Had a scare today :(

[kat2290]

I am a novice rider, I started having lessons in January this year and have been riding a family friends horse since about March/April. Started hacking him out on my own about a month ago and he has been a real gent. He is a 16.3 ID cross so he is a big lad with a lot of power and he can be strong but over the months I have learnt what sets him off and it is usually quite easy to predict when he is going to have a moment. That was until today!

Went for a hack out with my friend accompanying on foot. Everything was going fine, he was pretty calm and relaxed. That was until we turned around to head back! He instantly picked up his pace ten fold and became quite agitated and very strong. I tried to keep him calm but to no avail and took off at a trot...faster and faster...and then he broke in to canter getting faster and faster. I had zero brakes and before I knew it we were careering downhill on skippy wet Tarmac flying round corners at full pelt. Fortunately I managed to stay on but we were going so fast I was terrified he was going to slip going round the corner or that we were going to come head on with a vehicle. It all happened so fast it's a bit of a blur in my head, but I distinctly remembering the sound of his hooves thundering along the road and thinking to myself "Ohhh ****!!!" In a split second I ran through various outcomes in my head, was I going to bail, was I going to try and stay on and sit it out, were we going to end up in a ditch...and so on!

I can't say how thankful I was when we rounded the next corner to start another decent and at the bottom of the hill was a couple walking their dogs, waving their arms and blocking the road to try and slow us down. Luckily it worked and I was able to just about pull him up while the man grabbed hold of his bridle. If it wasn't for their quick thinking I don't know how far we would have gone and what the outcome would have been.

I'm not sure if this was a true bolt or not but if it wasn't I can say for certain I never ever EVER want to experience one! It was totally out of character for this horse, his owner has had him for 13 years and he has never behaved like he did today. I only wish I knew the reason he took off, and why his brakes disappeared. I guess that's horses though and every time we ride it's a risk.

Not sure why I've written this, I think it is a form of stress relief getting it out! Anyway, large glasses of wine all round

 

[TrasaM]

Sounds like you had a big fright and not surprising. It's really scary when they tank off or spook on Tarmac and you're really lucky he kept his footing. It's possible that you got tense when he started to play up and that just made him worse. Most horses I've ridden tend to pick up the pace on the way home he just went too far. Extra big glass of wine and well done for staying on.

 

[kat2290]

I am so thankful he didn't slip, I didn't fancy my chances with 600kg of horse on top of me! I probably did tense up a bit but whilst he was tanking off I was actively thinking must stay calm, don't grip with your legs etc so I think I was as relaxed as I could have been. I keep going back over it in my head thinking what could I have done, could have I prevented it or rescued the situation.

Yes he does get more forward on the way back but usually that means going from plodding along to a medium walk, nothing on this scale! After I got off there was me, the man and his wife all trying to keep him under control and still struggling. He was drenched in sweat and we'd only got about 1/4 of a mile. It was certainly an experience!

However mustn't dwell on it too much as it did have a good outcome after all.

 

[TrasaM]

Can his owner shed any light on it? Know what you mean about not dwelling on it. I do the same otherwise we'd never get back on again

 

[Buddy'sMum]

Glad you both survived unscathed! It sounds as if he was trying it on big time. It's never a great idea to turn around and head for home the way you came, next time try to ride a circuit if you can. Maybe his owner could lunge him before you ride? But TBH it might be better to stick to the school with him for a while, rather than hacking out, until you've restablished the basic ground rules.

 

[kat2290]

I rang his owner when I got back and she was as shocked as I am, couldn't think at all why he did it but she was going to mull it over. Unfortunately we can't do loops from the yard, the hacking isn't great and the only loop you can do takes about 3 hours so it's not possible on a daily basis.

He can't really be lunged as he suffers from arthritis, we have been advised by the vets to keep schooling to a minimum and definitely no lunging. Having said that we will be riding him in the school the next few times for sure.

He isn't particularly energetic, when we hack it is just in walk sometimes we'll have a short trot and sometimes we won't. Apart from when he has his moments about new objects appearing he is generally very well behaved and very responsive. I hacked him out last Sunday and he was an absolute saint, we passed a barking growling dog no problems, and on the way home we did some walk/halt transitions at various intervals and he was very good.

