My new horse either turns her head to the side while cantering or acts up and bucks a little bit. Any advice.

Question

Her prior owner said that she needs her teeth floated, but she is only 9 years old. It seems strange that needing teeth floated would cause a horse to act up when cantering. She doesn't seem to mind trotting at all and trots and canters fine while lounging.

Answer 1

Put a tie down on her. Always helped my horses.

Answer 2

first their teeth need floating EVERY year.

second, check you bit, too severe or no enough?

third QUIET hands. My students whine about this issue a lot and it is their fault

fouth, is your seat good enough to canter? bouncing on the back of a horse with a weak back can cause pain and he will act up. have someone else ride him 1st, see if it makes a difference

have a vet check his spine and legs. It is most likely spine as she seems to be affected by the weight of saddle/rider

hope your mare straightens out and y'all have nice rides

Answer 3

if her teeth need done the bit could be causing pain. either rubbing on a bad tooth or pushing it into the cheek. you should never use a tie down untill you are 100 percent sure of the reason she is bucking. you just mask the problem.  if she lounges fine its pain somewhere when being ridden.  get her teeth checked and treated and check the fit of your saddle.

Answer 4

How long have you had her? It's hard to answer questions like these without actually seeing the horse in person/action.    It sounds like it could be several things, including soreness (teeth/mouth/back).

If she lounges fine at the canter, video tape yourself riding her at the canter, see if you may be causing the situation (pulling to hard on reins, sitting crooked on her back, etc).

It could also be training. Never resort to coverups (tie downs, etc).  Fix the problem. Don't hide it  =]

  Hope that helps and you can get this taken care of!.  I would recommend having a knowledgable horse person check her too (your vet hopefully) for soundness problems.