Has Anyone Ever Successfully Retrained a Bolting Horse?

[artisticgold]

A friend of mine from NW U.S. was recently looking for a calm, kind, well trained dressage horse. Looked locally, but at her price range, the horses were not great. I found a lovely 8 year old gelding in Canada, and after lots of discussion and videos between all parties, went to see him to assess him for her. He seemed a perfect gentleman on the ground, sane, solid, sweet. Once I sat in the saddle, I fell absolutely in love with him. Very nicely forward without rushing, balanced, sensitive, rode without whip or spurs and he w-t-c, did all lateral work, changes of direction, everything great. At the canter, all I had to do was sit and draw myself up and bring my shoulders back and he collected. Lengthen leg and put heels down to transition down. Seller rode in him tight contact with a whip and spurs, I rode him in a somewhat lighter contact and he was perfect and I could feel him asking me what I wanted and was so obedient and compliant. We had been told about a one time incident where the previous trainer had come off at a show, kept questioning was told it was once, never happened again, lead to believe it was a rough trainer, and would be suitable for seller. I would’ve bought him on the spot for myself, I never felt such a connection ever when trying a horse, fell head over heals, but since I was looking for a friend, I highly recommended him to her.

So, after lots and lots of questions between seller, trainer, buyer, her trainer, myself, she decided to buy and had him shipped. He was great, settled in well, went right to work for his new owner, super! He really bonded to her as she spent a lot of time just hanging out with him.

Fast forward a month or so, and after a lesson, she told a friend to get on him and hack him down the road, which was his routine, Trainer walking alongside, they went down the drive and out onto the quiet road, where he suddenly spun and bolted hell for leather back to the barn, dumping the rider hard on her side. Luckily she wasn’t hurt badly. Horse went to owner and put his head on her shoulder.

Owner reached out to former owners, and trainers, and found out that this horse has a long history of bolting, out of nowhere with no warning, and has since he was started. She is older with brittle bones and strength issues, and can’t take the chance on getting hurt, and she wants to show and clinic, which might trigger this behavior. She needed safe and quiet, but at this point, the safe is questionable.

Seller refuses to take him back, it’s another country, too involved to pursue. Owner needs to rehome him. I myself am approaching 60 with osteoporosis, but have a long backround of restarting horses, using natural and classical horsemanship, and would take a lot of time on the ground and under saddle. Also, would be willing to research and find someone like a young Clinton Anderson or John Lyons to reschool under saddle. I think he needs some work giving to the bit, disengaging the hindquarters, following the feel, and having more trust. I have an small enclosed indoor where I usually ride, and then hack my horses around the farm, but if he didn’t like to hack and got too insecure, then confined indoor would be enough. No showing, maybe lessons at home would be it.

All physical reasons have been researched and ruled out, We believe it is a bit of insecurity, and now just an ingrained behavior. Can this be turned around, he’s coming 9, so still a youngish horse. He seems very sweet, sensible, kind and smart, just has this in his go to repertoire when things aren’t going right.

So, my question is, what experience have others had with this type of behavior. Can it be reformed or will it always come up? I don’t need another horse, but he is very special…She has a few prospects of places for him to go, but it is killing both of us to part with him.

[CFFarm]

If it’s not physical of course, it sounds like he needs a velcro rider who can ride through this behavior consistently. If I was 40 years younger…I had one given to me years ago because of the same problem.

[Dee-Vee]

I am so sorry to hear this. How disappointing and dangerous for everyone, and unfair to the horse. Also sheer disappointment in the seller, especially taking advantage of a cross-border situation. I have no constructive advice, but just wish you the best.

[Foxglove]

My current horse was a bolter --and a rear-er, bucker, and generally bad boy off the hunt field. On the hunt field he never put a foot wrong. But take him into an arena and the circus began with a refusal to go forward, followed by a rear, followed by a buck, then a whip around and run to the barn. I went through the usual song and dance --different bit, saddle, no bit, no saddle, everything --then hired my neighbor who was a John Lyons disciple. He rode horse, then began to train me on how to cure the problem --which in our case was behavioral, probably caused by a very smart horse being able to out fox his first owner, a ten year old girl.