Now I've had a night to sleep on it I feel like it didn't even happen it was just a figment of my imagination, feels very surreal!

 

[kat2290]

The way he behaved after the couple stopped him and I got off makes me think he wasn't just trying it on. It was like he was possessed, he was being dangerous to the point we were considering putting him in to a random field at the side of the road as we weren't sure he were going to make it back to the yard about 2 miles away without losing control of him. It took about 20 minutes before he was calm again.

I can understand why people are saying he was trying it on, bad manners etc and I would agree if it wasn't for how paniced he had been when we stopped. His behaviour then was as scary as when we were thundering downhill!

 

[Buddy'sMum]

You said he got agitated as soon as you turned for home - most horses will try that. He then started trotting and got faster and faster until he was cantering and got faster and faster until he was tanking along the road at full pelt. So it's not like he spooked and bolted out of fear. He actually gave you several chances to stop him. A more experienced rider would have been able to make him return to walk almost immediately before things escalated to out of control. I'm not having a pop at you here but you were both very, very lucky not to have a serious accident. This horse does not sound suitable for a novice to be riding on the road.
Assume you/the owner is insured for you riding this horse?

 

[AmyMay]

You said he got agitated as soon as you turned for home - most horses will try that. He then started trotting and got faster and faster until he was cantering and got faster and faster until he was tanking along the road at full pelt. So it's not like he spooked and bolted out of fear. He actually gave you several chances to stop him. A more experienced rider would have been able to make him return to walk almost immediately before things escalated to out of control. I'm not having a pop at you here but you were both very, very lucky not to have a serious accident. This horse does not sound suitable for a novice to be riding on the road.
Assume you/the owner is insured for you riding this horse?

I absolutely agree 100% with this post.

 

[p87]

I agree with Buddy's Mum, don't ever turn and come back the way you came if you can avoid it, always do a circle. Did you freeze up there and just let him canter off or did you try and use your emergency one rein stop? No matter how novice a rider is everyone MUST know how to effectively apply a one rein stop - this isn't a dig at you, not many riders actually know what it is never mind how to do it. It's not worth the risk out hacking.
There was a time where the one rein stop brought my boy back from running off when a herd of cows stampeded over a hill towards us, and another time where I ran him into a ten foot hedge to stop him when he chased after three motorbikes - I'll make him stop in any way I can, running him into a hedge or not!

It's scary but whatever you do, do not let them just 'run off' whether that's at a trot or a flat out gallop. If you are competent enough to hack out you should be able to tell when your horse is thinking about switching off from you and taking control himself and be able to nip it in the bud before it's too late.

 

[kat2290]

Thanks for the replies everybody, I know there are a lot of hugely knowledgable people on this forum and I do appreciate the input. I guess you are all right and I just wasn't experienced enough to deal with the situation. I am kicking myself because I do know what a one rein stop is how to perform one but I didn't have the presence of mind to do it, I guess a combination of shock and panic and my own inexperience. When I say he got faster and faster he went from walking to trotting to cantering to flat out in about 7 seconds so I didn't have much time to react before I was contemplating bailing. I'm sure somebody more experienced still would have stopped him, I just wanted to clarify that we weren't trotting along for a minute or so with me unable to stop him and him getting gradually faster - it all happened very quickly.

I feel so deflated as I felt like I had been doing everything correctly so far. I've taken it slowly, started off riding him in the school and then moved on to hacking with company and then about a month ago starting hacking alone. I've never had any issues with him out hacking so I suppose I have probably lulled myself in to a false sense of security and this is a massive wake up call.

Definitely going to be sticking to the school for a while now!

And in answer to the insurance question, yes I have my own insurance and owner also has horse insured.

 

[p87]

Don't beat yourself up about it, these things happen! Even experienced riders get frights and fall off and things - although the cow incident I mentioned I was able to laugh off, the motorbike incident really shook me up quite a bit and I've been doing this for 15 years lol

With time you are better able to be one step ahead of your horse and get your reaction in there first, it's sort of an auto pilot thing. Just be thankful you didn't end up really hurt, as it could have been so much worse.

