The Bolting Horse.

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Alec Swan

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Not too sure if this is the right section, but here goes!:

Firstly; being 'carted' by a horse is an entirely different thing than having a horse 'bolt', it seems to me. I've only ever witnessed a bolting horse twice and on both occasions I was close enough to the animal to witness a strange phenomenon. On both occasions the horse concerned had no apparent focus. They would both have hit a brick wall had it been in their path! The first that I saw was somehow stopped when it entered water (riderless but tacked up), it was caught calmed down and given back to its owner. It subsequently did the same thing again at a latter date and died in the process. (I've decided against further accounts!).

Secondly; I wonder what goes on in the mind of the animal. Is it panic? Is there some sort of brainstorm? Is it that once free the horse loses all sense of self preservation? We've all seen loose and escaped horses charging about, head up, ears forward and just having a bit of a yee-hah, but that's not 'bolting'.

It's interesting that those horses which bolt are always at risk of doing it again. If I owned such a horse, and if it did it once, it would never do it again whilst being ridden, and if being ridden was its only use in life, then it would most probably be put down. I know of another horse which was known to bolt and it was sold on three times without any of the the vendors mentioning a word. That's reprehensible.

The main point to this post is to ask if anyone has any insight in to what actually happens to a horse within it's thought processes and which gets in to such a 'state'. Those couple that I've watched have almost seemed to be in a trance and without the ability or wish to focus.

Alec.
 
I can't answer the question about what goes on in the horse's mind as I've never witnessed it, thankfully. I do get annoyed though when people describe a horse as "bolting" when in fact it just took off. I've heard the comment before... "he bolted with me". Really? How far did he go? "Oh, he spun around and took off back down the field". How long did it take you to stop? "a few strides maybe". Right... so he didn't bolt then, did he? He used something he saw as an excuse to spook and nap. Not bolt.
I've been carted off with plenty of times by a big strong horse but he wasn't a bolter, just strong and thought he knew best.

I think it has to be panic, when the horse is a true bolter. It must be. But what makes it lose all sense of self preservation, I don't know. Physical reason maybe, like a tumour in the brain affecting thought processes and behaviour?
 
I don't think all bolts are the same .
Just as many things cause horses to buck there are many reasons horses bolt and I also think degrees of bolting also exist .
At the top end it's a fear induced flight where the horse looses all sense of it's own safety.
At the bottom it like the bolt I experienced where while riding and leading something happened that was so unexpected and frightening that I lost the lead horse the mare I was riding tried to ' hold the line ' but could not and bolted after the other horse .
She was a strong mare a great hunter bold and brave if a little unruly but this was different to get getting strong in the hunting field she was solid nothing I did moved her neck at all it was very frightening .
After a while we joined the slip road of a dual carriage way ( was considering bailing at this point ) but here fate deal me a card and the camber of the road took her into a thicket of brambles they tangled her and broke her forward momentum at that point I drove her forward deeper into them and they trapped her dragging her onto her knees I jumped off .
She was almost sedated after that, dazed we escaped with scratches for her and a shredded set of waterproofs for me .
Happily a local farmer caught the lose horse who was also fine luck was on my side that day .
I think often pain can cause bolting .
I think it's probably an instinct from the past that horses to used in time of extreme danger to get as many of the herd out of trouble in extremity .
All sense of self preservation goes in an attempt to get some away from the danger Our mare never did it again I was a a bit put of her for a while but she was not mine she was MrGS's favourite mare because he was on on her it did not bother him ,
 
We were unfortunate to be at a show last year when a horse bolted. It was tied to a lorry, pulled back and the lorry panel came with it. Poor animal ran screaming until it ran into a metal gate and disembowelled itself. Perhaps the basic instinct to just run takes over, whatever is "chasing" it is a more immediate threat than what may be in front, after all if it had been a lion, the horse might have out run it. The other horses there definitely knew the difference between a rude yee ha and real fear.
 
