Would you get back on?

[L&M]

Just out of interest?

A good friend recently bought a cob from a dealer, initially settled in well and she was growing in confidence with him.

Then out of the blue, and for no understandable reason, the horse did a true blind bolt on a hack and my friend came off on the road.

Would you put it down to a one off and risk getting back on? Or would you never touch it again.....

 

[LaurenBay]

How long has she had the Horse? if shes had him for a while and this was totally out of character I'd give him the benefit of the doubt and ride in a safe enclosed area. If it happened a second time then I'd look at back, teeth and saddle. Did she have the Horse vetted when bought?

 

[Adonissaan]

My highland pony did this once randomly and never did it again - no idea where it came from.

I would definitely get him checked out though.

Hope your friend is ok

Edit: I didn't even answer your question lol - from what you said I would have dragged him home and got straight on him in the school for a while to regain confidence at least and take him on the road as soon as you've had him checked!

 

[MissGee]

I'd get everything checked first but then yes, I'd get back on and just take baby steps until you're confident it's unlikely to happen again.

 

[Ceriann]

Have a good think about potential cause and also get everything checked and go from there. It's difficult to advise without more info but clearly your friend needs to be very careful - the confidence growing point suggests your friend needs something safe, which a true bolter or even a tanker isn't. If you don't identify a cause willyour friend trust the horse again?

 

[ycbm]

how far did the horse run?

 

[SpringArising]

Nope. You're at the mercy of your horse with a blind bolt and not only that but you put others at risk too.

Edited to say - I'd ride it in an arena and no where else.

 

[atropa]

If it truly came from nowhere with nothing to explain it whatsoever? No, I'm not sure I would get back on, but then I have a very fragile confidence.

 

[horsemadelsie]

We have owned our now 16 year old horse for 14 years, and he's always been such a gentleman. Last spring, for no identifiable reason he took me for a gallop down a grass track, across a recently ploughed farm field, down a stone track (he had just gone barefoot on his hinds so at least we know they weren't sore) and halfway across a hayfield before I could persuade him to circle and eventually come back to a slow jog. We were in the middle of nowhere so I can't imagine anything would have spooked him, and he was in his stronger XC bit in which my brakes have never failed before. He also tried to gallop off in a large indoor arena two days afterwards. After that I took him somewhere we could have a good gallop safely, wore him out and he's been fine ever since- just spring hijinks and growing older disgracefully!
It depends on your friends confidence- if I was in that situation I would get it checked out (teeth, saddle, back etc) and go back to arena work, providing all was well I would gradually venture out again- off road tracks first, building up to roads. I think even the most laid-back horse can have a 'moment', but it depends if there was a cause, how far the horse went, rider confidence, and how often the horse was going to be taken out on the roads.

 

[PaddyMonty]

how far did the horse run?

That's a vital bit of information. If rider stayed on for half a mile and was unable to stop horse then I would be classing that as a bolt. If horse took off and rider fell within 20 yards and horse carried on riderless that is a very different situation.

 

[L&M]

Some more info - she had had him 2 weeks before this happened, and had been hacking out everyday prior. She had him vetted.

The horse spooked and spun at a another horse standing on the other side of a hedge - it was perfectly visible and not galloping around.

The cob took off for about a mile on the road, then nearly slipped over at a t junction, whereby the saddle slipped and my friend came off and landed on her back on the road. Mercifully she was fine and managed to hold onto the horse.

She is a competent rider and has owned some tricky horses in the past, but like many of us middle aged ladies, is wanting an easier life and having had a recent bad experience with a horse she had on trial, could do without another scare.

She has no regular access to a school, bit could hire one if needed. The horse in question is 8 yrs old and nicely schooled on the flat.

Thanks for all your thoughts!

 

[ycbm]

Was it going home?

If so, I would give it time to settle in its new home. Cobs can be surprisingly sensitive.

 

[Wagtail]

Okay, it sounds like the horse had a genuine fright. At least you know what spooked him. What is obvious as a horse behind a hedge to a human, might look totally different to a horse. Also, he's in a new home. It sounds like your friend would have been slightly unbalanced due to the spin and sometimes once a horse gets the bit between its teeth and reached a speed, it is very difficult, if not impossible to pull them up. It sounds as though the horse ran off rather than bolted. However, would I get on him again? That would depend. At least your friend knows what caused it and it isn't some brain tumour making him flip out for no reason. But he does have an OTT reaction to things that frighten him. I would want to ensure that he was not simply too strong for me. I had a big 17.2 ID that seemed like a real plod, but his previous owner told me that she took him hunting and that he galloped for miles taking in every single obstacle and she couldn't pull him up. One day I took him for a gallop and no way could I stop him. He was simply too strong for me so I didn't canter him out on a hack again. What tack is the cob ridden in?

 

[scats]

I don't like things that bolt like that. A spook is fine, even a spin and a canter a few strides away at a push, but not a proper bolt.

This would make me very wary of riding it out on the road again, but I would probably ride in the arena for a while and then when I tried hacking out again, sandwhich it between a couple of sensible horses.

 

[tallyho!]

