by Anne Gage of Confident Horsemanship

Thanks to Judith Scrimger for these great photographs of this beautiful horse I worked with at the Confident Horsemanship clinic at Hobby Horse Farm in May 2015.

An 8 year old paint gelding was brought to the clinic because he bucks when cantered.  The owner had taken him to 3 different trainers trying to fix this behaviour.

Sometimes, that kind of problem can be caused by ill fitting tack, another source of pain, rider imbalance or misalignment or the horse being unbalanced.  Sometimes, we can find the cause and get on the path to creating positive change pretty quickly.  Other times, resolving the cause means we have to go right back to basics – to build a more solid foundation.

When I assess a horse and try to determine the cause of a training or behavioural issue, I always start with ground work.  With this horse, because we only had one session and the problem was bucking in the canter, I started by lunging him so I could see how he carried himself.

When I assess the horse to diagnose a training problem, I look for:

1. How relaxed or stressed he is. The horse’s level of relaxation or stress can be seen in how he moves and where his focus is.  In this case, I started the assessment by lunging the horse.  He was very stressed and anxious.  As soon as I sent him out to lunge, he immediately started running around in a very fast trot.  The owner confirmed that this is how he went under saddle, as well.  It took several minutes to get him focused on me – while working to bring his stress level down.  A few more minutes and he was walking on the lunge and then trotting very nicely only when I asked him to.  I asked his owner how she would feel about riding that trot.  Of course, she said she would love it.
2. How balanced he is. For the horse to canter well, he needs to be balanced and in true bend. When I asked this horse to canter he picked up the wrong lead and was dis-united – a sure sign that he was unbalanced and bending out of the circle.
3. How well does he bend. When you’re riding from your seat and legs, the bend cue comes from your lower leg

   

   (or, on a really tuned in horse from your seat).

   To assess how well this gelding gave to the bending cue, I stood just behind his shoulder and pushed gently on his barrel where the rider’s leg goes.

   Instead of giving to that pressure, the horse braced against it.  Whatever you get from the ground is what you’ll get from the saddle.

   With the muscles in his neck, back and barrel all bracing against the rider, as well as being either straight or in counter bend, there is no way this horse could pick up a relaxed canter.

   There is no quick fix to resolving this horse’s behaviour of bucking in the canter.  It requires going right back to basics with groundwork and riding to help him relax, balance and bend softly from the rider’s leg aid.

   He needs to be able to consistently walk and trot, as well as make the transition between those two gaits, with relaxation, suppleness and balance before being asked to canter again – first on the lunge line and then under saddle.

   The bottom line: [tweetthis hidden_hashtags=”#horseriding” url=”http://bit.ly/1FCsfqK”]Only by getting to and eliminating the root cause of unwanted behaviour will it be resolved for good.[/tweetthis]

There are lots more practical and in depth tips on improving your Confidence and your Partnership with your horse in my book “Confident Rider, Confident Horse: Build Your Confidence While Improving Your Partnership with Your Horse from the Ground to the Saddle”. Click here to order your copy today!

 Click here to read the next article – Improve Your Horse’s Balance – Are You Missing These 3 Essential Elements?

Like this article?  Share it with a friend,Tweet it or post it on Facebook. Interested in hosting a Confident Horsemanship Clinic at your location?  Click here for information. You’re welcome to use this article in your blog or newsletter as long as you notify me and give my credit information. ~ Written by Anne Gage of Confident Horsemanship (www.ConfidentHorsemanship.com)

Anne Gage started Confident Horsemanship in 2002 after suffering the loss of her confidence for riding.  As she worked on regaining her confidence she discovered that many horsewomen were suffering in silence – thinking they were alone.  Anne works with horsewomen to regain their CONFIDENCE and PASSION for riding while building the PARTNERSHIP with their horses that they dream of.

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