We've only had one that truly bolted - 1st time at home and was only stopped by the 8ft high fence and steep embankment onto the railway line (we'd already gone over 2 sets of wire and a hedge), then at an event where he jumped a car and rope before eventually being stopped by an enormous hedge.
There was no trigger, he could be working quite happily and then just suddenly go, running blind until he could go no further, self preservation meant that I held on, these were pre-the days of wearing a BP for anything other than flat work so bailing out would have been a huge risk.
Due to there being no obvious trigger we did persuade his owner eventually to PTS, at which point he was found to have a brain tumour so there was a cause, just not a visible one poor boy.
 
There has to be a link to their natural flight mechanism, possibly something wired wrongly in there which isn't triggering the ability to perform flight, whilst still being in control. With the fight or flight being a response which is deep in the inner gubbins of the brain, and not requiring a usual throught process, like removing your hand from a burning stove, there has to be the secondary switch of "ok now we are flying, we have to control it" which bolters seem to lack.

I had a horse take off with me, spooked, span, tanked off down the arena, jumped the 5 bar gate at the end, dumping me then cantered back to his stable. Not a damned thing I could do to stop him. To me that wasn't a bolt. There was no blind panic, he was just more horse than I could handle.
 
I had an ex racer (that had been passed pillar to post before I got him) that unfortunately was a ‘bolter’. One minute calm as anything – nice relaxing ride but the next he’d be off with nothing obvious upsetting him - there was literally no stopping him!! Like you said as though in a blind state of mind and not stopping at any kind of danger! He was kept then as a field ornament but did a bit of in hand showing with him as he was such a gorgeous animal!

One day I got home to find him in a neighbours garden after what Im assuming was one of his ‘bolts’ perhaps … he’s gone down the field (as we could see from the skid marks), over a fence (fence was still up and intact), smashed through a garden shed, over another fence and off a 10ft wall – obviously killing him instantly.
I’ve always wondered if there was something ‘medically’ wrong with him to this day.
 
Really interesting question - I'd also like to know what goes on once the switch flicks.

Another who gets annoyed by people mistaking bolting and being taken off with. I have a friend who says she'll happily ride horses that bolt, cos she can always pull them up. She doesn't listen when people point out that it's probably not bolting if she can stop them in a few strides...

I've had plenty of horses take off with me (being 5' nothing and tiny doesn't help!), but only one horse bolt. Was riding him for my old RI, and took him round the woods that we rode around every day. Out of the blue, he went from 0-60, I've never been so scared in my life. We did about 3/4s of a mile 'round the woods before a very brave man leapt at him, which seemed to shock the poor horse out of it. I jumped off and just walked him round in circles until my hacking partner caught up. Stopped riding him after that and not sure what's happened to him now. Was a fantastic horse though.

It was about 3 years ago, and I don't think my confidence has ever been the same.
 
Am another who gets a bit tetchy about people describing a 'scoot' to be a bolt.
I think that once you have felt the complete blind panic of a horse/pony that will not stop until it kills itself by running into something you might not completely understand.

The moorland ponies we often had in for backing would often 'scoot' up to 20-50 yards if spooked in their early days under saddle. I would never class it as bolting.

Like others, have been on a true bolter (unluckily for me, twice over).
1st one ran for nearly 2 miles before hitting a small builders lorry side on, smashing its front end in a rather messy way. I ended up on the roof & slid over that to the floor the other side. Horse was my air-bag on initial impact. Never had done it before, and it died before vet arrived on scene.
Next one had done it with owner but only half mile before stopping into a hedge (and I mean in it, got tangled up & was cut out). Sent to me to re-hab. 4 months after re-hab started it did same, tho I chose to bail out before it smashed into a 10ft high thick walled garden wall - head on into it. The PM showed tumour on what was left of its smashed head.

