Defusing a potential explosion- what would you have done?

[Fiona_785]

My horse is a 7 year old OTTB who was trained to race but only had 2 starts because he was slow. He’s back into work after a year off due to an injury. This is my second week working with him and unfortunately he’s only being worked 3x a week by me right now (I lease and his owner doesn’t ride.) I’m slowly bringing him back.

Anyway, the outdoor ring was in use with a jumping lesson so I decided to do a walk/trot slow hack in the field that abuts the ring. I kept tighter contact and went slow letting him look around because I hadn’t ever taken him out there. He’s usually pretty chill. Someone was mowing the other side of the field but he wasn’t concerned with that so I kept trotting around; he was “looky” but not offering to blow a gasket. That is until the trainer had his rider come galloping full speed into the field by us without much warning for some reason. Trainer was shouting at them to go faster and they’re going around full throttle around us and my horse starts bouncing around, bucking and jumping just from all the excitement. The field is very big, but a horse suddenly charging around and a man yelling combined with the tractor and unfamiliar exciting territory was too much for him.

So, I get him slowed finally after a few attempts to get me off but I can feel he is wound up tight like a coil ready to pop. I decided to walk and ask him to collect and focus on me which works until AGAIN, they come charging into the field, setting him off again. (Crazy eventers… I’m like WTF, I don’t want to get off and “validate” his fears because I feel like I should ride through it, but I don’t need to break my arm for this “training experience”. I’m back in the saddle after years off myself and don’t need to be any big hero right now, LOL. I ended up just getting him over back to the barn and went into the indoor where he was chilled out again immediately.

I know he was just alarmed at the charging horse and didn’t want to be “bad”. So, how do you guys handle it when you feel your horse building up like that? Like when you can literally feel they’re like a wound up coil ready to pop? How do you channel that energy and do you ever just hop off? He was beyond the point where I had the ability to distract him from the scariness, partly because of my skill level and partly because what horse isn’t going to be alarmed by that type of thing if they’re not used to it? I hate to “give up” but sometimes I feel like the battle is best won with all your pieces still intact; the horse can still see the scary thing but you can still be safe on the ground right? What are your thoughts?

[keysfins]

You did just the right thing, retreating to the arena, IMO. You both lived to ride another day, and no one got hurt. That is a successful save, I think. Even if you had to get off to stay safe, I think that’s ok, too. There’s always another time to desensitize going out to the big field. Maybe next time you go out you could have a buddy with a quiet horse go with you.

I’d probably go have a conversation with that trainer, too, to find out what was going on with that situation!

[eclipse]

Agree with Keysfins plus when mine blew last year (at who knows what but bad enough I was going to come off) trainer sent me to give him a 20 min lunge… not just running but transitions on the lunge, a good workout to get him back focused safely and to get the stupids out! Then I came back outside to the same ring, got back on and had a productive end to my lesson instead of leaving it on “oh hey when I act up I get to stop work”

[Fiona_785]

@keysfins

I’d probably go have a conversation with that trainer, too, to find out what was going on with that situation!

Haha, yea, let’s just say I’ve had a few interesting experiences thus far at this barn. It would not be my first choice to keep my horse at but it’s what the owner can afford since our area is absurdly expensive (I got a full service H/J barn down south for what she pays) and she doesn’t even get to ride anyway. It’s mostly polo players and eventers mixed in so, you get some different personalities and etiquette styles for sure. I have no idea who this trainer was but he spoke with an accent so perhaps manners and etiquette are different where he is from… who knows. I do miss my quiet, cushy, hunter barn for sure but I’m here until I get my own horse again

Thanks for the reply!

[Ganesha]

@Fiona_785

It’s mostly polo players and eventers mixed in

Well, you won’t lack for excitement! :lol: Sounds like you did a great job given the circumstances

[Training_Cupid]

With my OTTB, if he’s being quick I know we can work through it (usually start by trotting on a 20 meter circle, then once he starts to give a little adding a little shoulder fore, and shortening and lengthening the trot a little). But when he starts propping / feeling like he’s doesn’t want to keep his feet on the ground, and like a coiled spring ready to explode… well last time it was at a show and I decided to scratch my round but still work him in the warm up so he doesn’t get out of it, and he proceeded to buck me off! Lol, so yeah it sounds like you handled it well!

[Come_Shine]

Good for you OP! That sounds hairy

Not to derail and maybe I should start a new thread. My coach told me it is always safer to stay on top than get off in a bad situation. My default has always been to want to get off.

Is it safer to try and stay on?

[Training_Cupid]

Come Shine - I feel safer, and think I can better control my horse, from the ground. He’s never gotten away from me or done anything really bad when I’ve gotten off. But a lot of times I will stay on for training purposes (don’t want my horse to learn I will get off every time he starts acting up!)

