horse just bolted 5 miles down the road

[lastchancer]

Was he definitely bred by the guy you bought him off? Just wondering if he's a seasoned problem horse that they've stitched you up with. Most breeders would at least have the sense to teach a horse to tie-up before breaking it in...
Although if he's 7yo and never been off the farm that could perhaps explain some behavior but bolting away from other horses does certainly seem extreme.
Not got much to suggest really but good look with him in any case.

 

[JellyBeanSkittle]

So you either don't want to sort it, or you can't but either way you seem to be making a bit of a big deal out of this...a very nervy naive horse, upset routine, touches elec fence be use he isn't used to it and bolts because he has no idea which way home is , gets chased down in a car and kicks out and you want to pts. It's in no way the horses fault.

Give someone a chance to sort him out fgs. There are plenty who will do it but don't expect them to pay for the pleasure!

Oh shut up you silly mare! Always one who want to make an argument of it...

Hope you are okay OP and this situation sorts itself out for the best, for the both of you.

 

[DragonSlayer]

So you either don't want to sort it, or you can't but either way you seem to be making a bit of a big deal out of this...a very nervy naive horse, upset routine, touches elec fence be use he isn't used to it and bolts because he has no idea which way home is , gets chased down in a car and kicks out and you want to pts. It's in no way the horses fault.

Give someone a chance to sort him out fgs. There are plenty who will do it but don't expect them to pay for the pleasure!

I seriously think that if I had a new horse that ran through my fencing and onto the motorway, I'd be asking a few questions. It's not just the horse here, people could have been killed.

Give the OP a break, we all know there are marvellous horsey people about, and all the OP is doing is grasping options, even the most brilliant owners and riders would be shaken by this I'm sure!

 

[digitalangel]

I just went back and reread the thread - and ive seen there are aload of posts/questions i missed.

- the breed is appaloosa.

I do believe the passport matches the horse, he is registered with british appaloosa society and has a picture in is passport which looks like him ( tho hard to tell, he is a fewspot ) the markings from what ive been able to see on his description do match up. I dont know if he has been sold or tried to be sold on before. I dont know when he was gelded - the passport is stamped gelded without a date. No riggish behavior he showed no interest in my mare so far.

i do have a receipt which i says ' sold as tried, not seen traffic' but i didnt get to see him in the field as both times i arrived he was already in. Having looked online at my home insurance i think their legal cover will cover this and is included as standard. So i will be persuing this route. I dont believe having stepped back and looked at the facts that they have been honest. Neither their sob story about downsizing/too many horses due to illness, or the diseases thing is now making sense because i remember now there being a new pony there yesterday.

The last horse i bought reared vertical the first time i tried to get on him in his new home - he took time to settle but i got help and took him back to baby basics and he was fine after a few weeks - i bought from a dealer who was very shocked and offered to take im back straight away but i decided i would give him the benefit of the doubt. I sold him being completely honest in that he was slightly cold-backed and would need time to settle in a new home. I had a 3 year old fresh off the boat from Holland that ran me into fences and had me off more times that i can count. He wasnt great with electric either but he was running to horses, not away from them. i bought him as a project and sold him on 6 months later to an amazing home. So its not like i havent worked through these types of issues before. I have also in the past over-horsed myself and cut my losses and sold the mare on after 9 months of trying and we just didnt click. That was a while ago now though. I also mentioned before i had a horse that would bolt when being led, but again, not through fencing and always had some self-preservation. I worked through her issues too and while never completely cured her behavior did improve. I swapped her for my old girl. My old boy ( in my sig ) had a year out of work and was a nightmare to start again with. Again i realised when i needed help, and got some help with him and he turned out completely fine. My PSD boy when i first moved to my current place also reared vertical the first time i asked him to hack. I sat it and had him walk on with someone on the floor to give him confidence. I later found out this behavior was more likely pain related and is now being dealt with.

