Loose horse with long reins

[Bernster]

Lawks, been there. Traumatic at the time, my heart was in my mouth, but luckily no harm down and we have managed to get him calm and sorted enough that he now lunges and long lines well. It was also partly him being unsettled in a new home.

In the early days with Bertie my ins got me to lunge him but warned me to keep the line up as he had a tendency to drop his head. So obv, cos I’m cack handed, he ended up stepping over the line, I dropped it and off he went belting around the school with this long snake chasing after him. I had visions of him jumping out and landing on the concrete But he just walloped around at top speed for a few circuits. I was so worried he‘d colic but we sorted him out ok. Ins did some work with him with the line the following day to make sure we hadn’t traumatised him!

Horrible at the time but we’re not perfect. We just do the best we can, try to avoid these situations, and learn how to cope when they do arise. None of us is perfect!

 

[Annagain]

I think one moment of hijinks doesn't necessarily mean he's going to do it again. We're not talking full on bolt here, more a bit of a bog off that ended well and fairly swiftly. I'm sure Birker only told the story as a bit of a hairy-but-all's-well-that-ends-well anecdote. We've all been there with things not quite going to plan. Birker, maybe a session in the school would be wise as a first step but I wouldn't be overly concerned about going around the yard as long as the entrance gates are closed and there's not lots of machinery or other obstacles for a line to get caught on.

 

[Cortez]

I used to work alongside a trainer of roping horses (in the US), one of his exercises was to deliberately set horses loose with all kinds of trailing ropes so they could get used to and figure out things trailing after them. Horses can get used to anything if we give them time.

 

[Auslander]

I used to work alongside a trainer of roping horses (in the US), one of his exercises was to deliberately set horses loose with all kinds of trailing ropes so they could get used to and figure out things trailing after them. Horses can get used to anything if we give them time.

I have a policy that if they spook at it, they have to learn to deal with it. Alf spent a couple of weeks trailing a lunge line in the school a few years back, until he shut up about it (He also ate every feed off a Spiderman balloon for a week, but that's another story!)

I don't like long lining - you're far too close to the kicky end for my liking, and you're a bit buggered if they take it upon themselves to liven up proceedings. I use double lines for lunging, but leave the driving to the experts!

 

[[153312]]

I used to work alongside a trainer of roping horses (in the US), one of his exercises was to deliberately set horses loose with all kinds of trailing ropes so they could get used to and figure out things trailing after them. Horses can get used to anything if we give them time.

Done that with Diva after an 'incident' with dropped longreins and a broncing mare ..... Fixed by ending lunge sessions with me deliberately dropping the line whilst she was stood until she no longer flinched, then progressing to saying 'walk on' and getting her to move with it in various gaits.

 

[Marigold4]

I used to work alongside a trainer of roping horses (in the US), one of his exercises was to deliberately set horses loose with all kinds of trailing ropes so they could get used to and figure out things trailing after them. Horses can get used to anything if we give them time.

I do this. I let them wander round a small paddock with long trailing lead ropes. It's excellent de-sensitisation for them and as they are in with another horse, they don't panic.

 

[Birker2020]

I think one moment of hijinks doesn't necessarily mean he's going to do it again. We're not talking full on bolt here, more a bit of a bog off that ended well and fairly swiftly. I'm sure Birker only told the story as a bit of a hairy-but-all's-well-that-ends-well anecdote. We've all been there with things not quite going to plan. Birker, maybe a session in the school would be wise as a first step but I wouldn't be overly concerned about going around the yard as long as the entrance gates are closed and there's not lots of machinery or other obstacles for a line to get caught on.

Aw thanks Annagain for bringing a bit of perspective to the thread. Yes it was a anecdote to tell because we are not all perfect and sometimes 'things happen' and I don't just share the 'how good am I?' posts with people, I also share the 'oops moments' posts which we all have from time to time. Horses are horses and can be unpredictable but they certainly don't spend time wondering what is the best way to annoy their owners lol

I expected that this type of thing whereby a long reined horse gets loose happens to a lot of people and the replies to my post certainly supports this. I feel 100% certain he will not try to take off around the buildings outside the school, he hasn't all the times I've long reined him round there over the past four or five weeks anyhow. it was only a one off because a horse suddenly started galloping in a field by the menage and he couldn't contain his excitement. The gates to the yard are always shut and given that he was a total twit about going out the gates way back six weeks when I rode him and he didn't feel 'safe' going out of the confines of the yard by himself he is very unlikely to want to go in that direction!

It certainly doesn't worry me that he will do this again, you could say that about anything. If a horse gets loose being led are you going to constantly worry that the same thing will happen again? Its just one of those things. Unfortunate but nothing to get het up about or dwell on for the next 10 years.