My Bucking Horse!

[mustangrider]

Howdy Ya'll!

I had a surprise a few weeks ago. I was too embarrassed to share here. I am still a little sore.

My new awesome paso boy bucked me off twice in a few days time. First time, we were out on trail. He was covered in flies. I think he bucked b/c of flies. Second time was 3 days later. We flexed a few times from side to side. I asked him to walk off and he bucked me off hard. I did manage to stay on both times for a few bucks. Second time was almost violent with no warning. First time was a little side to side then bucking. I knew that one was coming.

I am guessing that the bucking was started because of the flies. I think he felt his oats and was extra energetic. Second time I am guessing that he was a bit sore. I rode him a time in between. He was fine. I rode him 2 days after, he was fine. A friend of mine came over to look at him, he seemed a little nervous with her. He seemed a little sore. I am guessing from bucking.

I must confess, I haven't ridden him since. My back was sore. I am getting better now. I am having surgery next week and I don't wanna jinx myself. I have pulled him off of all feed but hay and a little bit of rinsed beet pulp with his vit/min supps. He is calming down by the day.

We had a major set back. I learned a lesson. He learned a lesson. We are learning together. I will work with him more after I recover from my procedure. I guess I will be on him in August some time. Wish me luck. I am sure his saddle fits.

He was soo good for the first three weeks undersaddle. I think the flies and too much feed got the better of us. Too much nervous energy. Now I don't want to get bucked off anytime soon. LOL.

[pnalley]

Ouch, I know I'm too old to bounce anymore. Be really careful with him, and don't hesitate to get help with him. Sometimes money spent on professional help is money well spent.

Look at it like this: One trip to the emergency room will be at least $5000. You can pay for training for you and him, for a LONG time with that kind of money.

I have had a horse that was super sensative to flies before. She went NUTS if a horsefly landed on her. Good flyspray, quick hands (to slap & kill bugs) and she eventually realized she really did really have to pay attention to me even if she had "stuff" going on.

Be careful & good luck

[mustangrider]

Thank you for your kind words. I too do not want to get hurt. I hate the thought of bouncing again.

I have thoroughly gone over him from him head to toe. I know the saddle fits. He gets coated with fly spray if the flies are bad. His jumpiness has gone down considerably since I have cut out the pellet feed.

He has serious trust issues. The only one he lets touch and catch him is me. He is fine with me most of the time. He is learning to trust again. I have taken him back to the beginning of training. We are going to do more once I recover from my surgery. He is getting better though about his jumpiness. I think it is going to take time. That we have.

I don't mind sending him to a trainer, but I don't think a trainer can do anything for him that I can't do. I will take my time with him. I do not feel endangered by him. We will work it out together.

I will continue to work with him. If I need to, I am going to find a trainer to take him on. I just don't know of any trainers I trust. I have been burned badly in the past by "trainers" if you know what I mean. I am not fancy, but I ride decently.

My biggest fear is that a trainer will make the situation worse, not better. I have been burned so badly in the past that I have little to no respect for them as a whole. I think I would be more nervous after he came back from the trainer than I do now.

Can anyone recommend a good trainer in GA/SC area?

[SandyMM]

I think the flies and too much feed got the better of us.
First, from one injured party to another - hope you're healing well and will back in the saddle soon.

The flies can be torture for some horses more than others.... and to have to carry and listen to a rider while you're being drilled by some of those big horseflies and the nasty deerflies is misery personified! Even though we sprayed both Pete and Katie before rides, Pete is thin-skinned and the flies seem to know that and it drives him _nuts_! Katie was right behind him and was bothered very little. A while back I bought some of those goofy looking crocheted ear/forelock covers. I think we may try them next ride - at least on Pete. Katie didn't seem to care... or be bothered.

Three things come to mind....
1. Get a _good_ fly spray - like Tri-Tech and douse your horse really well right before the ride. I spray right over the ears front and back, one good squirt right up the face from nose to ears, and I lay it on thickest everywhere I can't see or reach to bat the flies off myself. You might consider one of those fly whisks that lets you reach a pretty good distance.

2. New owners tend to overfeed Pasos. They were raised for centuries to live off scrub and more of them get in trouble from over-feeding than underfeeding. Feed enough to maintain a healthy weight, no more.

