You can usually solve bucking horse problems quite easily, even if you aren’t yet a brilliant rider, with the connected and gentle methods that we teach here on my website.
I have a fondness for natural horsemanship because that was my journey into this wonderful, wonderful place with horses that I find myself these days. But every now and again I find myself VERY disappointed with what natural horsemanship can produce.
I talked in the bonus lesson to The 9 Keys to Happiness with Your Horse – the one for mothers of children and riders of warmbloods particularly – the lesson about the caretaker horses and how precious they are and how we need to listen to their fear and take action to help them feel safe so that they can continue to be the caretakers that we can entrust our children and our sometimes middle aged bones to.
Well… I’ve just come from yet another little caretaker horse, who wanted to slow down and stop when she was afraid or confused – whose brain has been crucified.
She no longer knows how to look after her person and explodes into terrified bucking that has little or no warning. This is an extreme case – but not by any means the first I have come across.
She has just been shattered by being forced to go against her nature and move forwards when she is afraid and confused.
She has been FORCED forwards when she was afraid and confused by another one of the “get ’em moving forwards at all costs, ropes and whips and spurs” brigade. And the result is a beautifully bred, good looking, immensely and NATURALLY good natured horse ruined. Well not ruined exactly, but she doesn’t want to fix it anyway…
It IS fixable with our philosophy and techniques here and a bloody good rider (read sensitive, brilliant REAL horseman type) – but her owners have decided, since this was a man made problem, to breed from this nice little mare. So she’s not ruined after all. She’s not going to the sale yards for an endless cycle of new homes until she ends up in a can of pet food – she’s going to get a foal instead.
Happy days for her at long last, knowing that someone understands what happened to her.
Thank God for this story having a good ending.
So lay down your spurs and whips and don’t let anyone tell you that this problem isn’t fixable. And have a listen to this lesson which one of the 9 Keys to Happiness with Your horse. This is 8th Key here. There’s a gentle way and you’ll feel bloody marvelous too! You can get the whole 9 Keys with the link at the top of this page and then follow through into Fast track to Brilliant Ridding for the big long term stuff.
If all you want to do is fix a bucking problem and then keep going with the same old way you’ve been working with your horse, then I doubt you’re going to enjoy us here, because the way we work is LIFE CHANGING…
Loving your articles, our thinking is alike. Our motto it’s all about the horse!
Too many want so much from their horses that they dont give them the time they need to work in a partnership, expecting them to perform and using force when not complied with. This as you know only leads to a horse that will not work with you fully. Becoming their friend however have some beautiful results.
We’re @DayFieldStables on Twitter, I’ll include your RSS feed into our Twitter and Facebook pages. keeo the good posts coming.
x
Thanks for those kind words Melanie. The funny thing is what looks like slower to start off with is actually mega faster, hey? Have you had The Six Keys and did you get the Fast Track trial lessons in last night’s launch? It sounds like you too are helping to make a difference in the world…
Hi Jenny
That was one thing I forgot to sign up for. I get your emails weekly, will sign up for the Fast Track lessons and The Six Keys.
An interesting one for you, I’ve taught our 3 ponies – Shetland, Welsh D and Welsh DxArab to race with me. We have created a lane in the field and herd them into the lane on foot then as they get to the end of the lane, I call out “race” and we all turn and charge back up the lane. I give myself a head start and it’s fantastic to see them dig their heels in to charge past and beat me to the end of the lane, once they come out of the lane into the big field, they then race each other to the top gate 😀 very competitive, fun and I’m always last lol. They’re just a bunch of kids at heart that love to play.
Re forgetting – I am glad that I reminded you then! It sounds like very good exercise for everyone! I go down on the bike to the back paddocks, call “come on come on!” and have to race the bike up the hill to stay ahead of my herd of 13 – yelling yeeehaaa on the way – that’s fun too!