I’m considering leasing a mare that throws a buck on occasion when she spooks. She’s an excellent match otherwise but I’m not super confident in sitting a buck. I know falls happen but am concerned about being seriously injured. Am I overreacting? My trainer thinks we can work with her. Is this something that will get better with training?
Your trainer ought to know, at least knows the horse and your abilities.
On the other hand, “if someone tells you who they are, believe them” applies to horses also.
A horse that is known to buck while being ridden, well, that is what that horse will do.
Even if a horse only bucks once a year, if you fall off wrong and get injured, was it worth to ride that horse?
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Would I? Yes, I’m usually fairly comfortable sitting a buck/spook. A whole rodeo, well, I might able to sit it, but that doesn’t mean I want to on the regular.
Yes, bucking and spooking can get better with time and training.
If you’re not confident sitting a buck, though, I would suggest you not lease a horse that is known to buck.
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A buck that’s truly due to spooking wouldn’t worry me because I know that I can usually teach a horse to be confident and brave so that they don’t spook very often and when they do it’s not a giant spook.
I cannot teach a horse to not have kissing spines, not have PSSM, or to not have bad hocks so for me ugly spooks are fixable. Now, whether or not you or your trainer have the skills to fix it, is another discussion but that’s for you to have with the trainer.
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As a trainer, I could ride bucking fairly well, comes with the territory, but my biggest asset was to be able to manage even bad buckers in a way they would not be apt to be bucking, or not bad enough to buck me off.
As a student, amateur, even intermediate one?
I would not expect them to be able to handle a bucker, not keep them from bucking, or ride some bucking out.
Then, your trainer is who can say if that is a safe situation … for you as his student.
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Negative. I’ll take an ugly untalented but cooperative horse over a spooking bucker. Every time.
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How often does she spook? At what? Are you always going to be riding in fear of her spooking at clouds, or does she only spook at cows and there are no cows anywhere near your property so it doesn’t matter? Or only when she hasn’t been ridden in 2 weeks and it gets better if you longe her first? In other words- can you predict it, can you manage it, can you ameliorate it? If most answers are yes I would not have as many concerns!
I’ve got a pretty good bronc seat, but I don’t want my mother riding something that has a fairly reliable or predictable unsafe habit. She could stick it, but that’s not the point- no one will be having fun.
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Yes I bought a horse that is known to buck.
In work he is pretty good. Bringing him back into work I know the first trail ride out is going to be hairy.
I am an experienced rider and one ride on Sim I knew he was not enough horse for me. I gave him to my hubby.
I needed a bit more horse!
Which writing it down is provably the most stupidest thing anyone could ever do!
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Probably would depend on the type of buck. Is it a hunched up dolphin or are we talking nose to the ground, back hooves to the heavens, you get a belt buckle if you stay on 8 seconds kind of ride?
Horses spook in all different ways… some go up some go airborne, some go sideways and some hunch up in the rear. I leased a lovely older hunter who was the nicest horse I even sat upon. His canter was a metronome, he swapped leads with a slight shift in weight in your stirrup, he was gorgeous but my God at least once a week he’d jump 7 feet sideways at an errant butterfly. Never at shows. Only at home. He was worth every spook. Miss him every day. You have to figure out what you can tolerate for what you gain. In my case it was an A circuit champion. And I somehow had a velcro seat. He only got me off once in 6 years. But damn if he didn’t try on the regular.
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Would I ride a horse that bucks? Depends but generally, yes, with precautions.
Would I pay to lease and pay to lesson on one to teach it not to buck?. Probably not.
Should OP, who admits to being unsure and doesnt want to get hurt pay to lease and pay for lessons on somebody else’s horse to school it out? No. OP is already doubtful in a situation that requires confidence and specific skill set.
Trainers dont have a crystal ball either, they don’t really know and are sometimes looking for ways to improve a horse enough to get it sold. Its a business, never forget. Clients best interests are not always first any more then trainer is really a friend.
You know, we always hear “Its a perfect match…”BUT”… what you really think is what you say after the “but”.
Had an older, close friend who was a little doubtful about getting on a particular hose, trainer persuaded her. Missed 8 months of work, screws and wire in their back. Not much of a confidence builder there.
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I’d have serious reservations about a trainer pushing a student to lease a horse that bucks when the student has expressed anxiety under the premise it can be addressed.
Bucking has a laundry list of potential reasons. It is not your job to pay to figure out the root of pain or work through something behavioral.
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Grace is right, not your job to pay to fix a horse you have to pay to even ride even if you aren’t afraid of getting hurt.
