When your horse takes off bucking... what to do, not to do, and working through

Elysia had a dragon moment taking off bucking when she felt overwhelmed. Here I show what to do, explain some what not to do, and help her get to her relaxed self.

[@donnapollard7250]

I learned a great deal with this video and felt reassured that dismounting when feeling unsafe is okay and altering the activity to lunging is an okay option also. ❤I really like your explaining the reasons why she was reacting this way. Thank you.

[@HarmonyHorsemanship]

I'm glad it was helpful

[@sharonede8397]

​🎉🎉🎉🎉😢@@HarmonyHorsemanship

[@pnhnut]

I think keeping your cool when these things happen is paramount. THAT is the hardest part I think, lol... for me anyway :) Nice to see her progress through her melt down.

[@HarmonyHorsemanship]

Thank you 😊

[@germaineprien7691]

Learned alot as well, I thought well this looks like my horse when she's being crazy...LOL

[@HarmonyHorsemanship]

Hopefully it helps

[@OttersMum]

Thank you so much❤

[@HarmonyHorsemanship]

You're welcome 😊

[@robertshrewsbury5067]

Thank you for your explanations, the reminder of how to work a horse down to calmness and to work to teach them emotional control.

[@HarmonyHorsemanship]

I'm glad you liked it 😊

[@carolynstewart8465]

Beautiful place!

[@sonja437]

Thank you for sharing this video of Elysia. I loved getting to see how you helped her to work through her challenges. Once again HH techniques have a great answer that is respectful of the horse when horses are in situations that they find challenging. Thank you for explaining what you were looking for regarding if she was not relaxed in her different environments. 🤍🤍🤍

[@HarmonyHorsemanship]

Thank you.... im glad it was helpful

[@lesliepark3370]

Glad you stayed on, good for you!

[@HarmonyHorsemanship]

Thanks

[@katyratyra]

It’s amazing to see this and compare to what she is now.

[@HarmonyHorsemanship]

So true

[@lesleyhiddins2067]

Well sat! 😂 Good to see the not so always ideal videos as well. She is a handful

[@HarmonyHorsemanship]

She's Elysia lol

[@martylesnick2032]

GLAD YOU WEATHERED THOSE BUCKS CAUSE SHE WAS PUTTING ALL HER EFFORT INTO IT. I THINK THAT WAS THE FIRST TIME I HAVE EVER SEEN A LITTLE SMOKE COMING OUT OF YOUR EARS, WHEN YOU STEPPED OFF. THEN SEEING YOUR HAND AT THE END OF THE ROPE I THOUGHT 🤤 IT LOOKED DICEY AND OFF YUP OFF SHE WENT. LOVE HOW YOU TRAIN, NO DOUBT ABOUT IT, ITS WORKS BUT THE DRAGON IS NOT A VERY HONEST HORSE, OR SHE IS VERY HONEST IN THE FACT SHE'S WILL TEST YOU WHEN SHE FEELS LIKE IT. GLAD TO HEAR SHE HAS BEEN GOOD SINCE THIS INCIDENT. THERE WAS ENOUGH DAYLIGHT BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR SADDLE FOR SEROUS INJURY, THANK GOODNESS YOUR SUCH A STRONG RIDER AND YOUR REIN HANDLING FOR STOPPING WAS PERFECT. A ONE REIN STOP WHEN THE HORSE IS TRAINED FOR IT IS A SAFE WAY TO SHUT THAT BEHAVIOR DOWN BY THE CROSSING OF THE HIND LEGS TO STOP THE MOVEMENT. IT THEN ENABLES YOU TO IF YOU WANT TO KEEP THE HORSE MOVING IN A TIGHT CIRCLE FIRST RIGHT THEN LEFT BACK AND FORTH MOVING THOSE FEET TO GET TO HER LUNGS AND HER MIND BACK ON YOU, WHEN YOU STOP HER SHE IS GREATFULL TO GET TO STOP AND BREATH. HER REACTION IS BUCK OR REAR YOUR REACTION SAYS MOVE THOSE FEET FAST WORKING HARD ON THOSE TURNS AS YES HER PUNISHMENT FOR THAT BUCK. LETS FACE IT THOROUGHBRED HORSES ARE BREED TO PUSHING AIR THROUGH THOSE BIG LUNGS. IF THIS IS DONE CONSTANTLY AFTER HER DRAGON MOMENTS IT MIGHT PUT THAT DRAGON TO BED FOR GOOD. SHE IS AN EXCEPTIONAL HORSE BUT HER MOTTO IS "WHEN I AM GOOD I VERY AM VERY VERY GOOD BUT WHEN I AM BAD LOOK OUT!! KNOW YOU CANT CHANGE A THING ON HER NOW BEFORE THE COMPETITION AND WHY SHOULD YOU. AT THE HORSE PARK SHE WILL HAVE TIME TO SETTLE AND GIVE YOU HER ALL. BEST OF LUCK WITH THE KING TOO. Susan

