Does anyone know what the problem might be?

Question

hey,

A horse at my stables used to be really...kind of bad. She used to buck and bomb off etc but after a while she settled down and is almost perfect. Recently she started to buck again. On saturday she bucked and chucked off a little girl, I thought she may of spooked but yesterday she bucked again and threw her rider off. Both riders have been quite hurt and I wonder what may have caused her sudden change in behaviour and does anyone know how to stop her, I really dont want it to get worse her be sold ):

Answer 1

Make sure the saddle is a comfortable fit, check her teeth, and make sure she has no back pain, may have a trapped nerve.

Answer 2

When I first bought my horse, I had the exact same issue you are having. My trainer gave me the advice of lunging my horse before I ride him to get the energy out of him. Lunging before riding is a good idea for any younger or more energetic horse. Before I rode my trainer told me to lunge the horse as I was going to ride him (if I was going to ride him saddled I would lunge him saddled; if I was going to ride him bareback I would lunge him bareback and so forth). I would lunge him from anywhere between 20-40 minutes (10-20 minutes each direction). By doing this you will get some of his excess energy out of him, because my guess is that your horse is just letting out his bottled up energy.  I also recommend using a nylon Chambogue for the first couple weeks/days depending upon how your horse reacts to this.

Answer 3

she could have put on weight and therfore her saddle does not fit her properly anymore so its nipping her she might have a knot in her back witch is causing pain, she might be in season, the riders might be a bit off balance and she does not like it there are a fiew things to think about

Answer 4

Sounds like she's hurting somewhere!  Could be her back (which would be the "obvious" place to start) but dont forget to consider her teeth as well! If her mouth hurts - she could be getting stiff through her back - causing her back to hurt - Or if this is a mare that has had a rough past - or has age - you might keep in mind Hocks! Hocks being sore can really sour a horse -

Answer 5

It could be a saddle fitting problem, a sore, or (and this happens with many horses, particularly those that kids ride) she may have gotten tired of kids and other people jerking on reins and learn that she can throw them off and get rewarded by being put up.  If the latter is the case then she can never again be trusted as a kid's horse.  She has learned that lesson and could always return to it.

Answer 6

Is it a mare? if so then she may just be in season. you can put   extra feed in her food that is specialy made for mares in season.

Answer 7

she could be in pain so it might be worth getting her back and teeth checked out.

It could be something that she had before, and then it settled down but it might be after flaring up again

xx

Answer 8

i'm gonna agree with outher peoples' answers... she's probably in heat if this behavior is only ever so often, and just needs to be worked out without a rider before anyone gets on her. it could also be back problems, cause i ride a clydesdale mare with back issues and she acts like that when it's hurting her.

Answer 9

My TB had the same issue. My trainer bought him - he was too good of a deal to pass up - and intended to use him as a school horse. We agreed I would buy him from her, but she would use him in 2 lessons per week until I had him paid off. He was wonderful - at first... After about 3 weeks of student lessons 2x per week he started to get a little nuts. He would be fine until the girls would ask him to canter (these were not beginner riders, they were intermediate/advanced riders). He would bolt and just get faster and faster until they would fall off. If they made it past cantering and would jump him, he would bolt after the second fence and do the same thing. I was even beginning to have problems with him - but he never dumped me. I finally called my chiropractor out. The poor guy had several ribs, vertebrae, his withers and a hip out of alignment. My trainer decided he was too much of a liability to use as a school horse, but I have never had any problems with him since. I have my chiropractor out every month or so to keep him in line and he is wonderful!

Answer 10

get her back checked, also cut out any high energy foods especially oats ,  she may have back problems though and if the rider is sat correctly this could cause her some discomfort, iwe had a gelding at a showjumping yard who was very sensitive he would buck with my boss (however she was quite large) yet if  i rode him quietly he would be fine i did realise when riding out that he had a very sensitive back as he would twitch and jump about a bit if you put any slight pressure just behind his saddle,

i would recommend getting a very experienced rider to ride her, someone who sits perfectly to check her out for you.

Answer 11

It may not matter what it is.  If two riders have been significantly injured, the horse is a liability and the owner should not be using the horse in a lesson program.  If it were a dog that bit two people, the dog wouldn't be allowed another chance to do it again.  Even if they come up with some reasonable explanation, it wouldn't be a guarantee that by fixing that problem, this wouldn't occur again.  You say the horse used to be bad...then was okay for awhile, and is now a problem again.  The horse has a history that isn't compatible with using it as a lesson horse.  Why would the problem need to get any worse before something is done?

Answer 12

it could be anything...have her teeth, tack and back checked.

also is she not being turned out now? i used to ride a horse that was naughty in the winter when he couldnt be turned out but ok in the summer...try lunging first to get rid of some energy!!

also is she in season?? mine has had 2 have implants to balance her hormones because her season was causing her to be uncomfortable and she was being naughty.

try to eliminate these sort of things first.

Answer 13

There are lots of possible reasons for her to be bucking.  The behaviour change sounds as if it may be pain related.

Firstly she needs to be checked for back, teeth and tack fitting.  All of this should be done at least once a year as teeth can grow sharp, she can twist or pull muscles in her back/neck and if she changes shape her tack may no longer fit.  

Secondly is she in season?  If so, she could be feeling sore or bloated like us humans can get.  If so then there are several treatments from food additives brought from the food store to injections from the vet.  

If it is not either of these, then check her care to see if anything has changed in it such as feeding routine, different stable or field.  If the horse's routine changes she may be feeling insecure and this may make her edgy or if she has changed field there could be something in the field that is affecting her.

Were both of the riders competent and balanced?  My mare is generally an angel nowadays but if someone gets on her who isn't well balanced she can revert back tot he bucking bronco she was when I took her on.  If she is usually fine with novice riders but is in season or pain this could be all it takes to set her off.  

If all the above is fine then you would be safest to only put very competent riders on her or sell her to someone who either retrains or is happy to have a horse with issues.