PLEASE HELP why is my normally laid back gelding bolting round the school yesterday ?

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emma001

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I'm wondering if anyone can help me. Over the winter months this year my horse has been a bit fresher than usuall which is understandable as he's getting feed twice a day one if which is given after him being ridden and the othe being fed in the morning by the farm. Ontop of that he only gets ridden about 4 times a week at the moment but he has never acted as strange as he did yesterday which concern me deeply. Yesterday I went out for a hack while he was fresh which normally isn't a problem and he was spooking at things he doesn't normally spook at like a tiny bird flew out in the distance which didn't even make a sound. And so decided to take him in the school. This is when it got worse. He felt his usuall self until he bolted of after seeing a horse. Since he galloped and by bucked i thought oh well he will be ready for a canter then. So I went of into canter and he galloped round the school and threw in a couple of bucks which he has NEVER done, not even last year. He done this every time we went into canter even on the other rein. I decided just to trot him round and he turned around sharply and galloped away round the school and then got out the gate that was left open and stopped outside after that he did t want to go in the school again and he felt like he was about to gallop of again. So I had to get a friends horse in so I could have one last walk around to leave on a good note. I can't stress enough that he is never like this he's normally quite laid back and chilled but not lazy

Also a couple if weeks ago I fell off and he fell at the corner and has a few scrapes but also slit the bulb of his foot. I have been cleaning them everyday and he had a few days of just encase. He felt fine and wasn't at all fresh that week so wondering why he was yesterday?

Please help
 
Well I just feed him healthy hooves not sure what farm give him but they say they adjust it to the horse but I was thinking that too. He has had his saddle checked a couple of weeks ago so wonder if its is teeth because when I'm about to put his bit in he twists his head a bit if u know what I mean ?
 
I think any real sudden change in behaviour (once you've ruled out a change in significant feed or duration of turnout) then you should be exploring the pain route
 
If nothing else like turnout has changed then its either pain, first thing I'd check is teeth & get your farrier to look at the foot. Second thought is that since he fell either he's scared himself a bit, or your riding has changed, whether physically or you are sub-consciously tense. Or it could be all 3, in which case an instructor to see what's happening is the next step.
 
If he fell over he could have pulled or tweaked something in his back (or anywhere else for that matter) which might be causing him some discomfort so I also agree about checking if its pain related. If pain is ruled out then I'd just take things steady and at his pace, staying in his comfort zone for a few days then slowly and gradually going further out of it. You might find it doesn't take much once he settles into you again and remembers. Hope he gets sorted for you :)
 
You'd have to be reasonably certain it was that first, what happened to cause you to come off? Cos that could have been the first sign he wasn't happy. And given he's been spooky on hacks too, if its not pain then its more likely he's picking up on you being tense rather than him being tense first.
 
I agree with all the sensible and safe advice given above. I would also suggest that you mention to "the farm" that he is quite sharp and unpredictable atm, and ask what he is being fed in the morning. Any changes to anything? How is he to handle?
I hope you sort this out soon. The fall and injury to his heel probably are something to do with his current behaviour. Good luck and hugs! x
 
How is his weight? Does he get ad-lib forage? Does he really need two bucket meals a day? I would make sure that he gets as much long fibre feed as possible and as little other food as possible, for a long-term healthy horse.

But in the short-term, I suggest a back check, it is more than possible that he injured himself when he fell. Sometimes a soft-tissue injury takes a while to become noticeable. Best to give him some time off until the vet has been.
 
Do you have someone you trust who could ride him and see how he goes.

It could be as straightforward as him not having been ridden while he healed and you both being tense

It seems a bit like jumping the gun to think it's anything else than a one off event
 
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