Monday, October 10, 2011

Draft Attitude!

Big horses throw big temper tantrums !!!   Canter apparently is not Rosie's favorite thing to do.  Canter apparently is difficult.

But BUCKING is easy!

Ya'll can breath... she didn't come anywhere near unseating me.

PBO was watching me this evening while she hand grazed her geriatric mare.  She said first buck was tiny, second buck was a full on buck to get my attention.

Rosie is so big the bucks were fairly smooth.   The first one took me by surprise and I did the wrong thing, I stopped her.  The second one I was ready for and she got a swat with my crop to keep moving forward.

She's only bucking on the right lead, which is also the direction she dislikes bending on.  Left lead is fine.  I'm really hoping this isn't a pain/saddle fit reaction. Both bucks where when I pass the gate out of outdoor arena though so it's hard to tell.  Sweat pattern under the pad is even on both sides.  Saddle is not  too tight either, I can fit my hand between the girth and her, but it doesn't slide.  She doesn't buck at a trot.  I'm not cantering much, one complete circle both directions so don't think she's muscle sore, even if I am.   I'll keep a close eye on it though.  Could be attitude, could be something else, either way not allowed.

8 comments:

  1. If it's related to bending in one direction and to taking one lead, bucking is often a chiropractic issue - usually in the back or the hindquarters, often the hind leg (outside hind) that leads off the canter. Bucking often means something as it's a huge energy expenditure for the horse - particularly a big horse! Good luck figuring it out.

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  2. Might be worth checking out , to be sure , but meanwhile, ride 'em cowgirl!

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  3. If everything is fitting well and she doesn't appear to be sore, I think it's because it is harder for her to bend in that direction and she's just letting you know that she'd rather not do it.

    My horse has a habit where he kicks his bum in the air when he is annoyed at me because I'm making him work harder than he would like. Rosie might be doing something similar.

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  4. Good work handling this! I think there's a good chane she fiinds it difficult to balance you going to the left. Rogo would do this too when he was learning to carry me at the canter, only on the same lead he didn't want to bend on. He always did it by the door going out of the arena. When it became apparent to me that he was going to buck no matter what if I tried to keep him cantering by the dor, I stopped cantering there (i used my dressage whip and a kick) I just left it alone for a couple of months, cantering before and after and then moved the work outside in spring. He learned to balance and cary me and when we went back to it, it was a non issue. Fight avoided and happy, obedient horse.
    Good luck with this. I think she just needs practise and time to feel confident.

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  5. By location of her bucking, the fact that the first time she got out of work for a moment (high priority with some horses), etc, it does sound like resistance from attitude rather than physical.

    That said, a lot of greenies that are perfectly sweet and good horses will buck when they canter, whether they feel a bit discombobulated, have the lead wrong or crossed, etc... even just unbalanced. Riding in a safety seat, praising them for any canter (even if it feels like a drugged giraffe) and not asking them to "use themselves" until many rides in, so they learn the canter on cue, seems to work best for me.

    In my experiences, when we stress over balance or speed (obviously it does need to stay within reason) early on in canter work, the horse ends up just getting a lot more action on their mouth sometimes, and their desire to canter and behave at canter can be diminished.

    I like to do intro canter work in a large as possible an area under saddle, but like to work on voice cue and lunging and teaching them balance and building strength in that smaller circle without a rider.

    Sounds like things are progressing pretty well, though, for you two. And you were willing to canter again today... TAKE THAT, FEAR!

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  7. Best of luck as you eliminate options. Take 'er easy.

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  8. Good work figuring it out...My brain works like yours.
    It does seem that since you don't do it much being in balance and collected to do it, a buck sometimes is present. There is usually a stiffer side, like most mentioned. My mare's is the right lead as well.
    Since i have not asked in the arena for about a year, when I do, I will have lunged behand ro see if she can take it up, in a balance way, without me first.

    I'm still so happy for you and the move!!
    KK

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Happy Trails!

~Jeni