[Lizzie7791]

For my guy, he’s a 5 year old ottb who I got right from the track a year ago, it depends what the explosion is over. If it’s just freshness I just take a contact and push them forward. A) it keeps this mind occupied rather than walking and gawking at everything b) he’s a more of a lurcher (A mini bolt essentially but ive seen him throw some nasty bucks while loose) And it’s a lot easier to sit when you’re already motoring along. I also distract him with some trot poles or something. Then he has less brain cells to focus on other horses or monsters in the shadows. Forward forward forward with a contact.

If on the other hand there is a legitimate reason (my guy struggles sometimes with the appearance other horses) he completely checks out and melts down. Like this there is no distracting him. I just jump off. There’s no sense in trying to sit whatever he throws at me and he’s honestly not paying attention to me whatsoever (he’s gone sideways into jumps before and knocked them over because hes so fixated on something else) I either walk him around from the ground until his brain comes back ot honestly I’ve thrown him in a stall for a time out the brought him out back to work. Because it wasn’t a tantrum he doesn’t seem to associate it with getting out of work and in the 14 months I’ve had him I’ve only had to do it three tines and not for months now. The time out was once because I didn’t have anywhere to bring him to get him out of horse traffic.

There’s really no sense in getting hurt over “trying to not let them win”

[Libby416]

I think it really depends on the horse.

For mine, she so rarely explodes, but when she does I try to do lateral work with her. Turn on the forehand, turn on the haunches, shoulder in, haunches in, leg yields, literally anything that is a mind workout for her. Normally ten minutes of this and she’ll forget she was exploding in the first place :lol:

If she is still exploding through that work though, it’s honestly a good day to take her out of the ring and let her walk out for a good while on the trails. I know I won’t accomplish anything in the ring that day, so just letting her walk for a good long time helps. I can NOT get off her because she has the mind of a pony and is too smart for her own good.:rolleyes:

[WalnutGroveEq]

When horses are tense, distracted, bucking, rearing, etc. You have to do 2 things.

1. Take their longitudinal (nose to tail) advantage away. Horses are very strong in a straight line and they can take it away from you. In order to get the upper hand you have to bend them. This can mean just some shoulderfore or put their nose on you knee and make them cross their hind legs. It all depends on how explosive/disobedient they are. You must commit and do not let them straighten until you feel the “bomb diffuse” so to speak.

2. You have to put leg on and make them understand it doesn’t always mean run/go forward. Best/easiest way is when they are bent and when you have regained control, leg yield out of a small circle to a bigger one. Doesn’t have to be pretty but they MUST move off your leg and go laterally.

Do this then rinse and repeat the other way. The circle gets bigger and the degree of bend less, but with a very low threshold to go right back to putting their nose on your knee.

This exercise also provides you with the means to channel the explosion through the outside shoulder. If they want to run sideways, fine, but you have the control of where they go and prevent the rearing/bucking. If you slam the front, back, and side doors there’s only one way to go and that’s usually up. You do not want to encourage rearing or bucking by keeping them straight and telling them not to go anywhere.

Its basic flight or fight instinct. If they feel like they can’t get away they will fight you with more disobedience.

The more you do this and the quicker you win the easier it will be to diffuse tension quickly. As soon as the leg goes on and I bend mine I feel them start to relax in most cases, unless they are particularly lit or nervous.

This is also exactly how I ride and fix rearers/buckers which both of my have been and can be on occasion. Of course you have to know your skill level and comfort level. If you can be safest getting off, there is absolutely no shame in that.

Personally, I have never been hurt when I am ON a horse. It’s when I come off that’s the problem. I’ve had mine do too much leaping in hand so I feel safer diffusing the situation in the saddle.

I think moving to the indoor to a quieter environment was absolutely fine to finish your ride successfully.

[vxf111]

Seems to me like going to the indoor was the right call. I probably wouldn’t have waited for the second run in with the galloping rider to do it

[Highflyer]

@Come Shine

Good for you OP! That sounds hairy

Not to derail and maybe I should start a new thread. My coach told me it is always safer to stay on top than get off in a bad situation. My default has always been to want to get off.

Is it safer to try and stay on?

It really depends. I typically feel more in control on, especially if we are not at home/ in a contained area (fenced ring or smaller field). Obviously if you feel that you are truly in danger, the risks of having the horse get loose are less than having it flip over on you etc. But on a trail ride/ xc school etc. I do usually try to stay on rather than try to hold onto the reins of a horse that is wheeling and flinging itself around (plus having to remount). But the rider’s/ human safety is always first priority so if you have to dismount or let the horse go, you do it.

[kashmere]

I would have done what you did! Though I probably would have tossed in a “hey, can you let me take my horse out of here before running the Indy 500 again?” yell to the other rider/trainer :lol:

When I can feel my mare coil up and get ready to explode, I focus on transitions and bending lines - just changing bend frequently to keep her soft, in hand, and not braced. And double yes to whoever said keep the leg on - a supportive, calm leg (not driving!) is important through those loony moments.

