tossed by horse

[jvicars]

today for some unknown reason my 7 yr old gelding decided to toss me off by spinning and jumping. I have not had him long but he has always acted well manner. The only thing i can think of is that i put the saddle on to tight as i remember cranking it down tight. within 5 feet of getting on him he started acting crazy.

i have had the horse for 3 weeks and rode him everyday with no issues like this one.

being a newbie i caught him and have him tied to a fence post with the saddle on.

of course now i am a bit spooked. the horse is an araibian mix.

i bought the horse after a cowboy friend looked over the horse and said he was sound.

comments and advice? thanks.

 

[Hippie Rancher]

The old saying is so true - you have to get back on. First though, unsaddle and check you blankets/pads for anything that might have irritated his back. Saddle up and maybe do a little ground work (lunge or just chase him around the pen a bit till he gets any play out of his system and GET BACK ON. Stay with him and pull his head up if he tries it again.

 

[branDcalf]

I agree with the Hippie fella. Gotta just ride that horse again.

Since you say you're kind of new at having a horse, how about getting your friend to look over your gear. Maybe have him watch you get the horse ready to ride, too.

I suspect, though, the horse is trying to see what it can get away with and you want to come out as boss on that one.

Good luck.

 

[jvicars]

thanks for the replys i need the luck. it was a heck of a day. after the horse bucked me off i tied the horse to a post. i leave for 1 hr and find the wifes little house dog giving the horse hell. the horse proceeds to rip off all of his tack and run wild for 30 minutes until i caught him and eased him back into a small pasture.

bad day for the horse and me. tomorrow will be a new start. i planned to get back on when i returned but the darn yappy wife dog stressed the horse to no end.

tomorrow has be better. thanks for the advice.

 

[kscowboy]

Always start them off in a round pen for a couple minutes just to make sure your tacked up ok . I have one that kind of swells up when saddled , about three trips around the pen and I check saddle then take off. also with the cool weather they have a bit more energy. The saying goes you own two horses , the summer one and the winter one.

I wouldn't be too concerned , sounds like you need to warm him up a bit before hopping on , establish respect on the ground and your rides will have a lot less surprises. Make sure he performs the gaits you want , stops on voice , turns on voice . Then you're ready to go into the big spooky world.

 

[hayray]

Make sure to do a bunch of ground work with that horse before you get back on. Just getting back on so he can buck you back off is really bad advice, you can just make him worse then he already is. If you don't know how to do the ground work and do some green horse training so you can train the buck out of him then find some one to help you.

 

[ArrowHBrand]

The problem is he is an Arabian mix. "Airheads" are already high strung, but you do have to get back on. Show him you are the boss. If you haven't had him that long take the time for him to get to know you and see that he can trust you. Good luck!

 

[Cindy]

Arabians are 100 mile horses.They won't tire out. Thats why after a long days work/ride. They will come back home and trot or run off after being unsaddled.
Most people don't understand the mind of an Arab. thats what gets them into trouble in the first place.
You need to review your back to basics training to see if he has had some training skipped. Stay confined in an arena or paddock until you feel completely safe then take a short cool down ride out side,like to the end of the driveway,and back.
Allways with horses END ON A GOOD NOTE for you and the horse!!!! I have spent many years training Arabians. If you have questions please ask. They are a very good breed.. Cindy

 

[Alan]

I have also spent some years with Arabs, one reason I own Quarter Horses now. You mentioned you have had the horse for about 3 weeks, the time period I refer to as the "honeymoon" time. The horse is acting different then normal , because of the enviroment change (new surroundings). Now he is probably comfortable with his new home and seeing were the line is he can cross.

I would take the horse to the round pen (saddled and bitted up) and work him until he is beyound tired. Good sweat and breathing hard. If you don't have a round pen use a long line. Get the horse too tired to think about anything but breathing and listening to you. That's when you want to get on again.

