Walk to Gallop - hacking help!!!

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sophiebailey

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Hi everyone, I'm hoping someone here can give a novice rider a bit of advice!!:(

My boy is a 20 year old cob gelding who 99% of the time is a real sweetheart. (He's my first horse.) I've had him since March and moved yards in August. Ever since we moved yards, I've had a real problem with him whilst out hacking ... We're fine as long as we're in walk but as soon as I give the smallest squeeze with my leg we fly off into a rushed canter or a flat out gallop! Most of the time I don't even have to apply leg, as soon as I gather my reins in to prepare to trot he shoots forward - I can't seem to get him to trot or canter nicely whilst out hacking! In the school he's fine and at the previous yard he would quite happily trot all the way around an open field so I'm really at a loss as to why he's become such a bolter! Once he's got his head we don't stop until the end of the field. Pulling back is useless and half halting/checking doesn't seem to be working so has anyone experienced this and how did you keep your horse in a trot or nice collected canter?

Any/all advice welcomed, please give me some ideas as I'm beginning to dread hacking!

**he's currently ridden in a straight bar pelham but I have brought a french link snaffle from eBay and am wondering if the joint would help me to assert more control? I'm aware that it's the rider not the bit that controls the horse and I am having weekly lessons to improve myself, but I feel like he's become far too used to the pelham and is just chomping down and racing off!**
 
Is he on the same routine in the new yard,turned out with others or alone.It sounds like he may be anxious for some reason and a change of bit will probably make no difference. Look at what may be different and get things like his teeth and back checked.
Can you hack with another steady horse to give you both confidence,do more in the school to really establish your aids and control.Practise dropping and picking up the reins in a safe environment so that he doesnt always anticipate a change of pace.
 
He's in a slightly different environment as there are more horses but he's currently turned out in his own field as we want to give the horses time to get to know eachother over the fence to prevent a fight! His back was done in March and his teeth were done at the beginning of this month, also his saddle has been altered to fit him by a saddler so I know it's nothing pain related (that was my first thought too though!!!)

He's much the same with another horse, if I go in front he will race off and if I go behind he will push so far up the horse in front's behind that i'm afraid he may get kicked! However I take on board what you say about schooling and dropping + picking up my reins, I will try that tomorrow in his field and see what happens! Thank you :)
 
might be worth trying to trot just the last part of the track/field so that almost as soon as he starts he has to stop - dont for a while give him a massive open expanse in front of him when asking for trot or canter - if you can find a nice hill to trot up all the better as he will find it harder work to bomb off. Also trotting away from home rather than towards can help. Loads of trot canter trot transitions in school -literally a few paces of each then change gear !

Good luck I suspect he is just a bit nervous - you may find he settles once in with other horses rather than on own.

Good luck x
 
Sorry idiot phone, and leg yields. If he's busy thinking about the movements he would be less likely to p1ss off possibly? When he's been doing those try and transition to trot whilst continuing these. If he can set his neck it will be harder for you to try and pull up. What reins are you using, 1 set, roundings ect?
 
NOt much to add.
You could come sit behind my girl - I actually had a horse bump its head into MY back today it was so close to my girl! - She didnt bat an eyelid :D

Try trotting towards a hedge, a big 12ft high thick jobbie, so its not ask for trot with a big galloping stretch infront of him.,
Try the french link - I find it gives some good leverage on 'cobby' necks


one final last resort - Kick on - It used to get my youngster to slow down!!!
Seriously!!! freakout gallop + kick = WHAT, mum what are you thinking, your clearly mental, i better trot now!!!
 
Its a hard one and scary too. I would also suggest that when he goes he is then on his forehand, which means he couldn't stop easily even if he wanted too

So push him on while trying to contain the front with the reins, you may have to get a little strong with him but do it on off on off otherwise he will just pull or lean on you, what you want to feel is him working more with his hind legs under him so it may feel a bit more bouncy (this is good) he will then find it easier to stop too. oh and don't lean forward!

