Will Buck Off Help My Forward-Going Horse?

It depends on why your horse is forward.

BUCK OFF isn't designed to make an energetic or naturally forward-going horse slower. If your horse simply enjoys their work, responds quickly to your leg and naturally likes to go forward, that's not something we'd necessarily want to change.

But sometimes what feels like a very forward horse is actually a tense or over-reactive horse.

And that's where BUCK OFF may help.

Forward or tense?

There's an important difference.

A genuinely forward horse may have plenty of energy, but they're still able to listen, concentrate and come back to their rider.

A tense horse can feel very different.

They may rush, anticipate, struggle to wait, become increasingly quick or feel as though they're constantly trying to get away from pressure.

Ask yourself what happens when you ask your horse to slow down.

Can they relax and wait while maintaining their rhythm?

Or does slowing down create more tension, with your horse becoming increasingly wound up or reactive?

If it's the latter, what you're experiencing may not simply be excess energy.

Will BUCK OFF take away my horse's energy?

That's not what BUCK OFF is designed to do.

BUCK OFF isn't a sedative and we don't want to make a naturally forward horse dull or unresponsive.

This is particularly important for performance horses. Energy and enthusiasm are qualities we often want to keep.

The aim is to help a horse that becomes mentally tense or over-reactive deal with what's happening around them in a calmer, more proportionate way.

We don't necessarily want less energy. We want the horse to be better able to manage that energy.

When might BUCK OFF help?

We'd consider BUCK OFF if your forward-going horse also:

• Becomes tense or anxious when ridden
• Rushes more as they become worried
• Struggles to relax and wait
• Anticipates what's coming next
• Becomes increasingly wound up during a session
• Spooks or over-reacts easily
• Struggles to regain concentration once excited
• Feels constantly on high alert

In those cases, calming support may help because we're addressing the reactivity and tension, not trying to make the horse less forward.

What if my horse is simply very energetic?

If your horse is relaxed, confident and listening but simply has lots of energy, BUCK OFF may not be what they need.

Instead, we'd look at their feeding, turnout, exercise and training.

Likewise, if your horse has suddenly started rushing or become dramatically more forward than usual, consider whether pain, discomfort or another physical issue could be contributing.

A calmer shouldn't be used simply to suppress behaviour without understanding what's causing it.

What should I notice if BUCK OFF is working?

With a naturally forward horse, the goal isn't necessarily for them to become slower.

You might instead notice that they're easier to bring back, don't become tense as quickly, recover more easily after excitement and can concentrate on their rider without losing their natural enthusiasm.

That's an important distinction.

Forward is not the problem. Over-reactivity can be.

BUCK OFF is designed to support the latter without taking away the former.

BUCK OFF typically takes around 7 days to start working and should be fed consistently rather than only on riding days.