Have i made mistakes in the past? Yup. Do i have gaps in my knowledge of equine behavior? Certainly. I try to draw on my own past experiences, advice from trusted friends, other peoples stories and experiences and most of know my limits. This little guy is way out there in terms of my personal experience. His bolting is extreme and he did not want me near him. He tolerates me in the stable because he cant run. In the cold light of day, do i have the time, facilities and experience to help him? i am not sure. I am not sure if i can help him if this behavior is already ingrained - to quote a certain youtube horse person, i felt he had executed the bolt program in his head and he wasn't going to stop for anyone. google maps told me he galloped on the road for 5.6 miles. I only caught him by boxing him in on other traffic and taking a bit risk with the kind ladys car door and a divebomb. I dont think theres any malice in this horse and i am not going to judge him based on one day but things are starting to add up. He ran from the horses here, he ran straight past horses in other fields, he just ran ran ran and i dont think he ran for home, as he travelled around 30 miles. i think he was in a blind bolt. Yes he got a fright, yes its all new and he was in no doubt very scared and i dont know if it was the electric or something else that upset him or maybe it was the fact he fell over i dont know. but i cant trust him to turn him out right now, i will continue to work with him while hes here in the stable of maybe my turnout pen. I hope the above proves to any doubters out there that if i do work through issues if i feel i have the time and skills to do so, and when i cant, admit it, cut losses and do the right thing by the horse. I have never had to face the issue of putting an otherwise healthy horse to sleep due to behavior issues.

I want him to go somewhere where he is safe and happy, which at the moment is where he came from. I dont think he is safe or happy here. I worry that at 7 years old he will be able to completely forget this behavior and become a safe horse. I feel the breeders of this horse kind of set him up to fail, and i think they should take responsibility for this. I would hope they keep him for themselves to ride and bring on or work through his issues in a safe place where he feels secure. I hope they would not shoot him, he is too nice for that.

I desperately want to turn this little guy around, but giving him the benefit of the doubt could mean that next time there could be a terrible accident. And i would be responsible for that. If i sold him on, even to a knowledgeable home, that does not guarantee his future at any point and again if he was faced with a situation where he was scared, the same could happen and he could kill someone. And i would be irresponsible for selling on a dangerous horse. How many times does a horse have to endanger the public at large before he is labelled dangerous and a bolter? Am i irresponsible if i try to turn him out here again and the same thing happens, despite working with him and giving him lots of positive experiences/groundwork. Im only looking at worst case scanario because the consequences are so dire. He could never do it again or he could do it tomorrow, theres no way of telling.

My heart is breaking, ive spent the evening on and off bawling my eyes out. Im sorry for rambling on, but my animals mean the world to me.

 

[lizbet]

All horses have it in them to bolt they are flight animals .
I frankly think its ludricous to label a horse that done this as some sort of dangerous nutter on its first move from home it was over faced and panicked .

OMG ALL HORSES BOLT DO THEY.
Thats rich extend the same curtisy to maise o6 then.And to me
Dont say different situation All horses bolt you say. Yeah so i say
find out why a sweetheart suddenly bolts. What a contradiction
LMAO

 

[lizbet]

I think I'd be inclined to just take him back with no warning and leave him there - providing you can get in there to do it and it's not all locked up. Did you notice what the setup was when you were there? You can then start on getting your money back. I would feel a bit guilty about doing that to him, and it's probably not the right thing to do legally, but if they refuse to do the right thing I don't see what else you can do?

If I'd bred him, had him for 7 years and knew that he was so upset going somewhere new I'd want him back for his sake, so there's obviously something fishy going on.

In the meantime, definitely get him on sedalin.

Good for you .Fishy too.

 

[lizbet]

OP don't get me wrong the right thing doesn't have to be PTS, it could be months of careful handling and education or vet investigations (v poor sight might make a horse run through fencing) but IMHO the breeder should have done this.

When I compare to the lovely Dolly who was brought up by first time foal owners and looks to be a pleasure to own it's a shame all breeders don;t put the same investment in early education!

Poor sight may make horse bolt .Not according to some.Health
problems should always be ruled out to be fair to the horse.

 

[smellsofhorse]

Although you say you compete and should be experinced you sound out of your depth and inexperineced.

I know this is an extreme reaction.
But you cant blame the horse, its young not done much, in a new home and with new people.

You cant give up this easily.

If you were experince you should have given the horse more tests and checks.
Was it vetted?
Surely you would have realised how unhandled it was?
Plus and issues physically or mentally would have been picked up.

Poor horse needs starting from the begining, let it settle, get the ground work sorted before thinking of riding.