Also when you ride in the school use your voice for transitions and when he does what you ask give him lots of praise. Hopefully then you can use your voice hacking too

My WC X TB used to be a monster and canter faster and faster, while totally ignoring my slow down. I found that instead if I just said trooot he would no problem, it would take him a few strides and sometimes I had to half halt to help him balance and get off his forehand
 
I agree with what be positive said about practising dropping and picking up the reins until it doesn't have any more meaning. I would also want to be able to ride transition and turns e.g. walk to halt to walk again, ride a circle if there is space, ride a turn on the forehand and change direction and back - he should be listening out for his next instruction rather than thinking about rushing off. Then have a short trot - do it on a circle, trot a circle, back to walk, next job is turn on the forehand and so on.
I would also teach him a one rein stop. This is a really great emergency stop because it takes the power away from the horse and gives it to the rider. If you pull with two reins, your horse can pull back and gets stronger, tiring you out. If you lift one rein and disengage the hindquarters (you need to teach this from a halt, walk, trot and canter in the school first so your horse knows what it means) it actually gives you a much more effective way of stopping your horse because it takes the power away from them and they can't pull against it.
 
Thanks for all of your help guys, i'm going to be taking it all on board, I need to get something done about this asap as my horse bolted across three fields with me yesterday after I asked him for a trot up a bank, I've never been so frightened in all my life! He's starting to knock my confidence now so will be asking my instructor to show me how to do some of the things you've all mentioned below. Thanks again - any more tips let me know x
 
That sounds like no fun at all:(

I would speak to your instructor about coming hacking with you, as they will be able to see if you are unconsciously doing anything differently that might set him off. It might also be an idea for your instructor to hack your horse out a few times, and for you to go out on a steadier horse so you can get your confidence back a bit, and hopefully your instructor can remind your horse that bolting = not acceptable behaviour.

Hope you get it sorted out ok.
 
Um, stupid question, but what sort of livery are you on? i.e. is anyone else riding your horse apart from you, like working livery etc? Coz it seems odd that he's just started doing it now you've moved to this yard, whereas you hadn't got any problems before???

So I'm wondering what's different and what's changed.

I'd be looking at stuff like feeding, i.e. what's he having? Also it might be worth getting his teeth/back/saddle checked, coz a horse of his age might well be having some teeth problems OR something else going on which is pain-related, so I'd look into that bearing in mind his age. It wouldn't hurt to get a physio out to look at his back, plus a saddle fitter, coz if this is something he's just started to do, then there's gotta be a reason for it and pain would be the most obvious trigger.

I think, for now, you need to get this problem under control, and only ride him in the school until you know what's going on, coz the more he's doing it, the more he's getting away with it, and the more he's frightening you, and the more you're losing confidence: its a vicious circle which you've got to break.

I'd personally do some groundwork with him, for now. Remind him of the groundrules, i.e. you're the herd leader and he's got to do as he's told and respect you on the ground before you do any more ridden work.

Also, as someone else has suggested, I think it would be good to get someone like your instructor to ride him out in company and see if he does it with them; but I'd firstly be inclined to get all the vet/teeth/back/saddlery checks done first as it just might throw up something.
 
Thanks guys, my instructor is coming out this Saturday so will put all this to her then!

Just to answer the questions below i'm the only one who rides my horse, he's currently fed a scoop of calm and condition and some chaff everyday, with a bit of hay/haylage in his field just to keep him going whilst the grass is recovering. His teeth/back are fine (have both been checked recently) and his saddle was adjusted to fit him around two months ago so I know it's not pain related, as in the school he's very happy in himself and displays no sign of being in pain/uncomfortable in anything I ask him to do. However the back lady is due to come out at the end of October for my friends horse and so I'll ask her to give him another once over then just to check nothing's changed :)

Thanks for all the advice again x
 
I would get his back and saddle checked again - just because it looks from your postings as though this coincided with you having had your saddle adjusted as well as moving yards, if I've read this right? I would think this is a route worth looking into.
 
