Horses attitude-again

Question
Hey Denise , Thank you for your great answer before. I just wanted to confirm, when he is silly on the lunge unsaddles, that it is good to push him through it? I know its is a tantrum kind of thing, you can see the "No, I dont wanna" look in his eye. He is not vicious, as soon as I let him off his halter after working, he takes about 15 minutes getting over a hill to get back to his friends, so he is not herd bound? But he still looks pretty nervous when he is being lunged, then switches to bucking after a while. He only bucks once or twice then stands there looking fed up and annoyed.
I have been told to lunge him, trot him up this massive hill(300m steep) , then take him down and work hhim (arena at the botom of hill). Do you think this is good advice?
I am actually dreading turning him back down the hil after trotting up, becuase he might pull some bucks out once he realises he is not going back to his frinds.

Sorry for blabbing on, you were just very understanding last time.
:) Cassie

Answer
Cassie Hi!!

Never be worried about asking me questions and you are NOT blabbing on!!  You are asking good, honest questions, I can't ask for better than that.

I don't like the lounge line as it is used in the U.S. today.  The lounge line was never meant as a means to tire a horse so they would be easier to ride.  The lounge line was part of a "Cur in Hand" a pas de deux for the horse to be used by a Master in teaching a novice the art of riding.

The U.S. lounge line does not allow the horse to think and can be a very frustrating thing for a horse.  The horse ends up bracing against the line and becoming counter bent, a very bad brace to correct.  Think of it this way, when you are on the ground you are riding your horse from the ground and when you are riding you are leading the horse from his back.  So, you really don't want to do anything from the ground that you wouldn't want when mounted.

Lounging is not addressing your horses issues and that is why you still have the problem with bucking.  Your horse is not thinking of you as a leader worth following.  He would rather take over and show his frustration by bucking, kicking out at you and being sullen.   

Find a round pen to work in.  Turn your horse loose and send him out at a good working trot.   If he bucks or kicks at you, turn up the heat, really make him work!  If his attention is on anything other than you keep him working.  Get a good rope halter with a 12' tree line lead, Double Diamond makes a good one, and learn how to spin the lead rope overhand.  Get very accurate with the popper at the end of the lead so you can apply a good nip to your horses rump or shoulder.  The second your horse tips an ear in your direction or takes a peek at you with one eye, get soft and quiet.  Take a step or two back and see if you can draw your horse in.  If he is not ready to face up on you and if his attention is elsewhere, turn up the heat again.  Keep up with this pattern until your horse will follow you around the pen and you can send him out at a walk, trot and canter soft and smooth and then have him face up on you again.  This process is called hooking the horse on.  Letting the horse know you are a leader and he can trust and follow you.  Do this unsaddled and then again with the saddle on.  You want to draw your horse in and send him out with your body language.  If you need to use the tail end of your lead rope to get a change, do so, but only do as much as it takes to get a change and no more.  Always offer your horse a good deal first before you have to turn up the heat.  

When you are  riding and you feel as though your horse is going to buck, BEND him.  Rub him first and see if that changes him mind, if not reach down one rein and bend his nose toward your knee.  Your hand needs to come up toward your front pocket in your jeans.  At the same time your leg needs to be bumping just in front of the flanks to disengage the hindquarters.  That means his inside hind leg reaches up and under his body with his front feet stepping forward in small steps.  He will be making a bigger circle with his hind end and a smaller circle with his front.  Keep him bent and stop bumping with your leg.  Wait for his feet to come still, then release his head when he is soft.  This is called the "one rein stop"  I call it an emergency brake or a clutch for the horse.  The engine can rev but he can't go anywhere, or buck.   

Another great thing to do is called a "snake trail"  if you have ever seen the tracks left by a snake in the sand, this is what you need to get your horse to do.  Make a tight serpentine with your horse making sure all four feet are moving evenly and forward in the serpentine.  Your horse and you will really have to work hard at this.  Keep your reins really short and bend your horse really deep, have him almost touching your knee on the left and then immediately to your right, this is how tight the serpentine needs to be.  Be very smooth on your reins you do not want to snatch him from the left to the right but draw him in a smooth way.  You will find your horse will get very soft and supple after doing this.  Keep up this pattern until he can relax walk forward soft and smooth.  If he starts to get worried again and you feel a buck coming, start the snake trail again.

If you have not seen this before, Please find the DVD's by Buck Brannaman and Ray Hunt.  These are my teachers and wonderful horsemen.  Look for Buck's "Ground Work" DVD and Ray's "Back to the Beginning" DVD.  The information will change your life.

Trust your instincts and your gut Cassie they will never steer you wrong!  Keep asking questions, I'll help all I can.  Let me know how it is going!

Smiles and Miles, horseback of course!  Denise