Anticipating buck after jump

[right_horse_at_the_right_time]

timid rider with a saint of a horse who used to be a jumper and has only done dressage for the past 6 years…and we have a bucket list.

we are considering doing some tiny baby jumps that likely most of you would do in your sleep. I bought him as a jumper and he was going about 3’6". He took very good care of his former owner who was a teen and not the best rider. Shortly after I bought him we switched to dressage. He has been a very solid citizen with pretty impeccable manners and zero interest in rearing, bucking, or behaving badly. In turn out, he can rear and buck quite impressively. He did a few events as a youngster and placed very well. He was started by an eventer.

About four years ago we were cantering cavaletti and he grew excited and took off in a very long spot joyfully and threw in what I felt was a buck. Six years ago he went down a small bank and threw in a solid buck, and the trainer was riding and laughed and let him gallop a bit. Neither of these appeared to be anything but excitable frolicking, regardless of whether or not that’s acceptable. I had been jumping him less than 2 feet and he never did it with me. In a dressage symposium a year ago he got very excited when the clinician opened him up into a gallop (in a large enclosed arena) and the clinician laughed and said that he could feel a buck coming and slowed down.

He gets massages, saddle fittings, etc., and has never been back sore. He’s not a deadhead but he has NEVER done this with me on the flat or over a fence other than the cavaletti episode which was nothing. I’m worried that after all of these years he’s going to throw in a buck/take off bucking if I start taking him over tiny jumps. Not the end of the world but I don’t want to get bucked off. I’m not a jumper but I want to have fun with him.

Is there anything I can do to lessen my chance of bucks or control it better/manage better? He has two gears, kind of. He’s happy to just go around…but has a power gear where he’s incredibly responsive and hot off the aids. I think jumping would tap into that and it does scare me a bit based on what I have seen rarely in turn out. We have been riding in the jump arena and cross country areas, and he seems to like it and get a bit excited, in a happy way.

I do have eventer brave friends who would do it the first time, but I don’t want to have to rely on them every time.

Thanks for any tips you can provide.

BTW, I have easy access to a great eventing trainer. Just trying to wrap my head around what I can control and what I can’t.

[bornfreenowexpensive]

Happy bucks jumping are almost NEVER those huge explosions you see in the field.

Stop freaking yourself out! No one likes to get bucked off but it doesn’t sound like that will happen. Get yourself a bit stronger in your two point before jumping. Ride with a jump strap and when you jump…PLAN to do some thing after the fence…halt, turn etc. change it up and keep his focus. And have fun. I bet he will be good.

[EventerAJ]

It may make you feel better to lunge him over some poles and low fences first-- that way you can see what his reaction is from the safety of the ground. He may get happy and excited and buck…but even that doesn’t mean he’d buck under sadde (lots of horses act silly on the lunge but don’t under sadde). However, several trips around a low jump could take the excitement out of it, so he’s bored when you get on (giving you confidence to trust him).

[Manahmanah]

A happy little buck is not likely to unseat you. Don’t over think it.

[ndirish07]

What they do in turnout is rarely what they’ll do under saddle. My guy has developed an affinity for the happy bucks when jumping… or cantering in his dressage test especially after hunt season and he thinks those transitions need extra flair. He’s gotten me off only a handful of times in part because before I didn’t know what I was feeling before it happened. Once I figured it out I learned what it felt like going into the fence and knew to expect it. Now, I just laugh at him and sometimes smack him with a crop to get him moving. Even then I’m laughing because he’s just being an idiot. That’s all to say once you find out what they will do and won’t do it’s easier to laugh off their antics.

