bolting update (spooking better)

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cheeryplatypus

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well after saturday's lesson my instructor wont teach me (she's only taken me for a total of two!). the first lesson involved much bolting around the school which apparently scared her (and me!!). on saturday horsey was much better behaved but had one minor running-on incident, i offered instructor to ride him but she refused, and advised me to put him to full livery (half hour drive away) so he can be schooled by someone else.

do you think his bolting could be:
i. to get out of work as he usually starts it after a few laps of the school
ii. uncomfy saddle, but he's ok to hack out
iii. poor schooling/habit learned in the past?
iv. rider nerves

would a martingale help? once i fall off he stops and just stands next to me looking worried

any advice welcome thanks
 
Where in Scotland are you, Im sure someone on here will be able to guide you to a instructor who is able to help you, as well as a good back man/woman who can check your horse out to make sure it isn't pain.
 
Could def be all of the above ...... Get yourself a new instructor like the previous poster said , someone who is actually going to work with you (god i love a challenge , pity your not over here :P )

What bit is he using ?
Get your saddle checked
 
Get everything checked to rule out pain and then get yourself another instructor, as others have said. my old boy used to buck and bolt and was a nightmare between me and instructor we brought him right down to working medium advanced when we were at this stage my instructor told me for the first year he was not 100% sure of him and at times scared but he never showed this to me and just got on with schooling the horse and teaching me you need someone like that.
 
I think all of your suggestions as to cause may be valid. Schooling is much harder work than hacking and can raise all kinds of problems. shame it put the instructor off, but glad it hasn't put you off.
Find a different instructor who is more used to dealing with lively animals and will be less intimidated by this behaviour (somebody with a background in racing would be ideal - they have seen it all) but definitely consider getting back and teeth checked if they haven't been looked at recently
 
he's in a snaffle
he's also quite 'looky' and finds it difficult to keep concentration
will definately try another saddle though
i wondered if he could be having me on as i've only had him for about eight weeks, though he does look genuinely worried when he stops and you can feel him tensing and looking about more just before he does it however i have tried to distract him and bring him down onto the bit, but he simply leans on the left rein and takes off (teeth were done three weeks ago)
 
thats what i thought but he has been turned out in the area for the day without problem. he does like to stare at the motorway in the distance though, but doesnt always take-off in the same place
 
try lungeing him before hand, using 2 lungeing lines, possible side reins but only after a few lessons loosely .... get him listening to you from the ground ...... Ship him over to me sure
wink.gif
 
Have you got access to a decent indoor school? It may be that horse is panicking when put under pressure. Once he takes off your reaction is to pull against him which possibly frightens him more. In an indoor school you can ease the contact if he takes off as you know he cant jump out. I know it sounds daft but my old horse used to do this as soon as I asked a bit more of him or if he didnt understand what I wanted, ie something new. I found if I dropped the contact, stroked his neck and told him he was a good boy he'd stop dead!!
The bolting stopped as he got more confident. You have to be brave to try it but it might be the problem. I did it without the luxury of an indoor school but wouldnt recommend it!
 
thanks yes have been worrying that he may try to jump the fence as it's not that high. at least in indoor school he could wear himself out safely and would be less distracting. i'd also wondered if it was a pressure thing. could box him to local indoor school for lesson with different instructor, will look into it
 
Can't believe that your instructor won't teach you anymore
shocked.gif
My mare is being a bit of a monkey and she had me off yesterday during our lesson. She has started bucking as we go into canter and after she put a particularly huge one in I came straight out of the front door. My instructor of course ran straight over to make sure I was ok and I just handed her the reins and asked her to 'sort her out'!! She jumped straight on her and made her listen properly and stop the bucking. When she had calmed down I then got back on and cantered again. She was fine then.

If your horse was scared then he would not stop when you came off, well I wouldn't of thought so. Sounds to me that he is just trying to get away from you and is taking a dislike to being told what to do. I could be wrong though, just my opinion

Good luck
 
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