Bolting horse?

[Waikato Valuta]

I have had several horses bolt on me (I seam to always get bolting horses). But how do you teach a horse to not do this. I have one horse who when ever i take him to a certain place he takes of. He usualy takes of when going down the hill and then bolts all the way up to the top of the other hill. But apart from that he is fine. I have never asked him to gallop on this hill but right from day one he has bolted on this hill.

Another problem I have is that my horse hates kangaroos If he sees them he bolts. One day I was walking in a gully and a kangaroo moved about 300meters infront of me. He got vet upset i was turning him incircle trying to calm him and he just snatched the rains and ran up a VERY VERY steep hill draged me through the branches of trees and jumped a log (my horse hates to jump). He could not posibly have been able to see were he was going as the branches were so thick. when he got to the top of the hill he then stoped but when i asked him to walkon. he started to prance and then bolted with me down a hill over a ditch up another hill and them stoped snorting and doing mini rears when he got to the gate to get out of the big paddock we had been ridding in.

He tends to only start bolt in open place but then will go bush. But if i am on a small train he has never bolted.

My instructor recomended i wear a standing marting gale wile on the trail to keep his head down and make it imposable for him to streacth his neck to gallop. I dont know how well this would go as i need to go on some very steep slopes.

Any ideas would help. I was thiking i might try walking him along the path and then start rididng him along it. What do you think?

He tends to be much more controlable when on his own but my friends and family say they wont let me ride out alone because if I got hurt no one would know. and he can still be a nut when i am alone just not so bad.

I have included a pic of him.

[unicorndanca]

My horse also hates Kangas but thankfully is getting use to them. Luckily he isn't a bolter only exciteable. I use a running martingale when out on the trail. Unfortunately I'm no help when it comes to your bolting problem but goodluck anyway.

[cvb]

I take it that because of the terrain you could not do the 'turn a circle' thing ?

This is one of the standard ways.

Then there is another thing I got taught because I had a pony who was very strong x-country.

But this is when you are already in canter rather than a panic-bolt.

You have short reins and put your hand against the wither, knuckles down, so the hand is tight against the horse. Same with the other hand. Then whichever hand is your horse's 'soft' side, you just 'sponge' the rein and turn your wrist slightly so it moves the bit in the horse's mouth. You do not need to take your hand off the horse to do this - a big movement would take their back teeth out !

Its a bit like turning your reins into side reins, then flexing one. It worked a dream for me.

It might work for you in your down-the-hill bolt - what starts this ? It sounds a bit like he is not keen to work at balancing down the hill, so what happens if you ride lots of little serpentines down the hill instead of heading straight down ?

For the panic thing - then its a long term thing of building confidence in you - so your walking idea sounds like a good start.

[Gracie]

That is so cool that you see kangaroo's on your rides! Sorry I'm from Canada and the only place I've ever seen a Kangaroo is the Zoo. That is sooo cool! I bettcha if my horse saw one she would definitly bolt too!LOL! SOrry it sounds so weird, but I know seeing something that we see everyday maybe weird for you!:D

[¶¤Lil Cowgirl¤¶]

Hey!

LOL i agree with gracie :D i live in canada to and i have only seen a kangaroo once when i was a a zoo... :D my horse would definitly bolt if we saw a kangaroo while riding too lol!!! I think that is SO cool you see kangaroos! :D

[cvb]

sure but the australians don't get lots of animals we do - squirrels, elk/moose and so on !

(We are supposed to have elk here but I haven't seen one yet. As my Appy has a fit at cattle, I can just imagine her reaction to elk :eek: )

[chapsi]

Sorry, but I couldn't stop laughing when I read about your horse's antics. I must stress that I admire your courage. You are very bolt no doubt. The first time a horse bolted with me, I was so frightened, that ever since then I became gradually afraid of riding. I feel panic stricken about cantering (this is improving though) and riding in open spaces. How do you manage to keep your cool?

[rocketman]

You have kangaroos, I have alligators! I took a 3 year old on her first trail ride and passed a lake where they were snoozing on the banks. When the gators heard us coming, they all slithered and jumped into the water with a great splash. This youngster had been born in England and knew about dogs, foxes, rabbits, etc. Prehistoric reptiles was something else again.

After that, she wasn't much concerned about unusual looking jumps, including the life size plastic 'Shamu the baby killer whale' jump.

[marge]

What a pretty face! Your horse seems as if he's intelligent, but bolting can be so dangerous. You must be strong to be able to stay on through his bolts. The one time a horse did this to me is when I was much younger and a motor bike came at us from nowhere and frightened him. We were "somewhere else" before I knew it. I never realized until then how fast a horse can "move out!"
Sorry that I have no advice for you except to have him get used to kangerroos until they don't bother him anymore, but one just doesn't always have a kangeroo advailable to do this. LOL Biggest thing around here is deer.

[Waikato Valuta]

I took him out again today and saw a kanga. He was so scared, first he shied big time and took off. He did not go very far as i managed to stop him. He was prancing and joging all the way home and was frothing from the mouth a lot. He was just totaly freaked. he did not settle untill we were home 3/4hr later. Has any one on this forum got any advise for this or are you in the same situation. Please reply.

[FreedomStar]

I really hate to suggest this, but a pulley rein? It's where you put one hand against the horses neck and pull hard with the other. It makes the horse loses his balance, so I don't really like it, but if you have no other choice than you've got to work with what you have.

[cvb]

my appy has decided she does not like cows (among other things). We get heart pounding, tippy toes behaviour. She's learning that they are not really going to get to her or hurt her. Partly by following other horses, but partly by me giving her time and reassurance.

My mum used to ride my old horse for me during the week. There was one ride where he used to rey and trot off home at a certain point. What she used to do was distract him with a treat just before that point - it worked.

So you could try that. And talk to your horse calmly (sing if you need to) and stroke his neck.

[Waikato Valuta]

I never know when a kangaroo is about to pop out of the bushes so giving him a treat just before it happens would be hard. But when it dose happen I usualy talk to him camly and strock him neck. I some times get of and walk or let him graze for a little wile. But what i find a bit strange is how he can be a perfect angel for 20 min and then spook and then be a total horse from hell (he just dose not settle untill we get home) all the way home. I was going on a ride once and about 20min in he spooked he was then extra on edge for the entire 3hr ride. He jogs and dose what I call mini rears (hoping up and down on his front legs). He fomes at the mouth and just wont settle. AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What should I do?????

[cvb]

Sounds like he's suffering from major anxiety (when he's doing the horse from hell thing) and wants to return to his 'comfort zone' of home.

So you need to work on improving his confidence. Easy to say. Can you get through to him at all when in this mode ? By talking, tapping his neck gently or whatever or is he completely switched off ? If you have a choice, I would start by taking the shorter route home, but then when you get home, work him a little in a field or school until he calms down. Then he does not get the message 'if you are crazy we stop' but does get the message 'if you are calm we will go away from danger and then stop'.(This can just be walking around until he calms down if he is really stressed and tired and sweaty)

Make sure you are not mirroring him by getting tense yourself. My mother does this - horse goes Eeek do mother goes ' EEEEEK' so horse goes 'OMG my rider's scared it must be bad !!' Where as if she went 'no problem' instead it would all calm down more quickly.

Within reason (safety etc) try and have a slightly calmer contact (as if you had a longer rein but without making it too long for control) - just soften through your hands and elbows. Make sure your legs are not too tense.