3. Even though you think the saddle fits, the horse may be changing shape as he gets more fit with good feed and exercise. The saddle could be sliding or pinching. I know of more than one horse that will either lock up or pitch a fit if the saddle slips just an inch or two.... Breast collars are a great help.

[motorgypsy]

Sorry to hear it. My favorite riding mare's nickname for the first two years we owned her was "the Rodeo Queen". She bucked for a solid 45 minutes once when I had the nerve to ride her during feeding time. Actually bucking is not common in paso finos and in fact the paso fino trainer we watched train on a daily basis said paso finos don't buck. So now the question is - what brought this on. An no absolutely don't take a chance before surgery.

I can only share what we did and that it worked for us.

Unless your boy is on sweet feed it's highly unlikely food has anything whatsoever to do with his bucking fit. Paso finos are supposed to be "on" when you ask for it. They are supposed to be high energy. They are not supposed to buck. Compared to other breeds they really don't buck much at all. So other than making sure he's on a higher protein, fat, and lower carb diet simply because they are easy keepers and will founder on too much sugar and too much food I would ignore anyone who tells you "He gets too much protein. That makes them hot" NOT! We feed 1 quart of Triple Crown senior, 14 % protein, 10% fat, beet pulp based, lots of additives, daily, to nearly all our paso finos but those still growing. That's about 1.25 pounds per day. BUT they have unlimited hay - tifton 44, a type of coastal bermuda. They get the same on pasture. But they have been on as much as 4 quarts a day with no change of behavior and added 20 pounds or of of T/A cubes at the same time. No behavior changes at all. And I don't care what you are feeding him - he should not BUCK!

I would get someone who really knows saddle fit to check your saddle. Paso finos are famous for being hard to fit. That wasn't our mare's problem. She bucked with the Puerto Rican trainer riding her bareback. I would suspect that your boy has done this before and probably succeeded in getting his rider off. Once they figure this out you first have to eliminate any source of pain and then find a person who can stay on him if he bucks. I was really lucky. First of all I have a roughout synthetic western saddle, caged fat EZ stirrups with the rotators that keeps them straight, a flank set on the saddle that is snug, not loose so the saddle doesn't tilt (and yes you put a strap to keep the flank set from really slipping backwards but no they don't cause horses to buck - ask John Lyons about flank sets), really solid boots, helmet, jump vest and now we have some aggressive skater's padded pants I put under my breeches. If I'm concerned like when I rode our untrained 5 year old for the first time I suit up with whole outfit which makes me much more relaxed. I also ride with full seat breeches. You'd be amazed at how much better you stay on with all this stuff on, and if you know you can stay on, it's funny how much better you ride.

So before you or someone else tries again - take the first finger of each hand and run then nail down along each side of his spine. If his muscles twitch all over the place when you do this his back is sensitive and you may want to start massaging it before you ride. Be sure your saddle pad is grippy as well as cushy enough. We use one of those that look like the grippy shelf paper but be warned - after several miles and some sweat you need to tighten your cinches because they soften and will get slick. I also like my wool felt pad. Just experiment around. Be sure there's enough space at the withers. Mine saddle looked fine until I was several miles into the ride and noticed that it had sunk quite a ways down which is when I added the felt pad and the grippy pad.

I've forgotten how old he is but it's not at all uncommon for a green horse to buck from flies or stepping in yellow jacket wasp nest in the ground and so on but they usually will give you a warning. My mare would pin her ears and if I could see her reflection I could see that she'd flip her tail before she'd buck. She would stop bucking if I turned her in a tight circle and most paso finos are trained to do this and this might be all you need to do is just catch him before he has actually bucked and get him in that circle and by a tight circle I mean head on their tail tight five feet circumference circle, not a big circle. I'd usually make her do two in one direction and two in the opposite just so I wouldn't get dizzy. She got so if she started to buck and I even moved she'd do a circle because she knew she was naughty.

Were you able to find out who trained him and his registered name? That can be a big help. I knew my mare bucked when I got her so I was prepared, just not skilled enough initially to stop it. But I did finally figure it out.

But if he's bucking that hard he may need a tuneup from a good trainer. But do check on the saddle and check to see if he has a sensitive back. And above all STAY SAFE!!!

