bucking to a side

Question

bucking to side   hello ma'am, may i know why few horses buck to a side like this when they duck suddenly? once a horse got loose at our local racetrack disturbing other horses being exercised. to stop him, a boy came up boldly waving his hands high. see him, the horse stopped all of a suddenly bucking to a side, turned right and galloped for few yards. finally, got caught.

hope my diagram is clear.

Answer
Rohit,

From your diagram, it looks as if this horse is just kicking out to the side (including a bit of a buck), when the groom came running up to him.


Horses will do this when they kick out at a person or anything that is threatening them, or that they dislike having so near to them. I have seen horses kick out as they buck at a dog, another horse, or a person. It has happened to me when I have been free lungeing a green horse. If they kick AT me, I will chastice them ( a loud verbal NO!) or if I have a lunge whip I would send them forward for a moment.(NO abuse or whipping).

Horses should not threaten people.....but in the excitement of a horse getting loose, and people chasing him, it is certainly not a reflection on his character that he kicked at the groom. He was probably frightened and reacting to the "flight or fight" nature of a horse.


Mitzi