Tanking/bolting incident - wwyd?

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Tirna

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Quick background, had my 6 yo old Connemara X for 5 months now, lovely boy, good to hack alone although could get very strong in company and would try to tank. I swapped from a single jointed snaffle to an NS universal lozenge and did LOTS of schooling (on snaffle ring) to get him listening more to my aids, lots of collection extension etc in trot/canter. Did the same exercise hacking alone and felt confident that we had more control so reintroduced hacking in company, starting slowly with walks/trots. Over the past few weeks moved onto canter, I put an extra rein on the bottom ring on the Universal just in case, but never needed to use it so all was going well until....

Two weeks ago, three of us had been out for two hours, all impecably behaved. We were walking across the last field before home and some birds flew out of the grass, my friend's horse spooked and my boy shot off in a flat out gallop. I tried to circle, tried bridging my reins, tried heaving on the bottom rein all to no avail, he was still at a gallop when we reached the track toward the yard and only came to a sliding halt when we reached the yard gate. I made him turn around, go back to the others and walk across the field and put the incident down to a spook. I schooled him the day after and he was fine, hacked him alone and then in company again with no problems at all.

I'd begun to regain confidence in him and hoped that the incident was a one off, then we had another yesterday :-( Again, he'd been perfectly behaved, we'd had a couple of trots and canters with no issues. We discovered a new stretch of decent ground and decided to have a little canter, we set off and my friend's horse put in a tiny buck and my boy shot off again. I tried everything to stop him but he just set his neck and ignored me, we got towards the end of the field and I tried to turn a circle, instead he went through a ditch (not sure how he didnt go down) and set off up a gravel path, we only eventually stopped when I managed to grab one rein and turn him into a bush. He was thankfully uninjured, but quite obviously I cant risk another incident like this happening otherwise one or both of us will end up getting seriously hurt.

Im not sure where to go from here, i've tried addressing the issue with schooling and he's greatly improved in terms of listening and collecting in the school. I can canter him both alone and in company on a hack with no problems at all, but quite obviously he has it in him to tank off. Our local hunt does a children's/beginners meet around Xmas which i'd hoped to take part in but there's obviously no way i'd risk anything like that until we get the tanking under control. Would people suggest a stronger bit than the Universal (maybe a wilkie?) Or should I just go back to schooling and stick to walk hacks alone for a while to keep things calm and try to reduce the risk of anything 'exciting' that'd set him off? He's not at all spooky in himself, I think he more reacts to other horses.

Thanks to anybody who got this far!!

Edited to add: I meant waterford not wilkie as potential bit.
 
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Mmm hard one I defiantly would not be hacking again without more breaks perhaps a American gag and a controller noseband but if he's turely bolting more bitting might not help much .
But really is it worth the risk .
Odd behaviour ,it's hard to advise without seeing the horse .
But it could end in serious injury for you the horse and a third party .
 
If he stopped at the yard gate, I'd be inclined to think he is knowing what he is doing, and not blind bolting, even heading for the yard is thought.

Have you tried a one rein stop? Or using each rein one at a time? ( not a nice move but if it prevents danger and he listens.. ) You will never be stronger than him, so don't give him something to set his neck against.

You want to get it out of his head as an option, so you need something that will make him sit up and listen. Schooling is of course the best option, but if you are confident that is all in place, and he is not in pain, I'd be inclined to do as said above and try something a bit stronger.


I wouldn't usually recommend a strong bit to solve a problem, but if you have done everything else, then it might be an option ( to be used only as an emergency handbrake so to speak). A decent curb bit , gag or german hackamore, would hopefully only need to be used once, enough for you to tell him that he must stop when you ask.

Good luck, I know how you feel, it's not pleasant. Unfortunately I couldn't stay on the one who tanked with me, so didn't get the options of trying to stop him.
 
Do you think it's panic, it's odd that it he is so good in everything other respect, mind you connie's are pretty bl..dy minded, once they've made their mind up it's hard to have an impact!

