My sis is a dud ,horses?

Question

my sis said that training a horse not to buck is a bad thing becuse they are forced I say that they can buck if their not treated right and that teatching a horse to stand on its hind legs is stupid untrue and crul i say the horse can stand if it wants to and she sayis its like a curcis

Answer 1

Bucking is a response to pain, fear, or mistreatment by the rider, as well as a sign that a horse sometimes feels fresh and frisky. You can't teach a horse to buck- it's something they do automatically, by instinct. It's necessary to teach them NOT to buck when being ridden, because that  can get both them and the rider hurt. As for the other part of your question, I think your sister is confusing rearing, which is a dangerous vice that can get people KILLED, with the advanced level dressage movements that are taught at places like the Spanish Riding School in Vienna.  These movements, which are called the "airs above the ground" are very beautiful and thrilling to watch, and NO, they are NOT cruel to the horse performing them. The classical methods of training used at the Spanish Riding School put the safety and welfare of the horse FIRST, in all THINGS.  These horses ( who are normally stallions, because mares do not have the necessary hock, back, and leg strength to perform such movements without risk of injury) are carefully trained for many years before they perform the "airs" in public.

ALL of the "airs above the ground" had their origins in mounted warfare- indeed, that was their original purpose. A couple of these movements, the levade and courbette, involve what appears to be rearing on the part of the horse, but in fact is not. In both cases, the horse stands with most of his weight on his hind legs, and in the case of the courbette, he will kick with his front feet while they are off the ground. The reason these moves were developed is because having a horse which can do this is very effective and useful during a battle, and it's much easier to use a sword effectively from horseback if the horse's front end is off the ground a ways. That was the reason for the levade, which has been compared to a low rear.  The corresponding moves with the hind feet are the croupade ( which is a leap forward onto the forelegs, while kicking with the hind ones) and the spectacular capriole, which is actually a combination of BOTH courbette and croupade, with a powerful kick with both hind feet performed while the horse is off the ground.  These moves ARE NOT normally performed by circus horses, though some of them may learn a few of the easier "airs".

One other thing- NONE of the "airs" are artificial in any way. They are all based on movements which are natural to the horse, things that horses do when they play. Since these special horses have been performing these movements for over 600 years without injury or cruelty, that should tell you something about how safe they are when a horse is trained to do them correctly.  

I hope this answers your question.

Answer 2

Horses buck for several reasons, most usually because they are in high spirits, they are in pain or they are frightened.

In these cases it is not possible to "train" a horse not to buck as they will do it by instinct.

In the wild a horse will buck to throw a wolf/lion, etc of it's back so it is a very natural thing for a horse to do.

As long as a horse is trained properly and learns to accept the saddle and rider on his back there will be no bucking out of fear.

If a horse constantly bucks when ridden it is best to get a vet or chiroprachter to check out his back to make sure that there are no underlying problems.

As for a horse that bucks with high spirits, you just need to learn to sit it out!  Keep the reins fairly tight to stop him sticking his head between his knees, sit back and ride him forward.