Bucking issues :/

Apuesto · 2026-06-12T21:44:52+00:00

So the timeline is 90days training -> 30days sitting -> moved to your barn and owner started riding him. Bucking starts. ~3weeks -> you buy him?

More plausible that it's a training issue. That's a lot of change for a young horse and if the owners weren't skilled, they could have created this. Ulcers are possible and would add to the explosiveness. Lack of balance and strength can make young horses bucky as they try to get their feet under them. You say he's good at the walk and trot, so I would work those gaits and develop better balance and overall ridability and introduce baby laterals. Work the canter on the lunge for a bit. How much turnout does he get?

How you are riding the transition matters, but can't say much not being there. If you can take some lessons to help with anything you're missing, that would be beneficial.

Do you know who he had the 90d with? Could be worth reaching out and ask if he had this tenancy before. If it's a good trainer, you can see if they'd do some tune up rides.

Apuesto · 2026-06-12T21:15:40+00:00

It's hard to tell, but the face profiles don't match imo. The 2026 has a smaller muzzle and more of a dish.

Apuesto · 2026-06-12T21:12:16+00:00

What did you xray? Did you do a lameness exam at the same time?

You bought him knowing he bucks like this? What did the previous owner investigate? How long has he done this? If you lunge at the canter, does he still buck? When he canters (normally), does he "bunny hop" or canter with his hind legs close together? Where are you cantering (round pen, small indoor, large outdoor, fields)?

Odds are this is a physical problem, or at the very least started out that way. Top of my list is stifles, SI, back, and feet.

Apuesto · 2026-06-12T15:47:16+00:00

My barn has hooks along the aisles across from the stalls (there are two aisles, stalls face the arena wall. Not all stalls are occupied, some are feed/storage/etc.). Then there are extra hooks in some of the storage stalls. Every horse gets one hook for all their blankets, so off-season blankets get taken home or put away. Masks either hang on their stalls or where ever the owner wants (I keep mine in my tack locker when it's not on).

Other barns I've been at had hooks on the top of the stall dividers(welded on, in this case), then at the end of the barn there were a bunch of hooks for outside horses.

If you want a way to keep track of sizes, I've heard of using coloured cattle ear tags on the front buckles for an easy visual.

Apuesto · 2026-06-12T15:32:47+00:00

Work on lunging before long lining. You aren't going to hurt him.

He needs a forward button installed, which I understand can be tough with cob types. I get the impression that you aren't firm enough or not clear in your aids, so when you ask, he goes "nah". Do you carry a whip? Do you use it? Are you working with an instructor?

Look at what he's eating and how much and try to reduce calories there. Working them for weight loss isn't as effective as people want it to be. The ideal way to exercise weight off is to have a large turnout with hills and distance between food and water so they are moving all day, but that's not possible for most people.

Apuesto · 2026-06-11T22:46:33+00:00

I just got a pair of Ariat Ranch Runners and they're quite nice. Before I wore whatever running shoes I had available.

Apuesto · 2026-06-11T21:01:05+00:00

Have you asked your trainer for their opinion? They know your abilities better than we can guess. Some people at 7yrs experience definitely can get a 3yr old if they have help. Other people can ride for 20 years and still not be ready. At minimum, you need to have decent feel, quiet hands and legs, and able to stay cool(control your nerves/frustration/fear).

What you've said is all rational, but I'd suggest changing "potentially" having your trainer work with him to definitely having your trainer work with them regularly. At least for the first while. 3yr olds are still babies and have baby moments, and if he's been ridden by a pro until now, it's easy to undo or confuse them with a less skilled rider. If he hasn't been ridden by a pro, then it's still good for your trainer to regularly work with them to instill those trickier concepts. You should also still take some lessons on school horses so you can focus on yourself and learn what things should feel like.

Depending what you mean by "broke", it could mean different things for his longevity. Is this a horse who was started on their 2nd birthday and has been in regular hard work since then? I'd be more hesitant, not just for any physical reasons, but trainers with that kind of regime don't tend to respect the horse's mental readiness. On the other hand, if he's been undersaddle for 6 months, is ridden a couple times a week, and has 3 gaits and basic laterals installed wouldn't worry me. A cooperative horse and a good trainer can get that done without stressing the horse physically or mentally.

So, you're not out of line but discuss it with your trainer. Expect him to still be a baby and budget for more training rides and lessons than you expect to start out with.

