Almost killed me!!!!

[sammie]

I had the worst ride of my life yesterday. I have just bought a new horse and had been out riding for about an hour, had done trotting and had a couple of really nice long, easy to control canters and I came down one track which I had been down only the day before and had a really nice long easy to control canter. I started to canter when he just went faster and faster till we were in full gallop. I couldnt stop him at all, I tried talking to him calmly which usually works but he was having none of it. I tried to not panic and think that he would eventually run out of steam as this track is quite long but no. The track was very narrow so I couldnt turn him either. To make matters worse there were lots of overhanging branches to I was having to lean forwards over his head which I'm sure he took to mean encouragement. At the bottom of the track it opens out a bit before coming to a dead end where there is a 4ft double gate onto a railway line. I thought he would just come to a standstill when he got to the gate but no, he jumped it and we both ended up on the railway line where he stopped. I have never been so terrified in my life. I have a real fear of galloping which I was trying to overcome - I came off at full speed about 10 years ago and broke my pelvis. Since then I have always bailed out when I feel myself going too fast which I know is a bad habit so I was trying to break it. Now I think I have set myself back years. What should I do. The horse was not frightened in anyway just having fun.

[Miriam]

If I was you I would go back to basics. Do you have an instructor that could help you sort out this problem?

The other thing would be to get rid of the horse and buy a new one. I know that sounds harsh but you have to put your safety first.

[tasha]

You say you have not had this horse long. I expect he was testing the water, seeing how far he could push you. I would say get lessons from an instructor ASAP,as the more he gets away with now the harder it'll be to overcome problems in the future.

You could also get his teeth, back and tack checked, just in case.

[Lindi]

I certainly wouldn't get rid of him just for that. Is he having the right amount of feed, the horse I ride was being given two extra scoops of food by someone by mistake. She also used to canter out in front of cars and stuff untill we got used to each other. Now she's gone the other way! Please don't give up, get some lessons and your confidence back.

[Georgia]

That must have been sooo scary! Lucky there were no trains!
Georgia X

[Tumbleweed]

Sammie, what a clever girl you are, you stayed on, kept your cool while he was galloping, and then was still in the saddle when he jumped the gates. There can't be much wrong with your riding.

You do need to give him lots of schooling, bends, circles of different sizes, transitions, lateral work, etc, to teach him what control is, then it will much safer to hack out.

Keep up the good work.:D

[sammie]

Thanks, I don't intend to get rid of him just yet I am sure its a getting to know each other thing...I hope. I am trying not to think about the train coming thing as thats just too awful, Ineedless to say I didnt sleep much last night - every time I closed my eyes I just heard galloping hooves!!!

I rode him out today and whilst he was a bit excited (especially on the way home) he was normal. I even had a canter which was fine. I think for the time being I will just keep the faster work to more open spaces to that I can at least turn him.

I have him on a cooling mix but think I might try putting a couple of mogadons in it too!

His tack is all brand new and fitted by a qualified saddler so it should all be OK.

Well at least I know he can jump!

[luv horses]

Sammie

I have been learning to turn their heads in. You can practice this at a walk and it helps to give them more flexibility too. So that when the horse starts getting faster than you want him to and not listening to the reins you take the reins in one hand and move the other hand halfway along and bring his head around to your boot etc if possible. Then they lose the power of their hindquarter! When you practice this at a walk you wait until the horse has stopped turning in a circle before you release the rein.

luv horses

[GingerPonyz]

Have you tried a pulley rein? This is quite harsh on their mouth and I dislike using one, but it is emergency control and your situation sounded quite dangerous. Plant one hand on your horse's neck, then pull the other rein up hard. This will knock the horse off the forhand, so you have more control and can stop. If your horse does not respond to one, use another one, until he slows. Again, I really dislike using so much pressure on their mouth, but when safety is such a big issue, safety comes first- both yours and your horse's.

[ExcaliburRider]

why didn't you just pull on one reign in a tight circle. correct me if i'm wrong, but isn't that what you are supposed to do for a bolting horse? i'm sorry, but it's just dangerous and irresponsible to allow a horse to gallop like that. i know it wasn't intended, but you thought you would just let him run out of gas? never do that, especially if you are not in a closed arena. sorry to be unsympathetic, but...

