I have
a horse that can really buck hard.
Do you know how I could sell him to a rodeo?
- Linda Wray
Hi Linda,
What breed is your horse? How old is he?
Below is a long response,
with the first half explaining bucking and how to stop it, the
second half dealing with rodeo broncos and how a horse becomes
one.
Part 1 - Stopping
the bucking
What I would do first
is try to determine why the horse is bucking, and maybe you can
stop it. You know the horse better than someone who hasn't seen
him, so can decide if you think it would be worth the work to
retrain him not to buck, or if you think he would be better off
being allowed to buck as a rodeo bronco.
If the horse is young or not well trained, the bucking could just
be a sign of playfulness, excess energy, or lack of training.
If this is the case, you might have someone work with the horse
and teach him not to buck. Horses that have established a habit
of bucking are often dangerous, so you should be careful (wear
a helmet!!) and consider hiring a professional trainer to work
with the horse. Another risk is if you work with him and you don't
know what you are doing, you may actually be training him to buck--
which will make it much harder to teach him, not to mention more
dangerous for you.
If the horse has rich
food-- alfalfa or grain-- and little excercise, the bucking could
just be him getting his excess energy out. Most horses will buck
when they feel good. You might increase the horse's turnout time,
or decrease the amount of grain or alfalfa you're giving him.
Also try round penning or lounging him before a ride to allow
him to buck before you get on his back.
While most people train
their young horses that bucking is not acceptable when they're
being ridden, broncos are taught the exact opposite. A normal
trainer would be persistant, get back on if bucked off, and stop
or punish the horse when he tries to buck, and reward the horse
when he doesn't buck. A bronco, however, is encouraged and allowed
to buck. Broncos are bred to have the athletic ability and natural
inclination to buck; When they buck like most horses will during
their first ride, instead of being punished for bucking they are
allowed to buck and throw their rider. This reinforces the bucking
behavior, and soon the horse thinks that is what he's supposed
to do-- and will do it on cue.
You said that the horse
would 'buck hard' so it doesn't sound like he would be bucking
out of annoyance or pain, but I would have him vet checked anyway
(it's a good idea to have a vet check so potential buyers can
see that he's healthy). Generally when a horse is in pain he will
act annoyed, depressed, and not be running around and bucking
like he does out of excitement. For example, rodeo broncos generally
buck very high and hard-- a horse whose tack or rider is annoying
him will probably stop, refuse to move, shake his head, back up,
and buck in place or kick his back legs; he won't be running around
and bucking hard, as that is likely to cause more pain.
Part 2 - Becoming
A Bronco
Does your horse have
the natural athletic ability and attitude to become a bronco?
Good conformation, strong legs, high spirits, and desire to buck
make a horse a good bronco. Most broncs are part draft, which
gives them good bone and muscle making them able to jump high,
and part QH, appy, or paint to give them heart and a strong will
and athletic ability. Many come from generations of bucking horses,
so the natural desire to buck is bred in them This doesn't mean
your horse can't be a great bronco; if he has the conformation,
desire and the ability, then he could make a good bronco.
Bucking horses and bulls
are registered in the rodeo livestock registry. Their careers
and performances are documented, and the best are chosen to win
awards every year. They are athletes, just as dressage, reining,
or barrel horses are. Good bucking horses go for several thousand
dollars; the top horses are worth $50,000 or more.
If you feel your horse
is a great bucker and would enjoy the rodeo lifestyle, then you
might be able to get him featured in rodeos but it would take
some work on your part.
There have been people, like you, who have sold their horses to
be used in rodeos because they loved to buck hard; instead of
euthanizing these dangerous horses, or selling them to an auction
to end up in a slaughterhouse, they have been turned into great
bucking horses. I don't remember his name, but there was once
such ex-show horse that went on to be a great bucker.
There are two types of
'broncos': Saddle broncs, and bareback broncs. Bareback broncs
are ridden without a saddle, the rider holds onto a handle that
goes around the girth. The ride tends to be wild and very hard
on the rider's muscles and joints-- he literally hangs on while
he is whipped around by the horse.
