Spinning and bolting

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nc512

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I have a six year old dutch warmblood who is normally lovely, I ride him in a snaffle and he is never strong. Recently when we have been hacking out he as started spinning around, and even more recently spinning around and taking off. Im now really nervous to take him out as he will do it at the smallest of things, I was wondering if there is anything I can do?
 
Is it possible this is a pain reaction? I am suggesting this because you say that he has never done it before. My horse used to be like that and it turned out to be back pain.

If the usual suspects (back, saddle, teeth) are all OK maybe try a martingale and see if that gives you a bit more control or a stronger bit so that you can teach him that the spinning and taking off is not OK. It can be really tough to deal with this kind of behaviour and if it's scaring you maybe ask a professional to assess him and do some work with him to get him over this phase?

Also, it might be worth cutting down his hard feed, turning him out for longer and giving him more work overall.
 
If you are now nervous he has got the better of you unfortunately,he has learnt to nap quite badly and running off afterwards means he has won in his eyes!Do you hack out with others??if no,then try this,but,you need to be able to feel the spin coming on and correct it before he can do it,if he has unerved you in this way,is there not anybody on the yard or who you know that could help you with this!!
I wouldnt reccommend you trying to sort it as you are nervous already!
I ride my lad in spurs when hacking as roads are a dangerous place...in general he is a saint,but as all do he will spook,however i am quick to react,he is made to shoulder in and he meets spur and jumps away from traffic
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How fast does his spinning turn into running for home/bolting? Because I've known horses that nap, want to run for home, but who when they attempt to do so, I just keep spinning. Hell, if they was to spin, I spin them, and I keep on doing so until they don't want to, and then I spin some more.
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then when they don't even know which way is home, THEN I ask them to walk forward.
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However, if this horse is truly bolting (acting in a blind panic) then I appreciate this is pretty impossible.
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Definetly get the usual checked out back teeth etc, also is there someone who could walk out with you on foot? help your confidence up? also as others have said hacking out with another horse. try small hacks to build up your confidence say 5 mins and be determined not to let him bolt with you, easier than it shoulds but if each time it goes ok keep building it up. Nothing worse loosing your confidence out hacking but good thing is you can always go back to the confindes of the school!
 
Thank you for all your advice, I think I am going to try him on a stronger bit for hacking out so that if he does spin and then take off he will only manage a few strides. I don't think there is any problem with his back or teeth or anything as he is perfect when being schooled and when jumping. I think spinning is his reaction when scared, he is quite new here and I dont think he has been hacked out much before, but its just the taking off after that I dont like. Hopefully I can learn to predict when he is going to spin and I am also going to try the tip of keeping spinning him.
 
Once your confidence is shattered, I would imagine the problem become exasperated.

I would recommend you get some outside help to work you and your lad through this. Does he only do this when hacking alone? What's he like in company?

I see you're a Grey's Anatomy fan. Me too!
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Is there a steady nanny horse available to bolster his confidence? Might help if it is the case that he is being a wuss!

Outside help might be a good idea, a fresh pair of eyes might help. If you are tense and waiting for him to spin, then he will pick up on that and it will make him even more tense, more likely to overreact to things, so you get more tense, and it becomes a vicious circle... Someone watching might be able to pick up on what you are doing, if you are stiff, or not breathing (been there, done that, turned blue!)....

I tend to hack along singing if I feel myself tensing up as it is hard to not breathe when you have to get through a chorus!
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I hack him out with my sisters horse who is pretty calm. Yesterday we took him out with three other horses, all who are very steady and he did it again upsetting the other horses, if I take him out on his own he spins more than he normally would but I think thats because im feeling nervous and waiting for him to do it, so like you said it is a downwards circle, as he is quite young he really becomes nervous if im nervous. I am getting help from a guy a my yard, and also my sister (who is a very strong rider) is going to hack him out sometimes as well. Its just very strange because he didnt do this when i first got him, its only recently that he has started to devlop this reaction to things he dosnt like. I wonder why?
 
p.s.

A friend of mine did actually tell me that she knew someone who had quite a nervous horse and the person sang to her horse when out on hacks as it reall calmed him down...maybe I should try this haha.
 
It does work, though if you meet people they might think you are a touch mad...
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I used to hack a young horse out round a farm that had gamebirds everywhere... they kept jumping out on him and giving him heart attacks (and me cos they always made me jump just as much
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!) and singing helped us both to relax after the evil killer birds had scared us! I think it's because you have to breathe and relax to sing, I find I tense up without realising it so singing helps overcome that.
 
I would be tempted to check back/saddle/teeth as if he is in pain he may put up with it in a familiar situation (school) or when doing something he really enjoys (jumping) but it may blow his mind when he is faced with something scary, that is, on hacks the pain and fear may all be too much.

At least then you''ll know he is physically OK and you can ask the person who helps you or your sister to sort him out.

Good luck
 
I have a Belgian Warmblood who does just the same! he came to me in a snaffle but I now ride him in a Pelham with roundings.
I discovered that he will tend to look at something a split second before he acts his head comes up so I now open both reins quite wide and can block him which ever way he goes, he is VERY quick and will try left,right in quick succesion but when he finds he can't go will give up and lately,touch wood! he has not even tried. Good luck!
 
Josie used to do exactly this with me. It took a few goes until I realised she'd puff out slightly before spinning. So now when she does, sit deep and kick with all your might, but most importantly think forward!

I realised I was more doing a let her spin and I'll sort it out afterwards?

If you get the spin but no bolting, always turn him round the way he came, so not a ful circle but back the other way.

Josie does still spook, and nap, but spinning just isn't in her thought process anymore.

I am not a confident rider either, so if I can do it, anyone can.

LEG LEG LEG!!! lol
 
If, when you have had all the checks done, there are no problems found, I can recommend a PeeWee bit for this problem. I got one after my Clydesdale, who was given to spinning, took off with me (only at a trot but I couldn't stop her) when she was frightened by some colts running in the field alongside us. It worked a treat and I have just ordered a second one for my IDx, who can be nappy without it when leaving home. I was trying to find something more conventional but have decided that 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it', so although the first one is past its best and not dressage legal, I am replacing it with another the same.
 
I think he's being nappy. My horse can be like this too. He was fine for the first 5-6 weeks & then he started. I think they start it when 'they have their feet under the table' as it were & are beginning to think that they may have the upper hand.
 
Its nice to know that other people have had similar problems, he is such a nice natured horse so I dont think it is him being nasty, I think he maybe is just thinking he has the upper hand slightly. I think trying a stronger bit and also really trying to anticipate him spinning, so that eventually he will get it out of his system!
 
i had a pony in training with me that did this. i worked with him loads on the ground to build his confidence then put bags and scary things around the arena and worked him around them. once i felt that he trusted me and had learnt how to behave when he was scared of something i took him out with an experienced horse. i have to go straiht out on to a busy main road and he was a star. i then took him out on his own and the worst he did was stop when he was scared. his owner now hacks him out wherever she wants. stronger bits wont solve lhe problem just cover it up.
 
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