jumping then bolting off

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smossy

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13.2HH pony jumped by 25 daughter very Light girl.( pony 10 yrs owned 5 yrs
Quick history pony took 2 years to break,real big issues with trust,and handling. Only lets daughter on
Been OK for last 12 months,few spaz moments on floor
started jumping very slowly....gets excited..and pulls to jump...kept going back to basics.
Started well this year at local show,and was enjoying himself
Last few times stared to bolt..big time. she struggled to turn him...Back to basics.. tonight jumps and bloody nightmare.
Daughter getting lost for ideas
Has anyone had this problem.
 
My 4 yr old has started to get very exited when jumping, pulling like a tank and dashing off resulting in us missing two jumps completely in our last class. Using a grid of two or three jumps with placing poles school around them until the pony is settled then pop the grid and go back to scholing around them, changing direction and turning to trot past them, then once settled pop the grid again. My last schooling session didnt look like a re run of the grand national using this method and she's now feeling a,lot more relaxed around jumps.
 
Smossy try posting this in Comp riders, may get more replies?
What did Weet do tonight then? I take it L has tried circling before a fence until calm, stopping before and after the fence etc? Must admit tried lots with Pig but only really improved when his flat work improved though don't think he ever as bad as Weet?
 
Tried poles and grids, he jumps them as a spread,scarey to watch. Will try again,he is a very late starter prehaps going through a late teenage spaz ...still
Thanks for advise back to grids, may suggests she lunges over trotting poles first.
Hi pidge yes having on floor spaz wile being ridden, L getting P off now.Mind hes come on since we first had him,bless :) So not jumping him Sunday,Doms day out instead. Will post on other bit. Thanks
 
Oh dear :( has she schooled him round the jumps and not jumped any? Is she doing anything else with him Sunday?
What bit he in know?
 
Tyr getting his back checked. One of mine started bolting off after the jump for no apparent reason having been fine before. Turned out that her back and one hock was giving her pain. As she pushed off to jump it hurt so she ran away from the pain afterward. Lovely lass kept jumping anyway. Didn't I feel like a bad mummy!
 
Is he just going fast, or actually 'bolting'? My lad used to bolt after jumps randomly, some fine, others he'd take the p*** big time and just sod off, wouldn't do anything and used to go so fast he used to come close to falling over (this is after the jump!) Luckily, there was nothing wrong with him - stuck him in a pelham and he realised he couldn't sod off anymore, so stopped even trying.
From what you've said though, he sounds either nervous or very, very excitable, or in pain... Have you tried lunging over poles/jumps? planks might be better, as they wont roll like poles, so I'd keep him going over them until he stopped trying to jump them and started treating them like trotting poles. Then add in a jump. Then do it ridden.... Good luck anyway (:
 
Also agree with getting his back checked pronto AND his saddle. My extremely honest horse started not-bolting but just shooting off a bit on landing after a jump which was VERY unlike him, I worked out his saddle had stopped fitting and back man found he had a trapped nerve in his wither because of it! Felt dreadful but saddle & back fixed now and he's back to his old self.
 
Is he actually bolting or is he tanking off? Proper bolting (no brakes, no steering, will run straight through a fence) is an extreme response to pain or fear and will take very experienced help (medical checks and then retraining afterwards) to make the pony safe to ride.

Tanking off due to excitement or naughtieness is a different thing. Try not to be harsh with him as this would be a case of too much enthusiasm. Instead, get him used to jumping at home in a calm environment: schooling with poles on the floor and a little cross pole can really help. Like a normal flatwork session with the occasional 'pop' thrown in, then back to keeping his mind occupied with the flatwork.

If he jumps grids as spreads this will also have to be sorted if daughter wants to take him out jumping! Start with two poles on the ground on the longside or diagonal at least 6 horse's strides apart so there is no possbility he can jump them both. Eventually raise the second pole to a small jump, then the first, so you have a related distance. If he is going to fast then you also have space to alternate - sometimes jumping only one jump and sometimes both - so that he can't anticipate.

Note - never use just two poles close together as the inevitable will happen!
 
Thanks for your help and advise, he takes off and she had to pull him up at top of field,he had been schooled around jumps and seemed to stop being silly at one point, think back to basics,and back check first, think just very excited and looses the plot a bit.
I though lunging over poles first,least can control that and work up again,

Will phone back lady, he was checked not so long ago,but bet they have been messing around in field.

Thanks again for the help.:D
 
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