I might try hacking out with a different horse to see if it's the same, there maybe something about your friends horse that is giving him vibes making him either over excited or anxious and he is still very young and learning. Also as he is 6 (& I own a conne x tb, have done for the last 12yrs, it's been interesting, he was a very tricky 5-6yr old!) it is an age where they push their luck a bit. You need a seat strong enough to stop him before he starts, do you get any warning signs, i.e., movement of ears, head twist, fixing his jaw that gives you a milisecond warning? Mine can go straight through the bridle and the key with him is to get his neck bent in the second before he leaps forward, timing is everything. I might also wonder if he has some soreness somewhere and when he tenses it hurts and make him feel he needs to run (as was the case with mine!).

Finally I agree with Goldenstar, safety first, I definitely might plan my environment carefully going forwards, the common denominator seems to be the other horse setting him off both times. Have you tried seeing how he behaves when another horse canters away from him, after my horse did a similar thing to me and then emergency stopped from a flat out gallop when he met the donkey, I did a lot of making him walk and got my friends to trot and canter away from us whilst he was asked to go from walk to halt and then walk. A few paces of trot and a sharp request for walk etc etc. It may not work but I think he needs to get used to not doing the same thing as his companion horse and not relying on him to take the lead.
 
When he tanks off, how were you riding him before it happened? Was he on the buckle end with you having a chat (ie, not got your full attention on him)? It sounds like you've improved his schooling a lot so I would continue that out hacking. I'd make sure he was on the aids, round, and you had control all of the time on a hack. Do you keep him on a contact out hacking? If not then he has every opportunity to bog off if he chooses to. If you keep him on a contact and keep schooling him, you will stand a better chance (I think) of getting hold of him again, or stopping him from going in the first place.
You said you managed to stop him last time by taking hold of one rein and yanking him into a bush - I would do the one rein thing immediately next time and TBH I wouldn't care how harsh it seemed either. You also said you managed to get hold of one rein, which suggests to me maybe you don't have a contact while hacking on the first place, or you're losing your reins when he bogs off? Am not meaning to sound harsh, just to find out exactly what's going on.

As BethH says above - do you get any warning signs?

What noseband do you use?

You said he freaked at your friend's horse bucking. Where was he in relation to that horse - alongside? What happens if you canter in front rather than alongside or behind?
 
Thank you all very much for the great feedback. Im inclined to agree that it's not a true 'bolt' given he did stop at the gate (he's got a fantastic leap so could have easily cleared it..... or gone through it) and also both times he was set off by another horse rather than being afraid of something in himself and bolting through fear. He's always been very strong and keen in company and loves a good hoon around the field when he's turned with his pals so I think he's maybe using any excuse for a good flat out gallop.

I have to admit that the first time it happened I had a pretty loose rein given we were so close to home and cooling off, so I maybe missed that split second opporunity to grab him before he set off. I did have a good contact yesterday, but again, given he was being so good, I maybe wasnt as prepared as I could have been so will make sure I have a stronger seat and remain on 'full alert' going forwards!

I took him to a farm ride a few weeks back and he did try and nap towards the others if they cantered off, although I was able to circle him away and stay in control. It's great advice to do more of this, i'll take him in a contained field and ask my friends to trot away to get him more used to it in a safer environment. As suggested, I certainly wont be going out again without a stronger bit as a backup, there's thankfully lots of people on my yard who'd let me try theirs.
 
Cross posted there chestnut cob. As above, he was on a loose rein the 1st time it happened as we were almost home he'd shown no signs of being strong in the weeks leading up to it. I certainly wouldnt be hacking on the buckle now that he's taken to tanking off. Not taken as harsh regarding the one rein comment, I probably didnt explain well. I meant I initially tried leaning back and bridging my reins to try and stop him, but once this tactic failed I grabbed one side of the rein as close to the bit as possible to turn him sideways into the bush. I agree that I would need to do this sooner if were ever to happen again. In general, I dont hack him on a loose rein, and I always make sure he's listening to me and in a contact through transitions, but I have to admit that I dont make him maintain the contact whilst we're walking, so i'll take this on board.

He's much better behaved cantering in front, he's strong behind but until these two incidents i've been able to hold him by keeping him in a contact. When my friend's horse bucked she was just to the side of us, the same as when the other horse spooked and set him off.

