How do I get my horse to stop bucking?

I work them on a lunge line and teach them to always face me, never to have their butt to me. Each time they put their butt to me, I pop them with the lunge whip and make them work. When they face me, I let them rest. They learn that putting their butt to me isn't acceptable.

You should correct him in the same way that he would be corrected by a dominant horse in the herd. Obviously you aren't going to kick him back, but the only way he is going to learn to respect you is if he learns that attempting to hurt you hurts him. You will have to correct him physically. You could try leading him in a pressure halter (like a parelli one) and giving it a firm pull when he tries to turn away. You really should be carrying a stick or piece of hose to correct him with. If you do not sort this out, he could very easily send you to hospital or worse. There's no point saying you don't want to hit him if he's going to end up being sold on and sold on (probably for meat eventually, sorry but true) because he kicks out dangerously and you haven't corrected it. Correct this properly now before you get hurt.

youre supposed to whip them (not abusively) with the crop and its like correcting a dog they learn that way they wont listen to you if you yell at them

I back Freya 100% in all that she says. You have a horse that is all but a stallion because his hormones have not yet dissipated. You do not want to hurt his feelings whereby he couldn't give two hoots if he kills you with a kick to the head or chest. Do you think that horses in the herd take this sort of behaviour from an underling? They do not, they will immediately retaliate with teeth or heels and mean it. Do you think that by giving him a wallop with a whip, rope or hose pipe will do as much harm? No way. My first reaction to reading your post was "Here we go again, another idiot!" You cannot put human emotions on a horse and think that you will have trust issues if you correct with a short sharp pain. It must be at the instant he starts to err. I can assure you that I have had many, many horse that were ill mannered, bad tempered and totally lacking in respect come to me for training. I am not afraid to give them a sharp warning of, you hurt me and I will hurt you, and then after I have whacked them, going into attack mode and making them think they are going to die, arm waving running at them, growling will do it. I have never yet had one that after being corrected firmly and fairly at the correct instant, that did not trust me with their lives. They accept that I am leader and as such I demand respect and through them respecting me they know I can be trusted because they know their place as subordinate to me.

A double barrel to the head might do the trick

OK this is a respect issue from him being a stallion. or just a snot. here is what i suggest carry a leather strap, or a crop. or even lead him with a long lead rope. (5-8ft) when he does this move out of the way and drive and direct him, look up Chris cox drive and direct. it WILL require you to smack your horse with the end of the lead rope if he does not listen to you, all it means is "IM NOT PLAYING GAMES" to him, it does not hurt him, on the other hand he can kill you, he is saying ill kick you every time you make me do something i don't feel like doing. your not going to hurt him but you will have to demand respect from him. ill hit my horses, if one of my horses bit me they would get hit within 3 sec anywhere i could ends up being in the nose or neck 90% of the time. its not harsh just a hey i got you back now try it again. you need to start lounging him (direct drive) asap and get his ground manners under control before something very bad happens. DON'T try to break him for another 3months and then i would be slow i wouldn't ride him until its been 6 months at least after castration. they still have the testosterone in there bodies. i would consider doing a lot of ground work with him and Correct his kicking behavior before it goes to far. this does mean hitting him with the end of the lead rope over hand on the butt (from the side) any where else is going to hurt the horse and if enough power could cause nerve damage. never hit him under the belly by his sheath many people do this and its not OK to do. it causes pain and damage. EDIT: freya is right. if not corrected this is a trait that could send him to the meat market. i've seen it time again, simple because someone doesn't believe in correcting behavior (hitting, smacking a horse) there is a FINE line between ABUSIVE behavior and WHIPPING and correcting bad behavior. trust me, nip this in the butt now or risk being severely injured later and your horse sold for meat. i believe if he does kick you hit him with the lead rope or a crop or you hand if you dare get close enough. a crop is only an extension of your hand and if used otherwise is in an abusive manner. now start using rope halters, "lounge" him or direct and drive him in circles to gain respect. these are the tools of learning. good luck and i hope you take some advice. i would look into RFD TV channel and watch some of the corrective training, behaviorists, and horse trainers. Clinton Anderson and Chris cox seem to be the most precisive and down to point trainers. good luck and work that horse!

Um, you can't just NOT hit your horse. Not hitting him will actually cause a LOT of problems. Next time he bucks, punch him in the nose or kick him in the gut. I'm being completely serious. You need to make him think that he will die if he ever bucks again.

If you do not discipline the horse he is going to kick you one day and then he will be put down for being un manageable.

I had my mare so spoiled she was pushy, bossy, disrespectful and treated me so badly it would hurt my feelings. Also when we were riding she would balk and crowhop when she didn't want to do something. I had done some lunging with her but it hadn't helped much then I found the article on Horse&Rider.com. You just type in 'Clinton Anderson's Lunging for Respect' under articles and it will come up. I actually printed the whole thing so I could take it out into the field with me when I worked with her. You don't need a round pen and can even make some of the equipment yourself if you don't have it. It's different than just regular lunging and is so simple and easy to follow (even has pictures) anyone can do it. This program has been amazing for my horse and me. I saw results from the very beginning. She went from a horse I didn't trust and was afraid of to a sweet, respectful girl who acts like I'm her best bud. Even the balking and crowhopping just suddenly stopped and I didn't do anything different just this exercise. I'm so glad I found it. It has changed my life with my horse and it is wonderful.