And yes, sometimes I do hop off - if I feel it’s going to be safer for me and the horse. Which is rarely. I’d say 99% of the time it’s safer and more effective to stay on and ride it through. I have a pretty sticky seat and am not prone to coming off (knocking on wood, here!) so when I do dismount, it’s not our of fear of falling, but because it’s going to result in a better outcome for the situation. Last time I chose to was this summer on the trail through barn property (not miles from home :)). Mare was cool as a cucumber strolling along on the buckle, and all of a sudden started popping up in front and bucking and overall losing her little mind. I sat it out, tried to calm her to no avail, and figured there must have been something (bee, stick smacking her, etc) that I could maybe remove. I hopped off and gave her a once over, brushed her hind legs down and then decided to just hoof it back home in hand rather than climb back up from the ground for the last 10 meters of trail.

[mpsbarnmanager]

I would have absolutely gotten off and just held him in hand to quiet him. Waked to another area, gotten back on and continued. Discretion is the better part of valor IMO. I don’t need to get hurt trying to be a cowboy or a hero. Your horse is not going to think he’s getting out of anything. He is scared, and if it makes you in any way uncomfortable, he will pick up on it. Live to fight another day, I say.

[BeeHoney]

Personally if a horse is just feeling good or being annoying and distracted, I try to work through it. A little bit of hard work cures many ills.

But, if the horse feels like they are getting ready to lose it, hey, I’ve got too much other stuff going on to be able to afford being dumped. And getting dumped and the horse running around hysterically can confirm and reinforce in a horse’s mind that there really was something terrible going on. So in that case, I quickly hop off and put the horse on the longe. We step back to a boring session on the longe line where my goal is to teach the horse how to return to a sane state of mind after an overly stimulating situation. I might or might not get back on after the horse settles.

[BAY_WITH_CHROME]

@mpsbarnmanager

I would have absolutely gotten off and just held him in hand to quiet him. Waked to another area, gotten back on and continued. Discretion is the better part of valor IMO. I don’t need to get hurt trying to be a cowboy or a hero. Your horse is not going to think he’s getting out of anything. He is scared, and if it makes you in any way uncomfortable, he will pick up on it. Live to fight another day, I say.

I second this. I’ve found the OTTBs I’ve retrained very worldly about machinery, but the first few times another horse canters/trots towards them, boy can they get anxious and worried. I prefer to introduce them to other horses in the ring by walking them on the inside track while riders ride by.

I have never found a horse to think he was getting out of work when he was anxious and I hopped off. If this scenario had of happened to me I would have definitely gotten off and hand-walked him around the ring. It’s not about winning with them, it’s about giving them a positive experience… and sometimes TBs really need a hand on the ground to reassure them. The positive side is I’ve only had to reinforce this once or twice and generally once you show a TB something is okay, they believe you and remember it next time.

[pony_grandma]

What @WalnutGroveEq said. In the western world the put their nose on your knee is called the one rein stop. It’s a get your shit together and chill maneuver to teach a horse. You use one rein to turn them into their side, your knee, don’t turn high, then they flip over, and you keep them on that small circle until their feet stop. Bent that way they cannot unseat you and they eventually learn that they are only fighting themselves. You are not the bad guy. When they stop their feet is when you slip the rein and stand there. Repeat if they move. Sit and relax when they stand and reward them for the quiet. The bending helps take their mind off the distraction and put their focus on you. The same as with any lateral work but this is the immediate more intense reaction to an explosive situation. Then you can graduate to the lateral. Lateral work is best used with an stronger experienced rider, they can make it look easy.

We have also used this technique on horses that try to rear. It is a very controlled and very quiet maneuver, no anger, no abuse. When you’re prepared and have practiced this it is a very quick go to trick to have in your bag.

[TheHotSensitiveType]

You stayed on and got him to calm back down in the arena. That is a win in my book!

In the scenario you describe, I would have gotten off and went back to the arena to chill him out and to end the session on a positive note. I do not think he was doing a few attempts to get you off either. He was scared/anxious/panicked and wanted to exit the area by whatever means necessary.

This happened with my mare and I a few weeks ago… The outdoor riding area is next to a pasture. We were cantering from back to front when I hear thundering hooves behind me… My mare bolted at this point, convinced that something was indeed out there to eat her and she was not going to be the one that went down!!! I wanted to be mad, but I just couldn’t, she was scared. With an unfamiliar horse, she was working herself into a tizzy with spins and getting light in front so I got off and went back to the arena. It is so situational dependent!

[drafting_dots]

@BAY WITH CHROME

I have never found a horse to think he was getting out of work when he was anxious and I hopped off. If this scenario had of happened to me I would have definitely gotten off and hand-walked him around the ring. It’s not about winning with them, it’s about giving them a positive experience… and sometimes TBs really need a hand on the ground to reassure them. The positive side is I’ve only had to reinforce this once or twice and generally once you show a TB something is okay, they believe you and remember it next time.

Agree. I don’t think horses (and people) can actually LEARN when out of their minds. So any correction will likely not be a training moment and, in our favor, it also means that they more than likely will not “learn to get out of work” either. By out of their mind, I mean a generally reasonable horse who generally aims to please and has really encountered a one-off crazy situation that is just plain too much to handle.