My horse has a bad habbit.

Question
I bought a Walking horse about 2 weeks ago, he seems timid around men, but you can ride him for how ever long He decides He wants you to, then he will rear and buck for how ever long it takes to get you off of him..How do I work toward fixing this behavior?

Answer

Cooldeltamoon barn na Hi Charlotte,
It appears you have your hands full. This sounds like a dangerous situation that you don't want to put yourself in. First let's address the first part of your problem. "Timid around men".
Most horses don't care whether it's a man or a woman riding or working them. However, it's hard to know if that is true or not. To get the horse over this problem I would suggest enlisting a male friend who is knowledgeable with horse training to do some serious ground work with the horse, ie, lot's of changing of directions, and then have him ride the horse in a controlled environment such as a round pen.
The second part of your problem "rear and buck":
Rearing is a VERY SERIOUS problem in itself. When you say "buck" do you mean buck as in all four feet coming off of the ground, blowing, and bellowing like a mad cow, ie, "rodeo"? Or is it more a crowhop such as kicking out and refusing to go?
My first line of action is to contact the previous owners. Has the horse done this before? Next I would check my saddle fit. It's possible that the saddle/pad do not fit the horse and after a short while of riding it begins to irritate the horse causing pain and discomfort. That might explain why he works fine for a while and then refuses to work. If the tack is not the problem let's deal with the "bucking". If the horse is truly "bucking" I would not ride the horse. Take the horse to a qualified trainer who deals with problem horses and let the trainer work the problem out. It's not worth you getting hurt just to ride the horse. It's not if you will get hurt, it's when you will get hurt. Remember, safety first. You can't ride your horse if your laid up in the hospital with a serious injury or maybe even dead.
If the horse is just kicking out, crowhopping and refusing to go here is my suggestion. Do tons of ground work with him. Make him move is feet. Forward, backwards, left and right. I would work him everytime he does it. A horse has a problem trying to think of two things at once. So if you are working his feet he can't think about "bucking". The horse also sounds like he has a respect issue. As far as he's concerned, you aren't qualified to be the leader. You have to prove your leadership to him. The intense ground work should show him that you are the leader, not him. After you have his respect on the ground I would put an o-ring or d-ring snaffle bit on him. When the horse starts his antics put him to work. Do lots of tight circles and serpentines. Get his mind off of his refusal and more on listening to you. Don't expect this to be cured in one session. It may take several sessions of this to convince him that his acting crazy will not get him out of work. When he acts up and you stop and not make him work, that is his release. What ever the horse is doing when you quit is what he has learned.
As far as "rearing", there are several factors involved. Does it happen when he starts bucking or before? What are you doing with the reins when he bucks? I teach all my students a "one rein stop". They all ride with one rein. If you can't ride with one rein then you have no business riding with two. If when the horse begins his antics you grab both reins and pull back, the horse will try to get away from the bit by either putting it's head forward, opening it's mouth and running away or rear to get release. This is a dangerous situation. The horse could rear back and roll over on you. Instead, when he starts to act up, reach forward and grab one rein, doesn't matter which one, and pull his head around to the side. DO NOT YANK THE HORSES HEAD STRONGLY!!!! The horse could stubble and fall with you. Just reach forward and pull his head around causing him to move in a circle. Keep him in the circle until his feet quit moving AND HE RELAXES. Just because his feet quit doesn't mean he has relaxed. Once this happens, move him out again at a nice walk. If it happens again, repeat. Chances are it will take several times of this or more to teach him. Repetition is the key. Horses learn from release of pressure and repetition. Remember, this is just for a horse who doesn't listen to you and lacks respect. If the horse is truly "bucking" get off as soon and as safe as you can. Do not whip or strike the horse. If he feels he can't run away from you he will go into fight mode and strike out.
If you feel you don't have the experience or lack the confidence to handle the horse please find a trainer who will do the job for you. Don't feel ashamed or embarrassed to admit you can't handle the horse. Graveyards are full of heroes. Remember fear is a good thing. fear keeps us alive. Fear is your body telling you, "If you keep doing what your doing and you get hurt or killed, I will tell you I told you so". So please be careful and be truthful with your abilities.
I hope this has answered your questions. I can't stress enough about your safety. Be safe and be careful. If you have anymore questions or comments please fill free to contact me again. Let me know how it's going.