Boredom bolting?

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Cuddly Connemara

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I have a connemara that bolts every time I ride him usually from walk - whenever he feels like it. He's very intelligent and one time after a really extreme bolting session I got off him - I think he realised that if he continued to bolt I would get off him as soon as he stopped and therefore has continued to do it. I think he's bored and just wants his stable which makes sense because I have just being schooling him in an indoor for the best part of 2 months 3 times a week at least.
He doesn't like to jump , but I'm thinking of working on this, pole work,grid , types of lingering etc. in the hope that he will not be bored ANC bolt!

My friend suggested I hack out - I'm really not comfortable with that in case he does it out hacking!

He has been checked for ulcers, back, saddle, teeth - literally everything we can think of .

Just curious if I've got a good action plan for him or if I should hack him out - any advice welcome , thanks :)
 
He will not "bolt" out of boredom, what form does this so called bolting take, does he just take off from walk with a spook or shoot forward then gets worried because you are not taking control when he sets off, I cannot believe this pony is truly bolting if he does it every time you ride and you still get on to ride the next day, if he comes back under control then it is taking off or tanking off whatever you want to call it but it is not bolting.
He may well be bored especially if he is only ridden in a school but until you have some control then you should not take him out on a hack, if he really bolts you could both be killed or cause other innocent people to be involved in an accident.

I would find a good instructor to come and help you, there may be a simple explanation and they can find something to help before either of you get hurt, a pony taking off regularly is not safe and if there is no medical reason it sounds as if you need experienced help to get to the bottom of it, this has been going on for far too long and it seems that you are not getting anywhere so find someone to advise you in real life, the forum can only offer you some ideas, not enough to really deal with this type of behaviour.
 
It is definitely bolting , he tends to do it when I am cooling him down on a very long rein , so it takes me a while to get him under control. I have a very good instructor who didn't believed that he bolted , until he did it in her lesson in which she immediately told me to get off him when he stopped. I do get on him everyday despite what he's done the day before - it's just what I do.
 
If you can get him back under control it is not bolting, if it was bolting he would only stop if he hit something, he ran out of steam or possibly if you came off, as you can regain control even if it takes a while it is him running off, being slightly pedantic but a true bolter is not safe, if it was repeated behaviour then it should never be ridden and has only one place to go.

If it always happens at the same time, walking on a long rein, then stop giving him the opportunity, it may be that he finds it worrying to be allowed to go on a long rein and cannot cope, you need to remove the chance that he will do it from the equation, it may mean weeks or months never giving him a long rein at the end of a ride and getting off to lead him so he can cool down but until you do something proactive it will continue until it becomes too dangerous for even you to get back on.

If you are on a livery yard the YO may find their insurance is void if you cause an accident, your own insurance is almost certainly not going to pay out if you, your horse or anyone else gets injured when he is out of control as it will not be an accident in the true sense but something avoidable that could have been prevented.
 
Thanks BP , I think it might be because the first time it had happened he was genuinely spooked by a horse cantering up the back of him - I was walking him on a loose rein and I think because there was no contact he didn't feel secure and took off, when people are watching when it happens they say he seems genuinely scared with a panicked look in his eye. I think he thinks this is going to happen to him every time I walk him or when there is some small movement elsewhere in the arena whilst working. He's normally a good boy and a little lazy for my liking , so it is totally out of character that's why I had him checked for everything because I thought he wouldn't ever do it out of nastiness :)
 
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