What do you count as bolting?

[HorsesHavingFun]

Recently I've heard quite a lot of people saying 'they bolted for a few strides' or 'they bolted round the arena once'. Now I thought that that was just tanking off. And that bolting was actually a horse taking off at a gallop, becoming very dangerous.

So can bolting just be tanking off for a few strides due to high spirits? Or something else? Just curious

 

[Kokopelli]

If you search bolting in the search.function you'll see lots of threads come up with this.

The general consensus is a true a bolt is a horse running blind with no self preservation. Very dangerous and if a horse has done this more than once then its future ridden career should be thought about.

Everything else is just tanking off, normally due to a riding with too much tension and too much hand and not enough leg and seat.

 

[*hic*]

In my book a horse that goes round the arena is not bolting. A horse that bolts in an arena goes straight out through the fence IME - or in my case bounces off the very ample walls of the indoor and crashes into the next wall and so on until it is at a standstill. Not a pleasant experience.

Tanking off for a few strides whether from high spirits or from fear is not bolting. Running in a blind panic with no care for self-preservation is bolting. A strong and tanking horse is well aware of you on top and can be stopped with technique and strength. There is no communication with a horse that is bolting. It feels quite different and is utterly terrifying.

 

[KVH]

Misuse of the word 'bolt' is one of my pet hates.

True bolting is the horse running in a blind panic, with no awareness or self preservation for either themselves, or their rider.
Incredibly dangerous and scary once experienced!

 

[TrasaM]

Having been tanked off with a few times dee o Dorants description is very good. ASBO cob was very aware I was on his back when he took off and had I interfered with him in the first few strides I'd have been sent into orbit
I have been tanked off with by a RS horse too. It was his party trick
I also understand bolting to mean eyes on stalks and all sense of self preservation gone. I hope I never experience this.

 

[mandwhy]

I have to admit I did not really think about the true meaning of the term until I joined HHO! I knew there was a horse running off being strong, and a horse running off in panic.

I remember saying to my old share horse owner a few years ago the horse had bolted with me when I meant tanking off, obviously now I know the latter is a more appropriate term so as not to horrify anyone but let's face it, all these terms are kind of made up anyway, I'm not sure there are definitions written down anywhere... Well maybe in the pony club manual or something but I obviously missed that part. You live and learn.

Probably best to learn the lingo if you're trying to sell a horse though or you might not get many phone calls!

 

[holeymoley]

I personally see bolting as having spooked at something and galloped blindly without listening to anyone or anything. I have sat on a true bolter and believe me you do not want to! Won't stop for love nor money and you have to pray you'll come out it alive! Haha. Or even then throwing yourself off is an option

 

[Foxhunter49]

Bolting is when a horse takes off and is running blind. A very dangerous event as they will not turn but will run straight into anything ahead of them.
In over 55 years of riding, most of them as a professional, I have only ever encountered two true bolters - though I have been tanked off with on more than one occasion!

 

[youngfarmer]

A true bolter to me is something that is running in blind panic and is uncontrollable. Like someone else said, it is truly terrifying.

I thought I had experienced a true bolter before(and I suppose I had a few times, but in an enclosed area), but I had a horse truly bolt with me in 2011 in an open field (with access to a main and busy road, and in the other direction access to a very long bridlepath) and I remember thinking "I am actually going to die. Why are you not throwing yourself off?" but was completely frozen with fear after about 30 seconds- but it felt like a lifetime!! I tried to pull the horse up several times with sheer strength and body weight (about 10.5 stone) and it was as if the horse didn't even know I was there. Not once did it even bring its head in slightly to the pressure. Needless to say, I ended up in hospital for 2 weeks with a broken back and an 8 month recovery ahead.

A horse that canters quickly and low to the ground in a school or even a field is not bolting, and half the time not even galloping. Most people say "I galloped my horse" when, in reality, it is a fast paced canter.

 

[Littlelegs]

As already said. With the emphasis on no self preservation. A horse can gallop away through fear, & still not be bolting. Galloping away from danger they exhibit self preservation, dodging obstacles or jumping them, & making every effort not to fall. And are aware of their surroundings. Bolting, they just gallop, regardless of what is in the way, & often fall.

