bolting pony

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welshies

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Does anyone have any ideas how to stop my 5 year old dartmoor bolting. Long story short, taken from the moors at 3 months, rescued from meat at 1yr by me, took years and not done a huge amount but is good in all ways handling wise (farrier/grooming/leading etc) has had kids on him in the past and was really really good but not done anything for about a year, had an accident in a box a few months ago, have tried to bring him back into work lately as he needs to do something (even though i really don't have time!) but i don't know if it was the accident or what but he has developed a bolting habit. All i am trying to do at the moment is lead him round and lunge. He will be fine for about a minute or so then he turns away from me (so i can't turn him) and bolts. I am doing this in a fenced off arena size part of the field which is part post and rail and part electric. He has no respect for electric fence and gets out all the time which just ads to it all as he is over weight plus think the sugar in the grass in making him eve more manic. Any views appreciated!

Ps, I am a pretty experienced horse person and have broken in several horses over the years but not really had much to do with pony’s, think they are a different breed or something!
 
Is he bolting or taking the mickey? If he runs in a panic and goes through the fence he's bolting, if not he's taking the mickey.

I'd also be interested to know whether you're doing this with a bridle on or a headcollar.
 
Doesn't sound like bolting, just naughtiness.

Time to re-back and crack on.

If he's getting through your electric fencing, you don't have it set up properly, I'd say - with an effective voltage going through it.
 
LOL, yep, ponies are a completely different kettle of fish to horses! Try a dually to cure the bolting in hand, it gives you a lot more control even when he turns against you. My little homebred boy used to do this, just because he could, he did it one day and togave me a terrible rope burn. I put him in the dually after that, he tried it once and didn't get away, he hasn't done it since. This was a few years ago and he is now in an ordinary headcollar and completely fine, my OH thinks it is because we didn't 'swing' him as a foal.
 
Dolcé;10800336 said:
LOL, yep, ponies are a completely different kettle of fish to horses! Try a dually to cure the bolting in hand, it gives you a lot more control even when he turns against you. My little homebred boy used to do this, just because he could, he did it one day and togave me a terrible rope burn. I put him in the dually after that, he tried it once and didn't get away, he hasn't done it since. This was a few years ago and he is now in an ordinary headcollar and completely fine, my OH thinks it is because we didn't 'swing' him as a foal.
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Thanks Dolcé, this is what i was thinking. Dee O'Dorant i have just had him in 'natural horsemanship' head collar at the moment as A, i was trying to be nice and B, he's always been rellt good in it, really responsive. I do have a bridle and bit for him that he used to be ridden in but hasn't been in them for a while, just wanted to go completely back to basics. I think there are a number of contributing factors but there is no question i need to cure him, i know ponies learn quick and he's just learnt if he turns he can get away. It's not a silly naughty don't want to do this it's a oh my god i need to get out of here panic! He was completely wild when i had him and it's taken a lot of time and to be honest he's never really been pushed, not sure if the accident had anything to do with it tho.
amymay, 'Time to re-back and crack on' is what i am trying to do but i can't get anaywhere until i stp the bolting!

amymay 'If he's getting through your electric fencing, you don't have it set up properly, I'd say - with an effective voltage going through it. ' not the case, he's a fat, thick sined pony that thinks the grass on the other side or getting away from the situation he doesn't like is worth the zap from the fence.

'LOL, yep, ponies are a completely different kettle of fish to horses!' How true, i have a 4 year old shire that i have been sitting on bear back and waling round on a head collar with not a foot wrong, but i have had him from 6 months and know all his back ground, i haven't a clue what horrors the pony went through in that first year.
Oh well, try a bridle and bit or maybe one of those Dually ones. frustrasting i know if we can get past this he'll be fine, if only we had a round pen or something where he couldn't get away.
thanks for the advise all!
 
No point in trying to be nice if he's persistently being nasty. Don't LET him turn away! The moment you feel him thinking that he's going to start turning his head focus his attention back on you.

As for the electric fence a brutal method is to give him a good hosing off so he's wet all over his front and then rattle his food bowl on the other side of the fence. He'll feel it. Then your "if only we had a round pen" statement can be brought into practice as you can just fence off a smaller area.
 
shysmum said:
one,two,three, CIRCLE large, gradually reducing it, and then once back in control, carry on doing what you were doing. :)
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' Don't LET him turn away! The moment you feel him thinking that he's going to start turning his head focus his attention back on you'

I have tried these, believe me if 300kg of meat wants to go he'll go! But thanks for the comments, back to the drawing board, just thought i'd see if anyone had any bright ideas i hadn't thought of!
 
The thing with the NH halters (which I love, by the way) is that you cannot get a 'hold' from the side if they are turned away from you and in front, the pressure would still be central. With the dually you have the ring at the side AND the pressure on the nose, which gives you more power to bring them around to you.

With electric fencing, it is often a problem with ponies if the posts are too far apart, again our boy used to just go under at an angle no matter how many strands. We ended up having to have posts no more than 3ft apart, that stopped him because there isnt enough 'give' to let them get through fast, may be worth a try!
 
I have a 14.3 haffie who tried to do this and I could turn him...believe me he weighs alot more than your pony will and he is very strong. When we first got him he would lock his neck and just charge, his strength was unbelievable. You just have to get the technique right and catch him before he does it...while he is thinking. I used to pull his head right round and then push him on quite strongly in a large circle and make the circle tighter and tighter, pulling his head in all the time and making him do this at canter...sometimes to the point the circle was probably only 4 or 5 m's. It was really hard work for him and he soon learnt his evasion tactics were not going to work! As far as the electric fence is concerned this really needs sorting out...if it is set up adequately with a big enough charge he wouldnt touch it...again my haffie is known for being very bargy with fencing and has trashed several post and rail fences before we got him...he has had 1 big zap off our electric fence and will not go near it for anything now.
 
He's had years to get over any traumas he may have suffered, & in all probability he was mostly just turned away rather than beaten up or badly handled. That sounds, to me, like you're looking for an excuse for him. Also lunging is presumably something he's done before without a problem so why should it suddenly terrify him?

For your own peace of mind you might want the vet to check him over to ensure he hasn't got problems from whatever his injury was. That would rule out pain related behaviour & you're then free to carry on with what is most likely a cheeky little pony that needs reminding of his place in the scheme of things!

I'd get him back in a bridle with a full cheek bit. Lunge him from the bit with a roller & two lines. The simple act of lunging from the bit will give you more control while the two lines should make it harder for him to turn away &, if he does, you can at least make him turn a full 180 & send him briskly off on the other rein.
 
I feel for you. In the space of 6months I had two of these. They learn really quickly how to get away and because they are so small you never really get a hold on them. It took two of us to hold one on the lunge which really didn't get us anywhere because it spent the whole time trying to get away and sometimes succeeding.
I would make some sort of round pen with fencing or even a largish stable of barn so the area is controlled. I am not a fan of clicker training but I think it may help as the pony has to learn to take a breath before it legs it.
This may sound really daft but I had one horse hated being lunged and just ran round flat out so we skipped that bit and went to backing which he seemed to understand more.
 
Ha! That brings back fond memories of my first pony - he had it down to a fine art. Used to turn, set his neck and be gone off up to the grassy field!

Trick is to not let them turn so the rope is alongside their neck. A long NH rope or lungerein is best because you have a bit more time to stop and turn the animal. The traditional short ropes are useless for a troublemaker like this. Dually headcollars are fab too.

Oh and this is not bolting - bolting is when their flight instinct kicks in and they run "blind" - this is a pony taking the .......s
 
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