Welcoming a young horse into training can be a rewarding experience, but sometimes you encounter a colt with a challenging disposition. This is precisely the situation faced when preparing a group of young horses for sale on a Nebraska ranch. Among them was Bucky, a three-year-old buckskin gelding with a remarkably sour attitude, a result of improper and harsh handling by his owner’s teenage grandson. This article details the process of giving Bucky a fresh start and transforming him into a willing partner, highlighting the importance of patience, understanding, and a corrected approach to colt starting.
The ranch had a consistent need for young horses to be started for an upcoming sale. The unstarted horses, typically two and three-year-olds, were given initial training, while some four-year-olds also required further riding. Yearling heifers were available for the colts to work with, providing practical experience and purpose. Many of these colts were by a Skipper W bred stud and out of established foundation mares. While some had a bit of spirit, they generally settled once they were outside and working.
However, Bucky, a buckskin gelding by the same stud but out of an old Bert bred mare, presented a unique challenge. He possessed the sourest attitude encountered, stemming from months of mistreatment by the grandson. This 16-year-old, described as spoiled and lacking knowledge, had spent four months working Bucky exclusively in a round pen. His methods involved excessive spurring, jerking on the reins, and aggravating the colt, leading Bucky to become resentful and distrustful of people. The confinement to the round pen, without exposure to larger spaces like the arena, only intensified Bucky’s negative outlook.
Recognizing the problematic history, the ranch boss decided the team should take over Bucky’s training. My husband, Al, was tasked with Bucky’s first proper ride, as I was recovering from an injury. He prepared a large pen that opened into either the arena or a pasture with the heifers, aiming to saddle Bucky and then guide him out through one of the gates. I assisted on my own trained horse, Kelly, while Al saddled Bucky. Despite being handled numerous times before, Bucky reacted poorly to saddling, exhibiting biting, kicking, and a sullen demeanor with flattened ears and bared teeth.
Once Bucky was finally saddled, he was allowed to trot in the corral to warm up. He showed some humps but no significant bucking. I was able to get him to relax and even lope in the larger pen. With the warm-up complete, Al mounted Bucky, who initially crouched and froze. Al, determined not to repeat the mistakes of the past, avoided any actions that had caused Bucky’s issues. He instructed me to ride by, gently bumping Bucky to encourage movement. Despite pinned ears and a clamped tail, Bucky moved out, albeit uneasily. Al then asked me to open the pasture gate, and he guided Bucky out.
Initially hesitant, Bucky seemed relieved to be out of the confined pen. He stayed close to my horse and, although he tensed up a couple of times, he didn’t bolt or buck, which felt like significant progress. To provide Bucky with a job, we began gathering and moving some heifers along a fence line. This task gave Bucky a purpose and shifted his focus away from the rider. His ears perked up, his tail relaxed, and he moved more freely, responding to Al’s gentle guidance with a soft hackamore.
During the heifer gathering, one playful heifer attempted to dart between Bucky and the fence. Al remained still, allowing Bucky to react independently. Bucky instinctively jumped sideways and stopped the heifer, a moment that clearly surprised him. This instance seemed to be a turning point. The “light came on in Bucky’s eyes,” as his ears became active, and he began working his mouth, now engaged with the heifers rather than solely reacting to the rider.
With renewed willingness, Bucky eagerly moved the heifers, showing a marked change in demeanor. His ears were up, and he appeared to be enjoying the work, receiving positive reinforcement and neck rubs from Al. We moved the heifers through a gate and stopped. Al dismounted, and Bucky stood calmly, his demeanor transformed: bright eyes, relaxed muzzle, and active ears. He accepted petting without any defensive reactions. Al remounted, and they circled the pasture, eventually loping. Bucky wandered a bit, as is common on a first outside ride, but he was clearly happy.
To end on a positive note, instead of riding Bucky back into the corral, Al stopped him, asked for a few steps back, and then dismounted. Bucky was led to the tack house for unsaddling like a well-trained horse, with no issues. The next challenge was keeping the grandson away from Bucky, which was managed, as the teen still believed Bucky was a bronc. Al continued riding Bucky throughout the fall without further problems, noting his positive attitude and rapid progress since that pivotal first outside ride. The author mentions leaving that winter and not knowing Bucky’s ultimate fate, but expressing hope that his life continued to improve, recognizing that he was a good horse who could have easily gone down a much darker path.
This experience underscores the profound impact of proper handling and the potential for even the most “sour” horses to become willing partners with patience, understanding, and the right approach.
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- The Clever Kelly
