Agree with Suzles - horses may buck or gallop around for FUN, but not to the extent you see as a bronc; the continuous "get this thing off my flank" bucking that goes on.
I've heard different schools of thought on the "does the horse know it's job is to buck?". The cowboys I know all say the horses DO know their job after the first few years, which is why the majority of the horses at the Stampede (the "pros") stand calmly in the chutes until they're released and usually AFTER the cowboy is off, the bucks lessen in height/intensity.
Other people think more along the lines of Suzles - the open mouth, the white eyes, etc is a sign the horse is panicking because of the tight strap around the horse's flanks/croup - the most sensitive areas and the area horses are the most touchy about due to instinct/physiology. It goes back to when predators would jump on the horses and bring them down; that's where most of the vital organs reside and aren't protected by much.
Suzles - I once saw a horse drop dead at a hunter/jumper show. He had just finished his round, weather was moderate, no stress...he walked out of the ring and just collapsed. Let out one whinny and a few convulsions before he died. The vet said he died of a blood clot...one of the worse things I've ever seen.
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