What is the difference between crow hopping and bucking and how do you handle each?

Crow hopping and bucking are related but distinct behaviors, and Clinton Anderson addresses them separately because they typically have different causes and require different responses from the rider. Crow hopping is a mild, stiff-legged bounce — the horse hops along with its back humped and its head slightly down but does not commit to a full buck with its hindquarters elevated high and its head dropped between its front legs. Crow hopping is often an expression of fresh energy, excitement, or minor discomfort rather than a serious attempt to unseat the rider. Anderson treats it as an early warning sign that needs to be addressed before it escalates, and his response is the same as for any unwanted movement — immediate lateral bend with one rein to disengage the hindquarters, then forward movement on a directed task. Bucking is a committed attempt by the horse to remove the rider, with the horse's hindquarters coming up, head dropping, and back rounding in a sequence that can unseat even experienced riders. Anderson's immediate response is the pull-to-the-side one-rein correction: pick up one rein firmly and hold the nose to the side until the horse comes out of the bucking posture and into a tight circle. A horse cannot sustain a buck while bending laterally. After the correction, Anderson puts the horse immediately to work — not as punishment but as a direction of the energy that was driving the buck. He then investigates what caused the buck: too little preparation that day, a pain trigger, or a horse that has learned that bucking gets it out of work. Each cause has a different long-term solution — more groundwork, a veterinary check, or a training program specifically designed to remove the bucks-to-quit association.