About the flies - we use 10% permethrin diluted to 50cc to a quart spray bottle PLUS 100% DEET army or Repel brand on the ears and just anywhere flies tend to bite. We don't use the spray deet but use a pump or drops, put it on our hands and then on the horse avoiding the eyes. It works for yellow flies, deer flies, no seeums and gnats. Also love the Cashel riding fly mask.

Hope you can go to the Ashevlle show this weekend starting Thurs. It's really fun!!! Just go to the barns and talk to people!

[mustangrider]

Thanks SandyMM.

I am healing fine. With my surgery next week, I don't not want to jinx myself.

1. Fly spray has been a great investment. I am wiping it on him liberally. Flies bother him much less. I think that is going to work. Just too hot right now and waiting until after surgery.

2. Yes, I must confess. I was feeding him. I was riding him every day. I didn't want to decondition him so to speak. I wanted him to get fit without dropping in weight too fast. That happens with my mushtang. I have now increased hay and no pellet feed at all. He has come down from his high. He is getting calmer by day.

3. Saddle fit, I am certain of. I will check it again before we ride next. I am looking at getting a saddle specific to pasos. I am looking at used saddles now. I am not going to buy anything as of yet. I am confident that my saddle fits him. It has little to no roll, no sore spots after 1 hour ride, no ruffled hair spots, no slippage, no bridging, no movement when mounted, no pinning ears while being saddled, basically no classic signs. I have had someone else check it. That person also believes it fits. We will see in August. I may have a professional saddle fitter to come help me. UGH>>>>>

Thank you for all of your tips and suggestions.

[SandyMM]

I don't know about your area, but where we are there are some places and some times of the year that are just _miserable_ with the 'biting' flies. That time of year we either don't ride at all or ride faster than usual to try to outrun them! (Almost never works, but - we try!) :D

[pnalley]

WOW, can I relate to burned by a trainer, but in hindsite it was my fault.

There are a few really good trainers I know of in the Georgia area. It depends on what you want, need & desire your horse to be.

Good luck with the surgery.

I really like the idea of going back to forage only for a horse. How more natural can it be?

Motergypsy, RE: Rodeo Queen?? Are you saying you actually rode her through a 45 minute bucking fit? If so you missed your calling, you should be making the big bucks (HA, get it?) on the bull riding circuit.

I know the few times I have had a horse really buck with me, it felt like an eternity, but in reality I only lasted a few jumps/seconds and wham I was on the ground. Luckily in 40+ year of riding I have had very few serious buckers to deal with.

[motorgypsy]

Paula yes I actually did and it was at a boarding barn with the owner and Kyle watching as owner went around feeding and he just stood outside the arena and watched. All these QH riders kept saying "You gotta ride 'er out". Now you know Chinook is only 13 2 but very very quick and athletic. Luckily I had on all my gear but the padded pants. We added them for the parades on asphalt. Our old bones can't take hard surfaces. And I didn't know about the tight circle thing. So I was just determined. I was so tired of making excuses for her bad behavior. It's windy. It's cloudy. It's cold. It's hot. It's feeding time. So I finally said to Kyle - I am severely tired of the mare and her perpetual PMS and the barn owner told me after she finally stopped bucking to give her a warning the next time and she'd sell tickets. I asked her how long I was out there and she said 45 minutes. I said "You've gotta be kidding". She said Nope - it really was 45 minutes. You can guess I was sore for a week.

Did it stop her from bucking? No. But it sure gave me a lot more confidence. And what else I discovered much later on a couple of trail rides was that if I really did lose my balance like if she threw in a little twist with the buck and I lost a stirrup or something I would yell at her and she'd stop dead, wait for me to get settled, put my stirrup back on and then she'd start bucking again. Now you tell me she didn't know exactly what she was doing. She was protesting, not really seriously trying to dump me. What a horse!

From there I went on to ride her in speed shows and then on LD endurance rides. It's amazing how 25 miles and running barrels at a full gallop can change the attitude of a horse that thinks going too fast is fun.

And then I figured out about the tight circles, massaged her back and just put miles and miles and miles on her. That was in 2000 if I remember correctly. She actually got the high speed award for the whole show for her speed barrel time at one show. The prize was a halter that was big enough to put two of her in.:v:

We rode her and Brandy daily for at least a couple years. And then when they were pregnant we got Lula and Kalua and rode them at least twice a week for about a year at hunter paces and allbreed shows. That was probably 2004.

