Bucking in harness first time ever

[ilbvmd]

I have a 21 year old 14.1 ride/drive mare- owned her for 9 years. Opinionated (bit-picky) but solid citizen, no spook, no bolt, no buck.

She had a month off due to health issues in my family. She’s had time off before and is basically a same-horse every time type. Getting back into things, I rode her twice the first week, mostly walk, no issues, even went out trails. Yesterday put her in the cart in our outdoor, expecting to just walk with a little trot. Walked around, did some circles, no problem, seemed eager to trot. Asked for trot, went 4 strides, sped up, threw a canter stride, and exploded into a bucking fit. Not 1-2 feeling-good bucks but angry big crow-hops that lasted halfway around the arena. I was able to sort of steer and used my voice to finally calm her down and get her stopped. Got out checked her over - she seemed tense and really peeved but I couldn’t find anything wrong. Because I was by myself I didn’t feel safe to continue so unhitched right there and ground drove a bit -seemed fine.

This horse has never bucked under saddle or in harness the whole time I’ve owned her so this robust a response was so extreme and out of character for her it really threw me.

A little uncertain where to go from here. I can get a second person and we have an indoor so it can be a relatively confined space but I was really surprised at her response and would really like not to experience that again.

Lives out 24/7, on hay and a small amount of ration balancer. No signs of ulcers, not girthy, seems normal to musculoskeletal palpation and neuro. Does have a vet visit scheduled for routine stuff next week and will be checked over.

Thoughts? I am worried about pain bc it seems odd to me that a 21year old horse would suddenly decide to take up bucking as a behavioral response without any history of this. I could get a kicking strap but she wasn’t really kicking (just crow-hopping) and I don’t want to turn a buck into a bolt.

[Rackonteur]

Maybe something bit her or stung her?

[endlessclimb]

I wonder if something poked her or pulled at her hair at just that moment. As scary as it was, I’d want to see a repeat behavior before I went down a rabbit hole.

Double check the harness obviously, for any pokey parts.

[RMJacobs]

My Hackney pony would occasionally buck in harness. Lots of fun to see those back feet flying at me. I found driving him in an overcheck helped, because then he couldn’t get his head low enough to do a serious buck. He’d also throw in a rear every once in a while. This was not a young horse, either–he was 22 when I got him.

Somehow he never hurt me in the years I drove him. But it wasn’t for lack of trying.

Rebecca

[firecracker]

Oh wow, how scary!! I have experienced a meltdown while driving once and I hope to never experience another again.

My first thought was she might have been stung by something, or maybe a burr or something pokey and uncomfortable was getting to her? I’d double triple check the harness. Maybe check her body really thoroughly to see if there are any bumps or areas with swelling that could be indicative of a sting?

[ilbvmd]

Thanks for input! A sting would certainly fit but I am in a northern Midwest state and there really aren’t any biting insects this time of year. It was also crow-hopping style, I never saw her hind feet.

But, after my post I searched around some more on the forums and came across an interesting thread about cantering in harness and horses getting « goosed » by the crupper since their backs are curved differently when cantering. I was so focused on Buck-o-rama that I almost forgot about that one canter stride she threw just before. I remember being surprised because she actually has musculoskeletal issues that make canter very difficult for her under saddle (one reason I switched disciplines). I only do pleasure driving and she has actually never cantered in harness. She loves to trot and is quite forward. She really seemed to want to trot that day - I wonder if she was actually feeling so good and fresh after her time off that she got carried away with a canter, then got the surprise of her life by getting « cruppered ». This would cause her to clamp her tail, explaining the crow-hopping, which would actually make it worse, explaining our trip around the ring. I read that the advice is to drop the crupper down a hole when cantering bc their backs change so much.

I’m still going to be very cautious (not going to try to replicate this event just to prove a point!) but I really wonder if this is what happened. I’m going to long line first in harness in the arena, then try with the cart in the arena with a friend in attendance. She has a vet visit coming up so can still get checked out if problems persist.

[endlessclimb]

Oh that’s not what I meant! I just would want to see it again, au natural, before I’d go chasing ghosts haha.

[cayuse]

If she has a long coat, some of it may have got stuck somehow in the girth and pulled. My mini is super sensitive to this and the girth has to be done up “just so” and the hair smoothed and flattened or I hear about it.

[sami-joe]

Sounds like the Occam’s Razor solution, to me.

[2DogsFarm]

I’m going to jump in & say my 1st Driving trainer encouraged some cantering in harness.
Her reasoning was, if they do break into canter when not asked, they won’t freak out thinking "Wrong!.
Maybe your mare surprised herself & things escalated.
Great you were able to use your voice to get her attention back on you rather than whatever set her off.
Another trainer once said (of my TB Hunter):
“His brain is a beehive. When the bees fly away, nothing you can do until they fly back”

I’m not discounting the crupper theory, that makes a lot of sense. But CDE above Training do canter in Cones & Marathon.
Sometimes you have to go directly from your Dressage test to the Cones course.

My own mini is asked for canter on the odd occasion, remembering what that 1st trainer said.
He always comes back to trot when asked.
Crupper is not adjusted differently when I do this.

[Bluey]

As a side note, traditionally Andalusian horse saddles had cruppers or light breeching on them.
Horses learned to get used to those just fine at all gaits:

[DMK]

@2DogsFarm

But CDE above Training do canter in Cones & Marathon.

*And dressage (but not until intermediate).

OP - I always leave the crupper somewhat loose, a little looser than the standard, because I’m trying to account for what happens when the back lifts as the horse comes truly through behind. You get some of that automatically in a canter depart, so it tightening may have surprised him, but that first canter stride hitched is also notorious for surprising horses, I’m sure in a cart it’s even stranger feeling!

[ilbvmd]

Great advice! I longlined yesterday and set both crupper and backstrap looser by one hole. It was eye-opening to see just how much the back changes when she really moves out, even at just a strong trot. I really think it was a combination of being surprised at the unfamiliar gait and taking offense at the massive horse wedgie from the crupper being too tight for the pace.

I haven’t emphasized canter in harness bc I don’t do CDE and she has a biomechanical difficulty with canter even under saddle (suspected sacroiliac, can’t right lead canter at all). When she’s feeling good she can left lead canter under saddle but doesn’t easily offer this gait- you have to set it up just right and really support her. I do ridden dressage exercises for conditioning and lately she’s been moving really well. I may work on some canter in harness on longlines as a safer way to normalize the feel in harness as a start but I want to check with vet and chiro and avoid irritating her old back problem.

She was her usual responsive self on the long lines yesterday and I felt a lot better that there’s a likely explanation!

[goodhors]

Strongly agree with DMK, leave the back strap way loose even if you do not plan to canter. Our horses really lift their backs in trot, both collected and the other speeds. They “use up” all the slack in a back strap when backs are lifted, engaged, in all gaits.

We have had very knowledgeable driving inspection Judges at CDEs try to get us to tighten it up but we refuse. We invite them to watch the Dressage, see how the horses lift to use the “sloppy” backstrap, need all that extra length. Being a little too long is WAY better than a smidgen too short!

I would see if you can borrow a kicking strap as added insurance for the next couple hitchings. She didn’the kick out “this time,” but better to use it as an added protection. Fit it loose, measuring with your palm up on edge, at hips or croup under where kick strap crosses the backstrap, to give her enough slack if she is an airy moving trotter. You don’t want her hitting the kicking strap to limit her rising in a stride.