Galloping off when being turned out

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djlynwood

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How can it be stopped?

My friend is at a loss as to how to stop her horse galloping off as soon as she takes his headcollar of.

She has tried walking him up to the herd but he still goes off.

She did mention to me that he only started doing this when she started Parrelli with him over a year ago
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since doing Parelli she says that he has improved and is a different horse but its the galloping off that worries her as he is going to do an injury the way he flies off.

How could it be dealt with? Not especially looking for a Parelli answer but other ways of dealing with it?
 
I will probably be shouted down but how about turning the horse in to wards the gate and giving him a treat after the head collar has been taken off, problem is you may then cause other problems such as nipping or mobbing.
 
Does it matter if the horse gallops off? Most horses I can think of will often have a hooley round the field when first being turned out in the morning
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Does it matter if the horse gallops off? Most horses I can think of will often have a hooley round the field when first being turned out in the morning
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Ditto. I don't understand what the problem is. My horse will do this on ocassion - especially in the summer.


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I don't think gallopping off is really too much of a problem. I like to see them happy and excited....


The way to my girls behaviour problems as always been food...it's her one ture weakness which i exploit to the max.
 
I give a treat (ONE treat) at the gate and a pat. Now my boy waits for his treat before moving off. Worked with my mare too, who used to p*ss off at the gate. To be honest though, as long as they are not shooting off with you still attached, and you can get away to safety, there is nothing wrong with them blowing off a bit of steam once you've taken the headcollar off.
 
ditto, i really dont see the problem here! I love it when my horse gallops off all like wooohhoooo!! shows he's happy and feeling good doesnt it??! As long as the horse isnt legging it before you've managed to get the head collar off and get out of the way of course...
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I wouldn't be overly worried, unless the horse is trying to gallop off with the headcollar still attached. Mine did used to get a bit too silly though - so I started giving her a treat after I took her headcollar off. Now she waits for the treat, then ambles off. Unless she's had limited turnout the day before, when she just hoons off as soon as the headcollar slips off her nose lol.
 
the problem is that sometimes as they gallop off they go 'whooppeee' with their back legs in your general direction... i know a few people who've been badly kicked like this (1 in the face) so do my best to seriously discourage them from galloping off.
i'd turn him back toward the gate and fumble for a few tasty treats in pockets, e.g. polos so he hears the foil, get his attention on that, give him treats, undo headcollar while making it obv that i had more treats, then step back giving him last treat. this gives you time to get out of the way obv, and distracts him from going "Yee Haa"...
if the horse is the sort that goes up in the air as you undo the headcollar, i'd use a halter, so just looping the halter off the nose is enough, then the rest will pull clear.
 
I always turn my horses back to the gate when turning out for safety if they go off and kick out. Mazzie always went off like a loon the second the headcollar was off and it didn't bother me at all, she was just being a horse.
 
Thanks all,

I did say to my friend that it looks likes he is just feeling good but he does try to get away before she gets his headcollar off.

I will mention about giving a treat, dont know if she has tried this.

I think she is just a bit paranoid that he will hurt himself as he really does go like a bolt of lightening!
 
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the problem is that sometimes as they gallop off they go 'whooppeee' with their back legs in your general direction... i know a few people who've been badly kicked like this (1 in the face) so do my best to seriously discourage them from galloping off.
i'd turn him back toward the gate and fumble for a few tasty treats in pockets, e.g. polos so he hears the foil, get his attention on that, give him treats, undo headcollar while making it obv that i had more treats, then step back giving him last treat. this gives you time to get out of the way obv, and distracts him from going "Yee Haa"...
if the horse is the sort that goes up in the air as you undo the headcollar, i'd use a halter, so just looping the halter off the nose is enough, then the rest will pull clear.