 

[ellie11987]

As previously said, true bolt is a horse blindly galloping with so sense of self preservation and is very dangerous. I own a horse who tanks off but I use the word bolt a lot, not to over exaggerate just a habit. In the arena, she tanks off a lot, not a true bolt as you can get her to stop after a while and will not jump out or anything. I just misuse this term to describe my feelings not her actions!

 

[PandorasJar]

To me.
A tank is something a better rider could probably control and is horse taking the piss.
A bolt is a horse blindly running. If they see a tall wall while not necessarily running blindly into it, they may attempt to jump something that is phsyically impossible they'll run into fences and go down on corners. I don't believe the best rider in the world could pull up a true bolt.

I also believe that a horse can bolt once and never again. And I think there are varying levels between blindly running and blindly running towards home.

 

[xloopylozzax]

My horse did this when he bolted through a level crossing (train line). They are half healed in this picture aswell

there was no real trigger (some fly tipped rubbish, he had been past worse!) and no stopping him. "luckily" I fell off before he hit the barriers and "luckily" the train didnt come before I got him off the tracks. He just galloped blindly.

He healed fully and went back competing, but you never trust them just the same.

 

[sandy3924]

I had a horse bolt with me down a country lane. Absolutely no control whatsoever. No change of pace and only swerving to miss the bonnet of a 'Discovery' at the very last second. Truly terrifying and at the sight of the lane joining a main road I decided to do an acrobatic dismount. Both of us survived. Needless to say I didnt buy the horse.

 

[Enfys]

A true bolter to me is something that is running in blind panic and is uncontrollable. Like someone else said, it is truly terrifying.

I thought I had experienced a true bolter before(and I suppose I had a few times, but in an enclosed area), but I had a horse truly bolt with me in 2011 in an open field (with access to a main and busy road, and in the other direction access to a very long bridlepath) and I remember thinking "I am actually going to die. Why are you not throwing yourself off?" but was completely frozen with fear after about 30 seconds- but it felt like a lifetime!! I tried to pull the horse up several times with sheer strength and body weight (about 10.5 stone) and it was as if the horse didn't even know I was there. Not once did it even bring its head in slightly to the pressure. Needless to say, I ended up in hospital for 2 weeks with a broken back and an 8 month recovery ahead. I hope you are OK now. Presumably the pair of you crashed and burned?
QUOTE]

I too thought "Does it hurt to die?" I was bolted with on a 2 year old tb that we had in for breaking, her first time on the gallops, sandwiched between two calm horses, we'd done it with dozens of others no problem. For some reason though she went ..... through a gate (as in crashed through it) onto the road heading for home, wisely or not, I bailed out, she didn't make it around a corner, if I had been on her I would have broken my neck meeting a brick wall

From that day forth I refused point blank to ride the babies out of the arena, it really knocked the stuffing out of my confidence with the babies

 

[PandorasJar]

Out of interest I was in a situation where I wasn't terrified but knew it was not a simple tank But would define as between the two. Would be curious as to what others would say. I wouldn't sat it was a true bolt as it was nowhere near the people I've known to experience these.

I was nearing home went through final gate and turned to shut, horse agitated but not stupid. Bit concerned as normally chilled at this point and wasn't excited but on edge. So shut the gate and turned to head home at a walk. Ball of energy and went to take off, pulled back in briefly and then exploded. It was a narrow track (one horse width for first length, left turn at right angle, at which point it becomes 2 wide up a hill, right hand turn then steep tarmac drive down 3 field lengths to final stretch into yard) she went full pelt up first stretch and ended up going down round the first corner with me (scariest part at the time as was barbed wire corner) pulled herself back up and went full pelt up the hill, I had head back on knee at one point and she didn't even go up sideways to evade, but ran forwards with no vision. At this point I gave her the reins and just hung on so she at least had vision (scared of where she'd end up if I bailed and no suitable area to bail without going through a barbed wire fence). Went full pelt down tarmac back into yard but stopped at stable. Took two of us to hold and untack before both walking back to the field. She had completely bloodshot eyes and walked on two legs (never ever been a problem leading before or since).
One of her fieldmates died a few hours later, which was the only reason I agreed to sit on her again.

