Hello. I started riding this horse and he’s is VERY sensitive! you can’t sit heavy or he’ll buck. If you add leg to move up a gait, he will bounce his back end or buck. You need to have a very solid lower leg or he gets really mad and sucks back. He has to be ridden forward and very lightly. Not much hand, very light seat. Any ideas why? He has a very well fitted saddle so saddle fit isn’t the issue.
My horse, though not naughty, will shoot off your leg on occasion. I am starting ulcer treatment for 10 days to see if it improves.
I so wish they could talk to us 
currently in the same boat and feel for you! Sometimes horses are in pain, have PTSD from past training, or are just quirky and mean well but have a screw loose that some people can deal just fine with.
I am also venturing to try a new saddle, though the rep says mine fits fine. Who knows 
I’d say it’s likely pain-related. Unless they’re just not used to you riding in a deep seat then it could just be a weird new feeling. But if this is a horse who just really really resents it, my guess is there’s some saddle fit/ back issue.
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I’d definitely guess something hurts - maybe he’s changed muscling and the saddle isn’t quite fitting right? Or he has ulcers - my horse becomes uber sensitive to my leg when he has ulcers and overreacted to leg aids. Or maybe he has kissing spine?
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If the horse is sensitive overall… When tacking up, grooming, generally pins ears and dislikes being handled, I’d check for lyme. If yes to sensitivity, try “carefully” running a finger down each side of the horses spine withers to dock, if that pisses him off, that’s a classic lyme symptom.
But if the horse is only sensitive under saddle… Try lunging the horse W/T/C under saddle and see if he gets pissy without a rider. Try lunging first with the stirrups up, if all ok, let the stirrups down and dangle, and see if that results in pissy horse. If yes could be ulcers or just a very sensitive sided horse.
You didn’t mention bucking on transitions so I’ll assume none. If yes that can be a symptom of stifle or hock issues, or other things.
One thing to take into account is that horses that have had past pain issues caused by a physical issue, or a mismatched rider. Such horse can simple remember and associate being riden with the past pain experience even when they are no longer in pain. It’s just the way some horses are.
I had one OTTB that had a bad case of lyme, developed classic sensitivity symptoms, was treated and recovered. But remained a pissy sensitive horse who hated to be touched. I got one of those little soft face brushes and working slowly he learned to love having his face brushed. From there over weeks I started working using the face brush down his neck. Once he was ok with that I switched to a very soft body brush and slowly began to expand the areas I could brush with no reaction until I could brush the entire horse.
That is desensitization training. Some do it using a soft cloth instead of a brush. The principle is the same.
You might also (standard recommendation) have a vet check him out, and/or an experienced trainer whose worked with other horses having sensitivity issues.
The main thing is be careful and don’t get hurt trying to assess this yourself. Follow the tenants of safe horsemanship, and don’t work with a potential dangerous horse if you don’t have the experience to keep yourself safe.
Edited to add: Dental problems can cause issues too. If this is a gelding, were the wolf teeth removed? When was the last dental exam, floating done?
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Your horse or some else’s? Is this a chestnut OTTB mare by some chance? Or?
If not a chestnut OTTB mare; it might be arthritis, ulcers or kissing spines. Or it might something else bothering the horse that will cost the owner big $$$ to diagnose.
Cheers!
I hate this superstition.
OP, some horses are just sensitive, and some horses just don’t like a deep seat. After going over the regular physical related issues (great suggestions above), I would recommend working with a qualified trainer to help this horse learn to cope better with some of the things he doesn’t like.
Leg is not an option. You have to just put your leg on and let him figure out that it’s not going anywhere, no matter what he does. You also have to not catch him in the mouth while doing this, just use figures or whatever to keep him reasonable about the whole thing. Lots of praise.
The seat thing - for H/J, if a horse really resents the deep seat, you have the option of not doing it. If you’re really hell bent on sitting on him (or need to for other reasons, like if he’s a stopper or whatever), then I would do it gradually. Sit deep for 2 or 3 strides, get light, tell him he’s a good boy. Repeat until he doesn’t get pissy, then try for 4 strides. etc etc.
The sensitive ones will make a horseman out of you. You have to have ice water in your veins at all times.
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I posted last fall about my sensitive horse. IMO sensitive types stay sensitive forever. They take an owner willing to really listen and adjust to them and their sensitivities. They are the type to give you their all when you do.
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Doesn’t anybody have a sense of humor anymore?
