How to Break a Horse From Crow-Hopping

Breaking a horse from crow-hopping, or mildly bucking, requires checking him for sore spots or sticker burrs, examining equipment that might cause him pain and evaluating the rider's cues to the horse. Pulling back on the horse's reins while pressing both legs into the horse's sides is a main rider-error cause of crow-hopping. Essentially, your horse is frustrated because your hands tell him to stop, but your legs tell him to speed up.

Things You'll Need

  • Saddle
  • Saddle blanket
  • Bridle
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Instructions

    • 1

      Rub on either side of the horse's spine and along his withers. If he flinches or tucks when he's touched, his crow-hopping could be caused by problems with the saddle or the equipment.

    • 2

      Brush his back, belly and shoulders---anywhere equipment will touch---to rid the areas of irritants. Even sand or a matted coat can cause an irritation.

    • 3

      Run your hand over the side of the blanket that touches him. Pull off any stickers or pieces of hay or grass that can cause discomfort while riding.

    • 4

      Check the bottom of the saddle for any knots or exposed nails, screws or brads that might cause pain. With the friction of the saddle and the weight of a human, it takes very little to become an irritant--consider how it feels when a nail in a shoe digs into your heel all day.

    • 5

      Run your hand under the belly and especially along where the girth goes to check for sores or anything sticking him.

    • 6
      Horses can toss a human like a rag doll.

      Slip your hand along the girth and cinch to check for stickers or other irritants. Leather cinches and neoprene or sheepskin girths can limit chaffing and sores. If the equipment is not the problem, it's time for saddle work.

    • 7

      Mount the horse, once he's saddled. Hold the reins so that both hands have contact and are approximately a foot apart, with your elbows resting comfortably just in front of your sides. Plow reining, such as this, works each side of the bit individually. Ideally, the reins should put no pressure on the bit but still be tight enough so pressure can be added instantly. This type of saddle work should be done in a round pen or small corral, not in an open field where the horse's options for running off are greater.

    • 8

      Press your heels down and toes up in the stirrups so your legs work as shock absorbers for any sudden movement the horse might make.

    • 9

      Pull the horse's nose, if he attempts to crow-hop, so that it almost touches your boot. This forces him into a circle and disengages his hind quarters, which makes crow-hopping more difficult.

    • 10

      Release the pressure on the bit the very second your horse stops trying to crow-hop, and allow him to stand quietly or move him out at a walk. A horse, like many humans, prefers the path of least resistance. If, at the second you loosen up on the reins, the horse begins to crow-hop, pull his nose toward your boot again. At times it may seem like he's just not getting the idea, but he's smarter than he lets on.
      Keep repeating the process, and rub him gently on his shoulders when he does well.

    • 11

      Take the horse, once he has stopped crow-hopping in the pen, out onto the trail where the same circling technique can be used. Encourage the horse with a rub to his shoulders or neck when he's doing well.