Hacking a horse that's bolted - bit choice & advice

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rhodesrider

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Hi all,

Just looking for a bit of advice! I bought a horse in November, 9yr old but inexperienced. He hadn't done that much hacking in the past and had only previously been hacked out with another steady horse. Since having him I had been hacking him out with a friends horse (steady-ish mare) and had even started hacking out alone. He was sometimes unsure but never napped etc at the worst he rushed a bit, however I always had a feeling he would run in a sticky situation (just didn't expect a full bolt).

Hacking out with a friend one day & her mare refused to pass something and napped, this caused my horse to turn and bolt. It was a true bolt, nothing would have stopped him, I clung on for 1.5 miles, fell off and he ran a further 2.5 miles home. No one was seriously hurt and by some miracle there were no cars on the lanes.

This happened in early December and though I have hacked him up the lanes a few times after the accident once on my own and twice with a friend on the ground I haven't ridden him out since through a combination of nerves and time constraints. My gut feeling is that I pushed him out of his comfort zone too soon without realising and although we now have more trust in each other and I know him better, I still believe he would bolt again in a 'stressful' situation.

Nevertheless, I don't want to stop hacking completely and although his bolt was a true bolt he built up into it from a trot to canter to a fully fledged bolt rather than being really sharp. At the time he was in a french link snaffle (up to that point I never had a reason to think he needed anything else), I'm now thinking of putting him in a happy mouth roller 4 ring dutch gag for when we go out again with my main reins on the snaffle ring and a second pair on the bottom ring (incase). I'm hoping that if he goes to do it again I'll recognise it and be able to pull him up before he fully goes?!

Never had to deal with this before but I want to overcome it, I'd like to help my horse to be braver and learn that running away will not resolve things.

Any advice would be very welcomed!!!

Thanks.
 
No way would I be riding a bolter. I value my life and the lives of others too much. It doesn't matter what bit you put in the horse's mouth, if he is a bolter you won't be able to stop him and it will only be a matter of time before something happens to set him off again.
 
If it was a sharp bolt I would be a lot more reserved about taking him out again. A stronger bit would not be there to constantly yank back on in the hope he'll stop once in a flight mindset, but to regain his attention as I feel him beginning to go this way it should stop a fully bolt from occurring.. I too value my life and others.

I'm sure there are plenty of successful horses out there that have spooked and bolted in the past, I'm looking for advice on building his confidence and how to prevent situations escalating like it did.
 
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You say that the horse bolted but started off in trot, then went up to canter before bolting. An experienced rider would have whipped his head round and stopped him so I'm wondering if you didn't have the skills and this scared him. If that's the case, hauling on a stronger bit will scare him more.
 
You are brave but I see where you are coming from, if you can stop him getting into full flight you may break what is for now a panicked reaction, plenty of horses run off without getting into a true bolt and it can just come down to gaining control before they are at full speed.
I would definitely be using something with two reins and be prepared to really take a pull if he ever tries it again, I would be less bothered about hurting his mouth than him getting going and potentially killing the two of you.

I have never been properly bolted with but have been run away with a few times including galloping down the road riding and leading with my horses racing each other, they only stopped when I managed to get the one I was leading turned so he was almost on top of me and he lost his balance so slowed down which enabled me to slow the one I was riding, it never happened again, the horse I was riding was generally one of the safest hacks but lost the plot that day.

My current horse is inclined to spin and run, he has never got far but he gets his head up so high if he did really go there would be nothing I could do, he is very sensitive in his mouth so rather than use a stronger bit he is in a straight bar Nathe with running reins usually resting on his neck in loops but ready to pick up if he does every start to run, he has now learnt is is not an option and I can usually stop the spins getting further than 90% he has become far easier to hack although still needs me to stay awake!!
 
...Reply to '9tails'


Yes, I hesitated in pulling his head around because through inexperience I've never been sat on a horse that has done that. I was applying pressure and release on both then each reins as you would normally if a horse became strong. By the time I'd realised that it wasn't going to work and it wasn't a normal circumstance he was gone.

I want to learn from that and have a 'plan of action' for next time. I agree that bracing against a stronger bit will scare him more but I think a sharp apply of pressure and release as he starts to get strong would allow me to pull him around, get off and work through whatever spooked him.
 
be positive said:
You are brave but I see where you are coming from, if you can stop him getting into full flight you may break what is for now a panicked reaction, plenty of horses run off without getting into a true bolt and it can just come down to gaining control before they are at full speed.
I would definitely be using something with two reins and be prepared to really take a pull if he ever tries it again, I would be less bothered about hurting his mouth than him getting going and potentially killing the two of you.