The five we can ride after months of layoff are BeeGEE, our big PPR mare, Lula, Brandy, Chinook and best of all is our stallion, Sultan (Magnifico de Besilu. With Sultan we have to do about ten minutes of some serious yielding on the ground but then he is a machine. Oh do I LOVE to ride him but he's pretty much Kyle's horse. Bit sometimes I'll let him ride Chinook and I'll ride Sultan. Chinook's due in about three weeks now and I'm a nervous wreck!

And now we have so many horses and stuff to do we're lucky to ride once a week. But at least we have horses we can take out safely and whose "little ways" we know.:rolleyes:;) I could NEVER ride SloughP through a bucking fit. We clicker trained him not to buck because he'd buck with just a saddle to the MOON! If I even suspect that he's gonna buck I BAIL. But he LOVES his carrots so he almost never bucks. He is SUCH a NUT!

So I'm sure that's too much information but it's fun to remember all the crazy times we had when we got our first paso finos.

[SandyMM]

....it's fun to remember all the crazy times we had when we got our first paso finos.
I haven't come up with anything appropriate to post re: this comment... except to say that this many problems would not be the norm in my experience. In fact, if I were a newbie and got the impression that these problems were common, I would look elsewhere. Were you intentionally seeking out 'challenges'?!;)

[mustangrider]

I am trying to avoid all fireworks with my new boy. He is basically an easy horse to ride and really tries hard to please me. I think this was a freak incident. I am restarting him to avoid this from happening again. I am looking at a used saddle, western type that I am hoping will fit him. It is from CTK saddlery. I will wait and see. I want more security than Dressage type.

My boy is getting calmer by the day. I will spend more time with him tomorrow. I checked his back and neck for soreness today. I worked to find a sore spot. Maybe on the right side of his neck. He is tight and stiff on that side.

The saga continues. Wish me luck. After my surgery, I think we will start over again. A clean slate.

[First Paso]

Thank you for this thread! Brodie lets me know he's going to buck by some very pissy tail swishing. He always lets me know. Its not mean killer bucks, but protesting bucks like not my idea..not doing it. I was taught the tight circle thing...it was good the first say fifteen times. Now my man knows that once he is in a bucking mode I am going to circle him so...what's he do? He spins instead of circles. Yeah, like a little reigning horse...smooth as can be...either direction... he feels the pull comming and he spins after he gets four hooves down. And oh how he can spin.
He knows his walk command...so now if he starts the tail talk I tell him walk. That has been working, but what if we aren't walking? Motorgypsy...you said you clicked not to buck. How does that work? I know how to click for a desirable response...but to not do something? Sorry if I sound ignorant, but I am...could you elaborate? Also your words are encouraging...just more time in the saddle with the little three year old.
Mustangrider, get better soon, I bet it was the flies...you would have noticed something if intentional...only an opinion, but horses are good at cueing...

[mustangrider]

Thank you First Paso. This is my first guy also. I have had lots of other horses. My favorite being a mushtang. He is absolutely awesome. This paso is quirky and fun. I have a new saddle coming for him. I am hoping I will feel a little more secure in it. While I am out for surgery, I am having a good friend of mine jockey him for me. It should go well. She has ridden him once for me. She didn't notice anything off with him. I too think it was the feed and flies. He is calming down nicely now.

First Paso, Keep up the good work. I hate bucking. It scares the bejesus out of me. I hate it more than anything. You have done a good job with your boy. Keep it up.

Good Luck.

[legna96]

Sorry to hear that Mustangrider. Hang in there. It's tough and scary. I know of a couple of really good trainers here in GA that Ive sent my horse's to and they are very reputable and do what they say. PM me and I'll help you out.


Good luck!

[baileyholc]

The flies are really bad this year. Anyway, I never new this until I started riding at Marils Barn. But she uses Noxzema on her horses it really works. It only takes a little and it is cheep. Put it in and around the ears and around the eyes but not to close and not thick and even around the tets and sheath. She uses fly spray too but with the Noxzema on the face and ears you don't have to spray the fly spray on the face.

