no buck, clean ride today.
My thing is, he's a really nice little POA. Put together real well, and cute. I got him for a couple hundred dollars. If he just needs a little round pen time before riding, I don't have a problem with that. I just don't want one that's going to try and hurt me. Even if he crow hops a little with me, don't mind that. Just don't want a mean one. Which he doesn't come off as to me. I've just never had a cold-backed one and wanted some opinions and thoughts.
I was really worried I might have to send him down the road, but it's not looking that way so far. Thank goodness.
And Thanks again for the replies. More can share if you want. I'll be watching this thread. =] |
|
| |
|
 A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | He dont sound cold backed to me, sounds like he's just not broke. Are you an experience rider? If not I would not risk getting hurt on him, but if you are good luck. And not impressed with the girl getting on him and jerking his mouth and dogging him are what ever you called it. |
|
| |
|
 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | To me, cold backed is a horse that is fresh when not ridden regularly, that may crow hop or play around or just be unfocused. A horse that will throw me off if I didn't lunge him enough to me is a bucker- and I do not tolerate that. I don't tolerate buckers and I don't tolerate horses that rear. |
|
| |
|
Veteran
Posts: 158
Location: Pa | I am an experienced rider. I just haven't ridden in about 5 yrs as my barrel horse had an accident and I didn't have anything else old enough at the time. I did have a horse to ride for a while last yr, but was not a barrel horse. If I had been riding as much as I did 5 yrs ago, I would have been on his back already and working or figuring him out myself. =] |
|
| |
|
 Ms. Marine
Posts: 4641
Location: Texas | They don't bother me. I just make sure they get a good warm up and are rode very frequently. |
|
| |
|
Elite Veteran
Posts: 1034
| I'd test for HERDA. But fter that, it's up to you really. I have two. One who sets back and/or flips over when I cinch up. Then she's a doll. I just don't tie her, and cinch her up slow.
The other will buck when he's fresh and first loping. I just push him around the round pen until he isn't fresh anymore. He's just a baby, and it's not mean at all - he just thinks it's fun. He doesn't try to get me off, and the other wouldn't buck even if she knew how. Too much work for her I think. |
|
| |
|
 Expert
Posts: 1296
Location: CO | I used to think my horse was cold backed. For 8 yrs of owning her the majority of the time she would buck me whenever I'd ask for a lope. I had her adjusted quite often, tried warming her up as best I could. But for these 8 yrs I had her on the same processed feed. She started developing bad allergies last year, so I tried going all natural and switched her to just plain oats. She hasn't bucked me since!
I remember seeing an article in BHN about processed grains and it relating to this but I cant find it! |
|
| |
|
A Somebody to Everybody
Posts: 41354
Location: Under The Big Sky Of Texas | mgcpny - 2014-06-01 9:57 PM I am an experienced rider. I just haven't ridden in about 5 yrs as my barrel horse had an accident and I didn't have anything else old enough at the time. I did have a horse to ride for a while last yr, but was not a barrel horse. If I had been riding as much as I did 5 yrs ago, I would have been on his back already and working or figuring him out myself. =]
If you really like him then give him a try maybe he will work out of this, just dont let your guard down and let him know that your the boss.  |
|
| |
|
 Owner of a ratting catting machine
Posts: 2258
| Sounds like he just needs a chance to gentle down and be broke by somebody that knows what they're doing. I bet he'll be just fine. Just give him some time and be understanding while he's learning. Don't tolerate temper or disrespect, but be kind while he's trying. |
|
| |
|
More bootie than waist!
Posts: 18425
Location: Riding Crackhead. | Kudos for sending him to a trainer. Keep in contact and when you get the horse back keep riding him daily. I don't think he's cold backed, I think he's green. I just have to say I love it when a horse does something wrong and someone always thinks its best to jerk their mouth off. I'm not sure what they think that does. |
|
| |
|
 Shipwrecked and Flat Out Zapped
Posts: 16390
Location: DUMPING CATS AND PIGS IN TEXAS :) | I stopped at, "would you own one?"
Nope, I'm too old and fragile for a demon horse. |
|
| |
|
 Whack and Roll
Posts: 6342
Location: NE Texas | LRQHS - 2014-06-02 7:05 AM I stopped at, "would you own one?"
Nope, I'm too old and fragile for a demon horse.
Speaking of....me needs Man Eater update!
|
|
| |
|
 I Chore in Chucks
Posts: 2882
Location: MD | I have had 2 in my life. One I just hated to the core and sold her, and one is my darling dearest boy.
He turns into a bronc every time you saddle him. He is surprisingly well behaved though, He'll be a good love bug until you turn him loose in the roundpen. As soon as you smooch to him off of the line he'll have his bucking fit and then come up to you when he's done, but he'll never bronc when you haul him off the property (he may kick out at a run if you haven't warmed him up enough but he doesn't have a whole lot of fight.) In his case it really is your fault if you didn't let him get it out and you got dumped because he's 100% predictable.
so at the end of this never ending story, I think it totally depends on the horse. And I have rode horses that I would have categorized as cold backed but really weren't in the end. It was more of rider error or holes in the training. |
|
| |
|
 I Google Everything
Posts: 1910
Location: Not sure yet | Yup got one. Wouldn't trade him for nothing. Got him to sell for owner. He bucked everybody off. Been hammered on all his life. I figured out he has his own routine. He walks,trott and then lopes perfect circle in both directions. I just set there and he does the rest. Then he is ready walks into the box i never touch him he sets up and i knod. Works his A@@@ off for me. The owner gave him to me. At ten and he is 17 now.,occasionally he will hit the circle right off in a lope he says yup lets gettem |
|
| |
Folks on-line