[@HarmonyHorsemanship]

Yes she does know a one rein stop.... problem is that if they are already going fast you can make them fall over, and when they're running straight the bucks are easier to sit, so in this particular scenario that didn't seem like the best option to me. She has fragile emotions lol but she's getting better and better.

[@mayac1438]

That was alop of caps 😅

[@nataliedavies69]

Has her back ever been x-rayed? My OTTB had lots of these kinds of outbursts which I put down to him being reactive, quirky, energetic, over threshold, in need of more training…he was all those things but also had remodeled thoracic spinous processes. I wish I’d got him checked for KS sooner.

[@HarmonyHorsemanship]

She jumps amazing at home and offsite.... its purely emotional stress. She also gets chiro and massage checks and had one recently.

[@equine2020]

1st establish reason. Know your horse. Sometimes it's just feeling good. After a jump, my boy would buck a few bucks, he was feeling g good. He loved foxhunting.

[@abbyaustin3991]

Thanks for the video and being honest

[@HarmonyHorsemanship]

Always!

[@floberry9347]

very helpful video thank you 🤗 I hope that dragon in her will calm down and relax soon 🙈

[@HarmonyHorsemanship]

She's already doing better

[@hannahbersee8817]

Hello! I love this video and seeing you work through her firebreathing dragon moments. I was wondering about the timing of your dismount. I understand why you dismounted, but does it matter that dismounting is a release in that moment? So many riders would choose to stay on and try to work through it from the saddle. How do you time it so that dismounting isn't the result of their behavior? Thanks for any insight!!

[@HarmonyHorsemanship]

Because I use positive reinforcement it's not the same as exclusively using pressure and release... release isn't always reward, release can be time to think.... but we do go straight to the task... not hang out and have grass for example

[@deefroom4066]

Well sat

[@CarolStJohn-ev9ry]

Sometimes they're just full of beans!

[@HarmonyHorsemanship]

💯

[@inspiringscriptureartw-kar3761]

Nice! Very informative, you could have skipped this video, but so much to learn from thanks. What days are the shows you're in this coming week?

[@HarmonyHorsemanship]

Wed-Friday

[@605pilot]

That’s a tall horse to be bucked off. I’ve been bucked off 3 times but from short horses. Two times from an Icelandic horse that is 13.3 hands. The longer the distance to fall the greater chance of an injury. As I’ve gotten older (69 years old) the more preference I have for a 14 hand horse.

[@HarmonyHorsemanship]

Yes she is tall... but luckily I stayed on

[@loreengregory1726]

New horse owner got on her first time took off starting bucking threw me pretty hard .

[@nancyk3615]

I know it takes up room, but do you ever take home water with you?

[@HarmonyHorsemanship]

Always

[@maxhudson9488]

That's not a compulsive energy problem. That is a disrespect problem

[@angela2726]

No it's fear. Horses are afraid of things that we as humans don't understand

[@equestrathena]

lol ur wrong

[@Saltyanddone]

Tell me you know nothing about horse behavior without telling me you know nothing about horses The horses is obviously spooking, it's cross country schooling, it's expected And she's green, they get stuck in the up que, don't get me wrong, disrespect does exist, but this is far from that

[@utubeviewer8305]

IMO , not cool to jump off as the horse acts up and then to loose the horse . You helped create bad habits by letting it get away with those things. You have your hands full with that one now. Good luck and be safe.

[@Saltyanddone]

Not true, this is for her own safty, she is continuing to work in hand therefore she is keeping the work going, just in a safer way to get her brain back I've trained a lot of green horses like this using this method, it works great and doesn't train them bad habits when applied correctly

[@HarmonyHorsemanship]

You are very judgemental and very wrong. Elysia is an amazing horse and I've helped her so much.

[@noraelcar-verdon3356]

wear gloves!

[@HarmonyHorsemanship]

I do