 

[Cheshire Chestnut]

Thanks for the replies everybody, I know there are a lot of hugely knowledgable people on this forum and I do appreciate the input. I guess you are all right and I just wasn't experienced enough to deal with the situation. I am kicking myself because I do know what a one rein stop is how to perform one but I didn't have the presence of mind to do it, I guess a combination of shock and panic and my own inexperience. When I say he got faster and faster he went from walking to trotting to cantering to flat out in about 7 seconds so I didn't have much time to react before I was contemplating bailing. I'm sure somebody more experienced still would have stopped him, I just wanted to clarify that we weren't trotting along for a minute or so with me unable to stop him and him getting gradually faster - it all happened very quickly.

I feel so deflated as I felt like I had been doing everything correctly so far. I've taken it slowly, started off riding him in the school and then moved on to hacking with company and then about a month ago starting hacking alone. I've never had any issues with him out hacking so I suppose I have probably lulled myself in to a false sense of security and this is a massive wake up call.

Definitely going to be sticking to the school for a while now!

And in answer to the insurance question, yes I have my own insurance and owner also has horse insured.

Please please PLEASE don't feel deflated. Although people are right to say that a more experienced rider might have been able to stop him and that the horse isn't suitable for a novice, however it has happened now and you need to focus on moving on from it. It wasn't nice and no matter how experienced you are and even if you've been riding all your life, things like this do happen from time to time and frighten even the most experienced of riders. I've been riding for 22 years and had my own horse for 18 years and I had an incident similar last year that frightened me, it happens.

The most important thing is that you treat the next ride the next time you get on like it never happened (other than the lessons you have learnt from them about turning round on a hack etc). Losing your confidene is one of the most frustrating and upsetting parts of riding and a good way for that not to happen is to stay positive and concentrate on the things you feel safe with for the time being. This could be schooling or just a little ride round a quiet lane you know well. Just do that until you feel confident enough to tackle a hack again and don't be disheartened if this is weeks down the line - as long as you keep your confidence up by still riding then you'll be ok. Next time you tackle the route again, make sure the horse owner comes with you - either walking or on another horse and take a lean rein - there's no shame in that. It will make you feel better to have someone there that has owned him for years and knows him inside out - plus you trust her.

Keep going and please don't let this put you off. If you've been riding since Jan and this is the first incident that's scared you then you're doing really well xx

 

[NeverSayNever]

Dont be too down on yourself about it! Just think, the worst didnt happen and you stayed on Well done!

I havent read all the replies but I do think if you only started having lessons in Jan that it is too soon to be hacking out by yourself. There is also a huge difference between a RS horse and a privately owned one. Many owners, myself included can get complacent about their own horses and forget this I think. My mare is a fab girl, I rode her to being 34 weeks pregnant, hacking out by myself and in company and she never put a foot wrong. However on the 2 occasions I have put real novices on her she has picked up on it instantly and acted up. The first time was a teenage lad I know who has had a few lessons and she did exactly what you described. He had ridden her along a track that is a dead end and turned to come back, she broke into trot and i shouted at him to slow her up but she then broke into canter and steadily got faster and faster. Thankfully I was standing at the start of the track and it was me who grabbed her bridle and pulled her up. The second time was in a small paddock at home and a friend who has been riding RS horses on and of for years got on and did a bit or walk and trot. My mare's face was a picture and she began napping and threatening to do a bunk so we ended the session. i was pretty mortified
She was taking the P big time on both occasions which is exactly what it sounds like this big chap was doing. Its also the time of year when a lot of horses seem to get a bit 'fresher' and act like you described as the weather changes.
Chin up, dont let it put you off, you just need more miles on the clock and things like this happening are par for the course, its all experience!

 

[puppystitch]

You mustn't be deflated - it's all experience, and the main thing is that you stayed on and nobody was hurt. Horses do unexpected things, that's part of the fun (it's just not always that much 'fun' at the time!). For what it's worth, it does sound as if he started to trot, realised you weren't going to stop him and so legged it. If it happens again you'll know what he's thinking and likely be able to put the brakes on before it gets out of control.

