hello! Right now I lease a 9 year old OTTB that is turning out to be a great all around hunter/equitation horse. Most days he is perfect and goes around quietly. But sometimes a horse will be cantering behind him and my lease horse will run faster and buck for a few strides. Or if he hits a rail he will buck and try and run through my hand. Any tips to get rid of this behavior? Its quite easy to get him back after his “explosion” but it is still is a problem. Thanks so much
Have you tried working him at home with poles behind a jump? So even if he hits a rail he still has to keep his mind engaged on something in front of him… It sounds like a habit that he has got himself into and he needs to forget about being a little buckaroo!! Also with the horse running up his butt try circling him behind the horse who has come up his rear, he needs to learn he’s not a racehorse anymore and by him going faster he’s not winning anything. Half holts in canter and lots and lots and lots of ground pole work with shortening and lengthening strides and getting him to listen to you are really great exercises too, just to switch his mind to you and really get him listening to you. Good Luck!
[QUOTE=epure232;8230248]
hello! Right now I lease a 9 year old OTTB that is turning out to be a great all around hunter/equitation horse. Most days he is perfect and goes around quietly. But sometimes a horse will be cantering behind him and my lease horse will run faster and buck for a few strides. Or if he hits a rail he will buck and try and run through my hand. Any tips to get rid of this behavior? Its quite easy to get him back after his “explosion” but it is still is a problem. Thanks so much[/QUOTE]
Try ear plugs.
Agree with the ear plugs and with the poles after jumps. Some OTTB’s really hate the noise of thundering hooves behind them, so the ear plugs may work wonders.
Ear plugs and poles after jumps, definitely.
Does he buck after all jumps or just when he knocks a rail? Greenbie reflex if it’s just when he knocks a rail… if it is any other time, something is bothering him.
Any time I hear “explosive” “unpredictable” “aggressive” my first instinct is to look for possible pain issues.
However, I had a horse that used to hit a rail and then let loose a wicked “F-YOU!!” buck … only if he hit the rail… or maybe he thought the rail hit him 
but what cured the behavior was schooling ad nauseum.
