My horse always bolts after jumps! Advice needed please!

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twinkleandtommy1999

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hi guys,
thanks so much for looking at this thread. Anyway Iam 11 and my horse is called Tommy he is a
14.hh, grey, Connemara Gelding. He does bolt in open spaces and sometimes very rarely in the arena. I have only had him for about six/seven months and I get quite scared when jumping. Most if the time if I come at a trot he is ok, but then as soon as I come at a canter he speeds up before then bolts after the jump! Any advice on why he does this or ways to help needed! Thanks so much! xx:):)
 
An instructor would be ideal for this. It sounds like tanking for the fun of it rather than bolting. If you're worried, a good instructor will give you some confidence and tips to regain control after the jump.

Are you tipping forward after landing or coming out of the saddle trying to slow down? I find that really sitting deep after the jump so you are very secure in the saddle helps you feel better and reminds the horse that you're there, while asking the horse to slow.

Ime this is a perfect scenario for someone on the ground to give you tips; it may well be a very easy fix!
 
From your description I doubt he is bolting (running blindly without stopping for anything), more just tanking off with you a bit. I suspect he is picking up on your nerves when jumping, he may be a bit nervous himself as nervous horses often rush to get it over with. Do you have lessons?

A useful exercise can be to put a pole or a set of wings a few strides after a small fence and halt at the pole or between the wings. Concentrate on stopping there, don't worry about the fence. You could even do a few strides of rein back afterwards if you and Tommy can do that easily. After doing this a few times hopefully Tommy will start to anticipate stopping after the fence so shouldn't try and tank off.
 
laura_nash said:
From your description I doubt he is bolting (running blindly without stopping for anything), more just tanking off with you a bit. I suspect he is picking up on your nerves when jumping, he may be a bit nervous himself as nervous horses often rush to get it over with. Do you have lessons?

A useful exercise can be to put a pole or a set of wings a few strides after a small fence and halt at the pole or between the wings. Concentrate on stopping there, don't worry about the fence. You could even do a few strides of rein back afterwards if you and Tommy can do that easily. After doing this a few times hopefully Tommy will start to anticipate stopping after the fence so shouldn't try and tank off.
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^^ Agree with this.
 
There are a variety of reasons why this is happening & I would suggest that your best course of action at your age would be to get an instructor involved. They will be able to properly assess your issues & sort the matter out safely for you.
 
Due to your age I would say this is a problem for your instuctor to help you with, not strangers on a forum! :)

My mare does it and has done it in the arena.. the only way I stopped her the first time was to run her into a gate.. and nearly squishing a dog at the same time and the second time my instructor stood infront of the jump but to the side and when she tried to bolt past he grabbed the rein to stop her, third time he simply stood in front of the jump and she jumped it then stopped.. he likes to test this with all new horses that come to him.. I still wonder how he hasn't died yet. :rolleyes:
 
I would also rule out a possible pain issue. It could be that landing after a jump jolts his back. I would speak to your parents about possibly getting the vet out to check him over. Also get the saddler out to check the fit of his saddle.
 
What does the instructor say? My mare is very sensitive to the reins flapping (if I overly push my hands forward for instance) and this will cause her to increase speed and throw her head up. Get someone to video your lesson with the instructor, side on. Slow the video down and assess what happens as you go over the jump. That's how I worked out what was doing it with my mare.
 
Wagtail said:
I would also rule out a possible pain issue. It could be that landing after a jump jolts his back. I would speak to your parents about possibly getting the vet out to check him over. Also get the saddler out to check the fit of his saddle.
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This. Last horse I rode with this issue had ligament damage in both back legs, took a while to diagnose as he appeared sound and showing back pain as a symptom of the legs
 
hi guys, just wanted to say thanks so much for all of your advice. My instructor yesterday got n him and jumped him first and he was fine. I then got on him and he was an absolute star! maybe just because I had seen him jump fine with my teacher and I knew that he could do it. I jumped a course in canter and I think I really pushed him forward which helped. thanks again guys for all of your helpful advice. will try and post a picture later.
:);)
 
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