How does Clinton Anderson approach a horse that bucks under saddle?

Clinton Anderson's approach to a horse that bucks under saddle begins with an important diagnostic question: why is the horse bucking? His experience with hundreds of bucking horses has produced a consistent finding — the overwhelming majority of bucking is caused by one of three things: the horse's feet are not obedient enough, the rider is inadvertently triggering the buck through incorrect position or pressure, or there is pain driving the behavior. Each cause requires a different response. For the most common cause — inadequate obedience of the feet — Anderson's prescription is more groundwork before riding. A horse that has complete control of its feet on the ground through disengaging the hindquarters, yielding the forequarters, backing, and forward driving rarely has the postural setup to buck effectively, because bucking requires the hindquarters to come up and forward, which is prevented by a horse that yields its hindquarters immediately on direction. Anderson returns to groundwork until the horse yields its hindquarters softly within one step, then returns to riding. For the under-saddle response to a buck in progress, Anderson teaches the pull-to-the-side correction: immediately tipping the horse's nose strongly to one side and holding it there until the horse circles and relaxes. This physically prevents the bucking posture and replaces it with lateral bend. He then immediately puts the horse to work at the trot or lope — not as punishment, but to keep the feet moving and maintain the handler's direction of the feet. For pain-based bucking, Anderson is clear that no training will fix a pain response — the pain must be identified and addressed first. He recommends checking saddle fit, back soreness, and hoof issues as the first steps when a previously well-mannered horse suddenly begins bucking. Treating a pain response as a disobedience can seriously injure the horse and rarely resolves the behavior.