 

[kat2290]

Thanks to everybody who has replied and thank you for the words of encouragement have a lesson on weds which I'm looking forward to so I certainly haven't been put off, just wish I had started riding about 15 years ago!

 

[dianchi]

Thanks to everybody who has replied and thank you for the words of encouragement have a lesson on weds which I'm looking forward to so I certainly haven't been put off, just wish I had started riding about 15 years ago!

Was about to suggest a lesson so well done!

Might also be worth if possible having some lessons out riding, its very different to being in the school and a good instructor could help you and give you tips so that you don't end up in this again.

You were very lucky to not meet any traffic

 

[aspirit]

Can you go out in company ( on horseback as well) and see how he reacts. Mine bolted off with another rider recently , but refused to do it with me when I took her to the spot. However I replaced the bit from a snaffle to ensure I had brakes if I need them. I talked to bit bank on internet for advice and definately have more control. My mare is horse possessed if I turn round and go back same way, but I do make her do it sometimes and have a battle, but have brakes now. Don't give up on him. You quickly change from being a novice when you own a horse , but only through experiences like this ! Talk to yourself if you get nervous (or the horse) and this helps. You do need to go back to the spot where it happened to see if he spooks. Could you get someone to do this on him ? You will need to get your confidence back.

 

[Zero00000]

Don't beat yourself up, hell after riding 17+ Years I got outwitted by a 4yo and ended up being taken for a ride, smartest little horse I had ever met! Broke his owners rider so was keeping him fit, It just made me more determined to crack his problem and I played him at his own game, it was safe to do so, he bolted, nastily bucking head between his legs, I used to fight him, I then went on to letting him have his head, and MAKING him go faster!
There was a change in him from that day, he lost his 'this is fun' and turned it into 'this is hard work' he still occasionally took the mick, but nothing like he was and the dangerous streak went,

You will need to come across a lot of these 'day to day' issues, for your experience and knowledge to expand, riding isn't always in the technique and staying on but what goes through your head, good luck, I hope you continue to enjoy riding this boy

 

[TeamChaser]

Thank goodness you're both ok - how frightening for you. As others have said though, don't feel deflated, I don't think any of us are going to stop over half tonne of panicked horse!

I've ridden for oooh probably 25 years (God - feel old!) and have had my current horses for 10 years and 3 years so know them pretty well by now. I ride and lead quite a bit and last winter was riding the ISH, leading the TB and TB had a paddy and took off taking the ISH with him. Was on a road, luckily fairly quiet, but no way was I going to stop in excess of a combined tonne of horse flesh. Don't know what got in to them and sure they'll never do it again but was bloody scary!! Nothing prompted it, he just decided to sod off - couldn't believe it! Had to let go of him and of course he then promptly stopped, the little ****! Managed to catch him and regain control of the pair of them and heart rate slowly returned to normal!

Just goes to show though, they can be unpredictable and no matter how experienced you are or how well you know your horse, they can take you by surprise every now and then

 

[On the Hoof]

Im glad to hear that you are ok, although that must have been so frightening. Im only a novice myself so hesitate to give advice, and Im only just started going out hacking on my first horse after riding for 18 months. I dont go out alone , but what i have started doing on the way back , when we are only 500m from 'home' is taking lead file and getting her to do a few walk /halt transitions so that she knows that Im in charge of the pace. This is going well, we also regularly change position in the hack with other experienced horses so she gets to be first last or in the middle. I don't know if the more experienced HHo's would recommend something similar to this ??

 

[Booboos]

It sounds like a very scary experience for you and I am really glad the couple were there and neither you or the horse got hurt.

On the one hand unfortunately this kind of thing happends to everyone. Sometimes you can do things to stop a panicky horse and sometimes you can't.

On the other hand you have been riding for a very short time and to go from your first lesson in January to solo hacks in October less than a year later is an enormous leap and it may be that you are not sufficiently prepared to deal with some of the unexpected things that happen with horses. It might be best to take a step back. Keep to the school with this horse, get his owner to hack him out on his own, ideally on the same hack, to assess if the problem returns and only go out in company. Keep in mind that many horses play up more with the cold weather coming in so it may be an idea to stop the sole hacks over the winter.