I have never been properly bolted with but have been run away with a few times including galloping down the road riding and leading with my horses racing each other, they only stopped when I managed to get the one I was leading turned so he was almost on top of me and he lost his balance so slowed down which enabled me to slow the one I was riding, it never happened again, the horse I was riding was generally one of the safest hacks but lost the plot that day.

My current horse is inclined to spin and run, he has never got far but he gets his head up so high if he did really go there would be nothing I could do, he is very sensitive in his mouth so rather than use a stronger bit he is in a straight bar Nathe with running reins usually resting on his neck in loops but ready to pick up if he does every start to run, he has now learnt is is not an option and I can usually stop the spins getting further than 90% he has become far easier to hack although still needs me to stay awake!!
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Thanks for your constructive reply! Glad to hear somebody is on the same page as me, do you think the gag I was talking about would be enough or would you suggest something else?
 
When spinning/in trot was head down then?

If he is head down and going and you need to get his head up when he starts then a cheltenham gag would be the first thing I would try, you can use it with 2 reins so ride off the snaffle rein most of the time.
 
ester said:
When spinning/in trot was head down then?

If he is head down and going and you need to get his head up when he starts then a cheltenham gag would be the first thing I would try, you can use it with 2 reins so ride off the snaffle rein most of the time.
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It's hard to remember, I think his head was higher when he initially tensed up and trotted in to the canter and lowered as he gained speed!

How would a cheltenham gag work differently to a dutch gag I'm intrigued :)
 
i'd be taking him back to basics and teaching him a one rein halt, so you have control of the neck and head. Saying that i'd be wary of what conditions you hack him in, as you'd need to know you're on a road you can flex him safely with cars flying past.

no bit in the world will stop him if he wants to bolt. you could try a rubber pelham or peewee, but i've seen horses almost react more when they feel the pressure. If he was mine i'd perfect the one rein halt, and then gradually bring him to situations where he has more pyschologial pressure but is still in a safe area and see how he reacts. I wouldnt take him out on roads again till i was 100% i could cut off any stress he was feeling before it built up.
 
if the bolt built up gradually, then it had started in his head long before he trotted. I have one and you literally have to school him 80% of the time on hacks or else his brain looks for trouble. As soon as I feel his head raise, or his ears go too forward I start flexing and bending, leg yiels etc, anything to bring his concewntration back to me. With some horses you need to pick up on the issue the second it starts, and then it doesn't get to the bolting stage at all.
 
paddi22 said:
i'd be taking him back to basics and teaching him a one rein halt, so you have control of the neck and head. Saying that i'd be wary of what conditions you hack him in, as you'd need to know you're on a road you can flex him safely with cars flying past.

no bit in the world will stop him if he wants to bolt. you could try a rubber pelham or peewee, but i've seen horses almost react more when they feel the pressure. If he was mine i'd perfect the one rein halt, and then gradually bring him to situations where he has more pyschologial pressure but is still in a safe area and see how he reacts. I wouldnt take him out on roads again till i was 100% i could cut off any stress he was feeling before it built up.
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I've red about the one rein halt before but I'm confused as to how effective it would be in a situation where his mind will be elsewhere and not paying attention to regular aids? :/

Luckily we are based in an area of very quiet lanes, ideal for building him back up but I agree I won't be hacking him for a while yet. I'm hoping to do some kind of desensitisation work - I was thinking of exposing him to different things when he's being lunged & eventually ridden in the arena to build his confidence.

Any suggestions on this aspect would be helpful too in order to make the training most effective :)
Also I think the stress of my friends mare napping is what actually made him 'want out' of the situation when he bolted as apposed to the thing she was napping at.

It was only the day before the bolt that he faced so many scary things on his hack in very bad winds, that day I could feel he was really nervous but as he was in lead he trusted my aids to carry on forward and did it. Obviously I want him to have more confidence in himself but I think it could have been the mare napping that completely made him think 'this isn't safe - I need out' ?
 
paddi22 said:
if the bolt built up gradually, then it had started in his head long before he trotted. I have one and you literally have to school him 80% of the time on hacks or else his brain looks for trouble. As soon as I feel his head raise, or his ears go too forward I start flexing and bending, leg yiels etc, anything to bring his concewntration back to me. With some horses you need to pick up on the issue the second it starts, and then it doesn't get to the bolting stage at all.
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Sounds very relatable! In that particular situation we were stood with my friends mare in front who was napping at something, If you read my reply to paddi22 its a better explanation as to what I feel contributed to the bolt. Do you think that if he became more confident in himself through desensitisation etc he would be less inclined to freak at another upset horse and just take the lead?
 
one rein halt is amazing. completely transformed one tricky one i had. It disengages the shoulder and stops them getting to power to bolt off. If they move forward at least you have them on a circle, and they usually give up quickly as its too much work.