Saddle broncs are ridden with a small saddle, and the rider holds
a leadrope attached to a halter as a rein. The ride is smoother,
with the rider moving to the motion of the bucking horse, balancing
in the stirrups, trying to stay in sync with the horse to create
a harmonious ride.
Even though the horses just buck in each event, some horses are
better at one or the other. Bigger, smoother buckers tend to be
good saddle broncs, while the smaller faster horses make better
bareback broncs.
Rodeos themselves do not own or breed bucking horses, so you cannot
sell a horse to a rodeo. A rodeo is an event put on by an association
or organization, but the livestock used in rodeo events are owned
by livestock contractors.
Livestock contractors are the people who own and care for the
animals. Many of them have bulls and horses they bred and raised
from babies, and they take pride in them.
Look at your local rodeo's entry form or schedule, and it should
list the contractor for the rodeo. You can contact that person,
and tell them about your horse, and ask them what they think.
If they are interested and want to buy your horse, you can arrange
that with them.
Since your horse isn't a trained-- or even green-- bucking horse,
the contractor might not be interested about buying the him. However,
you might find a contractor who is willing to give your horse
a chance. You'll have to speak with them to find out what they
think, and find out what they do; maybe they can give your horse
some test bucks to see if he likes it and has the natural ability
for it.
When you sell or give a horse away, the things you might need
will include your horse's papers (if he is registered), a transfer
of ownership, and your horse's health certificates (Coggins test,
especially if he will be going to another state) and vaccination
history. The livestock contractor will want to make sure that
your horse is healthy, in good shape, and up to date on its deworming
and vaccinations. If your horse is not, let them know which vaccines
he has or hasn't had, and when he was last dewormed. If your horse
has any specific health problems or needs, or has ever been sick
or injured, let them know about that too.
I assume that your horse is ground broke, meaning that he leads,
ties, and stand for the farrier, and loads in a trailer. If he's
not, alert the buyer so they know. Even though broncos may seem
wild, some are quite tame and friendlywhen they're not doing their
job. They know there's a time and place where it's OK to act wild
and buck. I've heard of saddle broncs that will let people ride
around on them bareback.
They are taught to buck on cue; cues can be anything from a verbal
command, a movement, to a piece of equipment, that tells the horse
what he's supposed to do.
With broncos, the cue is the flank strap, a sheepskin-lined strap
that goes around the horse's flank. The strap resembles the back
cinch that people ride western horses in, but it's softer and
sits a little farther back. Horses don't buck in back cinches,
but they do with flank cinches because they are taught to. Flank
cinches actually tend to be much softer than a regular back cinch,
so when the horse is bucking it remains supple and won't pinch
or hurt the bronco. There are, sadly, a lot of misunderstandings
about the cinch; people make all kinds of wild claims from the
cinch is sharp or caustic (against rodeo rules,) to it pinches
the genitals (anatomically impossible). If it was painful or pinching,
the animals would refuse to buck, as bucking would cause even
more pain when they moved. If there was abuse going on, I'm sure
the contractors would be pretty upset since they are the ones
who own and care for these equine and bovine competitors.
You might want to ask
the contractor other questions, such as if they'll let you know
how the horse works out. If the horse turns out to not like bucking,
then maybe you can arrange to have them call you so you can buy
it back. If your horse turns out to be a good bucker and they
decide to buck him in rodeos, you should call them and find out
what kind of a schedule your horse has so you can arrange to see
him perform. You might also see if they register him him with
the rodeo stock registry, if so you can track your horse's performance
and find out how he scored, who rode him or who he threw, etc.
How old is your horse?
Be sure to let the buyer know. Because of the good feed and care
and light work load (bucking horses only work for a few minutes
a year), they tend to live long and be able to compete for many
years. This means that even if your horse isn't young, he could
still learn to be a bucker. While racehorses may be retired before
they reach age 6, broncos can still be bucking at age 15+, and
after their bucking years are over they retire to the ranches
and generally live long-- several stock contractors have retired
geldings and mares (stallions don't buck) that are in their late
twenties!
Let me know how it works
out-- you never know, maybe your horse will be the next Bucking
Horse of the Year!
