bolting

Cob sounds like it is in pain - I would suggest all the necessary checks to the owner. In addition the cob is only young so may be taking the pee wee with the rider. Also you put a group of horses into an open field it is going to be rather exciting?! Cob may have bucked through exictement - rider not being very secure [by the sounds of it] may have flapped her legs, and panicked thus not helping the cob which then decided to do one.

I would suggest her having some lessons on the cob and going back to basics with it.

Hb

Ps entirely agree with vicijp here re bolting classification.
 
H and R, I was not having a go at you. I simply corrected the terminolgy you used.
My issue is with the posters who seem to think that 'bolting' is an everyday occurence.
Bolting is the most dangerous ridden vice of all, and should not be taken lightly. If I can get through to one half wit who thinks it isnt dangerous, then I don't care how many people I upset through 'difference of opinion'.
The simple fact is that too many horses are misunderstood and get labels like this, and that is what I hate to see.
I see what you have said happened as this:
Youngster has a playful buck.
Rider unbalances already green baby.
Baby is scared so takes off, rider finally succumbs to gravity.
Baby is even more scared, so gallops home/to somewhere he feels safe.
 
it wasn't an open space, and it wasn't a group of horses. He was on his own, on a road, bucked and took off through a field that ran along side it, at would have looked like a brick wall. Honestly I would never have believed it until I saw the field and tried to follow his tracks, I thought it was an open filed too but it was far from it. I'm not debating rider experience or how she handled it, she has had some rather difficult horses who she handled very well who I wouldn't have wanted to get on, but at 60 balance and flexibility isn't at it's peak and shock changes your responses.
 
I'm not arguing with you over whether bolting is an everyday occurence, I had never come across a true bolter before this, spooking, and turning, bucking with excitement and running through fear are different. I disagree with how the owner is (or is not) handling it, and think the horse needs help, but my suggestions of back, teeth and saddle checks were brushed aside
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Harri_&_flash - your poor friend sounds either rather overhorsed or has a horse that is trying to tell her something!
I would suggest to her that she has everything possible checked out, back, teeth, saddle, everything!

When MD first had her pony a few months back, we had nothing but tears & tantrums sometimes! The pony tanked her all round the field, bronced like a devil & she couldn't even do two tiny jumps in a row in the school, as the second she landed, the pony went 'whoooosh'!

A change of bit & an organised exercise programme worked wonders & at the weekend they did their first HT together, something I would never even have imagined just a few months ago, as the pony took the 'p' constantly!

What does the pony's actual owner do with him? If she for example, rides around like a mad teenager, then that would be an explanation too as he will have been 'trained' to think that every ride is hugely exciting & every gateway etc. is an invitation for yet another adrenaline pumping headlong rush?
 
The actual owner is a middle aged lady who bought him as a quiet hack to walk around the village, I'm not getting into the appropriateness of a 5yr old for this purpose or the level of work, but it certainly hasn't been raced around
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Previous owner I have no idea tho!
 
Didnt want to seem like a d**k I am just stating the definition I thought to act as a bit of hope...as I do agree that bolting is a terrible thing and can often be the end of a horse.

I HOPE in fact that your friends younster isnt a bolter as Ive seen one at work and he was terrifying.

Just didnt want you to think I was adding what i thought for no particular reason!
 
Oh OK, H_&_f, just an idea!
What about feeding, any clues there? Or maybe he's just one of these that's gets a bit uppity once he's got his hooves firmly under the table as it were?
Or perhaps he was a bit of a porker when owner first had him & is a different kettle of fish now that he's fitter?
(I know my daughter was warned that BB can become difficult the fitter she gets, so was ready for it & pounced on her with enforced ground rules etc. before she had a chance to start playing up! lol)
 
sounds like a terrible situation - any number of things can cause a horse to tank/run off/bolt/whatever. If he is in pain, this needs to be sorted pronto, if he is being an arse, serious discipline is required. There is no easy answer unfortunately and the owner is just going to have to accept this.

sounds like you are trying to be a good friend tho (regardless of your correct/incorrect use of terminology) so keep the good work.
 
he lives out 24/7 and don't *think* he gets any hard feed, just grass and hay. He's built like a brick s*** house, not overweight, slightly lacking in muscle in some areas, but a hell of a neck on him and a lot of bone
 
I have been bolted with once, which was an absolutely terrifying experience. I bailed out when I realised the horse was about to run into a 5 bar gate. It's like being in a car with no control over the brakes or accelerator the horse just goes headless. Sounds to me like the pony is just p*****g off with the rider.
 