Alec, I would never begin to presume as to 'what' in these fairly rare cases tho.
Tanking off or scooting off with only steering isn't a true bolt tho :(
 
I have only known 2 bolters and I sat on one of them when he did it. He was a horse that we had only had a few days and seemed sensible enough, just heavy on the hands. I lobbed him up the gallops, trotted down the stubble at the side and got 3/4 way down when a horse bounced into his backend. That was him. Gone. Flat to the mats down the gallops. I had no steering and no brakes. We swung out of the gate onto the road, hell for leather for over a mile down the road when the horse went to turn into the road for home. I slipped off (plastic saddle, plastic waterproofs, pishing rain = nay chance of gripping on!) my legs got tangled in his back legs and I brought him down on top of me. The bar steward got up a fraction of a second before me and galloped off down the main road to the dual carriageway. Luckily a guy saw him coming from the top of the bridge so he swung his pick up across the road to act as a road block. Thankfully the horse stopped. I heaved up - totally winded before I had to run another half bloomin mile! And the guy handed him to me not looking at the horse and stuttering and stammering one word - blood. I am guessing he didn't like blood lol!

Quite how we both came away with cuts and scrapes I do not know! The girth was shredded, 1/4 sheets completely trashed, saddle scratched to hell, my waterproofs were no more as was my jacket, gloves and hat silk. All in shreds. That's how hard we hit the road and slid! To this day I could not tell you if we passed any traffic on the road when he went, we could have swung out in front of a bus for all I know! I have no idea!

This horse then bolted again a week or so later with a different rider. He went in a completely different direction that he had never been in before and the only thing that slowed him down was a line of tractors going in the other direction. Something in his head must have seen them and made him slow down. When he got to a trot the girl jumped off him. This was a good mile and a half away from where he started the bolt. The jockey got on him to ride him home and the horse bolted home. The jockey tried everything - pulling, pushing, breaking jaw, ripping his mouth to shreds (trust me! When you have a bolter you will try ANYTHING to stop!) nothing worked. The horse only stopped when he realised he had passed home when he suddenly slammed the brakes on.

He was then given the summer off and restarted in the autumn. Had numerous vets and physios and the likes look at him and they could find nothing physically wrong with him. On day 3 back in work - on the farm, not on the roads, he did 15 laps of the farm before he was so tired he stopped himself. That was the last time he was ever ridden. He was given away with a water tight, fully lawyered up agreement that was never, ever to be ridden or driven. To this day he is still living the life of luxury as a companion. He was a total gent to do anything with except ride.

My mother doesn't know about this! I had only been working at the yard for 4 or 5 months and you can be darned sure I would never have been allowed back if she did at that stage lol!

The other one bolted through fear. He was a decent racehorse, went for a decent race, realised he couldn't breath and from then on in panicked and it got worse and worse. His last ever race he bolted head first into the ambulance on the way to the start. He is now a companion too with one of the lasses from the yard. He is harmless until you sit on him and he his is very obviously fear related.
 
Victoria25 said:
I had an ex racer (that had been passed pillar to post before I got him) that unfortunately was a ‘bolter’. One minute calm as anything – nice relaxing ride but the next he’d be off with nothing obvious upsetting him - there was literally no stopping him!! Like you said as though in a blind state of mind and not stopping at any kind of danger! He was kept then as a field ornament but did a bit of in hand showing with him as he was such a gorgeous animal!

One day I got home to find him in a neighbours garden after what Im assuming was one of his ‘bolts’ perhaps … he’s gone down the field (as we could see from the skid marks), over a fence (fence was still up and intact), smashed through a garden shed, over another fence and off a 10ft wall – obviously killing him instantly.
I’ve always wondered if there was something ‘medically’ wrong with him to this day.
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So sorry to read about your horse, I have seen two horses have seizures in their stables one died the other smashed the front out of her stable and was p t s, the vet said when a horse is having a seizure it is blind, out side a horse having a seizure will run until it hits some thing that makes it stop ,causing severe injury or death. Researching seizures it would seem that they are caused by an electrical discharge in the brain,that was probably the case with the first horse a known bolter no cause of death found at post mortem. Second horse had advanced Cushings so a brain tumour.
 