[Foxglove]

First, I’m old and have lots of rebuilt body parts --any buck is unacceptable for me. I have a happy-go-lucky QH who belonged to a roper/sorter until I got him --long-legged young man who didn’t mind a joyful buck. I do. A buck to me is unacceptable under saddle. My answer to any buck or might-buck (pinned ears, tail swish, general lightening in that sequence --my horse is easy to read) is a -one-rein stop, smack of the crop, and disengage. Then trotted circles (if possible). In other words, a buck or near-buck is “rewarded” with WORK. Then as soon as the ears come up, we do a peasant walk or trot to our next destination. This works for me --even on the hunt field. One-rein stop, smack, disengage hq, trotted circles (if possible) then into straight line. Each to her/his own --some riders allow rearing, bucking, grass eating, leaf snatching, “playful” kicking at other horses, and (gross) poop sniffing on the trail --I don’t. I feed my horse and care for him beautifully --he can play by my rules.

[kiwichick]

You will be fine, it sounds like he looks after you anyway and leaves his high jinx to people that ride him differently to you.
If you can jump the little jump with the hind leg action, then you wouldnt even notice if he pigrooted, would feel like he hopped over another little jump.

[Scribbler]

IME a bit of a lift behind while cantering is not that hard to ride through, because the canter carries you up under the buck. That’s different from a head down bronc and bolt and sunfish kind of thing.

[tbchick84]

A straight up and down happy buck isn’t going to unseat you. I highly recommend not worrying about it simply because it’s going to begin a vicious circle where you worry about the possibility of a buck, so you become a more hesitant rider and start to take too much hold on his face in fear of him becoming strong, and the result will be him resenting you becoming heavy in his face and buck. Lather-rinse-repeat.

It sounds like you need to learn how to canter this horse in an open space and get more comfortable with his movement. You can keep full control without ever riding him front to back. Just do all the same things you would in a ring. W/T/C, circles, lots of transitions to keep him guessing the listening to you. Once you feel in control, keep him ion a large circle and let him have his nice rolling canter. Sit tall and square and don’t think about what could go wrong. Think of a song that matches his canter and sing it to yourself to keep you tempo consistent.

[merrygoround]

Happy bucks usually work out well if you keep going forward, and already have your direction planned. Treat them like an unexpected jump.

[right_horse_at_the_right_time]

These are all GREAT ideas and make a ton of sense, along with giving me an action plan; thank you!! I sincerely appreciate it. He does take very good care of me, and I am fortunate :).

im definitely an overthinker, and he’s never let me down, in 6 plus years. I know I need to give him more credit.

Will update as to how it goes :D.

[stargzng386]

I’d let him have a short bootcamp to get back into jumping with a trainer on board, maybe just 2 weeks 3x a week so he’s mentally back in the game with jumping. Get feedback from them on any bucking behavior or what he does when he’s excited.

I also highly second a quick lunge over jumps. I used to use a caveltti turned up to the highest height and trot and canter my guy over a few times before getting on. He was a happy bucker so if he was acting up I’d just do flatwork that day, if he settle after a few times I’d be fine or he’d be perfect right off the bat and I’d hop on.

[Feliz]

Good luck - I’m sure you’ll be fine!

Mine will have a playful bounce on the backside of the fence at the start of a jump school if we haven’t been doing them for a while or he’s feeling especially feisty. If I get reactive - got to keep his head up! or pulling back - he gets much worse. The best thing is just to sit quietly, keep my shoulders back and my eyes on the next fence.

[pologirl27]

I would keep a half bridge in the reins. It is easy to hold on to and that way if he does put his head down, you can easily brace and keep it from turning into a ‘real’ buck.

[CindyCRNA]

I have an 8 year old Holsteiner who has launched me more than once after a long spot to the jump. He is a turd. It is not fun always being on guard after a jump. My most recent was being launched 8’ in the air over a cross rail as the first warm up jump prior to cross country. He crow hopped today after a warm up jump but I sharply reprimanded him and we continued on. I certainly am learning to land more defensively on the back side of a jump. I have watched upper level jumpers who buck after almost all of their blessed jumps! Those are good riders!

[sunhawk]

My horse has often given me a buck on the landing side. It doesn’t off-balance me, and it doesn’t worry me