Mustangrider, Blackberry was acting like wild thing last saturday. He has settled down some now. The girls are bringing him up more and working with him in their lessons. He is doing much better. Have you thought about having a chiropractor looking at Dali. He might have a little soreness going on.

[mustangrider]

Bailey,

I have thought of consulting a chiropractor. I am waiting to see if things resolve for themselves. I find with myself that rest, exercise, and water usually take care of most of my troubles. I am trying to do the same thing with him. I have been working him lightly on the ground. I am going to have someone ride him for the next month for me. It is going well so far. He is relaxing more and much quieter. Thanks for all of the well wishes.

[KFischer]

"I was taught the tight circle thing...it was good the first say fifteen times. Now my man knows that once he is in a bucking mode I am going to circle him so...what's he do? He spins instead of circles. Yeah, like a little reigning horse...smooth as can be...either direction... he feels the pull comming and he spins after he gets four hooves down. And oh how he can spin. "
First Paso
That is exactly what my horse did!! I have (I think) worked that out of him by having him stop, setlle down & start over on what ever we were trying to do.. I think at home, he is hugely barn sour.. On the trail I don't have any excuses :( He is better though some days..

[mustangrider]

Since I have had major surgery, I am unable to ride for the next 3 weeks. I have bought a new saddle for him. It is by CTK saddlery out of Colombia. It fits him well. I am also having a friend ride him twice a week. He is doing well with her. I will let them continue for another 10 weeks or so before I ride him again. I will start riding with my mustang and then ride him again when he is solid for her. So far, no bucks. He is a good boy.

[motorgypsy]

Sounds like he's doing really well and hope you are too!

If your surrogate rider is a really good rider she might experiment to see just what triggers a bucking spell. Our Florida Cracker horse can buck to the moon. I would have no prayer of staying on him if he threw a bucking fit when I was in the saddle. BUT he does it when he sees another horse running around or where he can't get to them so he is quite predictable. We taught him using clicker training not to buck when the saddle is on him but he will forget himself on occasion and I've learned a lightning fast dismount when I'm not in a large enough area to do circles to distract him. So IF you can figure out what triggers his buck and what signs signal that he's about to do it you can head it off. Chinook will flip her tail and pin her ears first so I have time to react before she bucks and I can stop her. It's very comforting to know that you have a technique that works when you own a horse that has an "evil twin" that pops up on occasion and does very naughty things! (Chinook always blames her evil twin when she misbehaves:biggrin:)

[mustangrider]

MGs, thank you very much. So far So good. He is doing well. I think the last incident was triggered by the annoying flies. The second incident must have been pain as it hasn't developed since. I have dealt with that on the ground. It was triggered by the crupper one time, the flies another. We are working with it as it happens. My rider said she felt him swell up on Sunday. She kept his head up and asked him to move on. I will work on it today with her. Thank you very much for the ideas to find out the trigger and a way to avoid it. That will be our next step.

Onward and Upward. LOL.

[motorgypsy]

:biggrin:
I don't know if you're familiar with the "tight circles" method of distraction but most well trained paso finos are taught to do a circle that is so tight the radius is about two feet. Their nose is on their tail so to speak. And a MOVE FORWARD command, a quick pull into that really small circle, a yell (DON'T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT), and sometimes I've even used fingernails dug into the side of the withers (no you don't draw blood) is enough to distract them - BUT you have to be able to feel the threat before it happens for it to be effective. You can't spend the rest of your riding life worrying about him bucking. You have to be confidant that you can stop it before it happens. This will make a HUGE difference in your enjoyment. If he manages to get one buck off before you yank him around it usually won't be a big one and once you've ridden it and stopped the bucking session it's like AHHHHHH - I CAN do this! And once HE knows you can stop him and he isn't going to scare you, all the other attempts are pretty mild - more of an "I'm annoyed and want you to know it" sort of thing. But also you do want to recognized the ones that are pain related and eliminate any pain before you work on extinguishing them.