[Jay.o]

Originally posted by sammie
The track was very narrow so I couldnt turn him either.

she couldnt turn him because the track was narrow !
but i only canter and gallop out in an open feild or in a school !

[Tumbleweed]

she couldnt turn him because the track was narrow !
but i only canter and gallop out in an open feild or in a school !

Sometimes we don't have a choice of where we canter or gallop, especially if there are idiots about that gallop past us.

Horses think for themselves, and they don't always do what we want them to do. Sometimes the trot gets faster and faster then they break out into canter, and that gets faster and faster. They set their jaws so that you can't pull them up.

In an ideal world, our horses would be obedient 100% of the time, but this is not an ideal world.

[Jay.o]

alright dont have to be like that !!!! :mad:

its just safer if you do do it in an open feild then you can turn them - i know that they have a mind of their own and we dont always have a choice of where we gallop ! :(

i dont know why you came over like that and shot off at me ! :mad:

and are you refering to the 'idiots that gallop past you' as me ? :mad:

[Tumbleweed]

Ooooops, sorry I wasn't having a go at you, just giving my opinion. I must have been having an off day.

No, I wasn't saying that you galloped past other riders, how could I, I don't know you very well. I was talking about some of the riders who live round here, there has been accidents because of this.

It is not just some riders that race past, cyclists are even worse, and again, there has been several accident because of this. I keep telling the cyclists to put bells on their bikes so that we and our horses can hear them. There is nothing worse than you finding out about a cyclist when it is nearly past.

I really am sorry, I didn't intend giving the impression I was having a go at you, I really wasn't.

[Jay.o]

its ok - i must have taken it the wrong way as you cant always tell what people are meaning when they say something over the internet !!!
Friends ???

[Tumbleweed]

Friends ???

Never though of you as anything else.

:D

[Jay.o]

ahh i am touched !!:D :D :D
same to you !!!!!! :D :D :D
now look you made me go soppy ! LOL :) :p :)

[tasha]

I never canter/gallop Kally in an open field (mainly because we dont have any nearby, lol!) because she would see all the space, think "Aha, time to run!" and off she would go.

However I do not canter on narrow tracks because of the ack of space to turn. I found this out when I went to canter her down a narrow path, she bolted, and I could do nothing but hang on. Normally I would have tried to turn anyway, but this particular path was lined with old rusted barbed wire (but wide enough for a safe canter).

A lot of the time, all thoughts of what to do disppear out of one;s head when situations like this occur. That's why this board is great for coming up with answers to use next time..if there is a next time...

[HairyCob]

Nothing new to add really! Just wanted to reiterate what Tumbleweed said back at the beginning- Well Done! For staying on, keeping your cool, still being in the saddle after the jump and most of all... For not giving in to that urge to 'bail out' that you talked about! I got into a simmilar habit a few years back and its not an easy one to break!

I guess hindsight is a wonderful thing... no doubt you wont be cantering down that particular track again in a hurry! We learn from our mistakes, so just thank god neither of you or anyone else got hurt, think about what you have learnt from the experience, congratulate yourself for getting through it and carry on enjoying your horse!

Good Luck!
H.C's Mum!

[jessicah]

I have just got a horse 5 weeks ago. I kept him at a small riding school for 3 weeks and after 1 week he didnt want to leave the yard and just stood there heals in! After a lot of flapping and various people making noises/whipping the ground etc he went out reluctantly. Unfazed by all the comotion. I then moved him to another yard where there was better grazing/stabling... he has been there 2 weeks on Friday. He has not done this at the new yard. When i rode him out this Sunday just gone, we went down a bridleway and when we turned back to come home i asked him to canter. We had already cantered quite a bit! He bolted and i couldnt stop him. I eventually managed to just before a low jump. I could not turn him as the track was too narrow.
I am worried i will not be able to stop him if he does it again. Should i use a stronger bit... he is in a snaffle?
I am moving him for the last time this weekend to a great place with an indoor school so i can ride after work, at the moment its only weekends.

[tasha]

Dont change the bit. As with the other problems in this thread, dont canter on narrow tracks for the time being, and make sure your schooling is up to scratch. If he does bolt, then circle him.

As with all new horses and ponies he is just testing you. What you let him get away with now will affect your future relationship.