At the start you have to force the head around sometimes, I had one that was so bad i would have to jam the heels down, grab mane with one hand and literally reef his head around. Gradually he learnt to respond to the pressure and now I can just tweak his head round slightly and he responds. I use it to get his attention anytime I can feel his excitement levels rise. He actually finds it reassuring as it takes away the stress of him having to make a decision about stressful things, it brings his attention back to me and allows him to give up control to me. Now in stressful situations he actually will flex around to me slighly without asking, and its his automatic response now when he thinks he can't handle a situation.
 
dutch gag usually lowers head not raise it due to the poll pressure, a cheltnham raises the bit in the mouth.
 
paddi22 said:
one rein halt is amazing. completely transformed one tricky one i had. It disengages the shoulder and stops them getting to power to bolt off. If they move forward at least you have them on a circle, and they usually give up quickly as its too much work.

At the start you have to force the head around sometimes, I had one that was so bad i would have to jam the heels down, grab mane with one hand and literally reef his head around. Gradually he learnt to respond to the pressure and now I can just tweak his head round slightly and he responds. I use it to get his attention anytime I can feel his excitement levels rise. He actually finds it reassuring as it takes away the stress of him having to make a decision about stressful things, it brings his attention back to me and allows him to give up control to me. Now in stressful situations he actually will flex around to me slighly without asking, and its his automatic response now when he thinks he can't handle a situation.
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Sounds positive! Do you have any good links etc to training the one rein halt?
 
rhodesrider said:
Sounds very relatable! In that particular situation we were stood with my friends mare in front who was napping at something, If you read my reply to paddi22 its a better explanation as to what I feel contributed to the bolt. Do you think that if he became more confident in himself through desensitisation etc he would be less inclined to freak at another upset horse and just take the lead?
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Yes he probably would take the lead, mine is actually happiest if he has his nose in front as he likes "being brave" if you are going out with something inclined to nap then you need to be the one controlling the ride, it sounds as if he will become easier as you do more with him, schooling on hacks but still allowing him to actually see things and not react will give him confidence in himself, it helps if you have a genuinely safe hacking companion.

He needs a bit that he is happy to work in the school in, on the snaffle rein, as you will be riding out hacking in much the same way, it may be trial and error, hopefully you will never really need to test it and unfortunately until you do you will not know if it works when required as an emergency aid.
 
He sounds as though he had a panic, decided to run for home (not uncommon) and you didn't stop him so accidentally reinforced his fear and belief that getting home was the best option. I would be hacking out with a confident companion horse to go in front/beside him to give confidence. Make sure that you don't get tense/project your worry that something will happen (easier said than done, I know!).
As for bitting, I would probably go for something with cheekpieces (e.g. full cheek snaffle) rather than something stronger, which I've seen cause more problems that it solves if it's a confidence issue rather than naughtiness. If he tries to go, do not try to ride like you're schooling - turn the head and demand an immediate stop. As soon as he stops, pat and turn round as if nothing has happened.
 
be positive said:
Yes he probably would take the lead, mine is actually happiest if he has his nose in front as he likes "being brave" if you are going out with something inclined to nap then you need to be the one controlling the ride, it sounds as if he will become easier as you do more with him, schooling on hacks but still allowing him to actually see things and not react will give him confidence in himself, it helps if you have a genuinely safe hacking companion.

He needs a bit that he is happy to work in the school in, on the snaffle rein, as you will be riding out hacking in much the same way, it may be trial and error, hopefully you will never really need to test it and unfortunately until you do you will not know if it works when required as an emergency aid.
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Thanks, it does make sense that he should take the lead when we get to that stage.

Thank you guys for all the positive advice - I will go back to square one building his confidence etc in the arena and take him out in lead file with probably the gag. Fingers crossed by the end of summer we'll both be much happier and confident!
 
smja said:
He sounds as though he had a panic, decided to run for home (not uncommon) and you didn't stop him so accidentally reinforced his fear and belief that getting home was the best option. I would be hacking out with a confident companion horse to go in front/beside him to give confidence. Make sure that you don't get tense/project your worry that something will happen (easier said than done, I know!).
As for bitting, I would probably go for something with cheekpieces (e.g. full cheek snaffle) rather than something stronger, which I've seen cause more problems that it solves if it's a confidence issue rather than naughtiness. If he tries to go, do not try to ride like you're schooling - turn the head and demand an immediate stop. As soon as he stops, pat and turn round as if nothing has happened.
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Sounds pretty accurate! Unfortunately there isn't a super safe bombproof hacker where I am the mare I was riding out with was my best bet, hopefully If I build his confidence and take the lead then her mare won't have an excuse to nap and be silly
 
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