Shes a bit of a tanker but can always be pulled up, nothing like this. It's the only time I thought she was going to kill herself rather than me coming off and doing injury that way. However I'd not say she was or is a bolter.

 

[youngfarmer]

[/QUOTE] [/B] I hope you are OK now. Presumably the pair of you crashed and burned?


I too thought "Does it hurt to die?" I was bolted with on a 2 year old tb that we had in for breaking, her first time on the gallops, sandwiched between two calm horses, we'd done it with dozens of others no problem. For some reason though she went ..... through a gate (as in crashed through it) onto the road heading for home, wisely or not, I bailed out, she didn't make it around a corner, if I had been on her I would have broken my neck meeting a brick wall

From that day forth I refused point blank to ride the babies out of the arena, it really knocked the stuffing out of my confidence with the babies [/QUOTE]

It really is terrifying when you think what could have happened, especially in your case. It sounds cliche, but what could have happened and the incidents do haunt you for quite a while (I still have nightmares where I'm coming off the horse and heading towards the floor, and I bet you have probably had similar at times). I used to ride the babies in racing too, and was ran away with every time I went up the gallops by one of the 2 year olds. He would leave himself behind (even if you were kicking and willing him on), ****** off up the gallop, past all the other horses (and nearly up a lot of their bums) and then come to a steady trot at the top. It was scary, but I learnt to just sit back and enjoy the ride. He went on to become quite a decent little racehorse on the flat- but I never used to stop wondering if he was actually going to stop at the top or leapt the hedge haha !

My recovery has been good, although always left with problems with my back, pelvis, left arm and my thighs. I have no feeling in my left arm, and limited feeling in my thighs. My back and pelvis will always cause me issues though and do every day. Unfortunately I don't really remember what happened when I came off- I know the horse at that point was bolting on concrete/ gravel/ stones/ soil. I have been told the horse skidded around the corner but remained on her feet, and I basically remember supermanning towards the ground and came around from being KO'd in a puddle. I hit a thick, fairly large metal gate post and a friend who was there said it looked as if my body just bent around it. They took me in for suspected injuries: 2 broken arms, a broken leg, a shattered pelvis, and a broken back with possible neurological damage. Luckily (if that's the right term) it was only a crush compression fracture in L1 and a burst fracture in L2. The lack of feeling in my left arm is due to a nerve in my neck being trapped/ partly severed when my neck snapped back (similar to a whiplash injury). You live and learn!! But I will never take on or sit on a true bolter ever again, or even something that someone says bolts (unless I see it just taking the p**s and tanking around the arena first).

I personally think anyone who would happily take on a true bolter (and says they have experience of it) is either absolutely bonkers or has never actually experienced a horse bolting. It is the most terrifying thing I have experienced on a horse, and I wish to never experience it again

 

[*hic*]

That sounds like one of those utter weirdities with no explanation but which just sometimes happen - her sixth sense, who knows. Thank goodness she has shown no signs of doing it again.

 

[youngfarmer]

Out of interest I was in a situation where I wasn't terrified but knew it was not a simple tank But would define as between the two. Would be curious as to what others would say. I wouldn't sat it was a true bolt as it was nowhere near the people I've known to experience these.

I was nearing home went through final gate and turned to shut, horse agitated but not stupid. Bit concerned as normally chilled at this point and wasn't excited but on edge. So shut the gate and turned to head home at a walk. Ball of energy and went to take off, pulled back in briefly and then exploded. It was a narrow track (one horse width for first length, left turn at right angle, at which point it becomes 2 wide up a hill, right hand turn then steep tarmac drive down 3 field lengths to final stretch into yard) she went full pelt up first stretch and ended up going down round the first corner with me (scariest part at the time as was barbed wire corner) pulled herself back up and went full pelt up the hill, I had head back on knee at one point and she didn't even go up sideways to evade, but ran forwards with no vision. At this point I gave her the reins and just hung on so she at least had vision (scared of where she'd end up if I bailed and no suitable area to bail without going through a barbed wire fence). Went full pelt down tarmac back into yard but stopped at stable. Took two of us to hold and untack before both walking back to the field. She had completely bloodshot eyes and walked on two legs (never ever been a problem leading before or since).
One of her fieldmates died a few hours later, which was the only reason I agreed to sit on her again.

