Question
Finola before bucking
breed: thoroughbred
gender: mare
age: 10
discipline: higher grade showjumping
temperament: willing to please, loves to jump, sensitive, stubborn at times, difficult, energetic.
history: Finola had a very successful racing career, but, unfortunately had her starting stall certificate revoked in the middle of a winning streak at age 5. her owner got in a behaviorist but nothing worked so she was semi-retired. then her owner died and bought her to train her to jump. she turned out to be a natural and i worked through all the naughtiness, on the forehand, taking off, snatching the bit etc. until i had an amazing horse who placed in every single high grade show.
Finola has been such an amazing horse for me and i know her so well that her sudden bucking came as a bit of a shock! I've worked with difficult horses and can easily sit all the bucks but if she bucks too close to a jump, the poles will fall which doesn't help at all! the problem started shortly after Finola lost a lot of weight after having a bad blockage. she came back into competing very eager and started winning again right away but I had complaints so i was forced to increase her food. then she started bucking. she only bucks a little in practice, about 10 times in an hour, and not at all in the warm up, but take her into a show arena... she will do the first 3-4 jumps perfectly then start really kicking up her heels! I'm managing to cope with it and we've still got places when i can correct her in time after the bucks but its getting worse to the extent that she actually stops dead and does a handstand, literally. she's been bucking for a couple of months now.
Finola's teeth and back have been checked and we even treated her for ulcers.
AnswerHi Kerry!
I'd like to get some more information before I recommend anything specific.
I really don't think this is a tack or physical issue and since you say a vet has seen her and cleared her, we will move on to it being a mental/training issue.
Would you say she ONLY bucks coming off the jumps? That's how I am interpreting your question. This is common for horses to come out of a jump and bolt/buck. But, you say she is doing it so close to the jump she is knocking down the pole?? So, in order to do that she must just barely land her hind hooves and then she bucks out that next second. Hmmmmm.....that's pretty darned athletic and very worrisome. You have no control over her in that second after her hooves land and she knows it and uses it to her advantage.
Is the bucking related to a specific kind of jump or a certain height? Can you tell as you approach the jump this is one she is going to buck off of or is it mostly a big surprise? I am very concerned about your last description where you said she stopped dead and did a handstand.
For now, I would say stop all jumping and of course, showing her in Jumpers. You cannot fix this while she is high on stress or whatever her issue is about this. My priority is always the safety of the horse and human and right now neither of you sound safe.
I cannot say exactly why she is doing this and we humans may never know or be able to fix it.....horses constantly communicate with us and she is certainly screaming something at you, very loud and clear.
If she is safe and sound on the flat, I would continue that work while you suss out why she is practically flipping herself over. I am very disappointed any show judge would place you in the ribbons when your mount exhibits such outrageous behavior in the ring. It sets a precedent for other riders to be unsafe (like you are) and reflects poorly on our sport. Public showing should represent the very best of a human/horse relationship so we get good press for treating our mounts well. An out of control bucking fit is sometimes an unavoidable incident, but that human and horse should not be rewarded. Especially if the judge has seen your horse do it repeatedly and purposefully. The whistle should be blown, the rider excused and the judge should take a minute to explain privately to the rider what went wrong and to fix it well and good before returning to showing.
Lastly, you may want to thing hard about if she truly is a trustworthy and reliable riding/jumping partner. While she may shine occasionally, it just takes once for her to really hurt you or herself and you are the sole decision maker for her life. She cannot say "No more jumping, please" Or can she?
Think with your head and not your heart. Some things cannot be fixed and even if you push it deep down inside of her through training and or force, it will blow back up when she feels stressed, scared or angry. These kinds of vices NEVER completely disappear and while humans think they have a handle on things, the horses are always bigger and stronger.
Good luck and remember to always wear an ASTM/SEI approved helmet!
Solange
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