 

[lizbet]

I absolutely agree 100% with this post.

OMG Another for the chop hear with you lot Poor girl LMAO

 

[lizbet]

I am a novice rider, I started having lessons in January this year and have been riding a family friends horse since about March/April. Started hacking him out on my own about a month ago and he has been a real gent. He is a 16.3 ID cross so he is a big lad with a lot of power and he can be strong but over the months I have learnt what sets him off and it is usually quite easy to predict when he is going to have a moment. That was until today!

Went for a hack out with my friend accompanying on foot. Everything was going fine, he was pretty calm and relaxed. That was until we turned around to head back! He instantly picked up his pace ten fold and became quite agitated and very strong. I tried to keep him calm but to no avail and took off at a trot...faster and faster...and then he broke in to canter getting faster and faster. I had zero brakes and before I knew it we were careering downhill on skippy wet Tarmac flying round corners at full pelt. Fortunately I managed to stay on but we were going so fast I was terrified he was going to slip going round the corner or that we were going to come head on with a vehicle. It all happened so fast it's a bit of a blur in my head, but I distinctly remembering the sound of his hooves thundering along the road and thinking to myself "Ohhh ****!!!" In a split second I ran through various outcomes in my head, was I going to bail, was I going to try and stay on and sit it out, were we going to end up in a ditch...and so on!

I can't say how thankful I was when we rounded the next corner to start another decent and at the bottom of the hill was a couple walking their dogs, waving their arms and blocking the road to try and slow us down. Luckily it worked and I was able to just about pull him up while the man grabbed hold of his bridle. If it wasn't for their quick thinking I don't know how far we would have gone and what the outcome would have been.

I'm not sure if this was a true bolt or not but if it wasn't I can say for certain I never ever EVER want to experience one! It was totally out of character for this horse, his owner has had him for 13 years and he has never behaved like he did today. I only wish I knew the reason he took off, and why his brakes disappeared. I guess that's horses though and every time we ride it's a risk.

Not sure why I've written this, I think it is a form of stress relief getting it out! Anyway, large glasses of wine all round

I have a big show cob.Done Hoys Rihs and
when he was Thirty Olympia .He is strong with a lot of presence
i had to work him in for hours before my classes.650 kg so how can
a women stop a horse. You cant.If it wants to go it will go.So i did
not get upset with my horse if he bolted once or twice in all the
time i had him. I mean not like i am going to shoot him for it is it
like some on hear. But i quiet agree stay in the school for now.
I see far worse than that out huunting and when judging it can
be a scream what they bring .So ride strong dont be frightend
And stay in the school it may never happen again xx

 

[kat2290]

Just thought I would do a little update for this thread....

I found out something a few days after the incident that made the whole thing a bit more explainable. The friend who was with me at the time also rides this horse and the weekend before he took off with me she had hacked him out alone for the first time. We were discussing how her hack had been and she told me when they had turned around for home he got very strong and excited so she trotter him and then when he was still being strong decided to push him in to canter.....all immediately after they had just turned around to head home. I was absolutely dumb founded and I knew that is not what you do when your hacking out, especially not when your on roads!!! However, she has been riding a lot longer than me and I didn't want to get on my high horse (ha!) and start berating her for it incase I was over reacting, so I decided not to say anything until I had discussed it with the owner.

When I told her about it she was as shocked as I was and thought my friend had shown a complete lack of common sense. Not only to have cantered on the road but to have done it straight after turning around. I can't understand why she thought it would be ok as it is not something we have ever done or even discussed, 90% of the hacks we do are in walk with hardly any trot let alone cantering. I haven't seen her since so haven't had a chance to talk about it with her as I don't want to do it via a phone call or text. I'm not blaming her for what happened with me as that was obviously down to my lack of experience however it does shed some light on why he decided to try it on.

I've been sticking to the school ever since and he is behaving very well so I'm hoping this weekend to go out with another lady from the yard with her horse who is very steady.

 

[lizbet]

Just thought I would do a little update for this thread....

