Advice needed,as really worried.

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hunting mad

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My sons horse is lovely in most ways,and is settling in really well,and seems to fit our bill just perfectly,especially now we have ironed out a few creases.

The one big problem i have,and it has happened twice now.
First time,i fell off in an area said horse doesnt know,and he trotted off and left me.Didnt go too far,and slipped into a field and we found he grazing.

Yesterday,a friend was leading him off her horse,out hunting.(Huntsman was riding him,and got off)We had hacked about 4 miles there,so he knew where he was.Now my friend let go of him,and he took this to bugger off home.He galloped as hard as he could home.Took him about 15mins.

Needless to say i was really worried,we didnt chase him,but did follow,but there was no way we were going to catch him.

How do i stop this.I was so worried about the other road users???
 
You say he's your son's horse, yet you were riding him and a friend? If your switching riders like this, then poor horse is probably not building up trust.... Maybe previous bad experiences, maybe just a one person horse?

But really, just don't let go!!
(sorry that probably sounds v rude, i don't mean to be :o )
 
I won't say it because everyone else has :p

Sounds like he has security issues. Maybe needs to go on a short hack every day to get the message that he is most definitely going to return to his home. How long have you had him? If it isn't a long time could be he is still wary about having moved, especially if he was in his last home for a long time.

I would leave off taking him out a long way until he is used to being out and knowing he will always return home.

FDC
 
I had one who used to bog off if we parted company. He also had a thing about pinging over fences/hedges from a stand still and launching me off.

It taught me 2 things. Not to turn him to a fence/hedge to stop :o and to hang on for dear life if I did fall off.
 
becca_norrey said:
You say he's your son's horse, yet you were riding him and a friend? If your switching riders like this, then poor horse is probably not building up trust.... Maybe previous bad experiences, maybe just a one person horse?

But really, just don't let go!!
(sorry that probably sounds v rude, i don't mean to be :o )
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Why cant i ride him????He is my sons horse in as much as he hunts him every week.....i exercise him at home and pay for all his needs,and look after him.
My friend was leading him,not riding him.And yes,my sister does ride him as well,and sometimes my younger son.
I seriously do not think this is a trust issue as he has settled so well in every other way.
 
Why are you really worried?? this sounds like normall behavier for a horse to me. No horse is perfect in every way.
He was probably hyped up while out hunting, which contributed to him galloping home. Why on earth did your friend let him go, did she just expect him to stand there??
 
Fii said:
Why are you really worried?? this sounds like normall behavier for a horse to me. No horse is perfect in every way.
He was probably hyped up while out hunting, which contributed to him galloping home. Why on earth did your friend let him go, did she just expect him to stand there??
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I have no idea on this.....i wasnt with her at the time.
Yes,you are probably right that this is normal behaviour for a horse.Still doesnt stop me worrying about other road users though
 
I remember seeing one of the Monty Roberts programmes on Horse & Country and they taught a young coloured cob to stop whenever anyone fell off him. Think they used a dummy to begin with and then had a rider sliding off. Seemed to work, the horse stood rock solid even at Demos when the rider "fell off".
 
Fii said:
Why are you really worried?? this sounds like normall behavier for a horse to me. No horse is perfect in every way.
He was probably hyped up while out hunting, which contributed to him galloping home. Why on earth did your friend let him go, did she just expect him to stand there??
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I agree with Fii, try not to fall off and not let him go! If that is the only problem you really haven't got much to complain about! Sorry
 
ISHmad said:
I remember seeing one of the Monty Roberts programmes on Horse & Country and they taught a young coloured cob to stop whenever anyone fell off him. Think they used a dummy to begin with and then had a rider sliding off. Seemed to work, the horse stood rock solid even at Demos when the rider "fell off".
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Thank you...........do you have any idea where i may be able to view or read about this demo?

I was also thinking about alot of voice commands out exercising?
 
i think the horse reacted as most would do. you fell off hacking and he found some nice grass to munch.. sensible. whoever let him go out hunting possibly had no choice!(his blood would be up as at a jolly) and as he was near home and knew where he was he opted for home ..again sensible (tho i hope he knew his highway code) all you could have done other than pray and pray again, would have been to phone the yard and get then to stop/warn traffic that a horse was loose. i dont think either situation was a trust issue, just unfortunate. maybe just remember not to get someone to hold him, whilst on another horse out hunting if rider/huntsman is not on board. Glad he is ok.
 