 

[lizbet]

just keep him very calm and level and establish roultine that does not change .
Try and team up with your most level headed horse and put them out in a small paddock while you are there .
Just give him hay .
Establish handling time daily and do it at the same time .
Get his eyesight checked pronto .
I have know one horse whose bizarre behaviour was caused by a floating cataract .
Be careful hope your feeling better tonight .

really

 

[lizbet]

Was he definitely bred by the guy you bought him off? Just wondering if he's a seasoned problem horse that they've stitched you up with. Most breeders would at least have the sense to teach a horse to tie-up before breaking it in...
Although if he's 7yo and never been off the farm that could perhaps explain some behavior but bolting away from other horses does certainly seem extreme.
Not got much to suggest really but good look with him in any case.

seasoned problem you say
oh like behaviour problems ,say like old horses get when they are diagnosed
with chushings which can be treated.Also floating cateracts like
Goldenstar suggested that can cause bolting this may help
maise 06 to.LMAO.

 

[smellsofhorse]

Just to add, is there a reason the breeder hasnt done much with him?
He is 7 and hardly handled or is there some other issue?

 

[lizbet]

I just went back and reread the thread - and ive seen there are aload of posts/questions i missed.

- the breed is appaloosa.

I do believe the passport matches the horse, he is registered with british appaloosa society and has a picture in is passport which looks like him ( tho hard to tell, he is a fewspot ) the markings from what ive been able to see on his description do match up. I dont know if he has been sold or tried to be sold on before. I dont know when he was gelded - the passport is stamped gelded without a date. No riggish behavior he showed no interest in my mare so far.

i do have a receipt which i says ' sold as tried, not seen traffic' but i didnt get to see him in the field as both times i arrived he was already in. Having looked online at my home insurance i think their legal cover will cover this and is included as standard. So i will be persuing this route. I dont believe having stepped back and looked at the facts that they have been honest. Neither their sob story about downsizing/too many horses due to illness, or the diseases thing is now making sense because i remember now there being a new pony there yesterday.

The last horse i bought reared vertical the first time i tried to get on him in his new home - he took time to settle but i got help and took him back to baby basics and he was fine after a few weeks - i bought from a dealer who was very shocked and offered to take im back straight away but i decided i would give him the benefit of the doubt. I sold him being completely honest in that he was slightly cold-backed and would need time to settle in a new home. I had a 3 year old fresh off the boat from Holland that ran me into fences and had me off more times that i can count. He wasnt great with electric either but he was running to horses, not away from them. i bought him as a project and sold him on 6 months later to an amazing home. So its not like i havent worked through these types of issues before. I have also in the past over-horsed myself and cut my losses and sold the mare on after 9 months of trying and we just didnt click. That was a while ago now though. I also mentioned before i had a horse that would bolt when being led, but again, not through fencing and always had some self-preservation. I worked through her issues too and while never completely cured her behavior did improve. I swapped her for my old girl. My old boy ( in my sig ) had a year out of work and was a nightmare to start again with. Again i realised when i needed help, and got some help with him and he turned out completely fine. My PSD boy when i first moved to my current place also reared vertical the first time i asked him to hack. I sat it and had him walk on with someone on the floor to give him confidence. I later found out this behavior was more likely pain related and is now being dealt with.

Have i made mistakes in the past? Yup. Do i have gaps in my knowledge of equine behavior? Certainly. I try to draw on my own past experiences, advice from trusted friends, other peoples stories and experiences and most of know my limits. This little guy is way out there in terms of my personal experience. His bolting is extreme and he did not want me near him. He tolerates me in the stable because he cant run. In the cold light of day, do i have the time, facilities and experience to help him? i am not sure. I am not sure if i can help him if this behavior is already ingrained - to quote a certain youtube horse person, i felt he had executed the bolt program in his head and he wasn't going to stop for anyone. google maps told me he galloped on the road for 5.6 miles. I only caught him by boxing him in on other traffic and taking a bit risk with the kind ladys car door and a divebomb. I dont think theres any malice in this horse and i am not going to judge him based on one day but things are starting to add up. He ran from the horses here, he ran straight past horses in other fields, he just ran ran ran and i dont think he ran for home, as he travelled around 30 miles. i think he was in a blind bolt. Yes he got a fright, yes its all new and he was in no doubt very scared and i dont know if it was the electric or something else that upset him or maybe it was the fact he fell over i dont know. but i cant trust him to turn him out right now, i will continue to work with him while hes here in the stable of maybe my turnout pen. I hope the above proves to any doubters out there that if i do work through issues if i feel i have the time and skills to do so, and when i cant, admit it, cut losses and do the right thing by the horse. I have never had to face the issue of putting an otherwise healthy horse to sleep due to behavior issues.