Anybody can call themselves a trainer. Anybody. Don’t blindly trust here.
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I would consider it - I have a good seat and don’t mind a buck/spook/silliness. And I would presume the tradeoff for the bucking issue is that the horse is otherwise nicer than I would typically be able to afford. But I’m not you, and if you’re not confident about sitting a buck, don’t pay money to lease a known bucker. There’s other horses out there. Being injured on a horse is no fun, and having your confidence crushed by a horse you’re nervous to ride is no fun either.
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Personally, no, not any more. I’ve paid my dues riding buckers over the years, I can do it if I have to, but it hurts my back and I really dislike it as a trait in a horse, especially the spook to unseat you and then buck and run types–that can turn you into a really defensive rider really fast.
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Yes, depending on the “emotion” behind the buck. One of my mares, admittedly a handful and enthusiastic about everything, always threw a buck or two (or three) after spooking. But it was never with the intention of getting me off. She just enjoyed life and moving and playing, like the little kid who likes to splash around in puddles.
I would be less willing to over-look bucking if it habitually happened with the sole intention of trying to get me on the ground.
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Another vote for it depends.
A dirty bucker, or one who bucks from pain? Who is unpredictable, or doesn’t stop until you hit the ground? Nah. I’m an amateur, I don’t get paid to risk getting hurt.
One who gets a little spooky when they’re fresh and throws in a buck and a squeal? I’m ok with that 
I have two of them!
What I will say is make sure that your saddle fits you. If you’re fighting your saddle already, than you’ll really struggle sitting a buck.
This horse jumps a 10, wins the hack, but will let you know if you forgot to put ear stuffies in…
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I think you have to evaluate your goals and comfort levels as well as the level of “misbehavior”.
If you have show goals and this horse is otherwise a real find to get you to them, you might be more inclined to deal with it, providing it is something you can ride through with help. If you are instead, riding for pleasure and to improve, you might decide that you would rather not take the risk since it will take away some of the pleasure, at least initially. Either way, if the behavior is at all common or dangerous and the thought of riding her makes you more nervous than happy, personally, I would walk away. For me, enjoyment of riding comes before competitive goals. YMMV
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When I was a junior, I had a similar opportunity come along that I took. Here’s my story, but take it with a grain of salt, as every situation is different: I was your run of the mill, decent riding, ambitious junior kid with dreams of going to Young Riders, but less than ideal finances to do so. My trainer had the opportunity to buy a fancy horse for pretty cheap that could potentially get me there and she would lease him to me. When we sat down to talk about it with my parents, she said verbatim, “If you pull on his face, he will buck.” I had to work a lot on getting my hands better at that point, but we all agreed that I could do it and he’d be a good teacher.
He gets to the barn and the first few lessons go great. But then, during an evening lesson that was a little more brisk, he was up, I pulled, and plop I went. I didn’t hit the ground very well (read: I thought falling on my hands and knees was a good idea), so I was a little shaken up. But I did pull on his face, so I knew I just had to be better about not doing that.
Fast forward a month and we had a home schooling show. There was a little bit of atmosphere and he was up. We were just trotting around the warm up and I still don’t remember how it happened (all I can think is I must have pulled), but one second I was on his back, the next I was flat on my back with my head smacking the dirt. I ended up in an ambulance and got diagnosed in the ER with a concussion. That was the last time I rode that horse, which was mutually agreed upon by everyone and I got a nice, safe little QH that bopped me around a few BN and novices before college. Much more enjoyable.
All that is to say, even if your trainer thinks you can do it, it still might not be the best idea. It could make you a better rider. It could also put you in the hospital. If you like the horse otherwise and the spooks/bucks aren’t dangerous, meaning trying to get you off (like my horse) vs just being excited or something, you might be able to deal with the moments it happens, work through it, and make it better. On the other hand, you might find that you don’t want to constantly worry about something setting the horse off. We all ride because we enjoy it. It’s up to you to decide if this horse is within your level of comfort and enjoyability.
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I think if you’re asking the question about whether it’s a good idea, then you have the answer.
If you had a horse that you were already riding and every couple of months the horse might throw in a little buck after a spook, and you knew that you could ride it out because you already had, then it wouldn’t be an issue.
But there’s no reason to take on riding a new horse (new to you) if you’re concerned about the bucking already. Yes, it’s possible that with additional, correct work, the bucking will lessen or stop. It’s also possible that with additional work the bucking will get worse because the horse has some kind of physical pain that is causing the buck.
Being afraid of the horse you’re riding can have a seriously bad effect on your riding.
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