Personally, I don’t like a horse that has a tendency for bucking. It is extremely dangerous for both rider and other horses and riders in the vicinity.

The last time I had to sit a buck, I ended up in a very undignified position, stuck in front of the saddle, from where I had to try and heave myself back in to position, and all of this done with an audience of dog walkers who seemed highly entertained by my predicament – oh the shame!

On a more serious note, it is important to understand WHY a horse bucks when being ridden, as it can often be a sign of discomfort.

A horse turned out in to its field, will often canter off and have a good leg stretch and a buck – a wonderful sight to see a horse at liberty, enjoying its freedom and showing the world how happy it is.

When ridden, a horse can buck out of excitement, for instance in company when you move up in to canter. Also, if the rider is anticipating going in to canter, and is either nervous about it, or excited, the horse can mirror these thoughts and express your fear or excitement through a buck. If this is the case, you can improve the situation by thinking of cantering as “work” rather than a “blast” and with the correct training a horse can understand it is not something to get over excited about.

I will go in to more depth about horses getting competitive in company at a later date.

Bucking can often be a sign of pain, so a regular saddle check is essential, as the shape of a horse can change as it puts on weight, looses weight, builds up muscle etc, all of which affect the fitting of the saddle.

If a horse has been subjected to an ill fitting saddle for some time, then an uneven distribution of muscle build up and muscle wastage can occur, so the horse may well need the attention of an equine physio/chiropractor to alleviate the pain and problem once the saddle has been altered.

It is also useful to bear in mind that the posture and position of the rider can have a dramatic affect on the comfort and movement of the horse, so it is important to have someone asses you to see if you are physically triggering the bucks.

There are a lot of competent riders who are quite capable of sitting a buck and therefore don’t see it as a problem, but the reason behind it should be understood for the well being of the horse.

Click here to find out how to cure horse bucking