Horse bolt
If you have ever had the unfortunate experience of riding a horse that has run away with you then you are already aware of how frightening it can be.
Why does my horse take off ?
Spooking
This is quite common in younger horses.
A youngster will look at everything and noise will also set him off.
Something upsets him and he takes off, getting faster and faster trying to run away from the source of its anxiety.
Green riding
Novice riding can play a big part and encourage a horse to take off.
If the horse is startled by something and leaps forward and the rider gets left behind, this could result in the rider banging down on the rear of the saddle whist jabbing the horse in the mouth resulting in the horse taking off in a panic.
Pain
The horse could genuinely be in pain; therefore he is trying to run away from it.
It could be a sore mouth or something under the saddle.
Explosive horse
A horse that has been stabled for a few days might have a lot of pent up energy to release.
He is likely to use any excuse to take off, e.g. a plastic bag flying around is a good excuse to release some pent up energy and a controlled canter is likely to turn into a full gallop.
Try lunging the horse first to take the edge off him before riding.
Nervous young horse
Almost anything can set this type of horse off.
Something jumping out of a hedge, like a dog, cat, bird, rustling noises, gun going off.
When you ride a youngster you should always be thinking ahead, anticipating the next hazard, remain calm and relaxed at all times.
If the rider is nervous the horse will pick up on this and it is likely to heighten his adrenalin and panic him even more.
Ex race horse
Many people buy an ex racehorse who have recently come out of training.
In an open space they may set off at high speed.
The rider may see this as the horse bolting when in actual face, it is what the horse has been trained to do.
Horse bolt >> Home
* * What can i do if my horse takes off with me ?* *
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