How does Clinton Anderson handle the first buck on a young horse and how does he prevent future bucking?

Clinton Anderson's approach to the first buck on a young horse starts with prevention rather than correction, and his prevention protocol is thorough enough that bucks on well-prepared colts are genuinely rare in his program. When a buck does occur, his response is immediate and specific. The moment a horse bucks, Anderson's first instruction is to tip the horse's nose to the side and pull it in a tight circle. A horse cannot effectively buck in a tight circle because the physics of the maneuver require the hindquarters to come up while the head is down and forward, and a tipped nose and tight circle prevent this posture. Anderson calls this 'bending the horse' and teaches it as the primary bucking correction for all riders regardless of skill level. After the horse has been pulled in a tight circle and has stopped bucking, Anderson immediately puts the horse to work — trotting or cantering circles, yielding hindquarters, moving with energy. He does not punish the horse for bucking with rough handling, but he does ensure that bucking leads to work rather than the horse getting its way by unseating the rider. The moment the horse is working forward and straight again, the work becomes light and the pressure releases. For prevention on subsequent rides, Anderson returns to groundwork before each ride until the horse is consistently quiet. He specifically looks for the horse to lope calmly in both directions in the round pen, yield softly, and hook on willingly before getting on. A horse that is tight, high-headed, or spooky on the ground that day is not ready for a ride — the groundwork continues until the horse relaxes. Anderson also addresses equipment as a bucking factor: a saddle that pinches, a girth that is too tight too quickly, or a bit that causes pain can all cause bucking in otherwise well-mannered horses. Before assuming a behavioral cause, he teaches checking fit and pain sources.