Sorry if banging on, but I'd get his teeth checked as well PDQ.

You mention he's having haylage ......... I'd look at that too coz my cob is an evil s0d if he only has a bit of certain types of haylage.

Also, is he having carrots as a treat? My farrier says to be very careful if feeding carrots as the Beta Carotene can be like rocket fuel to some horses (beta carotene is known to cause ADHD in children, same substance!).

Wotta horse you've got, to be tanking off at his age!!! Bless 'im. But agree its scarey and you need it sorted.
 
Thanks guys, saddle was re-adjusted when we moved yards as yard owner is a saddle fitter (convenient!!) She recently measured him up for a made to measure saddle (my christmas present!) and his shape hasn't changed since his saddle was adjusted, his teeth were done on 5th september and vet said they were absolutley fine, only one very slight sharp edge and all the rest were in good shape! Will deffo get onto the back woman though, but my strong suspicions are that it's not pain related as he doesn't put a foot out of line when we're schooling and never seems sensitive when being groomed/tacked up/having his feet picked up/being shod!

He doesn't get any carrots or apples or anything, occasionally he has mints as a treat and they are the sugary ones, he only has one every few days though :confused: And how would I judge what types of haylage are no good? The stuff he's got now doesnt really smell of much, the hay he's got at the moment is quite sweet but the problem had already started before he started having this hay ......... xx

(And I know - he really doesn't know he's 20!! He thinks he's a youngster I'm sure of it!!) xx
 
Can you tell if he is panicking or just taking the p1ss? One of mine will charge off as soon as you pick the reins up, it seems that my hacking out habits have taught her this...... if omeone who DOESN'T want to canter rides her, then they have to ask for trot without picking up the reins. So have the reins at a sensible length (ie not at the buckle...) then just ask for trot and she will trot. If you pick the reins up, off you go.

This is something best practised in an enclosed safe area though.
 
At first I thought it was panicking because he's quite a spooky horse and I thought that perhaps something had scared him and he'd reacted to it with his flight instinct, but the past few times it's happened there's been nothing around to be scared of, and it's not him doing it without prompt it's always when I ask him to trot on but i'll have a go in the school tonight at trotting on a long rein and see if it discourages him from rushing, we had a bit of success last night with the dropping/picking up the reins game, at the start every time i picked them up he shot forward to trot but by the end of the game he was just doing a few joggy steps then going back to walk so thank you for that it seems (for now at least!!) to be working for him! :)

xx
 
When he's bogging off with you does he tuck his head down, go onto the forehand and lean on your hands? I found the pelham encouraged Hovis to do this and i couldn't hold him in it. I use a snaffle in the school now and a cheltenham gag out hacking. If hes playing nicely i let him trot, canter etc on relaxed reins and the bit doesn't do anything. He's a prat and i use the bit to my full advantage!
the other thing i have doen when Hovis has gone through a stage of being strong and silly (usually on stubble) is find a track with hedges or some other natural barrier on each side and make him canter behind his hacking buddy (who won't bat an eyelid even if Hovis is rammed up his bum). this stops him being able to canter at the pace he wants to and he seems to swiftly realise thats the kind of canter i want!

I also found Hovis went barmy on haleage so worth a look at his feed?

I'd also ask your instructor to hack with you - are you unintentionally geeing him up or tensing because you are anticipating he's going to run which in turn makes him run off? I do feel for you - a cob with a strong neck and no brakes bobbing off with you is NOT funny!
 
I have exactly the opposite problem, he brings his neck all the way up, tucks in his chin and plants it on his chest so i've got nothing to pull against! I'm going to ask the lady who's yard i'm on if we can find some places like you said, so he's forced to canter at a decent pace so thanks for that idea! :)

I would almost definatley say i'm doing something to set him off so I'll see if my instructor would be agreeable to a hack with me :) thanks for the advice x
 
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