The trainer, when he rode the horse the first time, strongly addressed the rearing by circling the horse and backing. It was not gentle, no easy to watch. He did pretty much the same for the bucking and bolting. When the horse went a bit postal, the trainer just kept after him; but the second the horse took a step forward, all movement stopped and the horse was rewarded with rest. And that’s where everything started to get better.

Although I didn’t ride the horse and feel safe for another ten weeks --trainer came over weekly; in the meantime, I was given extensive work to do on the ground that involved the horse moving forward on various cues, and being allowed to rest when he did so. From the ground, with a word, he would stop. All of the ground work “translated” once I mounted. Eventually, I did get back in the saddle and yes, there was a slight rear, a slight buck, and a though about bolting, all of which I KNEW HOW TO CONTROL. And, the horse had been thoroughly worked, daily, for ten weeks --makes a BIG difference.

And that was 12 years ago. To this day, in the spring, after hunt season and m’boy has had six weeks of green grass and no work, we see the same antics -although I’m smart enough now to START with ground work for a week before I ride him --and he’s smart enough to know he won’t get away with what he does.

So my advice is to consider ground work --you need to put a “whoa” on the horse. Around me there are quite a few western stables where John Lyons and other “Western” philosophies are practiced. Before I got rid of such a nice horse, I’d call around and talk to a few trainers --be specific. I hop you can find someone who can help you –

Foxglove

[Wayside]

One of my favorite horses ever came to me as a bolter. In his case, at least, he was terribly herd bound so a large percent of his bolting could be attributed to that. To be perfectly honest, it took a long time to cure him of that habit, and since he was also my first horse, I fell off a lot. But eventually I think he decided that I was an acceptable “herd”, and his behavior improved significantly.

So IME, it can be done, but it’s not a quick fix, nor is it for the faint of heart. And the risk of a fall is very real.

[Kirby_s_Keeper]

Horse didn’t bolt with new owner on board but a different rider then ran back to new owner. It sounds more like the horse has bonded with the new owner and was anxious to be separated from her as opposed to just barn sour. It would be interesting to know the exact circumstances of the previous bolting episodes and see who was riding and in what situation. I wouldn’t give up on him yet. He could just be a “one person horse” and his new owner is that person. Just my 2 cents.

[achcosuva]

I agree with the poster above who advised getting a velcro rider. I would add a velcro rider that will take him out on the trails and in the open A LOT to give him the reassurance he needs. The way you describe his behaviour, he sounds more lacking in confidence than exhibiting animosity.

My retired TB was a bolter (and a rearer) when I got him. He was off the track after a long career and his new people were scared of him and used lots of gadgetry and lunging to try to keep him “under control.” I put him in a snaffle, took off the martingale, and just rode him everywhere. I was in college, in fox hunting heaven, so even though I got him after hunt season, we could use the well-maintained hunt trails all summer long. He reared and bolted some, but I stuck on and went with it (college aged, remember!). I didn’t react harshly (he never was a horse you could FORCE to do anything, even as I got to know him better), but just went with it, slowed when we could, went back and carried on. Eventually he MOSTLY got over it. We might have an unscheduled forward burst, but it was never again the spin-dump-blind-run that I think of as dangerous bolting. Even in his stiff last months of work, he would enjoy an unplanned canter across the field, but he always waited for me to catch up. That moment of hesitation and warning, plus the feeling of being able to stop, made all the difference.

[exploding_pony]

IMO horses have “go to” behavior when they have anxiety. You can manage it and some riders can keep it in check. It usually gets smaller and smaller with good training. Unfortunately it does not sound like this owner can take that risk.

My young gelding, when he gets upset, he can launch through the air and take off across the arena. He never bucks. My mare, she sucks back and has an honest spook that involves a spin. She has never bolted. She’s the easiest horse I have ever ridden. She just almost never does anything wrong. It’s just who she is. The Exploding Pony would spook, buck, rear, never bolted.