You can try voice commands - ie "Stand" and teach him to oblige but in all honesty i just think some horses do this.

I fell off my pony once - was cantering up a verge and he spooked at something (I was prepared for a spook at horses behind a hedge but wasn't prepared for him to instead spook at a woman and pushchair I'd not seen!) - I came off over his head, kept hold of the reins but unfortunately the bridle came over his head so just the bit was hanging out of his mouth. Now he is a VERY well behaved pony as far as stable manners are concerned and i got up very calmly and slowly, told him to stand (he normally does) but he sort of looked at me and then just dropped the bit out of his mouth, i went for a grab and he turned and just set off down the road. I was terrified as although i knew he'd head straight home he had to negotiate two junctions and a horrid narrow windy road.

I managed to flag a car down and did the "follow that horse!" line and all we could do is follow him as he did the most beautiful extended trot up the middle of this horrid windy road. I just thought i would see him be killed but thankfully some cars coming round the bend stopped and this made him revert to correct side of the road (still high paced trotting). i made the lady in the car overtake him and jumped out a few hundred yards in front of him and (armed with some cow parsley!) managed to stop him and get his bridle back on!

It was the scariest moment of my life and i would try to never let go of a horse again. It seems to happen often out hunting that people fall off and don't seem bothered about where there horse may be but, if it were me I'd make damn sure tried my hardest to stay on and if I did come off, hold on to the reins!!!!!
 
ofcourseyoucan said:
i think the horse reacted as most would do. you fell off hacking and he found some nice grass to munch.. sensible. whoever let him go out hunting possibly had no choice!(his blood would be up as at a jolly) and as he was near home and knew where he was he opted for home ..again sensible (tho i hope he knew his highway code) all you could have done other than pray and pray again, would have been to phone the yard and get then to stop/warn traffic that a horse was loose. i dont think either situation was a trust issue, just unfortunate. maybe just remember not to get someone to hold him, whilst on another horse out hunting if rider/huntsman is not on board. Glad he is ok.
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I keep him at home with 11 others,so i promtly called my OH and he didnt believe me it had happened,until i screamed at him to get outside and check......he was in our top fields!
 
When I first got my mare she would stand and wait if I fell off. But as soon as she became confident of the 'way home' she galloped off back to her stable as fast as her little fat legs could carry her. I quickly learned to hold onto the reins if I fell, though thankfully her spooks and the falls they led to became less and less frequent :)
 
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Echo what others have said, I'm quite sure any of the horses I have ever owned would have done the same. Don't think there is a way round it other than the obvious, sorry :D I think you were v v lucky on the hack that he stopped any grazed
 
i'm quite surprised that no one seems to train their horses to stand still when they dismount or fall off. It's quite important when you are out in the middle of nowhere and its quite easy to do. Pretty much like training them to stand at a mounting block.
 
hunting mad said:
Why cant i ride him????He is my sons horse in as much as he hunts him every week.....i exercise him at home and pay for all his needs,and look after him.
My friend was leading him,not riding him.And yes,my sister does ride him as well,and sometimes my younger son.
I seriously do not think this is a trust issue as he has settled so well in every other way.
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Didn't mean that you couldn't ride him, just wondered if it added to the problem? I know my mare is very much a one person horse :o
Like i said earlier, didn't mean to sound rude sorry :o
 
Don't let go of him if you get off and if you fall off, hang on.

I used to have a TBx that as soon as we parted company he would go, flat out and if anyone got in his way they were run over!

I learnt to hang onto him if we parted company at a show because he would literally jump 5 bar gates to get home!

No amount of training would ever have stopped that one!
 
becca_norrey said:
Didn't mean that you couldn't ride him, just wondered if it added to the problem? I know my mare is very much a one person horse :o
Like i said earlier, didn't mean to sound rude sorry :o
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No worries.......thats the trouble with these forums......you can never tell the tone in which the person is "talking"
 
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