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Part 7 - Bolting - The Secret To Stopping A Runaway Horse There are a few things you will probably need to do to get this
situation under control in the long run, but let's start from where
most of us realize we have a problem, which is when your horse is
running like the wind, with the bit in his teeth and doesn't look
like listening to you, let alone slowing down. So you're on a bolting horse. Stay calm and stay on! Firstly,
horses usually run away out of fear or the habit of fear. Very few
are actually bad tempered or malicious. So stay calm and relaxed.
This is a tall order for many riders, but in order to not add to
his fear, you need to stay confident. Next you need to get back control of the direction in which you are
going. What you should NOT do is pull on two reins. Why? This
gives him something to brace against and also helps him engage his
engine - his hindquarters. In other words, by dragging on both
reins you will give him more power than he has already. The
solution is to bend him to one side or the other. Bending will help
disengage his hindquarters, giving you a chance at taking back some
control, if not full control. You may well need to use quite a bit of force to turn his head.
You don't want to pull the bit through his mouth sideways though.
Keeping a tiny bit of pressure on the outside rein should prevent
this. Use your body weight and legs to try and push him around to
the side you want to turn. Throwing your weight to the side you
want him to turn will shift his balance momentarily in that
direction. Combined with facing his head that way, you should be
able to turn him. As horses tend to travel in the direction they
are facing, don't try and turn into oncoming traffic! You can try
turning him into a wall or fence, but be aware that you may end up
on the other side if he stops suddenly, or he may charge straight
into the fence without stopping and damage it or himself or you.
If you don't think that's possible, let me just say that I've seen
it happen. What you ideally want is to keep him moving in a circle
of your choosing while you (maybe slowly) gain control over his
speed. Pushing him into a circle is also useful in this next step, which,
if it's safe to do, is a way of making him think twice about
bolting in the future. It's a form of irritant training. This
method should help the bolting situation in the long run.
Basically, you make a bolting horse work harder by not allowing him
to stop. Keep him running (in the circle if you can) until he's
sick and tired of it. And then keep him going some more. And a bit
more just to be sure he's fed up and begging to stop. Do this
whenever he bolts and he'll quickly learn that bolting is hard
work, and he's less likely to try it again without a real danger
situation to trigger the behavior. Remember to end the session on
a positive note. That is, him doing what you ask. In this case,
stopping when you say so. A really tired horse is quite happy to
slow down when asked. Other longer term solutions include discovering the trigger for the
bolting. Could it be just too much energy? Try backing off on the
oats. Does he need to be desensitized to a certain situation or
object? Is it separation anxiety? You can fix these with patient
training. Is there a physical cause like the saddle or bit
pinching that can be fixed? Is it a dominance issue? Go back over
the ground manners. You should probably go back over ground
manners anyway, regardless of the trigger. If your horse is so headstrong that he no longer responds to the
bit you're currently using with him, you can try moving him up to a
stronger bit, though a stronger bit does not necessarily mean more
control. Perhaps I should say that you could experiment with
different bits to see if you can find one that you are both happier
with. Sometimes that will be a softer bit or even no bit! And finally, to really be prepared for a bolting situation,
practice stopping your horse by bending at slower paces than a flat
gallop and in a calm, contained environment. You'll get the hang
of how to turn him effectively, which will give you some extra
confidence. Only one more instalment of your mini-course to go. Thanks! Phil Tragear
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