They all have some default behavior to a certain extent.

I had a kwpn for awhile and he was a bolter - only did it a couple of times a year and always for an honest reason but it was horrible. I never came off him but I was always terrified. I sold him to a kid who jumps him. He still bolts and she comes off him occasionally, but she loves him and just keeps at it.

You can train it out to an extent but it is always there. I would find a nice young rider who doesn’t mind the occasional bolt, because sooner or later, he’s going to do it again.

[no.stirrups]

I’m with Kirby’s Keeper. Horse is insecure. You put a stranger on him, then sent him out down the road. Think about that from his perspective. Think about it as if he were a child. “Here kid, go away with this complete stranger. Maybe she’ll bring you back, maybe she won’t.” Of course he got scared! I would watch him very closely in new situations in future, but I would not be thinking of getting rid of him at all.

When previous owners indicate that the behavior happened without warning, they really just mean they weren’t observant enough to catch the warning. Be attuned to subtleties. Deliberately put him in situations that require trust, and show him that he’ll live, but build VERY slowly. This will teach him that he can live through fear, and that you will not ask him to do anything he can’t handle, and it will give you opportunities to observe and get to know his signals. If you screw up and overface him, i.e., put him in a situation where he really feels he has no choice but to run to protect himself, then it will take you a VERY long time to regain the lost ground. If you do it right, by this time next year you will have a horse that will stay by your side through an apocalypse.

It sounds like he is very well worth the effort.

[Jackie_Cochran]

I worked some on a horse that would unexpectedly bolt. Nothing would stop this behavior. After I rode him several times I noticed that his worst bolts happened when he saw something scary out of the back corner of his eye. In other words we could get him past something scary, and just when a normal horse would relax he would bolt as he saw the scary thing in the back corner of his eye.

I got some Dy’on blinkers, put them on his bridle, and the bolting stopped, though the horse still has many, many other undesirable responses to scary, unexpected and unusual things. But once we are past those things he does not bolt because he does not see them out of the back corner of his eye.

Of course you cannot use the blinkers in the dressage shows, but you can use them elsewhere–in the arena, indoor riding ring, in the fields and out hacking. It might be worth a try if you want to keep the horse and be able to ride him safely.

[LilyandBaron]

100% agree with exploding pony - horses have a default reaction. The key, to me, is if it’s fear or rebellion. Sounds like fear for this boy. And some fears are easier to use training to overcome than others. I think rebellion is easier to address, honestly, because it’s a decision the horse makes, not an ingrained flight response.

I have a rescue horse I’ve had for 9 years. He’s also a bolter. His fear is hard to replicate, as he can be fine one day and the next day, terrified in what, to me, seems like the exact same situation. And he’s a horse you can throw a tarp on like a blanket! The thing is sensing it before it happens works sometimes - he gets locked up - so I disengage the hindquarters. As others have said, it gets better, but in the 9 years I’ve had him, he’s had less than 10 true bolts, but the frequency hasn’t changed. He will always want to bolt when terrified, despite a great bond with me, facing lots of scary things, etc. He bolts straight, no spin, so I’ve never come off. And it doesn’t scare me if the footing/location is okay. I have ridden out on trails, but will not do really wooded/hilly trails - I joke that when he bolts, he’s so scared he’d run off a cliff. So I don’t ride near cliffs. But it will always be possible, and if you can’t physically ride it out or withstand the fall safely, I’d pass.

[Graymaresrule]

Probably a different kind of bolting and 40 years ago

My first horse (the pink one I mentioned in another thread, he was a red roan)was a bolter, mostly when jumping. He saw a jump and it was WHEE HERE WE GO!!! It could be a pole barely off the ground but he was going to give it every last bit of UMPH that he had. I still to this day believe he enjoyed it.

You could NOT tire him out. He also had the agility of a cat.
You couldn’t out muscle him either, he could run quite effectively with his nose on his chest or twisted to one side. He did teach me what didn’t work.