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This is what we always do. And if you're still worried about back legs give a last treat over the gate. Then you are safely out of range before the horse moves off.
 
my ex-horse used to do this, and it got hard/dangerous to even get the headcollar off, as she was anticipating the gallop as soon as we got near the field. i used to walk her in, even sometimes wakl her round until she had calmed down. then motion to take headcollar off. if any mad behaviour started, i'd start walking her round again etc... once headcollar was off, i'd give her a treat. this may not have been the right way to do things, but she was a danger and had a million other issues.... and wouldn't think twice before trampling me to death... in fact, she would probably have stood over my dead body and laughed... no, guffawed...
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perhaps the 'parelli' thing is making the horse feel very controlled by your friend and his escape to the field is his bit of wildness?
 
yeah or maybe he's just feeling really well and happy if this has only started since doing the parelli, or could just be a real coincidence?
 
My horse sets off like a greyhound out of the trap! I don't mind although I'd rather she didn't do it when the ground is slippery but there's nothing I can do about it.
But I do make her stand still while I take the head collar off, which sometimes several attempts until she stands properly.
She lives out full time so it's not like she's being deprived of turn out, I've got no idea what's so exiting about going back into the field you live in full time!
 
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perhaps the 'parelli' thing is making the horse feel very controlled by your friend and his escape to the field is his bit of wildness?

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just re read that and realised it sounds really anti-parelli... i didn't mean it like that. i know nothing about parelli really, excpet that the human is making themself the 'master'?!? that's what i meant by controlled. that still doesn't make sense. so i'll shaddup.
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I have a different problem with turnout in that my horse is buckling at the knees trying to role on his way through the gate because it is the muddiest part...... silly horse.
 
My girl gallops off (well, canters - galloping would be EFFORT) when she is particularly keen to get to the best bit of grass before her fieldmate does...but generally she just trots away. My old horse DID used to go off at 90mph, bucking like a rodeo horse, when turned out and she could be a bit scary. I always turned her to face the gate, as per Pony Club instructions, and it just slowed her down that little bit.

Unfortunately, horses do injure themselves hooning in the field. There isn't anything you can do to stop the hooning, if he's the sort of horse inclined to do it. Ella doesn't hoon, as that would be a waste of valuable eating time, but Taffy did and Brooklyn did, and its just their nature.
 
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Does it matter if the horse gallops off? Most horses I can think of will often have a hooley round the field when first being turned out in the morning
confused.gif


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Ditto. I don't understand what the problem is. My horse will do this on ocassion - especially in the summer.


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Same here ...usually accompanied by bucking and farting
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The only time I give titbits to my horses, is after they've been turned out, and the headcollar removed. (oh, they get one when they're caught as well) It works for me - they're easy and safe to do. As soon as they've had they're treat they'll have a buck and play, but I'm safely out of their way by then.

I've seen accidents happen when the horses start trying to bugger off before they've been properly released.
 
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How can it be stopped?

My friend is at a loss as to how to stop her horse galloping off as soon as she takes his headcollar of.

She has tried walking him up to the herd but he still goes off.

She did mention to me that he only started doing this when she started Parrelli with him over a year ago
ooo.gif
since doing Parelli she says that he has improved and is a different horse but its the galloping off that worries her as he is going to do an injury the way he flies off.

How could it be dealt with? Not especially looking for a Parelli answer but other ways of dealing with it?

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He's a horse FGS!

It is perfectly natural for him to gallop off when she turns him out! She should just be happy he is fit and well and feels like doing it!
 
"perhaps the 'parelli' thing is making the horse feel very controlled by your friend and his escape to the field is his bit of wildness?"
Or... perhaps the Parelli thing has made him so happy and lively that he feels full of the joys of spring every time he goes out.
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Does she know his favourite scratchy places? I'd turn him to the gate, possibly give him a small treat, scratch him and let him go. He'll soon start to hover for the treat, and hover longer to have as much scratching as possible. If he feels like it he might still decide to gallop off, he's a horse.
 
Does he wait for his head collar to come off before whizzing off?

If not and he's tanking off whilst you're in the process of removing it and taking it with him then I'd use two headcollars, and have a lunge rein attached to the one underneath, but you do need to be strong to re train them using this method!
 
It can be very dangerous for a horse just to whip round and p*ss of up the field - often accompanied in my experience by a buck in your direction. My horse always has a discrete treat when I take his headcollar off and he therefore waits for it and he does not bite or barge or display any other rude and potentially dangerous behaviour.

Once he is away from me he can do what he likes.
 
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