Arabs are the 100 mile endurance horses, but no horse can go 100 miles when they are out of shape, very few horse for sale can go 10 miles let alone 100. So he should tire fairly quickly. Make sure to check your saddle and blanket, as mentioned before, do not think your saddle was too tight, it's better too tight then too loose, you don't want your saddle to slip at the wrong time, can cause a pretty good wreck.

You may need to check his back for soars or soarness, check the girth area for soars. Make sure he is wqalking okay and not soar in the legs, that may play a part in his bucking also.

JMO,
Alan

 

[jvicars]

thanks for everyone advice. my first mistake was picking the wrong horse for a newbie. i traded him for a qh mare, 10 yrs old from a cattle ranch. you need to give her a good kick to get her going but i am fine with that for now.

i am going to make sure i follow advice and really work on ground training even though she appears well trained.

i still have a hard time getting her to take a bit. when its works its easy otherwise i cannot get the bit in her mouth.

i need to work on my skills as i think the horse has them.

 

[Jim62]

If you haven't taken any riding lessons, that may be a good thing to consider. When I started out, I took about 10 lessons from a very experienced horsewoman. She covered everything from catching the horse to grooming to tacking up, and yes, even riding. Best thing I ever did, before actually getting a horse. I started out with a 16 year old QH gelding that had been everywhere and done everything. We've been getting along just fine ever since. I still start every ride in the round pen just to make sure we understand each other.

The bad thing about horses is that they can assess in about 2 minutes what you know and don't know, and they act accordingly.

 

[hayray]

I have also spent some years with Arabs, one reason I own Quarter Horses now. You mentioned you have had the horse for about 3 weeks, the time period I refer to as the "honeymoon" time. The horse is acting different then normal , because of the enviroment change (new surroundings). Now he is probably comfortable with his new home and seeing were the line is he can cross.

I would take the horse to the round pen (saddled and bitted up) and work him until he is beyound tired. Good sweat and breathing hard. If you don't have a round pen use a long line. Get the horse too tired to think about anything but breathing and listening to you. That's when you want to get on again.

Arabs are the 100 mile endurance horses, but no horse can go 100 miles when they are out of shape, very few horse for sale can go 10 miles let alone 100. So he should tire fairly quickly. Make sure to check your saddle and blanket, as mentioned before, do not think your saddle was too tight, it's better too tight then too loose, you don't want your saddle to slip at the wrong time, can cause a pretty good wreck.

You may need to check his back for soars or soarness, check the girth area for soars. Make sure he is wqalking okay and not soar in the legs, that may play a part in his bucking also.

JMO,
Alan

Hey Alan,

you don't think having a tight girth on a bucking horse will give that horse a tendency to be cold backed and buck more? Or should we be referring to an over-tight girth? I sure do, on all my young horse we are saddle breaking that has always been a big no-no.

 

[Alan]

I have also spent some years with Arabs, one reason I own Quarter Horses now. You mentioned you have had the horse for about 3 weeks, the time period I refer to as the "honeymoon" time. The horse is acting different then normal , because of the enviroment change (new surroundings). Now he is probably comfortable with his new home and seeing were the line is he can cross.

I would take the horse to the round pen (saddled and bitted up) and work him until he is beyound tired. Good sweat and breathing hard. If you don't have a round pen use a long line. Get the horse too tired to think about anything but breathing and listening to you. That's when you want to get on again.

Arabs are the 100 mile endurance horses, but no horse can go 100 miles when they are out of shape, very few horse for sale can go 10 miles let alone 100. So he should tire fairly quickly. Make sure to check your saddle and blanket, as mentioned before, do not think your saddle was too tight, it's better too tight then too loose, you don't want your saddle to slip at the wrong time, can cause a pretty good wreck.

You may need to check his back for soars or soarness, check the girth area for soars. Make sure he is wqalking okay and not soar in the legs, that may play a part in his bucking also.

