which bit?

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skydancer

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Hi,
As per previous posts i have a very troublesome bolter. My mind is now made up lots and lots of schooling not retirement as first thought! Thanks for all your comments! However, can anybody recommend a bit for a bolter? And yes he is a bolter and not a runaway! :o
 
Hi,
There is no bit on this earth that will stop a bolter - a true bolting horse will go through fences etc, ignore pain or discomfort and literally run blind.
Do you have any idea about what is causing your horse to bolt?
 
Hi, just read your previous post re this horse, if he is a true bolter I don't think that the bit to stop him has been invented yet that is humane and effective.

My own horse used to bolt, and it would go from ultra calm to an explosive gallop. She has run through drystone walls and fences, she went through a 5 bar gate and left it in matchwood.

I now ride her in a rope headcollar and feel very safe.

We achieved this through groundwork, lots of it, and understanding that when she starts to worry about something, and who knows what they worry about, she gets calm instead of pratting about then comes the explosion and bolt.

The trick is recognising the signals she gives then giving her lots to think about to engage her brain.

These things can be sorted but a strong bit won't really solve things but it may increase your safety in the short term.
 
Do you have any idea about what is causing your horse to bolt?[/QUOTE]

Hi, Unfortunately nothing seems to set her off - she just decides she is going home and thats it - like a flick switch - everything has been checked and she is fine all over apart from her behaviour of course:)
 
Is she any better in company/in hand or over short well known routes?
Perhaps you could start by getting her confidence over shorter routes with you leading (if it is safe to do so) and then very steadily building up what you ask so that she doesn't feel worried enough to freak out and head home? If you box out away from home how is she - where would she run back to then?
 
In company she is fine not any naughtier than any other horse. Unfortunately everyone at the yard where i keep her refuse to ride out with me - ( i dont blame them though - it is pretty scarey! They dont seem to understand that in company she is fine and you can ride her on really long reins. I have even ridden her in a dr cook bitless bridle. :)
 
Perhaps it is just a 'omfg I'm on my own too far from home and I'm going to be eaten' type thing?! Does some one walking with you instead of being mounted help her at all? What a pain if no-one will ride out with you, sounds like just what she needs to build up confidence. How is her trust in you? If you lead her out does she take confidence from you being there beside her? Might be a way to start her looking to you for confidence in anxiety inducing cirsumstances so that when you are riding her she also feels more secure because she already has that trust in you? A slow thing to work on but might work with her?
 
ThePony said:
Does some one walking with you instead of being mounted help her at all? ]QUOTE

Someone was on foot the last time she bolted bu she is really forward and very difficult for anyone to keep up with her - even at walk! Maybe time to move to another yard to find a hacking partner? I think i will just school her this summer - what do you think?:)
Click to expand...
 
You need a full cheek bit - you won't be able to stop a true bolter in a dead straight line even with something like a barry gag

However with the full cheek you need to be prepared to use their lateral mouth

To start with you need to be able to bend their neck so that their muzzle is nearly at your foot, both left and right without them spinning around to improve their lateral mouth

Once you can do this when the signal comes that they are off, you need to wip the head around to your boot.

I would not recommend that a nervous person tries to undertake this and if your timing isn't spot on it won't work.

Basically you are trying to nullify the bolt trigger, with extreme flexion to the side which makes it impossible to run and also once they 'give' also seems to trigger good endorphins.
 
I really do think that this problem can be sorted. We have recently taken on a nice horse with a similar behavioural issue, though this one explodes without warning and rears vertically. As he is a dressage horse, dutch WB 17hh 12 yrs, he can get all four feet off the ground and put in a spin and twist. Then he bucks for ages even after you've been bucked off.

This was happening for no apparent reason every other day.

We've been working him for two weeks now and is is settling down nicely.

We've not had an explosion since day two.

So I think you should do lots of groundwork, games and tasks to sort his head out.
 
Jen_Cots said:
You need a full cheek bit - you won't be able to stop a true bolter in a dead straight line even with something like a barry gag

However with the full cheek you need to be prepared to use their lateral mouth

To start with you need to be able to bend their neck so that their muzzle is nearly at your foot, both left and right without them spinning around to improve their lateral mouth

Once you can do this when the signal comes that they are off, you need to wip the head around to your boot.

I would not recommend that a nervous person tries to undertake this and if your timing isn't spot oiin it won't work.

Basically you are trying to nullify the bolt trigger, with extreme flexion to the side which makes it impossible to run and also once they 'give' also seems to trigger good endorphins.
Click to expand...

I agree with this, though I use a rope head collar to get the lateral flexion.
 
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