Advice please - out of character bolting

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Harriettie

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My idiot horse bolted for at least 1/2 a mile on a road today. I'm not entirely sure whether he pulled up or I managed to stop him.

He has been on box rest for 6 weeks, with controlled walking out for 20 minutes twice a day. For the last week this has been ridden - and he has been perfect. Today when we turned for home he bucked twice and then flat out gallop, luckily along a very quiet straight road, but nevertheless past oncoming cars and walkers. No way could I stop him. Eventually we stopped and on returning to the yard took him in the school to make sure he remembered who is boss by just moving him around, not by beating him! Tonight I walked him out for 20 mins and he was on his toes but a few sharp tugs of the rope sorted it.

I think he has quite clearly told me that he has had enough box rest, despite seemingly enjoying it.

He is usually very obedient, I'm very assertive with him as I can't abide horse that walk over their owners (sometime literally). I have had him 11 years and he has done this once before under understandable circumstances. He is a cob (if that makes any difference), but a lovely trimmed, hogged and banged novice dressage boy!

So, the plan is to turn him out in a flat small paddock. The consultant treating him had originally said this was ok if he didn't handle the box rest.

My question is, to keep riding or not - or wait until his final lameness assessment in 2 weeks and then start to bring him back into work? His original issue was 1 - 2/10ths lame due to a swollen tendon sheath, and he is having IRAP treatment, which has actually now finished.

I am inclined to keep riding, but what do you all think?

The good news is that he seems none the worse for wear!
 
Hmm, very strange, although you did say it has happened before - what triggered that?

I have no experience of bolters but my understanding is that a 'true' bolter/ would not stop for anything or anyone. Where did he stop and how did he get brought to a stop?

I would say the main reasons for bolting/running off are (a) fright (b) pain and (c) neurological issues. Was there anything that triggered this this time? I would imagine it may well be the combination of having been on box rest for that long (so high jinks) and maybe feeling a little uncomfortable in his saddle area (you said he bucked before setting off?). Personally i would continue riding him if you feel confident to - you must know him well after that time but maybe consider a bit change? Just to give you a bit more control.

I know my horse ran off with my mum when an ambulance, sirens blazing came flying round a bend. He had nevre run off andI don't believe he bolted at all but he certainly ran (mum fell off). He tried similar with me a few weeks after when a tractor with a silage bale on its spike came towards him. he only got a few yards before i regained my balance and pulled him to a halt. He's not run away since and that was years ago now.

I would perservere if you feel it's safe to do so.
 
I may be way off the mark, but if the bolting came after you turned for home, I would guess that his behaviour showed he wanted to get home as fast as possible.

Are there any circular routes you could take? I would avoid at all cost turning round as this gave him the excuse to "run" home.

I had to ride my sharp horse out this summer after months off whilst on box rest, the vet gave him a long acting sedative by injection which took the edge off & helped me get him used to going back out.

Good luck with how it goes.
 
The only time our boy ever did anything like this was following on from what was meant to be a nice hack out with my daughter on her new pony and me on Ted. Daughter was in absolutely foul mood and whinged and complained her way round, driving me and friend we'd met on the way absolutely mad. She fell off her pony (just one of those things) and demanded to get on Ted. So I let her. Well, he basically waited for her to get her other leg over and in the stirrup then buggered off with her and just flew. Thank goodness for my friend who followed her at a reasonable distance until he finally pulled up (she had to run him into a car :( ) He's never done anything like it before or since, and the only thing I think it could possibly be was that he was as fed up with her whining and spoiling a nice ride out on the forest as us adult humans were... We will have had him 5 years in February, so he's had plenty of opportunity to do it again...

Maybe your boy is just letting you know he's not too thrilled about all this box rest you've made him take?

ETA incidentally said mare has just recovered from tendon damage, turning her out even for just 20 minutes to graze and stretch her legs helped to keep her sane and a reasonable character to be around. She now is up to all day turnout and in at night, which is their "regular" winter routine.
 
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Thanks everyone - I am still hoping that its the box rest that's the problem, but.............

Yes - some food for thought there. I think it was a true bolt as I could not stop him. On the other occasion that he did it we were in unfamiliar territory and the horse we were with bombed off. Of course, he has taken off with me before now, but easily pulled up after few strides.

I agree with the turning for home comment. I usually do circular routes, but this is exactly 20 mins and he is very familiar with it. I won't do it again until he is back in proper work.

The bucking could be saddle/back related and I shall have a good look tomorrow, so thanks for that.

He is in a very mild bit, a loose ring snaffle with a lozenge, but the othertime he did this I was riding in a Pelham with two reins and still had no chance of stopping. I am very strong, but had no impact.

Still, onward and upward! Just need now to get over my hatred of him today - bl00dy creature. Grrrrrrrr.
 
Just for the record, I have never found pelham/curb type bits much good in horses who have a tendency to get their heads down and p*ss off when it takes their fancy, they seem to just lean on the bit. I find a gag type bit works better as enables you to get their head off the floor!
 
egg butt snaffle for a bolter.

sounds like he was pissed off being kept in - he was out and he wanted to go!
i would continue to ride - take him out tomorrow - along the section where he bolted and make him walk steady so he doesnt get any more ideas!

just gentle work to start with which im sure you already know xx
 
DQ - actually that was my initial thought, get back out there on the same ride. But it is a road, with traffic, albeit infrequent, and I don't really want a repeat episode. If it were a field - no bother at all. However, knowing me, I will do it and sod the consequences (back protector at the ready!). I hate him to get one over on me.

Usually hack on my own, and he can't be lunged yet due to the injury. I have actually found that this can make a sharp horse even sharper, so probably wouldn't lunge him anyway. I prefer to go out on my own without the worry of other people and my chap is not usually influenced by other horses, either positively or otherwise. God, don't we sound a miserable pair?

He is not a bolter really, he is a lovely chap, very well mannered. Hopefully with some turn out he will be back to normal.

Thanks for taking an interest!
 
just food for thought- my mare did that once. totally out of character- and very very scary. she was totally fine about 2 mins after as well. she then did it again in the school- again not triggers and totally random. scared me to death.
turned out she had long term DDFT damage and navicular, and she was running away whenever she was in pain.
 
They say that if you managed to stop a bolting horse then it wasn't bolting, just taking matters into it's own hands. Sounds like he was way too fresh, way too inattentive and way too keen to get home. That's a schooling issue but I'd err on the side of caution for a while or you (and ned) could get hurt.
 
Quick update in case it helps anyone else......I walked him in hand to the scene of the crime the day after 'the event' with no issues, then turned him out for the day. In the evening I rode him along the same route with my OH on foot as minder. I was a bit tense but my chap was as good as gold so hopefully that's it. Yesterday I rode out on my own just around the fields with no problems after a couple of minutes in the school just getting him to listen to me properly.

I know that to do a non-circular ride can be asking for trouble, but the reality is that its a really handy quick ride and anyway he should bl00dy well do as he is told!

I now have the go ahead to bring him back into work, given that galloping along the road has not caused any issues, so we can steadily get back to normal, where he is worked properly, which will help. I have real admiration for folk that manage to cope with horses on box rest that misbehave all the time, you hear some real horror stories.....

It seems that other horses on the yard have also been unpredictable over the weekend, so maybe there was something in the air.

So, thanks to all for the advice and fingers crossed that it was a one-off, otherwise he's dead meat ;)
 
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