JMO,
Alan

Hey Alan,

you don't think having a tight girth on a bucking horse will give that horse a tendency to be cold backed and buck more? Or should we be referring to an over-tight girth? I sure do, on all my young horse we are saddle breaking that has always been a big no-no.

I agree with all you said. I was refering to a some what inexperienced rider on a new horse that had put him on the ground. He had recieved advice to not have the girth too tight. That leaves the door wide open for a big wreck, if he lives the girth loose or even snug, by the time the horse is warm the girth is loose and more likely to make the saddle slip.

Most experience riders know to adjust the girth after the horse is warmed up.

Alan

 

[Alan]

i still have a hard time getting her to take a bit. when its works its easy otherwise i cannot get the bit in her mouth.

I, personally, hate the Idea of giving a horse a treat as a training tool, I think the treat should be a positive reaction from the trainer for a positive action from the horse. And a negitive reaction for a negitive action, this does not mean to be mean, rough, or to beat on the horse, it means a different voice tone and posture form the trainer. But training styles is a long conversation.

Now that I said what I wanted about giving "treats" as a training aid. This horse is a 10 yr old ranch horse, sounds like lots of exerience. Sounds like someone made it a fight to get the bit in every time. So in this case I would work on the horse dropping her head for you. Meaning put some pressure downward on the halter, using a lead rope, and the second she drops her head release the pressure and reward her with a rub or\and a light scratch and a kind, soft word, work on this for a while. If she doesn't lower her head for putting the halter on this works for that also, just use the lead rope to put pressure around her pole to get her to lower her head, just remember to release the pressure as soon as she lowers her head. Training a horse is all about trust between you and the horse, would you trust someone that was rough or beat on you too much.

As far as the bit goes, while your working on her to lower her head, work on your placing the bit skills. A horse does not like having the the bit bang on their teeth going in or out of the mouth. Use your thumb and place it behind the front set of teeth try to get the bit in as smooth as you can. You can try some sort of treat on the bit to help her take it, like honey or molassis (sp), but she has to know it's on the bit, let her smell the bit and discover the "treat". When she learns to lower her head for the halter and the head set, you can forget the treat.

She may be a horse that is trained well enough not to need a bit, she may do fine and enjoy a bosal type of head stall.

Giving treats is a whole other subject that spurrs lots of debate. I give my horses treats all the time, but not for anything except being there, not as a training reward. they get a treat in the stall or turnout when they are not expected to do anything except be a horse.

Final note, I have riden and owned horse for lots of years, I always warm my horses up in a round pen or use a lounge line, just to get the bumps out of the horse and to see what kind of mood they are in that day.... for me it's much more enjoyable of a ride then finding out under saddle.

Good luck and good choice on a QH, but mare can get moody every 28 days or so.

Alan

 

[Jim62]

Is there a way to tell if the girth is too tight or too loose other than experience?

And, yes, I can actually tell when it's too loose. ;-)

 

[Hippie Rancher]

If it is an old round-backed quarter horse and the saddle doesn't roll off when you go to get on then it is too tight. :lol:

Seriously, it should be snug but you ought to be able to get your fingers under it if you push a little. Horse shouldn't be gasping for air or fainting.

Walk the horse around a bit (or work in the pen as suggested) then snug up another hole or two - they usually hold their breath at first.

 

[Cindy]

Yes there is a way. cinch it up (the saddle) until its snug.Then walk , lunge ,or round pen, the horse until comfortable. Cinch up a little tighter.When you are done you should be able to slip 3 fingers in flat under the cinch ,just under the cinch ring. Both rings should be just above the elbows,even on eather side.allways put the excess in the cinch keeper so as not to hang down for safety. Cindy

 

[peg4x4]

You were wise to trade for a horse you are comfortiable with
Lots of folks will stick with it untill either they or the horse gets hurt bad.
Some feed/a treat in your hand under the bit will incourage her to take the bit..