Shes a bit of a tanker but can always be pulled up, nothing like this. It's the only time I thought she was going to kill herself rather than me coming off and doing injury that way. However I'd not say she was or is a bolter.

From the sounds of this, she probably did partly bolt but probably aware of you being there (hence pulling herself up, allowing you to turn her head etc-she showed self preservation and awareness of rider). It doesn't sound like a true bolt though. However, horses can be bolters and only do it once. Personally, I wouldn't trust the horse again (dependant on circumstances and how well I knew the horse) and would always be very wary of it, regardless of situations.

 

[Goodshipblossom]

To me a bolt is galloping off due to fear and a tank is due to just wanting to gallop and being too strong to stop. In a bolt the horse is not thinking straight and is more likely to do something stupid. Experiencing either is not fun!

When I was riding in Mongolia my horse tanked and I couldn't stop him at all. But it being Mongolia, which is one giant gallops, I just hunkered down and enjoyed the ride. Being bolted with on small boggy British paths though, is not nice ever.

 

[PandorasJar]

Youngfarmer. I handed the reins straight back and said that one of us would kill the other at this rate. Hours later I decided that I'd try her again due to circumstances (over a week before settled enough and very much liked the horse) and trust her completely now. I was lucky that I knew in advance that something was very wrong so wasn't suddenly in the situation. I've never thought about what I'd do in the situation again. I've happily bailed off tankers but was no chance I was considering off of this and don't think getting off and holding or even tying would have made an odds. Wonder if she knew, or something called etc but I'm sure the two were connected. I think she knew I was there but nothing I'd have done would have stopped her.

 

[Flame_]

A horse that has p!ssed off/ done a runner/ is legging it off out of anyone's control.

"Closing the door after the horse has bolted..."

It happens more than anybody likes to admit, less their horse be labeled "a bolter" meaning the barking mad, beyond help, total psycho kind, IMO.

 

[PandorasJar]

^ I no longer ride her as don't share now but often ride out with her with noconcern.

 

[Pearlsasinger]

IMO, a bolt is running off in blind panic, where the rider has no control and the horse has no sense of self-preservation and could easily fall or run into a solid object.

I was once runaway with by a clydie mare who genuinely took fright a a herd of colts playing in a field alongside the narrow road we were on. She set her neck, as Clydies can do, took off with me at a very fast trot (her favourite pace) and no matter what I did I could not stop her or turn her, as the road was too narrow. We shot across the junction at the end of the road and I managed to stop her by pointing her at a wall, having left the colts behind in their field. It was worrying as there could have been traffic at the road junction but it certainly wasn't a bolt, I did get a PeeWee bit though, so that she couldn't do it again.

 

[indie999]

In my book a horse that goes round the arena is not bolting. A horse that bolts in an arena goes straight out through the fence IME - or in my case bounces off the very ample walls of the indoor and crashes into the next wall and so on until it is at a standstill. Not a pleasant experience.

Tanking off for a few strides whether from high spirits or from fear is not bolting. Running in a blind panic with no care for self-preservation is bolting. A strong and tanking horse is well aware of you on top and can be stopped with technique and strength. There is no communication with a horse that is bolting. It feels quite different and is utterly terrifying.

Exactly..switched off.

 

[PandorasJar]

I personally think anyone who would happily take on a true bolter (and says they have experience of it) is either absolutely bonkers or has never actually experienced a horse bolting. It is the most terrifying thing I have experienced on a horse, and I wish to never experience it again

Absolutely agree. If I had one and could turn away knowing that it was secure and wouldn't easily go through fencing onto a road (ie stallion paddock or similar) I'd do this. If I couldn't guarantee it I'd pts. No way I'd take out in public though, one thing to endanger yourself and the horse, another to knowingly endanger public.

A true bolter to me is something that is running in blind panic and is uncontrollable. Like someone else said, it is truly terrifying.

I thought I had experienced a true bolter before(and I suppose I had a few times, but in an enclosed area), but I had a horse truly bolt with me in 2011 in an open field (with access to a main and busy road, and in the other direction access to a very long bridlepath) and I remember thinking "I am actually going to die. Why are you not throwing yourself off?" but was completely frozen with fear after about 30 seconds- but it felt like a lifetime!! I tried to pull the horse up several times with sheer strength and body weight (about 10.5 stone) and it was as if the horse didn't even know I was there. Not once did it even bring its head in slightly to the pressure. Needless to say, I ended up in hospital for 2 weeks with a broken back and an 8 month recovery ahead.

