Why do some horses run and some wait -when you fall off?

[Gingerwitch]

My big lad when I fall off, trots off finds the nearest patch of something to eat and stands and waits - maybe cause i fall off him all the time !

Little lad - he just bolts ! - scarily so - so much so I am thinking of buying an old fashioned racing martingale and having shorter reins so when we are jumping I reduce the risk of him getting hurt.

Any other advice for the "bolter" and don't say - dont fall off - you aint sat to one of his 5ft jumps over a trotting pole lol !

 

[MrsMozart]

Someone (can't remember who!) suggested crouching down near your horse and feeding a treat. Do that a few times so that if you do come off, your horse is led by his stomach to stay near even if nothing else

 

[Littlelegs]

I've heard the same as Mrs Mozart, you can train them not to run off by crouching with treats.

 

[Chestnut mare]

Mine will stand and graze near by , my friends horse will bolt off.Has anyone been riding with someone who has fallen off and their horse has bolted? If so what did your horse do?

 

[JFTDWS]

some are knobs and some are nice, I guess...

My highland knows full well that a crouching JFTD might have treats, but a sprawled-on-floor, recently deposited JFTD is not likely to produce treats for his trouble As such he pisses off round the field / school at full speed enjoying his new found freedom.

I think that if he were out of his comfort zone he would stop and quiver beside me rather than run off blindly, but I'd rather not put this to the test

My cob on the other hand would stop before you even fell off, to try and rescue you He's nice. Highland is a knob.

[a love-able knob...]

 

[starryeyed]

Everything crossed - I haven't managed to fall off my boy in the 7 years I've had him (bet i will next ride ) but I'm sure he'd be the type to gallop off over the horizon - he's hard enough to catch as it is, no matter how many treats you have! I once came very close to falling off him, was on a fun ride and he changed his mind at a jump last minute and did a very athletic leap to the side - I half came off and he started to bolt off in the other direction as I was hanging onto the front of the saddle and I somehow managed to bounce back up off the ground and leap back onboard - good job really, would never have got him!!!! NO idea how I managed to do it, would never manage it again

When I was younger my pony dumped me on most rides and taught me to cling on for dear life, so he'd charge off with me hanging on to the reins - very thelwell but I'd had it drummed in to me to not let go!
Not sure what new horse would do ... I've always wanted one that was sweet enough to wait nearby while you got up off the floor so maybe!

I think JFTD is right in that some are nice and some are not so nice! Will be watching this topic as I'd like to get some ideas for when madam decides I should practise flying.

 

[winkles]

I haven't managed to fall off Merlz yet but I expect when I do he'll bugger right off, or just stand on me, the bugger

On another note, I used to ride a fellow see-a-pole-and-treat-it-like-Burghley type horse and I agree that your idea of shorter reins could at least cut out some of the worry post-fall.
I also used to get down really low into the neck, shut my eyes and sit up quick, not exactly textbook but hey ho

 

[Solo1]

If you think your horse is going to bolt - DON'T HOLD ON! My friend snapped her wrist holding and it terrified me for life...

 

[Copperpot]

My old one used to buggar off. Left me 2 miles from home once. Walked back and he was happily outside his stable. One I have now stops and sometimes to add insult to injury, peers at me as if to say "what you doing down there??"

 

[Karran]

If I was amorphosising (sp?) I'd say they stay when they feel guilty. I was watching a novice lesson a few weeks back and they did some work without stirrups. One guy lost his balance and tumbled off.
Anyway he'd really hurt his back so while the instructor was tending him, I hopped in and held his horse.

Bless him. Poor thing had stood rock still by his side, head on the floor and when I got him he buried his head in my side. He definately blamed himself and felt guilty!

 

[Phoebe+Sophie]

Sophie waits next to me when I fall off. Mainly because she eats the grass next to me. Will will go off without me because he gets frightened and panics. Bless him.

 

[Misog2000]

Mine always stops and waits with me, even if we are cantering in a group and the others leave her, my friends boy used to bog off, we had an understanding that when she hit the floor if she yelled she was ok I would go after her horse and try and catch him as he would go all the way home otherwise

 

[Jackson]

My horse varies, depending on the circumstance of the fall... If it's my balance at fault, he'll stay, if he was genuinely spooked he'll run for the hills

 

[kerrieberry2]

my horse bolts, or used to, the last time i feel off! once crossing the a30 at a 50mph section and taking herself full speed gallop back home!

another time for about 5 miles down country lanes before almost getting run over, being chased by the person that almost killed her and some how someone was pulling out of a yard next to the a30 again and they blocked the road and put her in a field! then came to rescue me!

fighting with her was the worst thing i ever done, it made her want to bolt more, not if she goes i let her, she know knows that she can go as fast as she likes so doesnt seem to want to fight when i do ask her to slow down! i suppose im lucky now as we are in a quiet village with miles of off road hacking, so i have no fear of traffic, like i once did!

but my advice would be just dont fight the horse, it only makes it worse!

 

[juliette]

. One I have now stops and sometimes to add insult to injury, peers at me as if to say "what you doing down there??"

