Advice wanted on biting and tips for stopping horse tanking off!

[wakijaki]

Hi
I have had my horse on loan for a year now. He's a 14.2 cob cross, 11 years old and he is 100% in every way - except in the open.
We live near a beach and I can ride in the fields where I keep him, however because I never know when hes going to have one of his turns and take off I now limit us to just hacking.
Hes a been there and done it all pony club pony but has hunted a lot and would be up at the front of the field so he does really like to run.

I should say he doesn't normally just take off - sometimes he will be very polite and trot and even canter slowly and controlled but he seems to then just get it in his head to run like the wind and it takes me a good while to circle and stop him. Then hes so wound up hes likely to take off again even when I wait for him to calm down and just ask him to walk.

I am not the most confident of riders and I am just looking for something easy to hack that i can have the odd canter around on without seeing my life flash before my eyes so I am wondering if he is the horse for me as apart from him tanking off he is perfect and we have really bonded over the year. His owners now want to sell him so I am faced with letting him go and start looking again...or buying him and dealing with the problem.

He came to me in a 3 ring jointed gag with single reins on the bottom ring and a martingale. After I had him a few months I removed the martingale and switched the reins to the snaffle ring because he is like a donkey to hack and on the few occasions i did canter him and used the reins on the gag ring he would just put his head to the floor and keep going so it didnt make any difference.

Today I rode him in our field and he was fine for 15 minutes or so, walked, trotted, 2 lovely canters, then I asked him to trot again and he bombed off across the field flat out. I circled him to stop him and waited for 5 minutes before asking him to walk on, then he jumped sideways and took off again. This time when he stopped he was so excited I just knew he was going to bomb off again so I jumped off.

I have enquired about having lessons and also have found out about someone who could come and ride him for me to see what they suggest but i would be grateful for any tips or advice on how to keep him calm and how to avoid this happening in the first place, also what bit I might try instead.
Thanks

 

[FestiveFuzz]

I think I'd initially look at why he might be tanking off. Is there something specific happening each time? Could it be pain related? Or does it just generally feel like high spirits? You may find you need someone braver/more experienced to help rule things out but once you've sussed out the trigger point you can start to work on a solution. If there's nothing obvious I'd be inclined to do the standard back, tack and teeth check and perhaps also look at ulcers just in case he's in any discomfort.

If it is just high spirits I'd be inclined to have a play with different bits with the support of an instructor and then work on getting him to listen to your aids more.

As to whether you buy him or not, I'd trust your gut. A horse that tanks off can rapidly ruin your confidence so you have to weigh up whether you feel you have the support and determination needed to overcome the issue. If you have any doubts I'd hand the horse back and keep looking as I can promise you there'll always be another horse you'll fall in love with. Best of luck whatever you choose x

 

[wakijaki]

Hes recently has his teeth done so its not that. Not had his back done but he is totally fine when we canter along single tracks - he will go or stop as I ask - its just high spirits. As I said he will canter along lovely the first time or the second time and then he just goes 'right I'm off'.
My more experienced friend took him on a local 12 mile sponsored ride as I chickened out and he was great for her. He did get over excited at one point but she held him back and he was just cantering at walk speed and then calmed down. As I'm not used to forward going horses I struggle to stay calm and hold him back so I think that is making him worse.
Thanks for the advice xx

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I have a VERY strong tank of a Draft mare. She came to me in a Dutch gag with one rein, which I don't like. I did try a snaffle but although that is fine for schooling, she just ignores it when hacking. So I got her a NS Universal, which is their version of a gag. It is used with 2 reins, I ride off the snaffle rein most of the time but if she starts to get strong, I can bring the curb rein into play and settle her down.
I suggest that you try riding with 2 reins, either on your existing Dutch gag, or hire a NS Universal or a Pelham - different horses respond better to different bits. The 2 reins help because you are not putting pressure on the curb all the time and your horse gets the message that you have a bit extra if he gets silly/strong.

As for whether you buy him or not, I would advise only doing so if you can get this tanking off sorted out.

 

[mirage]

Did he do this with his owners? When he tanks,does he put his head down or up? We had a Connie who would get excited jumping and had a lot of success with a Waterford as he couldn't grab hold of the bit and go. We also swapped about with a pelham too as our instructor said it can be useful to change bits every now and then as it can stop the pony learning how to evade them.

I'd definitely get an instructor to come and watch you ride him and observe exactly what happens prior to him tanking and how he does it.

 

[wakijaki]

will look into changing his bit but i think its more my personal lack of experience and just the suddenness of him when he switches from donkey to red rum that catches me off guard.
I am in touch with his current owner and she said she had problems with him to start off with as the previous owner would just gallop him around everywhere , however i have spoken to the girl and she blames the current owner for not doing enough with him.
My friend got him on loan before me for her 12 year old daughter and soon found he was too much for her. He was also very nappy, difficult to catch, very wary of people he didnt know. I'm not sure if having so many changes in such a short time caused him to have a bit of a meltdown.
I started spending time with him as my friend was stuck with him - owner was pregnant and wouldnt take him back - and i have managed to over come all of these problems by just spending time with him and bonding. However -the riding side has always been my weak spot.
As i said it would break my heart to see him be sold as apart from the tanking off he is perfect for me.
Need lessons for sure and then maybe an instructor will advise on what bit - i am wary of going too harsh too soon. If he tanks with the gag on the bottom ring he evades by lowering his head to the floor and keeps going...theres nothing like galloping along completely out of control on a headless horse! Which is when i switched to the snaffle ring.
Thanks for the advise

 

[Pearlsasinger]

Need lessons for sure and then maybe an instructor will advise on what bit - i am wary of going too harsh too soon. If he tanks with the gag on the bottom ring he evades by lowering his head to the floor and keeps going...theres nothing like galloping along completely out of control on a headless horse! Which is when i switched to the snaffle ring.
Thanks for the advise

A more effective bit is not harsher in the right hands, it is often more comfortable for the horse than having someone constantly pulling on a 'mild'/ineffective bit in the vain hope of stopping the horse. If you have 2 reins on a bit, it is much harder for the horse to evade both, rather than just the one and you only need to bring the curb rein into play when the horse threatens to get strong, not when all is going well. You would benefit from having an RI talk you through the possibilities and the actions of different bits, as well as having lesson son the horse. Do you have time to spend sorting out this issue before having to make up your mind about buying him?