Cattle also bolt, they stampede - remember the cowboy films. They will run in a blind panic and jump or go through anything, only they aren't as althetic as horses, so eventually get tired and stop. But you don't want to be in the way of a paniced cow because they will go right over you.

I have been tanked off with many times, but I don't think truly bolted with. My first off lead rein pony galloped off with me back home and must have covered at least 1/2 mile but I was able to pull him up, so although I was going much faster than I wanted, and he was heading for home, I don't think that was really a full bolt.

It seems to get into a bit of a habit with some horses, as related above. I don't think there is likely to be a full investigation as who is going to put themselves at risk? A dead horse can have a PM, but from the tales of the racehorses above who bolted and then live as companions, whatever their condition, it wasn't terminal!
 
I was ran away with, could be described as a bolt. I had a tb, we didn't know he was race trained. Second time I had a bit in him (we'd been riding bitless while I sorted out his teeth - he was a bit of a rescue) he spooked as I got on and started moving off, I did the usual and asked him to stop, he started to go. I panicked a bit which made him panic and we ended up going flat out round the school with him in a complete panic.
I came off, apparently he went round a further 3 times before he slowed enough to be caught - not sure how but they got him back to his stable where he apparently was rather aggressive towards anyone who went near to try and untack him. Bearing in mind this is one of the sweetest horses I've ever come across.

He did something similar with the person who had him on loan. She spent a long time working with him, getting his confidence and re-training him. He was doing all the usual things, galloping on the beach under control, schooling etc well. When they were out hacking his saddle slipped and the loaner came off - he panicked, bolted and ran right into a catle grid. unfortunately that was the end of him :-(

With him he seemed to go into a blind panic and run - he was very head shy when I got him and terrified of whips so you can work out what he went through before he came to me. He would have similar mini moments when tied if he had any poll pressure - we ended up tying him on a similar system to stalled horses where the rope was looped through the string with a knot in the end and just pulled back through every so often so it didn't get long.

I'd agree completely about them going into a trance type thing - he would just panic and not be able to cope.

Totally agree about it being reprehensable to sell a horse without full disclosure - because of what happened I broke both ankles and have been left permanently disabled. I made the decision not to ever sit on him again (partly cause I'm not experienced enough to deal with an ex-racer) but he went out on loan so I always had control and could ensure that anyone he went to knew everything about what had happened etc.
 
Hello Alec, you have started an interesting thread! My experience of true bolters is second-hand but one of the horses was well known to me. He was a retired racing TB (early 20s by this time) and was owned by a very experienced mother and grown-up daughter. He could have his moments when he would lose the plot and refuse to go forwards but suddenly he bolted down the road with the Mother and she ended up jumping into the car-park of Mothercare. That stopped him and she quickly jumped off and led him home. He did something very like a few days later so they turned him out but he spent all his time pacing up and down by the gate. So they tried keeping him in and he just box-walked. The vet's opinion was that he had had some sort of mental breakdown. It was clear he was deeply unhappy so they chose to PTS. The other was a 4 year old warmblood dressage horse. Her owner told me that she had frequently bolted with him in the saddle, and also being led down to the field. The vet didn't believe him until one day they came to examine the horse and afterwards walked down with the owner to turn her out. Part way down she took off, blundered through several hedges until she finally got tangled up and stopped. The vet immediately recommended PTS. He thought she probably had a brain tumour. I've just remembered another one that my horsey dentist told me about. He used to take in difficult horses for re-training and this particular one threw its head up, bolted down the drive towards the road so he baled out. The horse spun round, ran back into the yard and ran straight into the side of the brick-built barn, hit a parked car, reared up the collapsed and died.

My own mare like to whizz off without warning and could go from walk to flat out gallop in a couple of strides. She wasn't bolting though, just a speed freak who loved a good run to get it out of her system. I could stop her but under no circumstances did I allow anyone to ride her anywhere than in the arena. A friend of mine, a good rider once had a go on her and after the 15th lap of the school in canter was begging me to tell her how to stop! We were both laughing but that wouldn't have been funny in open space. If you tried to get hold of her mouth she would stick her head right down and go even faster. She was actually good to stop but you had to know just how (and also how her mind worked) and it was contrary to natural instinct.
 