Mine does this...................... looks at me as if he's saying "what the heck are you doing down there?!"

 

[Mahoganybay]

Mine will stand and graze near by , my friends horse will bolt off.Has anyone been riding with someone who has fallen off and their horse has bolted? If so what did your horse do?

My friend fell off her horse whilst we were out hacking & he bolted closely followed by my mare, i tried everything to stop her but unfortunatly everytime she appeared to be slowing friends horse set off again, after a very scary crossing of a quite busy road self preservation kicked in! I veered my horse into a side street as we were heading down a 60mph road the wrong way into oncoming traffic!

I ran my mare into a row of bushes in someones front garden (went & knocked on & offered to pay for any gardening repairs). Upon hearing that my mare was not joining him friends horse turned & trotted back to us as calm as you like! Very scary indeed! Friend was fine btw xx

 

[DressageCob]

My horse usually waits for me, sniffs me and then licks my face. Quite cute really.

He did however once poo on me while I was on the floor. Not our greatest moment.

 

[Shantara]

Karren - it's anthropomorphasising, i think (might be wrong with the spelling)

thankfully, all 4 times i've fallen from ned he's just stood still. I was so thankful, as one occassion, it was on a very busy road :-o
i dont have any tips im afraid, with ned i think it's just something he does!

 

[texenstar]

I've only fallen off my horse once. But it was on at a xc competition so he thought it was far more fun to gallop round the course a few more times then come back to the mean person who was trying to get him to go into the water!

 

[Lintel]

Baby Highland who is un-used to me coming off used to bolt if I came off. Now he is fine with the experience after I did a couple trial falls with treats

As for Bailey Highland, he has always waited- fair enough he stands and smirks at me but no matter what situation we are in he has always stopped.. other than when we were going down a steep hill, he made his way to the bottom, turned round and clearly was p*ssing himself laughing

 

[Dry Rot]

some are knobs and some are nice, I guess...

My highland knows full well that a crouching JFTD might have treats, but a sprawled-on-floor, recently deposited JFTD is not likely to produce treats for his trouble As such he pisses off round the field / school at full speed enjoying his new found freedom.

I think that if he were out of his comfort zone he would stop and quiver beside me rather than run off blindly, but I'd rather not put this to the test

My cob on the other hand would stop before you even fell off, to try and rescue you He's nice. Highland is a knob.

[a love-able knob...]

Watch it!

 

[tonitot]

The first time I feel off Ethel she ran away in the school, she was genuinely scared and was very jumpy after as if she thought I was going to hit her. The other two times have been when she's had a paddy and dropped me, she stood there like, "Right, job done. You can get back on now"

 

[TheBayMonkey]

I have a bad habit of holding onto my reins when I fall off. Even when I'm being dragged I will not let go for as long as possible (not a good idea I know, but I just forget and hang on!) So now whenever I fall off Monkey, wherever we are, 9 times out of 10 he will stop and stand with me to save him being socked in the mouth. My old horse would just pee off and find some grass to eat.

 

[JFTDWS]

Watch it!

Well he is! He's a loveable, talented knob, but he's too clever for his own good too! And don't even start me on the little one... He'll be seriously dangerous if he puts his brain to use saddle

 

[Apercrumbie]

It depends on the horse and the mood they're in. When any of mine are all het up I can guarantee you they would probably bolt if I fell off. However most of the time they don't. My old boy looks at me with disdain and a little bit of smirking guilty I sometimes think. My old pony used to try to run away but it looked as though she was expecting to be walloped so would stop and come and give me a cuddle when she realised I wasn't going to hit her. I'm quite lucky, I've never had a terrible experience like some of the others in this thread, touch wood.

 

[FoxTrotx]

My mare used to run away, the first time she actually broke my finger because I stupidly tried to hold her. She does just stand and look at me now she knows she's not going to get a beating.
She did make me laugh a month or so ago, when I first tried her in her hackamore, the horses in the top field were pratting about, galloping and bucking and my girl decided she'd like to join in. Cue her pelting up the field, putting her head between her knees and giving a seriously impressive rodeo. I stayed on the first four or five but they got bigger and I just flew. She stopped dead and looked at me as if to say "Hmm, maybe I went a bit too far there..." I'm sure she thought I was having as much fun as she was at the time

 

[planete]

A friend of mine was exercising my horse when he was startled and decanted her. He ran off towards home, then came back and waited for her to get back on. This also happened to me with a different horse. I guess they got scared about being on their own and came back to their comfort blankets!

 

[burtie]

When I first fell off my horse on the open forest it was only a mile from home, so I thought I would have a walk home, but no he ran around a bit with the New Forest ponies looking confused, then when I called his name he looked up and came tearing back to me at full pelt doing the whole pannicky neighing noise as he ran and slid to a halt beside me almost knocking me flying! I found it very hard to be disappointed with him spook bucking me off after that display of loyalty!

 

[Potato!]

I lost my old horse on dartmoor once as she took off when I fell off. We fouls her the next day still tacked up, only missing her reins.

 

[Potato!]

Found her I ment. Stupid phone, I can't edit