They really are smart and willing - but they also expect you to prove you are worth of them;)

[First Paso]

You guys are great with advice and support. My Brodie has gotten so much better about bucking...he doesn't really buck anymore, only a bump, just to let me know I am not as smart as I think. So glad you are doing better MustangRider. Thanks so much for posting the thread...with everyone telling their stories and advice...it helps newbies like me not to give up. Like I said my little man and I working it out, and we're getting to be a better team. Knowing that other people have had horses buck more than a bit, and worked through it, helps us move forward in a positive direction with advice. You are lucky to have someone riding for you, I hope it continues to go well, and I hope it remains only two bucks for you!

[mustangrider]

Well, my boy is doing excellent with his "rider". I am going to be back in the saddle in a couple of days. I have ridden him in the round pen once since he is being ridden by my friend. He is doing very well. He was smooth, light and responsive. I can't tell you the difference that the new saddle makes. It is very comfortable and he seems to be pleased. He was calmer and smoother for me than he is her. I am definitely making progress with him. The biggest difference has been spending lots of time with him on the ground. He is also settling in with me. I have changed his feed. He is on grass hay, beet pulp (well rinsed), and a calming supplement, just to get him grounded. I will wean him off in a couple of months. He is still separate from the rest of the herd, but I moved him to a much larger paddock...about 2/3 of an acre...dirt. No grass.

When I was on him yesterday, he was falling asleep when I was talking to my friend. His head was bobbing down and his eyes were closed...WITH ME ON HIM!!! I called his name...I got off, and she finished the ride. He is considerably better. He is now amazing. We still have work to do...but there is light at the end of the tunnel. I hated thinking that it would never improve, but I was putting too much pressure on him and myself.

FirstPaso, Keep up the good work with your guy....it does get better. I have spent a great deal of time finding possible causes and eliminating them. It hasn't been easy, but it is getting better. Good luck with your guy. Let go of some of the pressure and lower your goals a little bit. Be easy on yourself. Set easy goals...Don't be too hard...it will improve. My guy did. He was really bad looking back at him. I thought he wouldn't get better. If I could change anything, it would be to have taken things a little easier with him. I had too high expectations. Had I taken my time and slowed down things a little bit, I would have been further along right now...A couple of months ago, he was ready for riding...I swear he was. I still think he was ready...we just had a set back....

We got through it...you will too. Take your time. Be easy on him and yourself. Enjoy him...really, enjoy him.

MR

[First Paso]

Thank you for the advice MR! I hear you on the low expectations. You don't have to worry. :) Brodie and me, we set Saturday as our bath day. Talk about goals. Yep his first bath that I know of, in a wash room. He so loathes water...never seen any horse so prissy about water. We had a good bath time, the 105 degree weather probably helped! We are getting good at the hanging out get to know eachother game. Our confidence is building. I can get him to relax in cross ties now, no more tap dancing. He even puts his head down and does the sleepy eye look so that I will brush his face real good.
Hopefully soon he will get that relaxed with me in the saddle. I don't know though. The fact that your boy was dozing off while your while on his back, that's a big wow. Little Broddie man has to really concentrate to just walk, he wants to pretend he is rocket zooming around the areana...even better if there are other horse. He can show them all why he is in charge of the pasture. I wouldn't trade him in for anything... I do enjoy him, even smiling now thinking at how poorly we did Sunday. LOL we couldn't make it once around the areana with some sort of miscommunication. We called it good at 20 minutes and said lets go get the saddle off. Always on a positive note.
Thanks again MR

[mustangrider]

I rode the first time yesterday since my surgery. I rode my mustang. My friend rode my paso. He did well. He is very forward. He never spooked. He went in water...up to his belly. Deer don't phase him. He doesn't care about much. He insisted on being in front...He is very, very forward. I do likey him. My mustang was very much ho hum the entire ride. He is been there done that now....

My paso does need to work on his "control." We need to work with him on giving to the bosal. We also need to get him to relax more. It will come in time.

We did discover his bucking trigger...I think anyways. My friend was riding in a slouch/sloppy position. As she was slumping forward, he really scooted and almost unseated her...had she lost her seat, I am sure he would have started bucking....Now we have something to start despooking him on. LOLOLOL. I am sure when he did that maneuver with me, I lost my seat and set him down a spiral ending up with me off his back. LOL. I think anyways. I do know that this saddle fits him. I think that was also contributing to my demise.