Just going to add my two pennies to this slightly heated post :P


I do agree with vicijp when it comes to describing how this pony has went through this incident ie scared and young ... but would do no harm getting all checked out .

I had a 14.2hh 5 yr old pony that "bolted" , was on a main road when he spotted a scary sign that was out to get him, he got the bit between his teeth and galloped flat out into oncoming traffic, no hauling or pulling was ever gona stop him, eventually he came to stop when we reached the bottom of the lane to the yard . At that stage I was shaking , but wether it was just plain stupidity or stubborness I took the little bugger straight back out and past the scary sign that was out to get him, jumped off him and took him over to it to let him sniff it , he had a good sniff and seen that it wasnt out to get him, so I got back on rode him over to it waiting for him to possibly bolt again but he didnt , he did jump about abit , give him a tap with the whip to remind him not to be so silly and rode him past it I would say 10 times until he didnt bat an eye lid . Yes bolting is flat out galloping with no regards to safety , just blind panic .
 
Not sure why that was a reply to me but two things. If your horse is a bolter then it is a nutjob and should be PTS according to vicijp.

I am in total agreement that bolting is full flat out gallop with no breaks/self preservation... but this is what the pony did before the rider fell off.

I think the OP is right to be concerned and should go down the route of getting this pony checked out/re schooled etc!
 
perhaps I should have put a '?' in the title
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I didn't mean to cause argument/debate
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I certainly don't want the horse written off and PTS, I think absolutely everything should be attempted and checked first. Perhaps it's difficult to decide whether it's a bolter until it's had checks and you know whether it's a pain response.

equally, I have no personmal experience with this horse, other than that I was having a lesson at the time and instructor and I agreed that it was the ugliest horse we had seen and thought it might have looked better with a noseband, then told her of it's naughty episodes and were discussing how it needed checks and schooling. 10 mins later police are hunting for lose horse and rider hobbles back saying he bolted again (she had only told me the day before that it had bolted with owner the day before that. I guess I just used the terminology that was used when the incident was described to me.

I was concerned about the 'send it to the sales' statement and lack of health checks, and *almost* considered volunteering to school it myself IF it was found to be OK by vet, but then can't afford to get injured myself as I have my youngster who needs work
 
Actually, I have said there is not much wrong with this horse.
I also said that a true bolter should be PTS, unless you can guarantee that it wouldn't be ridden again (like JAK).
I don't call everyone with a difference of opinion half wits, just those with an uninformed opinion.
Few things with horses are as black and white as bolting.
 
Yes, we have a field alongside our gallop just like that. Whenever we have a loose one they don't think twice about going straight through it.
As I said before, I would guess the rider steered towards the maize when hanging out the sie door, and the horse shat itself.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Its uninformed because you are talking crap!

[/ QUOTE ]


No just having a differing opinion to you.... does not make it crap. I havent been rude to you and allowed you your opinion (which actually if you look back over my posts you will see isnt actually that different to yours ie Bolting is a horse going flat out, with no self preservation), so at least have the bloody grace and intelligence to do the same.
 
Am with Vici too - if a horse is a true bolter then in all honesty it needs a bullet, end of. The horse is question is more than likely taking the piss, or the rider is gripping or doing something that causes the horse to panic and tank off, but it isn't bolting in the true sense of the word.
 
I said a bolter could trot off and buck, meaning before or on seperate incidences NOT whilst galloping flat out, (sorry thought that was blindingly obvious).

I have had experience with a bolter actually, caused a nasty accident and she had to be put to sleep because of her injuries involving a car, and others besides.... so dont assume I'm some 12 year old dim wit without knowing the facts about me, thanks.
 
I dont think I did say that but if I did, then to me taking off at full gallop without provocation, when the rider obviously couldnt stop or turn it is bolting....... very difficult to know, (even for you) without actually having seen this horse do whatever it is it did, or knowing the ability of the rider.
 
I had a tb mare that used to bolt and believe me I know the true meaning of the word, she just went and had no regard for her own safety, she wasn't strong at all but just used to switch off and that was that. She broke my arm
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. I found out she had kissing spine along with many other problems and I had her pts.
 
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