A horse that canters quickly and low to the ground in a school or even a field is not bolting, and half the time not even galloping. Most people say "I galloped my horse" when, in reality, it is a fast paced canter.

Bloody hell :/

 

[youngfarmer]

Absolutely agree. If I had one and could turn away knowing that it was secure and wouldn't easily go through fencing onto a road (ie stallion paddock or similar) I'd do this. If I couldn't guarantee it I'd pts. No way I'd take out in public though, one thing to endanger yourself and the horse, another to knowingly endanger public.

Personally, if the horse had never bolted when in a field/ not being ridden then I would turn away and keep as a companion. If the horse had done this, I would definitely PTS. Like I said before, I would never ride a bolter again (if I can help it as in it's never done it before) and I would certainly never give away a bolter if it was young and sound. This encourages too many people who take them on as companions to think it's ok to get on it at some point. I couldn't live with myself knowing I had given away a horse that caused a serious accident or a fatality. They're too much of a liability. And to put the point out there (although others will disagree I'm sure) there is only 2 cures for a bolter- bullet or injection

 

[Rebels]

Its probably the scariest feeling you can have on a horse I think. My first pony used to bolt (up the main road back to the yard, how i survived i never know) but it when I was on my young horse and he span and bolted on the road when a big very loud rattley trailer came towards us on a narrow road going too fast then I knew then that there no chance of it resolving safely. As it was he tried to jump a hedge into a garden but jump it lengthways, hit the hidden post and rail and somersaulted back onto the road. Luckily for him he had a set of tendon boots all round and an exercise sheet as he ripped the saddle open but didn't cut himself. It was blind blind panic from him, i could see the hedge approaching, couldn't turn him and only had the road to bail onto so ended up in the hedge with him. He has never done it again, its taken a few years to traffic proof him to an extent. The only other major time I was bolted with was by another baby who stood on a partridge, whipped round and my rein snapped (the actual metal buckle), he panicked, bolted downhill and I hit a fence post head on (new hat job). He continued on and somehow made it over the barbed wire fence at the bottom of the track having passed our yard. Took 6 weeks before we could reback him as he had scared the bejesus out of himself and refused to be caught even.

 

[Flame_]

To all the people who think nothing ever bolts without a brain tumor and a death wish...

I was hacking my young gelding (a good few years ago, not current gelding!) down a hardcore track. Out of absolutely nowhere, a land rover came out fast from behind some trees just in front of us on the field alongside the track with crazy engine noise. My horse spun and went, flat out. The track was straight for a long way - long enough for me to be galloping along trying plenty of things to absolutely no effect, the horse was gone, panicked and thought he was being chased. It also gave time enough to think about what to do when we reached the first 90% bend to the right, which if we were lucky enough to make, was followed by a 90% bend to the left, then out onto a tarmac country lane. I decided there wasn't a hope of getting around the first bend without going over and hung on to just the left rein so the horse went over the enormous thick hedge straight ahead. Luckily there wasn't anything more than a drop on the other side. Because I am crap I fell off but the horse stopped at the hedge on the far side of the field once he had escaped the land rover.

That was damn scary, and it took time to get our confidence back, but I was young and not inclined towards nervousness. That horse was one of my favorites and I had so much fun with him. He never did that again, but I always considered him, while never "a bolter", capable of bolting should circumstances push him to it and I'd personally put plenty of other horses in the same category.

 

[RachelFerd]

The worst bolting story I have heard, of which I have heard a few (!) is from my OH. He was riding out for a racehorse trainer in Brighton, on a horse known to be quirky and very strong. He was more than experienced enough to be riding it (ridden out for years and an apprentice jockey at the time) but it took off down the gallops the wrong way, then ran off the end of the gallops and through a car park. Knowing the local area, OH knew he had to bail, as the next obstacle horse was going to meet was going to be the top of a cliff. OH bailed (only twisted ankle, fortunately), horse ran off the edge of a cliff and died immediately.

Fortunately I haven't sat on anything nearly that bad!!