I took the chestnut mare comment as a joke.
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Yea but it’s alarmingly common for people to ignore obvious signs of discomfort/ pain/ anxiety/ fear in horses particularly mares, even more so chestnut mares and excuse it because “cHeStNuT mArEs!! Ammi right???” The anthropomorphizing will make you cringe and roll your eyes after you hear it enough so it’s just not funny to me anymore.
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Congratulations you got the humorous points, I was trying to convey!!
That and some people take themselves way to seriously.
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If it isn’t the saddle, as much as I hate to repeat what we so often hear, I would be inclined to say kissing spine. Years ago I worked with a young horse that matches what you say. The man who started him and his brother told me not to canter because he bucked. I thought he meant because he was young and fractious. Turns out he knew something was wrong. It gradually got worse. The poor guy was clearly in pain. It was so sad, he was one of the kindest, most loving horses I have ever worked with too.
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That’s a lot of jumping to assumptions that there is a horse problem (as opposed to a rider problem) based on an odd OP. It sounds like a new horse for a rider who is maybe casually riding (i.e. lessoning occasionally on said horse)? My TB is extremely upset by un-still riders. If anyone gets on him with a swinging leg or bouncing seat, he will quickly show his displeasure with acrobatics. An inexperienced rider would say “he bucks,” but it is more of a hopping thing than real bucking, of course. He is not actually particularly sensitive (beyond the stereotypical TB ways), but he is particular. Based on extremely limited information, I would guess that this is more of a rider problem than a horse problem.
OP - do other riders (or your trainer) think he is super sensitive? It may just be that he is a horse that prefers a quiet rider. If you are not a quiet rider, and there is no shame in that if you are in the process of learning, then it may just be a less-than-ideal match between horse and rider. Or he may be a horse who is a good barometer to you of your progression as a rider over time.
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nah joke is just played out. People believe these things sadly.
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I assumed the first sentence was a joke until I read this part. A wink face or perhaps just not including “If not a chestnut OTTB mare” would have been more clear.
Poor chestnut mares.
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To clear some stuff up for people:
- he is a chestnut quarter horse gelding
- he most likely has ulcers
- he doesn’t buck or act up when lunging or in hand.
- when i leg him forward, he sucks back and bounces his back end
- when asking for the canter, thats when he actually bucks. i have to half seat and really send him forward into the canter.
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I am now taking lessons on a chestnut QH BTDT gelding maybe in his early 20s, and this horse is extremely sensitive when I groom him.
Wednesday he would NOT!!! allow me to even think of HandsOn gloves, he really did not like the much gentler Retriever “curry” if I pressed down , the Tigers Tongue had him slinging his head in a threat, etc… What I ended up using was the Retriever tool VERY lightly and my spikey mane brush of the caked on mud. On his body that is all he would consent to at first, though he did allow my riding teacher to use a flick brush on him lightly.
Luckily for me he did not jump out of skin while I was riding him. That could possibly be because he was wearing a Fenwick Western saddle pad under my jumping saddle (it covers his loin), a Fenwick Face Mask with Ears, a BOT poll cap, a BOT exercise sheet with his wool mix exercise sheet over it, AND my double bridle has titanium bits.
He was warm, his achy back muscles from an earlier lesson felt sooooo much better with the Fenwick and BOT gear, his possible perpetual headache was dealt with by the face mask and poll cap, and he let me ride him, muttering with little “watch it” comments at my leg and rein aids, and was basically a good boy even though he was not pleased with life.
His skin was still sensitive after the ride, no harsh brushing allowed, no sir!
One would have thought he was a TB mare, no, he is an Appendix QH gelding, usually calm, cool and collected and rather tolerant of humans.
Could his skin be so sensitive because his skin is getting ready to shed all that winter hair?
I have a very sensitive mare.
These are not behaviors that I consider to indicate a sensitive horse. These are behaviors that indicate pain.
Sucking back and humping at leg pressure is exactly what my mare does when she has ulcers flaring up.
Bucking could be an extension of that - “I told you to stop sending me forward”, or it could indicate pain in the back, stifles, hindquarters, hocks.
Easiest is to probably treat for ulcers and then go from there. I’d at least have a basic lameness exam done with full flexions.
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Yes; I have lots of ideas why. Pain and or discomfort for the horse. Often hidden.
This requires diagnostics by Veterinarians which may be extensive and expensive.
If this is not your horse and you don’t feel safe; a smart idea would be to stop riding this horse.
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