Yes I got back on. Best horse I ever hd.

 

[AmyMay]

Probably not. He would be returned.

 

[cobgoblin]

I wouldn't call that a bolt... I'd call it a nasty run off. There was a reason for it happening and your friend would never have been able to hold on to him when she came off if he had been truly bolting. A nasty experience all the same.
Would I get back on? Well, yes probably, and I have done so with a horse that turned out to be fantastic. In fact he did a mega run off twice, once downhill with a buck where I lost my stirrups... Both times there was a reason.
I'd say it depends on how your friend feels about this horse and whether she feels she can work through it, perhaps with a different bit. Otherwise now is the time to return him.

 

[rowan666]

Some more info - she had had him 2 weeks before this happened, and had been hacking out everyday prior. She had him vetted.

The horse spooked and spun at a another horse standing on the other side of a hedge - it was perfectly visible and not galloping around.

The cob took off for about a mile on the road, then nearly slipped over at a t junction, whereby the saddle slipped and my friend came off and landed on her back on the road. Mercifully she was fine and managed to hold onto the horse.

She is a competent rider and has owned some tricky horses in the past, but like many of us middle aged ladies, is wanting an easier life and having had a recent bad experience with a horse she had on trial, could do without another scare.

She has no regular access to a school, bit could hire one if needed. The horse in question is 8 yrs old and nicely schooled on the flat.

Thanks for all your thoughts!

I would have said no before reading the above, given the extra info, in those circumstances yes I would. It's only bin two weeks, probably just needs more time to settle

 

[only_me]

If it was the result of a spook, then yes I’d probable get back on. And if it was a flat out bolt or a strong canter.
If it was a true out of the blue complete bolt then I wouldn’t

 

[Flame_]

Yep, I'd have another go but I'd probably put a Pelham on and ideally I'd start off again in an indoor.

 

[Follysmum]

A few years ago yes I would get back on , now middle aged and not as agile no I wouldn’t.

 

[oldie48]

It would depend on how the horse had been described by the dealer. If it had been sold as a reliable confidence giver suitable for a novice or an older nervous rider, it would be straight back as a reaction like that to something it meets on a quiet hack is not acceptable. Most of us are happy to sit to spooks or a whip round with a few canter strides but I'd expect to be able to pull up pretty quickly and clearly this rider couldn't.

 

[GTRJazz]

I would hack with company for a while could be too much too soon no bond yet to make the horse feel safe

 

[Pearlsasinger]

I had a similar experience with a Clydesdale who ran away from a group of colts who came trotting up to her over a wall. I knew the horse well, though, and knew that it was an unusual occurrence. I changed her bit to a PeeWee which gave me better steering and brakes in general but she never even hinted that she might do it again.
I would hack this horse with at least one sensible companion until my confidence in this horse had built back up.

 

[Auslander]

There is no way in the world that I'd go out hacking on a horse who had blind bolted for no apparent reason. I'd be straight back in the school, trying to figure out what set the horse off, and if I couldn't work it out, I'd be calling it a day. Life's too short to get smeared all over the road by a horse who has lost the plot.

Just read the update. Not a blind bolt then - just a spook, and a run for home. I'd hack it if I was paid to, but it wouldn't be a horse I'd ride for fun

 

[Achinghips]

Yes, all mine bolted when I first had them, haven't since though.

 

[alainax]

Yes I did and would again, unless it made a habit of it.

Id also be trying it out a lot in the next two weeks as it's far easier to refine within the first 30 days if it's truly unsuitable.

 

[Fraggle2]

From experience no.
I was riding a horse for someone many years ago. We were out in company had stopped to talk to a dog walker. Said horse went from standing quietly to full on bolt in an eye blink. I stayed on and he bolted at full pelt for a good mile or so. I tried everything to stop him crossed reins bridging etc nothing worked. Luckily there was a 5 bar gate at end of bridleway leading to a road. And he abruptly stopped. I got off and led him home. I refused to get back on.
The friend i was with rode him in the school a week later and he bolted in the school. She ended up coming off and ended up in hospital.
Horse had all the normal vet checks etc and nothing showed up. He was retired to the field.
So no I wouldn't get back on. I will and do ride most things but not a true bolter.

 

[oldie48]

Yes, all mine bolted when I first had them, haven't since though.

We've probably had in excess of 10 horses and ponies over the past 20 years, aged from 5 to 11 and not one of them bolted in the early years. I did, however, have two of my horse bolt on a hack. I was riding one and a friend was on the other. I had had one of the horses for 4 years and the other for about 10 years. Something terrified them and they just went, neither of us saw or heard anything unusual before it happened. It was extremely dangerous as we were on a single track lane so we couldn't even try to turn them. We never knew what had caused it and neither horse did it again but I did hear that another rider had had the same experience shortly after us in the same area. We are rumoured to have a "black cat" in the area!

 

[GTRJazz]

Once you have owned the horse for at least six months take him somewhere safe to have a canter Holkham beach is really good even in the winter no traffic to run out on most horses will run out of energy before they get to the end we live over three hours away but still worth the trip for us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IzlWAGBMyLA&feature=youtu.be