Bolting horse

[SilverLinings]

Thankyou all, I’ve had a talk with my Dad, and he said he’s not going to, thank God! I really do believe he’ll end up killing someone otherwise. I just dread to think what’s happened to him in his past, he’s certainly had not very nice people taking ‘care’ of him in the past. He’s a lovely boy, and very sweet with my mare, he can live his days out in the field and getting some pampering. I’m quite gutted that we can’t do much with him, but I love him to bits. I guess some animals are just too damaged, he’s been hurt, and he just needs to be loved now.

That sounds very wise and lovely for the horse. I am relieved your father has stopped insisting he horse can be/needs to be fixed. I hope that you are able to enjoy the horse as a companion, and that he lives out his life relaxed and happy in your care.

 

[[153312]]

Thankyou all, I’ve had a talk with my Dad, and he said he’s not going to, thank God! I really do believe he’ll end up killing someone otherwise. I just dread to think what’s happened to him in his past, he’s certainly had not very nice people taking ‘care’ of him in the past. He’s a lovely boy, and very sweet with my mare, he can live his days out in the field and getting some pampering. I’m quite gutted that we can’t do much with him, but I love him to bits. I guess some animals are just too damaged, he’s been hurt, and he just needs to be loved now.

Huge kudos to you for doing right by the animal - what a lucky horse he is.

 

[tristars]

if he had a bad experience when breaking and bolted and was roughed around, he has learned to run from fear, blind bolting

now it could be he is hyper nervous, by nature and this combination is pretty lethal.

i would however try the pssm route for his comfort if you decide to keep him retired

it just goes to show how important good early training is, well it sounds like the poor thing is terrified out of his brains

 

[Lucky Snowball]

You have done your very best. Enjoy your horse in the knowledge that you have probably saved his life. Your kindness will be repayed.

 

[Pedantic]

Sounds like you have done your very best, not looking like it's going to get better.

 

[Nari]

Nothing to add except that he's a very lucky horse to have ended up with you.

 

[winnie]

You've done your very best and he is a lucky horse to be able to enjoy a happy retirement with you. Similar happened to me when 15 years ago I took on an older cob as a companion. He had a history of bolting out of the blue and his general behaviour was getting worse. He was going to be pts or find a retirement home. I later looked into his history and found he had had a terrible carriage accident where he bolted with the cart when some horses galloped past him - he was being driven in a field with horses in! After this his general demeanor became worse and he was passed through several hands, no one knowing the previous history. He enjoyed a happy 13 years with me until he was pts aged 30 with heart failure. I loved him dearly and ignored those people who said I should try and back him again. I hope you get as much pleasure from your lad as I did with mine. Some horses can get over a bad incident and some can't....

 

[eahotson]

Thankyou all, I’ve had a talk with my Dad, and he said he’s not going to, thank God! I really do believe he’ll end up killing someone otherwise. I just dread to think what’s happened to him in his past, he’s certainly had not very nice people taking ‘care’ of him in the past. He’s a lovely boy, and very sweet with my mare, he can live his days out in the field and getting some pampering. I’m quite gutted that we can’t do much with him, but I love him to bits. I guess some animals are just too damaged, he’s been hurt, and he just needs to be loved now.

He is very lucky to have found you.

 

[paddy555]

I then lead him out with my Daughter on my other pony. I actually cried by the time I got back, because he quite frankly terrified me that much! He saw donkeys, he was spinning and trying to bolt, same with dogs (which he has never, ever been afraid of) joggers, the sound of the gravel on the ground, cyclists etc. I carried on for a few minutes, but I had to turn back, by this time he was even starting to upset my other pony, and he’d seen another rider coming towards us in the distance and just desperately wanted to take off, his eyes are wide open, his breathing is really fast and heavy, snorting and he really does look completely wild by this point. When we crossed the road to our yard, we obviously had to wait and stop for traffic, the whole time he’s spinning, when he realised he couldn’t bolt, he reared up (never done that before!)

he seems to be getting worse as he get older. If you forget physical pain or poorly broken/badly treated etc and substitute can't see (ie going blind) you may have an explanation. These are exactly the reactions I would expect. In the field, stable etc he knows his way around every inch. Outside he doesn't. He sees for example a horse and rider approaching and cannot make it out. First reaction is flight. Even if your vet has checked his eyes it means little.

This is one possible explanation however whatever the explanation you are battling against something you have no hope of resolving other than to give him a nice life as a pasture pet.
You have done everything you can. Well done you to keep him as a pet. Lucky horse.