I want him to go somewhere where he is safe and happy, which at the moment is where he came from. I dont think he is safe or happy here. I worry that at 7 years old he will be able to completely forget this behavior and become a safe horse. I feel the breeders of this horse kind of set him up to fail, and i think they should take responsibility for this. I would hope they keep him for themselves to ride and bring on or work through his issues in a safe place where he feels secure. I hope they would not shoot him, he is too nice for that.

I desperately want to turn this little guy around, but giving him the benefit of the doubt could mean that next time there could be a terrible accident. And i would be responsible for that. If i sold him on, even to a knowledgeable home, that does not guarantee his future at any point and again if he was faced with a situation where he was scared, the same could happen and he could kill someone. And i would be irresponsible for selling on a dangerous horse. How many times does a horse have to endanger the public at large before he is labelled dangerous and a bolter? Am i irresponsible if i try to turn him out here again and the same thing happens, despite working with him and giving him lots of positive experiences/groundwork. Im only looking at worst case scanario because the consequences are so dire. He could never do it again or he could do it tomorrow, theres no way of telling.

My heart is breaking, ive spent the evening on and off bawling my eyes out. Im sorry for rambling on, but my animals mean the world to me.

Op i dont think you will ever have a bond with this horse.You will never be relaxed I am sorry what has happened but to pts this horse
is a disgrace.Whats more of a disgrace is you being told in this state and people saying it may be seasonal changes
Floating cateracts .When i offered the same advice to a women with a old horse a sweet heart who had started to bolt the same advice
They were saying pts.While telling you not to.This is not right bolting is bolting total hipercrites .My point being you are in a vunerable place and i think these people are not qualified to answer you
Some have come up with good points I think you are out of your depth in allsorts of ways. But be safe and good luck xx

 

[quirky]

Op i dont think you will ever have a bond with this horse.You will never be relaxed I am sorry what has happened but to pts this horse
is a disgrace.Whats more of a disgrace is you being told in this state and people saying it may be seasonal changes
Floating cateracts .When i offered the same advice to a women with a old horse a sweet heart who had started to bolt the same advice
They were saying pts.While telling you not to.This is not right bolting is bolting total hipercrites .My point being you are in a vunerable place and i think these people are not qualified to answer you
Some have come up with good points I think you are out of your depth in allsorts of ways. But be safe and good luck xx

So Lizbet, enlighten us all and tell us how you are qualified for your response to be the only correct one?
You are doing yourself no favours by peppering certain threads with your inane ramblings.
Try coming up with something constructive!*

 

[hairycob]

If I were OP I think I would be trying to find out where either Princ33sSp4rkle or Lizbet lived & working out how best to get the horse to them.

 

[5bs]

Very well said hairycob I know what I would be doing with horse as you know I have a daughter who was very lucky to walk away from a true bolt.

 

[twiggy2]

Calm down you have had a fright, but you bought a seven yo cheap project horse homebreds need to treated with caution when they move home for the first time and moving a seven yo who has done and seen very little always potentially harder.
Yes we ask horses to do all these scary things and usually all goes well sometimes as in your case it goes wrong sometimes that happens but even if stuff goes wrong the vast majority of the horses will go on to be fine.
Go to bed have a good sleep and start again tomorrow.

this

 

[DragonSlayer]

If I were OP I think I would be trying to find out where either Princ33sSp4rkle or Lizbet lived & working out how best to get the horse to them.

This absolutely!

 

[thatsmygirl]

Have u read my post op? My horse done the same and actually ran back to her old home!!!

 

[Luci07]

This absolutely!

Another one who agrees!