I found out something a few days after the incident that made the whole thing a bit more explainable. The friend who was with me at the time also rides this horse and the weekend before he took off with me she had hacked him out alone for the first time. We were discussing how her hack had been and she told me when they had turned around for home he got very strong and excited so she trotter him and then when he was still being strong decided to push him in to canter.....all immediately after they had just turned around to head home. I was absolutely dumb founded and I knew that is not what you do when your hacking out, especially not when your on roads!!! However, she has been riding a lot longer than me and I didn't want to get on my high horse (ha!) and start berating her for it incase I was over reacting, so I decided not to say anything until I had discussed it with the owner.

When I told her about it she was as shocked as I was and thought my friend had shown a complete lack of common sense. Not only to have cantered on the road but to have done it straight after turning around. I can't understand why she thought it would be ok as it is not something we have ever done or even discussed, 90% of the hacks we do are in walk with hardly any trot let alone cantering. I haven't seen her since so haven't had a chance to talk about it with her as I don't want to do it via a phone call or text. I'm not blaming her for what happened with me as that was obviously down to my lack of experience however it does shed some light on why he decided to try it on.

I've been sticking to the school ever since and he is behaving very well so I'm hoping this weekend to go out with another lady from the yard with her horse who is very steady.

Well good for you girl there is usually
a good reason why a reliable old horse suddenly starts to bolt. You have done
so well to work this out.You are more experianced than you think.
On another forum on hear they want to shoot a horse for doing
that being old and doing a bolt so well done you to have sorted it
old sweethearts dont usually start to bolt for no reason.

 

[TrasaM]

I Though there had to be an explanation for his behaviour. It's all good and well cantering a horse towards home ( not on roads! ) when you are familiar and in control of the situation but it also sounds like she just let him take off so its understandable he then tried it with you. I used to ride a horse that would drag his feet until we turned for home, then it was ears up and his pace would pick up. I used to use it as an opportunity to practice our walk 2 halt and trot 2 halt transitions.
Last week I had my first hack out since I fell off. Happy to report it went ok and apart from slight anxiety going up a concert ramp, my confidence seems fine.
Hope your chat with your friend goes ok. She needs to remember that she's riding a horse she shares with someone less confident than herself and not teach him any tricks like this. I used to ride my friends horse and as she was very anxious riding him I always had to bear this in mind much as I might have liked to go tearing off with everyone else when they cantered.

 

[kat2290]

Well good for you girl there is usually
a good reason why a reliable old horse suddenly starts to bolt. You have done
so well to work this out.You are more experianced than you think.
On another forum on hear they want to shoot a horse for doing
that being old and doing a bolt so well done you to have sorted it
old sweethearts dont usually start to bolt for no reason.

Thanks for the reply. I'm relieved to have found a reasonable explanation for it however I'm under no illusion that it wouldn't have happened with a more experienced rider. Having said that if I had known in advance what had happened with my friend I would have been more prepared and perhaps he wouldn't have taken me by surprise.

But, I've lived and I've learnt!

 

[kat2290]

I Though there had to be an explanation for his behaviour. It's all good and well cantering a horse towards home ( not on roads! ) when you are familiar and in control of the situation but it also sounds like she just let him take off so its understandable he then tried it with you. I used to ride a horse that would drag his feet until we turned for home, then it was ears up and his pace would pick up. I used to use it as an opportunity to practice our walk 2 halt and trot 2 halt transitions.
Last week I had my first hack out since I fell off. Happy to report it went ok and apart from slight anxiety going up a concert ramp, my confidence seems fine.
Hope your chat with your friend goes ok. She needs to remember that she's riding a horse she shares with someone less confident than herself and not teach him any tricks like this. I used to ride my friends horse and as she was very anxious riding him I always had to bear this in mind much as I might have liked to go tearing off with everyone else when they cantered.

Thanks yep each time I've ridden him since it has mainly just been practicing lots and lots of downward transitions. I rode him on Friday and his walk to halt transitions were excellent I was really pleased with him, so I feel like we are definitely moving in the right direction.

I'm glad your hack went well, I haven't fallen off yet but I can imagine it would really knock your confidence...I'm not looking forward to experiencing it but I'm sure I will sooner or later!