Bucking

Winds of Change—What To Do When They Do Buck

The wind howled, tarps flapped and I suddenly remembered I had broken a buckle on my chaps… too late now. The big, beefy 5 year old Quarter Horse shuddered under me. Instantly I remembered a tip I’d received from a saddle bronc rider, “push your hips in front of your shoulders.” The Quarter Horse glanced right and punched forward hard and slightly to the left, he hit hard, gathered himself beneath him and launched another. My left hand instinctively curled up on the left rein, breaking his concentration and breaking through his fear before it could turn to rage. Saved for the moment.

That scenario is the ideal. It does not always end this way. There are some basic bucking patterns that are helpful to be aware of.

1.Nose down hard between the knees- This is can be one of the hardest bucks on the body. Typically, this horse will plunge forward hard. This may continue until the horse tires or needs to turn to avoid an obstacle. Pushing the hips in front of the shoulders is helpful for this ride, driving down the heals comes natural as you curl your hips forward and you lower your center.
2.Flank Protection Buck—This horse scoots forward hard, draws the hind quarters forward and takes short, hoppy steps with both hind legs. The head is typically high and the tail is clamped hard. Creating a distraction for your horse with one rein or the other will eventually break through. Taking control of the horse can give him the security he’s looking for. Something does not feel right to him, if he trusts you, he will look to you for direction. Try and get his attention on one rein or the other… not both.
3.Dead run, breaking into a Bull Buck—This is a tough one and rare. Most horses going into a scared run will carry on until tired or until he meets a barrier. I have encountered one horse over 800+ horses with this “bull bucking” ability. The high speed ends with a head down, hind end twist and I’ve got nothing for this one. I can only tell you what did not work. Fortunately it’s rare.

Top Tips for Riding it Out?

1.Drive the horse forward—hands and legs. This is your first line of defense. Pushing him forward makes it awkward for him to buck hard.
2.If the horse breaks into a plunging buck, push hips in front of shoulders.
3.Hand on pommel with open fingers can give some stability. Personally, I tend to keep both hands on the reins and try to stay in control.
4.Eyes up—look down and that’s where you are going, eyes on the horizon.

Free Falling—Tips for Landing

It amazes me that instructors rarely spend time teaching students how to fall. In martial arts, it’s one of the first things taught. In riding… it’s a relatively untouched topic.

1.The drunk usually survives the crash. Totally opposed to riding drunk but the soft body concept applies. Landing with a soft body will allow your body to absorb the shock, bracing will break something.
2.Break the fall by slapping the ground. As you roll with the fall, if you’ve got a free limb, slap the ground with it, it will help to take the extra shock out.
3.If you have to come off, follow a rein down and come off of the front. Falling backwards may land you on your back. If you fall forward, your horse will see you come off and duck away to avoid stepping on you. They really have no intentions of stepping on you, they would do anything to avoid it if for no other reason than for their own protection.

Hope you’ve found this helpful and not frightening… It is pleasing to think bucking will never happen, ignoring the possibility however does not tend to make a person safer… Fear is not the enemy, freezing up-panic is.

I’d appreciate your insights from your experiences.