Something else that would also now really worry me...insurance ...OP do you have 3rd party liability for this horse ? As you would be liable (and by this I mean financially as you are clearly aware and concerned about others safety). However, I do wonder if this is a known and documented issue if insurance would cover you? I feel for you as a horse that behaves like this would be out of our area of experience of most of us. It's not simply a case of building a bond and making a pet out of this horse, there are clearly serious issues. I would start with blood tests and vet, I would look at seriously upping the fencing to stallion standard. Then go back to basics and start to reback and fill the gaps in his education, but above all... Please stay safe, put yourself first and I wish you every luck

 

[AmyMay]

Hope everything goes ok today OP. I'm sure we'll all be thinking of you.

 

[lizbet]

If I were OP I think I would be trying to find out where either Princ33sSp4rkle or Lizbet lived & working out how best to get the horse to them.

well we could not do much worse than
some of you lot on hear could we. That poor girl being in your hands.And some really nice people nice
on hear to.Least me and this person are honest.Not two faced
hipercrites like some of you . And dont threaten me quirky for proving these people to be the
hipercrites they are.Some people take advice seriously that is given to them
I wont put up with people giving me s***.When iam trying to help
I have been there done that got the T shirt. Not some no it all kid

 

[Carefreegirl]

Morning OP, hope your knee is ok today and hope you had a good nights sleep.

Hopefully things will be a bit clearer today.

P.S How's your dog?

 

[Carefreegirl]

Hypocrites :wink3:

 

[AmyMay]

well we could not do much worse than
some of you lot on hear could we. That poor girl being in your hands.And some really nice people nice
on hear to.Least me and this person are honest.Not two faced
hipercrites like some of you . And dont threaten me quirky for proving these people to be the
hipercrites they are.Some people take advice seriously that is given to them
I wont put up with people giving me s***.When iam trying to help
I have been there done that got the T shirt. Not some no it all kid

Hey, where's all this aggression come from? And I fail to see how Quirky has 'threatened' you.

Please Lizbet - if you want to say something, do. But don't attack people for having a different opinion from you.

It would also help enormously if you could actually string a sentence together.

Now, I have to say you remind me of someone. Just got to get those little grey cells in gear to figure out exactly who.

Christ there's some nutters posting this week.

 

[Echo Bravo]

Agree with Amymay, there are some nutters posting this week and it's making my eyes hurt trying to read their posts. Hope the OP's knee and dog ok this morning, and that the horse is ok as well.

 

[Captainmouse]

I am now wondering wether he was drugged but i dont think so, but i cant be sure. who knows. he wasnt that calm when i was there but wasnt exhibiting fearful behavior either. Since having him home hes turned his bum to me a few times, kicked the dog and raised his leg to me once or twice. i put all of this down to being in a new home/new situation and wasnt worried about it. just thought i would work more on handling on the ground. i didnt expect him to be OK when he got here, i expected problems hence him being a project - but i didnt not expect him to go through 5 sets of fencing either.

Did you have him vetted? bloods taken? there is always project horses.

 

[AmyMay]

Did you have him vetted? bloods taken? there is always project horses.

OP said earlier in the thread that the horse was not vetted as it was so cheap.

However, a few have suggested a blood test today to see if any drugs show up.

Might be worth a go OP - especially if you are planning on a light sedation before turning out.

 

[quirky]

And dont threaten me quirky

Deluded?
Much!

 

[cornbrodolly]

So sorry you re in this situation, and hope you feel better soon.
It reminds me of a couple of horses we ve had. One took 6 months for my OH to retrain , but OH is aprofessional and could consistantly work every day with the horse.[ when we first put him in the field he bolted and went over a 5 bar gate!] he is now doing Medium dressage , but is too quirky for much else!
We also have had 2 'to fix' who bolted when ridden . They were retrained , but never would be sitable for anay but the boldest rider. A habit of bolting can never really be cured - can be managed , but the underlying habit will usually resurface at some point.
IMHO this is a dangerous horse, and not worth persisting with. Send back immediately - if they say no, just drive him there and leave. There is no way the previous owners didnt know what this horse is like, and were less than honest with you. Cut your losses - your health is more important than anything else. I have said it a hundred times on this forum -no horse is worth putting yourself in danger . Seems there are lots of 'fluffy bunnies' on the forum ,whi believe every horse is fixable and should live out its natural life. Boldocks to that - yes if the horse has given a lifetime of good service, but no if the owner/rider is in danger of losing life/limb/sanity.

 

[lizbet]

Why would you want to pay for a blood test for a horse it is obvious you dont want to keep
Poor girl take no notice take horse back. Nutters they are