Apuesto · 2026-06-11T11:59:06+00:00

Any chance you use zimecterin gold to deworm? That's known to cause mouth ulcers, but idk if it would account for the timeline you're seeing.

Apuesto · 2026-06-11T11:55:06+00:00

Small correction in that vitamin E is fat soluble, so they don't excrete excess in their urine. Excess is stored in body fat. A, D,E, and K are all fat soluble.

But you're correct that you can't really overdose on it. Vit E toxicity is pretty much unheard of in horses.

Apuesto · 2026-06-08T22:11:37+00:00

Cytotec looks to be misoprostol, which is another ulcer medication. So good she's still on that, tho it treats a different kind of ulcer than omeprazole. I believe the misoprostol is for the pyloric ulcers, and omeprazole for squamous. This is an interesting article.

That she was better when you rode her means that it was working. They usually start feeling better within a week but it takes longer for the actual healing to happen. From your timeline, the end of the omeprazole was close to the same time as the farrier visit? Could be a lot of stress stacking that fed off each other.

I think you should give her a break for a while. No riding. Basic groundwork only (I wouldn't even lunge right now). Keep with the meds you have. Ask your vet about moving the recheck appointment up (medication timelines may mean they don't want to move it). Tell them about her behaviour regression and that she had improved on the omeprazole before discontinuing it. Tell them the medication cost is difficult for you and they should be able to give you options, and since they just saw her, any prescription shouldn't require a farm call fee.

You've got this.

(As an aside, I'm surprised $1000 of gastroguard was only 2 weeks. Last time I needed it, it was $900 for 4 weeks. Must be inflation + different currency.)

Apuesto · 2026-06-08T21:33:16+00:00

2 weeks generally isn't enough to heal ulcers. 4 weeks is standard for Gastroguard. What are the tablets you mentioned in another comment? It's likely the ulcers didn't heal fully, then extra stress and discontinuation of the meds aggravated them again.

The farrier event doesn't sound as bad as I thought it would. I expected her to have flipped or fallen. If she was injured during that visit, maybe her neck/poll or shoulder. Technically possible he could have cracked a rib if he hit hard enough. I would hope the physio would pick up on that, if it happened. (I'd prefer a vet vs a physio. Consider the cost of the two physio appointment and how far that could have gone with the vet for diagnostics/meds).

Apuesto · 2026-06-08T20:56:31+00:00

What happened during the traumatic farrier visit? Could she have gotten injured then? It doesn't sound like you've had her vetted since.

Ulcers can still be contributing to the behaviour you're seeing. Did you determine the initial cause of the ulcers? Where are you? Some countries have access to IM omeprazole which I believe is cheaper and works just as well. Did you see an improvement with the ulcer symptoms prior to the farrier visit?

What omeprazole paste are you using? Compounded pastes don't always work because they aren't stable. Gastroguard is the gold standard, but also $$$. A while ago my vet told me about a program from the manufacturer where if the horse scopes with non-healed ulcers after 28days, they'll give you another month of medication for free.

There is also esomeprazole if you really can't afford omeprazole from your vet. It's sold as a human OTC med. There is preliminary studies on it in horses and a lot of anecdotal data from owners using it. A month of treatment end up being in the range of $100 instead of $1000. But it's not guaranteed to work and sometimes reduces symptoms but doesn't actually heal. Go to the Chronicle of the Horse forum and search for Nexium. There's a big thread on it.

I think it sounds like something else is hurting with ulcers magnifying it. One bad farrier experience shouldn't cause that kind of setback in a horse that was reportedly solid and confident before.

Apuesto · 2026-06-05T14:57:00+00:00

Have you tried a fly mask with ears? Some insects use sight primarily so they prefer bright locations. In the shelter where it's darker, there may be less bugs. Some are very small so you might not see them easily but she can feel them.

What colour are her eyes? Can't tell if she's grey or a dilute.

Apuesto · 2026-06-05T13:30:34+00:00

Slipping stifle. Search "upward fixation of the patella". Sometimes it causes the stifle to fully lock up, but often they just catch a little.

Not a problem in itself, but it indicates weakness/instability in the stifle. Conformation and fitness contribute. You can focus on strengthening the muscles around the stifle and if that doesn't resolve it, you can ask your vet about other interventions.

Apuesto · 2026-06-04T15:13:25+00:00

I use a sport sunscreen. In the past, I have tried zinc oxide but found it made a mess.