I currently have him in a crank noseband, no flash, do you think a flash or grackle may help?
 
I think as long as he isn't actually bolting, this shouldn't be difficult to fix but you have to do a little more than just keeping him in a contact and staying alert - actually school him. Get him to do shoulder-in or leg yields. He'll be a lot less inclined to tank off in the first place but you'll also have him in a position where you can throw him off-balance if he takes off with your leg and weight instead of relying on the bridle. You said you couldn't turn him that first time but if you were using the reins alone, that's not that surprising.
 
I agree with the general consensus that this is a naughty behaviour, knowing he can get away with it, even if he is being wound up by the other horse. You can practice the one rein stop in the school, on both reins, practice at every marker/every other marker until you only have to shift your weight for him to realise what you are asking.

Connemaras are well known for being clever, and maybe he IS looking forward to a good gallop, and I think the use of something stronger bit wise would be a good idea. You really have to get thinking about this, before it becomes a habit.
 
Ive had similar to this, had I stayed on I am quite sure I’d have been tanked home but the little swine bronked me off after a few strides and went home alone. My confidence was pretty shattered and it has taken a long time to work through and unpick this.

This is what happened. young horse similar age to yours , never put a foot wrong - i was blase, not paying attention one day out hacking and so was completely taken by surprise. Afterwards I was adamant there had been no warning however I now know I missed the signs as they were very subtle. Unfortunately, and I believe the same applies to you, my horse got away with it the first time and so kept trying to do the same. I could just tell my a very subtle feel about him that he was looking for an excuse to spook at something or react to something and do the same. It got so bad that as soon as I was in trot or canter the change of pace would bring it on. This was all napping I realised. For months I’m afraid all I did was hack out in walk, with a contact and keeping him working; flexing, halting and walking on ,lateral work, walking round the same route and then turning and going back again, up and down the same stretch of path. In walk I was able to feel better what he was thinking and was in a better position to block a stop the attempted ‘abort mission’ tactics. For example the minute I felt the shoulder fall in I was on my guard, hands carried high and a short rein as I knew he was about to explode and try to tank away. On the occasions he did, he never got very far because we were in walk and because I gave him a severe talking to and immediate 1 rein stop and made him circle.

If I were you I would consider the same before changing bits / gadgets etc as this is about getting inside the psychology of why he is doing it and you proving to him that he can’t. Only hack out with someone with a good nanny horse who is willing to stick to your pace for now.

I also have to say that with my horse he is a clever little sod and will go months and months with no sign of this now and then suddenly will test the boundaries again and despite people seeing him being a complete saint most of the time I would never put a nervous or weak rider on him as I firmly believe that these types are unforgiving and sniff out a weakness and look to test it.

Good luck!
 
Sounds to me like he is using a good opportunity for a hoon! When 2 of my current connies were 4 yr olds and my kids were 13 and 11 and very small on them, husband took them for a hack in the woods with their little brother). it was thick pea soup fog and for some reason he let them canter in front of him back towards home. One ran into the back of the other which made it buck and then they both raced off in a very enjoyable gallop all the way home for about a mile and a half...... neither have done it since and one has turned into the most perfect hunting pony and it quite happy to politely shut gates whilst the rest of the field gallops off, and the other has turned into a fab PC Polo pony and my small son has no problem at all with brakes. My own connie is inclined to go like a snow plough and can be very strong so he either gets ridden in a NS universal with grakle, or a Waterford gag or Pelham with 2 reins if we are hunting. I agree that the one rein stop is useful (I do sometimes have to be a bit agricultural to remind my horse of his manners!) as connies are clever enough to know when they can and cant get away with things. I am sure you can nip it in the bud, but you will probably have to be "on his case" for a while. I personally wouldn't let him go along on the buckle until you know you can quickly get him back again if required!
 
Thanks everyone! Im a little relieved that the general concensus seems to be that as i'd hoped, he's tanking rather than bolting. That said, I realise that I do need to get this nipped in the bud asap to stop this from becoming a very dangerous regular occurance. I've probably made him sound like a monster but he's an absolute gem of a horse on the ground and in the school (and 90% of the time out hacking....), so im determined to get this sorted. It sounds like lots of schooling on a hack and getting him listening is the way forwards, along with the other good suggestions. Im going to google one rein stops right now...
 