First Paso, you are welcome. You will get there....spend time enjoying him. I do mine. It is hard not to try and rush it. I hate the thought of sending him to a trainer. I haven't found a need to yet. I insist on doing it myself...I am stubborn. I only hope it doesn't set me further back....I may find a clinic to attend next year. We will see.

Good Luck.

[motorgypsy]

Now that I think of it I've also used a very quick series of left right pulls on the reins to stop bucking and misbehavior if I'm in a tight spot. It tends to disorient them and they usually forget what ever naughty thing they were planning:biggrin: It also works well to do a quick left right for a horse who balks. One of our mares always started up with a jump but I found that an almost imperceptible left then right would start her with a nice slow relaxed walk. All you can do is experiment. But they do settle down.

And just lots of saddle time with you relaxed and enjoying yourself is one of the absolute best things you can do.

[mustangrider]

Thanks everyone. I no longer have a bucking Paso. LOL. A combination of my new saddle, lots of groundwork, having a friend ride him for me, and me getting my confidence have seemed to solve his bucking. Yeah! He is wonderful. I have ridden him 3 times and he has been wonderful. Remind you I have only been riding for 2 weeks since I have had surgery.

We are definitely making progress. My friend has been riding him with his bosal. We then moved him to a snaffle bit with draw reins (her idea, only once). He is now being ridden with his bosal and his paso bit. Wow, what a ride we had yesterday. He had lots of go...my friend finds him to be very forward...maybe too much. I really like it. He has lots of "brio" if I am using this term correctly. He was amazing yesterday. It is amazing at how much better he moved with just a change in headgear, addition of bit. He was moving out well and forward. I loved it. My butt is very comfortable.

What an amazing boy! I loff my paso.

[SandyMM]

In the right situation, draw reins can be a very effective tool... Not for every horse or every rider, but effective in certain transitional circumstances...

[Pam M]

Be very careful with draw reins though - they can be dangerous if they're too tight. One of my boarders was riding with draw reins and her horse stumbled and couldn't get his head up to catch his balance. He fell on top of her and stepped on her head getting up. Luckily she had a helmet on but she still spent 3 days in ICU, 2 months on crutches and 3 months with no riding. She was using the draw reins for headsetting (h/j) and they were way too short to be riding with. They have their purpose but they should be used with care.
Congrats on your progress!!

[mustangrider]

We used them only once. I will go back and forth between the two. I ordered two different paso bits off of ebay. I am using one of them right now. With only 2 rides in this one particular bit, I don't know if I will use the draw reins again. I just don't know enough about them to really feel comfortable with them. I understand the reasons and I understand how to use them. I will see how he does in the next couple of weeks. So far so good. We are waiting and seeing how we go. LOL.

It sounds as though I am making lots of this up as we go along. I am. I am working with the horse I have on a particular day. I will see what he needs. I do like my paso bit for him. Much better than snaffle bit.

[motorgypsy]

There are I'm sure times when draw reins are a good thing to use but they really aren't common at all on paso finos. I've only seen them used on HJ's. But again, knowing what makes him buck and knowing that you can stop him and you can ride out one or two bucks before you take him in hand and tell him to stop his nonsense makes a huge difference in reducing the bucking to zero.

[mustangrider]

I have included a picture of our success. This photo was taken after a short ride tonight. No signs of buck in sight. He is doing remarkably well. Thank to all for your input. I do like the double rein set up with the noseband/bit combo. I have been lucky to find a bit he is doing very well in. We are blessed indeed.

Thank you all once again.

[mustangrider]

Forgot to add the photo.

[motorgypsy]

He looks really relaxed. They really are fun horses - a challenge sometimes - but a LOT of fun:biggrin:

[mustangrider]

Thank you MGs. He really is a good boy and he sure wants to be a good one. We may have "a failure to communicate" sometimes, but we work through it. He won't move after I mount until I ask him to. He will fall asleep even. It is so funny. Once I ask him to move, he surely does.

He is sooo much fun. I loffs him.

And, he is a "rescue". LOLOLOL.

I couldn't have bought a better horse anywhere. He found me. LOLOL.

[SandyMM]

And, he is a "rescue". LOLOLOL.Ah - but a rescue who has an owner who knows what she can do on her own and when a little extra help is appropriate... Lucky horse, I'd say! :)

[baileyholc]

He looks so good. Thanks for sharing. How happy you must be. :)