 

[cauda equina]

Thankyou all, I’ve had a talk with my Dad, and he said he’s not going to, thank God! I really do believe he’ll end up killing someone otherwise. I just dread to think what’s happened to him in his past, he’s certainly had not very nice people taking ‘care’ of him in the past. He’s a lovely boy, and very sweet with my mare, he can live his days out in the field and getting some pampering. I’m quite gutted that we can’t do much with him, but I love him to bits. I guess some animals are just too damaged, he’s been hurt, and he just needs to be loved now.

The perfect outcome!
Well done to you and your dad for listening to him, and doing right by him xx

 

[ycbm]

Even if your vet has checked his eyes it means little.

This and the whole of Paddy's post. I had an explosive and dangerous 4 year old who I suspected couldn't see behind him. I had his eyes checked and was told they were odd, with a definite loss of peripheral vision, but that it would not progress and he would still pass a vet.

He was completely blind in one eye and mostly blind in the other within a few months, a very, very scared horse, and was PTS
.

 

[eahotson]

This and the whole of Paddy's post. I had an explosive and dangerous 4 year old who I suspected couldn't see behind him. I had his eyes checked and was told they were odd, with a definite loss of peripheral vision, but that it would not progress and he would still pass a vet.

He was completely blind in one eye and mostly blind in the other within a few months, a very, very scared horse, and was PTS
.

My equine physio had a similar experience.Bought herself a new horse.All well to begin with.Then became very unpredictable and eratic both under saddle and being handled.She suspected eye sight problems.Called vet.Vet said nothing wrong, ride him through it.She finally got him seen by a specialist who said he had a very painful eye condition and his sight was deteriorating.She had him put to sleep as there was no available treatment.In other hands this could have led to a very nasty accident not to mention the suffering the horse was going through.

 

[dorsetladette]

Thanks everyone, it’s as I thought. My Dad wants to get him going, thinks he can cure him of his issues, even saying that if he puts a martingale on him then he won’t rear, but the rearing was a first time incident, I’ve no doubt whatsoever it was because ‘the only way is up’. I’m so terrified he’s just going to take him out anyway, and then he’ll get killed/kill someone else. But no bit/bridle etc is going to stop this!


If it’s completely up to me, I’ll never take him out of the yard again. I have made it absolutely clear that I’m not going to be doing any of it, but can’t stop my Dad.

All checks have been done on him, X-rays etc, there is no physical issue. He’s a sweetie out in the paddock, good to groom and just make a bit of fuss of. I’ll happily keep him as a companion, but after reading your comments, I think my decision is right. I really have tried!

I have a 'free to a good home' pony very similar to how you describe. My sister thought she was getting a bargain, amazing breeding, same home since weaning, lovely looking, etc etc. But he's been frightened and hurt pretty badly and he just can't get past it. my sister tried, I took him on and tried. Got him accepting tack, sent him away to be broken, he put the lady in hospital.

He was turned away as a companion for about 18months-2yrs and he has come home far more settled, but I still wouldn't risk pushing him outside what is comfortable to him. He really enjoyed an in hand show earlier this year which is an amazing achievement for Benjamin Brown (search his name on here and you'll find his full story) and he is now wearing a rug without panicking, which is also massive for him. Ben is now 11yrs old and we have had him 6yrs between us. He won't ever go anywhere else as someone would get hurt if they didn't understand him properly. He is a brilliant nanny horse to the babies and lives on fresh air so is pretty easy to keep, he's also a lovely 'person' with no nastiness in him whatsoever.

If your vet can't find anything physical wrong with him I would highly recommend just letting him be a horse for a while its really helped Ben mentally.

Oddly i had the physio come and see Ben in the summer after talking to her at great length about his behaviour and reactions to the smallest of things. She spent a couple of hours with him (which he loved, but I was very worried he wouldn't) he wasn't keen on her gadgets or heat pads, but he thoroughly enjoyed his massage and stretches. she found scarring on his nearside just behind his wither, which would match with where a saddle would sit, pretty much the shape of the front part of a saddle panel/padding. I believe this enough for me to know that he will never where tack again. some thing nasty happened to him at some point. this wasn't picked up on any of the work up he had done previously, but he was a nervous pony who the vets struggled to get near properly as he didn't want anyone on his nearside (even now his rug goes on from the off side). A bit of down time might be just what the poor lad needs.

Good luck with him but take care yourself.

 

[MagicMelon]

Does he only do this out hacking? If so, can you just ride him at home in the field/arena? My now-retired competition horse bolted 3 times when out hacking so I simply stopped hacking him, I just exercised him at home and competed. Never bolted again