Reading through these interesting responses has me wondering if it may well be some sort of neurological response. I've never previously heard of a 'bolt' which starts in a paddock and from a grazing horse, and can only imagine that if there is some sort of neurological trip, then it would possibly be triggered by an event, with sudden flight progressing immediately in to a true 'bolt'. It remains true, that if a horse does it just once, then the animals future should be in question. It always seems that re-offending is highly likely at best, and at worst guaranteed.

Alec.
 
Alec Swan said:
Reading through these interesting responses has me wondering if it may well be some sort of neurological response. I've never previously heard of a 'bolt' which starts in a paddock and from a grazing horse, and can only imagine that if there is some sort of neurological trip, then it would possibly be triggered by an event, with sudden flight progressing immediately in to a true 'bolt'. It remains true, that if a horse does it just once, then the animals future should be in question. It always seems that re-offending is highly likely at best, and at worst guaranteed.

Alec.
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Compeltely agree that a lot of true bolters may well have a neurological cause. With my lad when he went out on loan I was completely up front, said exactly what had happened, the circumstances and that no-one had sat on him since. The girl that took him was amazing and he did so well with her until she came off. With him I think it was triggered by his previous experiences and fear - there was only one other time someone came off him and his reaction then made it pretty obvious he expected to get beaten so he was almost made into a bolter and it was behavioural although I agree that it was something he was always going to be a bit prone to doing.
It's the sort of horse that onyl a very experienced, fully informed rider should even think about sitting on.
 
To me bolting is when there is no reasonable explanation for the behaviour. Running because something catastrophic has happened to them like being hit by a car or having half a lorry panel attached isn't bolting, that's a fairly normal response to continuing terror or pain.

Bolting is when there is a (competent) rider on their back and they cannot influence the horse to stop or change course, often for no reason.

And it's quite rare. And I wouldn't have one!
 
Many years ago we knew a lovely horse who suddenly, out of the blue, bolted under saddle and ran straight into the side of the stone built stables, killing himself and severely injuring his owner. Horse was middle-aged, very experienced, a great ride and had never shown any signs of neurological problems up until that day. Tragic for all concerned and no real explanation, he didn't have a PM as it wasn't suggested at the time, but a brain tumor was probably the cause.
 
My horse as a youngster got spooked by dogs, he fel onto knees, i lost stirrups and reins and he turned tail and galloped off down the road, I baled after realising I had no chance of stopping him and he stopped when he met a tractor coming the other way. I was grazed and shaken but fine and got back on (tractor driver offered to put my shoulder back in as thought i had dislocated it then offered leg up which in hindsight was god send as i got back on with no time to think). He was a fab ride, hunted him etc and he never even remotely showed signs of doing anything similar again and I never considered it a bolt but I am sure some would have. I rode him for another 8 years (now injured so field ornament)

I suppose the point of my post is that there is a massive difference between a true bolt and running scared, never have experienced a bolted thank God but someone I know took a horse home that was taken in for slaughter as it was a known bolter he tried hunting it (he only hunted) and twice he was sat having smoke with all other horses stood still and it bolted, first time he rode it till it collapsed, after second time he took it back to knackers! ! No rhyme or reason for its behaviour !
 
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Wasn't there a member of this forum who had a horse who would blind bolt, even when grazing in his field? I think she made the decision to have him euthanized. Anyone else remember that?
 
Caol Ila said:
Wasn't there a member of this forum who had a horse who would blind bolt, even when grazing in his field? ……..
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If that's correct, then we can surmise that a true 'bolt' may well be prompted by something within the horse, rather than it just taking off and then one thing leading to another.

I've often wondered what it is that 'trips' the apparent loss of any reason. Interesting, and thank you.

Alec.
 
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