I meant I initially tried leaning back and bridging my reins to try and stop him,
Read more at http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/foru...ing-bolting-incident-wwyd#plHeVdVlEGfiKsz8.99

I cannot see how you can lean back and bridge your reins, to benefit from bridging you need to be forward so the reins are on the horses neck and he is pulling against himself to do this effectively, as jockeys, work riders do, you need to have your weight off of the saddle, sitting deep is rarely helpful once they get going as your weight is tending to continue to push them faster, once they have actually got going get your weight forward and brace/ bridge the reins, then use one rein to pull up, or alternate ones but not in a rhythmical way, if you can pull up before they get a run on then it is obviously better and you can stay back for that initial effort.

He sounds to me as if he has a panic button that puts him into flight mode, some general desensitising to sudden movement, other horses taking off past him, in a planned controlled way in the school but unexpected by him, while he is working, would probably really help him to react less and you learn how to deal with it in a safer environment, a few minor take offs in the school where he does not really get away and comes back to you to continue working could be enough to settle him down, he sounds super in every other way.
 
be positive said:
I meant I initially tried leaning back and bridging my reins to try and stop him,
Read more at http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/foru...ing-bolting-incident-wwyd#plHeVdVlEGfiKsz8.99

I cannot see how you can lean back and bridge your reins, to benefit from bridging you need to be forward so the reins are on the horses neck and he is pulling against himself to do this effectively, as jockeys, work riders do, you need to have your weight off of the saddle, sitting deep is rarely helpful once they get going as your weight is tending to continue to push them faster, once they have actually got going get your weight forward and brace/ bridge the reins, then use one rein to pull up, or alternate ones but not in a rhythmical way, if you can pull up before they get a run on then it is obviously better and you can stay back for that initial effort.

He sounds to me as if he has a panic button that puts him into flight mode, some general desensitising to sudden movement, other horses taking off past him, in a planned controlled way in the school but unexpected by him, while he is working, would probably really help him to react less and you learn how to deal with it in a safer environment, a few minor take offs in the school where he does not really get away and comes back to you to continue working could be enough to settle him down, he sounds super in every other way.
Click to expand...

I can see your point regarding the bridging, once he'd fully set of i'd have been better being in a more forwards position. I think in the blind panic, a lot of my common sense went out of the window! I'll certainly bear that in mind if it did happen again, although i'm very much hoping that it wont come to that.

I agree that it seems to be others setting him off, I like your idea of the exercises in the school. I could easily incorporate that with having them canter away from him without letting him follow/nap towards them. Thanks!
 
I had a horse who would do that and tank when he wanted to. I faffed for ages trying to sort it and then changed instructors. New lady was really lovely and very dressage focused. She watched me for about 10 minutes and then told me my horse was taking control, it was dangerous and stuck him in a Pelham. She also told me the next time he went to tank off to give him one almighty tug and then release. It was harsh and it worked. Horse got the biggest surprise of his life but was stopped. He always was strong but I ended up being able to school safely again in a snaffle, French link for SJ and Pelham for XC.
 
Dick Stilwell taught me this method and said it would stop even a fully bolting horse, I can vouch for it when a 16.1hh holsteiner bolted with me after jumping into an electric fence ( some workmen at the farm thought it was fun to turn a field waterer on whilst I was riding past! - no idea it could cause such an accident) , Put your hands about one foot behind the bit both sides , stand up in you stirrups and pull the horse's head sharply up until it is facing the sky, repeat three times with all your strength, the horse should jolt to a stop. If necessary repeat but you shouldn't have to. My horse also used to try broncing the rider off , and it cured that too. I was bolting flat out straight at a main road so used every ounce of my eleven stone but it stopped the horse and cured all its naughty behaviour. The £40 for the lesson with Dick Stilwell was the best £40 I spent in my life.
 
Do you use a curb strap with the universal? It might not solve the problem but can stop them over rotating and you just getting to a point where you are pulling on lips and poll and not much else. Lots of other good advice here though. I have known one that just used to run off for the fun of it some days if she could find an excuse...
 
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