horse bolted - omg!

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MissJael

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Hi everyone, I'm a newbie!! Although I have been reading a lot of stuff on here lately about hunting, went out for the first time a few weeks ago and it was great.
Anyhoo... to the point - a horse I have been riding regularly bolted on me on monday, first time I've ever lost control and it was TERRIFYING! We were on a path which had a river on one side and hedges and ditches on the other! He was spooked by something and off he went! We ended up in front of a 5 bar gate which had a cattle grid in front of it (He would jump anything, hunt master's horse) or a 2ft gap that is used to walk through.
In my blind panic I went for the 2ft option and caught my knee on the concrete pillar at the side.. and ended up breaking my fall on a fence.
So horsey goes running through the village roads and the remaining mile to the stable while I try to run after him, desperately panicking that he was going to cause an accident.
Thankfully though, everything was fine.
Terrifying experience but it has made me be a lot more alert to a horse when out hacking, it's so easy to "switch off" sometimes!
 
Hi.
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Glad you're OK after your ordeal and its made you more careful but not put you off. Bolting is just the worst thing IMO.
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Errr! I'll bet that was scary!

I had a horse do that to me once, except he didn't bolt, he was just being obnoxious! He headed for a 5bar gate with a cattle grid, then I managed to sterr him away towards a 10ft hedge witha 6ft aha in front of it - he only went and locked on
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I managed to circle him before we got there, but my goodness was I petrified or what!

He was a masters horse as well and the next time he went out hunting the master asked that he have a stronger bit, less feed and some acp next time he took him out!
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You poor thing! It's pretty scary isn't it! I had one bolt with me out hunting last year, he got spooked by some deer and took off down a hill, and throught a load of trees and low branches, down over a big drop and I came out the other side still galloping but sat in front of the saddle
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My oldie also took off with me through a barbed wire fence one day as had locked on to the hedge the far side of it. Remind me why we do it again?!!!

Scary stuff though - I do feel for you!
 
I can totally commiserate with you. I was out hacking on Monday morning when a van with flat bed trailer came up behind me at speed. My horse was so upset he bolted down the road. All i could do was haul on the left rein to get him to turn in to the yard gateway and he flew into the hedge and i fell off. The driver of the van pulled up level with me, and then drove off leaving underneath my horse going absolutely mad.

I scrambled back up on to my feet in total shock and then realised that my horse had a whole in the front of his hind fetlock and coronet.

I have never been bolted with before and it was so much more scary than the actual falling off on the road. Im sure my horse will be traumatised about it forever!
 
Well done for not being deterred - I didn't hack out for about 3 months after my horse bolted (silly thing bit his own lip and it terrified him
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) and I ended up falling off and covered in mud in front of a field full of footballers.

They can lose their brains sometimes can't they
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I went out with a group of friend once, about 5 of us, and we got to the last field, heading home, and we all turned left as we went through the gap (only room for one horse at a time) but one girl turned right towards home (a long stretch along the side on the field) and galloped off. We all turned and followed, but one girl was over taking on the left of every one, and got to the end but couldn't turn her horse, who then ploughed through a bard wire fence, she did attempt to jump it though! Horse had a fair few cuts and suffered concusion, and her rider fractured a vertebrae, all fine and well now though!!

Lippy x
 
Oh no poor you!
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I have been bolted with 3 times its the scariest thing ever, I dislocated my elbow once when a big GSD chased my bolting pony across a deeply furrowed field, OUCHIE! Im nervous of loose dogs when Im hacking now.
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I hope you were not too hurt, Im glad it hasn't put you off, I do still enjoy hacking I guess you just have to be aware of the dangers but without tensing up. (easier said than done!)
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Being bolted with is a frightening experience. The first time i stopped on, but the second time i went flying over the front and down an embankment, that was on the same horse on the same day, needless to say i never rode it again. Glad you and the horse are ok, and it hasn't put you off.
 
I really feel for you as my 17 hander occasionally does it (I think its a birthday treat for him as he does it about once a year). Forget about turning him etc, its just cling on and survive. Last time he jumped out of a field onto a track, and then out down the other side across 2 fields and only got stopped cos it was summer and the field of rape had stalks about a foot thick and he was trying to gallop but getting slower and slower :-)

its a horrid feeling and I never quite trust him hacking alone because of it.

Thankfully I also have a lovely orange Haffie hacker and so my solo hacking is on her.

When I do hack him I use a running gag (not pelham or ditch gag as he tends to put head down when he goes) with the second rein knotted lying on his neck, he behaves cos he knows its there but Im not punishing him by using it the 99% of the time he is behaving.
 
Sounds as though a "Equine Emergency SOS" on your saddle would have been handy if the horse had caused an accident or been hurt or lost, or you had been hurt and unable to move,they are on ebay, just type in the name in search on there and look, you never know when you might need it!
Glad you were both ok, Oz
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