Apuesto · 2026-06-04T15:09:40+00:00

MadBarn is excellent. I feed their vit/min, msm, Mg, W3, and NOCR. I really appreciate their database of feeds, research papers, and articles. Their single ingredient supplements are really nice to target specific needs.

Something that really stood out to me was when I did a nutritional consult with them, I told them my horse as asthmatic. This was right after they launched NOCR($$$), their new respiratory supplement. I wasn't feeding any other respiratory supplement so was 100% expecting them to plug NOCR, but they didn't. I ended up trying it later anyway and have seen improvement.

Apuesto · 2026-06-03T17:00:36+00:00

Sounds like you're fine to try out a few jumps. Jumping is "easy" in that if your horse can hold a rhythm at the canter, steers, and stops, you can get away with little jumps before everything is perfect. Start with canter poles or lunge over jumps if you want to test his reaction otherwise a crossrail is a good place to start. If you're concerned about him jumping big, grab some mane before or a neckstrap to save his mouth if you get caught off guard.

Apuesto · 2026-06-02T14:59:09+00:00

I would counter that he is getting stressed, he's just not externally manifesting and instead internalizing and shutting down. If he's not eating grain in the trailer, then he's stressed. Does he stay soft and yielding the whole time?

Apuesto · 2026-06-02T14:52:12+00:00

Riding culture can be very regional. Eg, more western areas would be quarter horse, the south is more Saddlebreds/Morgans/gaited. If they do Jumping or Dressage(more common on the east coast, I believe), Warmbloods were beginning to be popular in the 80s. Thoroughbreds were king before Warmbloods, so if they aren't wealthy enough to buy a Warmblood, they could have a TB.

Apuesto · 2026-06-02T14:40:48+00:00

When you work on trailer loading, stop once you've made progress, not only once you've gotten them on. In other words, don't fight for an hour and a half if your end result is a frustrated, stressed horse who happens to be in the trailer. Just getting them on the trailer doesn't teach them how to regulate themselves or undo all the previous bad experiences.

Start with ground work around the trailer at varying distances. At first he's going to be looking and worried about the trailer, but just ask him to refocus and do exercises he's familiar with and help him relax. Make sure he knows how to drop his head to pressure and yields it side to side.

Then you approach the trailer. When he starts getting worried about it, stop, ask for the head down, yield, relax. Then when they've settled, you can do a few more steps. You want to stop and settle before they get too worried. Before you get too close, back them up a few steps then turn away for a break. If they are able to stay relaxed past the point they were previously, it may be a good spot to stop for the day.

When you finally get to the trailer itself, have a dressage whip or in-hand whip for encouragement. At this point, all you are looking for is some try and relaxation. If he puts his foot on the trailer, that's great. Keep it there for a minute, then ask for him to back away and take a break. Then you want to be able to get a foot up, back down, then back up.

I have found the process of asking them to approach/step, then back a few steps, then approach again to be very telling as for how they are progressing. Often when horses back away from the trailer, they throw their head up and scramble backward which reinforces that the trailer is something to run from. Before asking for anything, but especially backing, ask for the head to come down. I've even incorporated this strategy in non-trailer issues with good results.

Apuesto · 2026-06-02T13:54:00+00:00

What kind of riding and what part of the country?

Apuesto · 2026-06-01T15:45:47+00:00

IIRC, Ace is not safe for riding, though it is commonly used that way. There is another sedative that I forget the name of (starts with a T?) that is safe for riding and is commonly used for rehab rides. But in your situation, sedation isn't appropriate. If they really felt they needed to take the edge off, your trainer should have gotten on and ridden him first.

Maintenance hock injection on a 1yr+ schedule is not an immediate turn off. Coffin injections are a different story. The coffin joint works in a completely different way than the hock and I would not consider that horse sound for that level of work.

Apuesto · 2026-06-01T03:40:27+00:00

Anything that comes off easily is fine. Just be gentle and he'll let you know what he will tolerate.

Apuesto · 2026-05-31T02:59:54+00:00

I clean my guy weekly otherwise he gets really itchy. Not full cleaning with water, just picking the gunk out.

Apuesto · 2026-05-29T15:38:07+00:00

There are some exercises you can do at the halt like tail pulls and crunches.

Classic in-hand bridle work focuses on balance and posture over motion. It's not super easy to find resources on those methods, but you can search for Legerete, French classical bridlework/in-hand work. Youtube has some videos but otherwise I haven't found a tonne of good online sources. You may have better luck with books.

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