I can’t say we ever truly fixed the issue but we did come to an agreement. Back then we lived in Great Falls VA and there were a lot of trails and a nice event course a few miles down the road. But we did dressage first thing every ride. And we didn’t go out until he was listening to me, no matter how long it took.

As another poster said, he needed to learn whoa. Walk, stop, trot, stop, promptly and politely.

He soon learned that we would do dressage for 10 min, or 3 hours, his choice. An unexpected benefit was that he usually did well in dressage at a time when few eventers gave it much thought.

I took him eventing and ran into his previous owner. He had given her daughter an ulcer when she tried to make him a junior hunter…that was NEVER going to happen. On XC he was allowed to gallop as fast as he wanted but when I sat up he had to come back and jump how I said. I rode him in all three phases in a rubber mullen snaffle and no martingale. I also jumped him in a Passier dressage saddle. If I got forward he would take advantage. He also tended to take off and run in a large circle back to me if I put someone else on him. I still truly believe he just liked to run.

But that was 40 years ago. I’m 66 and no way would I try that now. I put him down in 2003. He was 37.

https://photos.google.com/u/0/photo/AF1QipPUbHfb0wIgcrJlFqoiXJsgQkWHBt7mIeF3FjkF

ETA: he was also fearless. On trail rides he always led. He would walk past anything. And most horses would follow

[NoSuchPerson]

[QUOTE=exploding pony;8561141]
IMO horses have “go to” behavior when they have anxiety. You can manage it and some riders can keep it in check. It usually gets smaller and smaller with good training. Unfortunately it does not sound like this owner can take that risk.[/QUOTE]

I agree. I believe that a confirmed bolter is never going to be truly reformed. Bolting is always going to be the fallback response to a stressful or scary situation. When I was young and didn’t break when I fell off and had better reflexes and balance than I do now, I wouldn’t have minded dealing with something like this.

Now, I’m old, and I break when I hit the ground, and I’m just not as skilled a rider as I was 30-40 years ago, so I have to be more cautious about what I ride.

[Crockpot]

OP- I hope it works out for you- take everything with a grain of salt including second hand info from previous owners. Some people will exaggerate.

I would be encouraged by the fact that the horse did not do this until a strange rider was put on him for a trail ride.

Horses sometimes do find behaviors that they own to get them out of situations but that does not mean they cant be retrained.

I would pay attention to those posts from people who have actually dealt with this issue - and discard the ones from people with no personal experience.

Of course you need to be very careful but it sounds like you have your wits about you. if you decide to take this horse on- I Hope it all works out.

[Emy]

I have re-trained a bolter and he is now schooling PSG. For me, the key was to be able to ‘diffuse’ the horse’s emotional reaction that begins the bolt in the first place. For that to happen the horse needs to trust you. For about 1.5 years we did basic w/t/c with large amounts of stretching work coupled with large amounts of verbal praise and pets. I was his only rider. I tried to never place him in a position where he might have a bad experience (I rode him alone in an indoor arena when the farm was quiet. We would only venture out hacking at the end of a ride if he was tired, relaxed and focused and the outdoor environment was quiet and calm). Whenever I would feel him start to get that panicky feeling, I would ask him to transition down with a soft hand until we halted and we would just stand for awhile while I would softly talk and try to reassure him. Sometimes I needed to dismount for him to mentally settle. When he was calm I would get back on. When they do mentally ‘tip over’ into their bad place and begin to bolt you need someone that can do more than just try to stay on. You need a rider who will stay relaxed, not pull on their face or yell at them while they run. Running is a horse’s primal biological response to fear, it’s hard-wired into them. If someone tries to pull them up hard or is screaming ‘whoa’ in a loud (most likely panicked) voice you will most likely accelerate. The good news is that horses are amazing creatures. My guy is now a friendly, brave, un-spooky horse. He can handle new beginner riders that he doesn’t know that might kick or pull in the wrong moment riding him, he can go hacking straight out of the barn after a few days off and stays calm busy show environments. His rehab was most definitely worth it.

[Lusoluv]

My last horse came to me as a bolter, and his nervous older rider didn’t want to deal with it. She was very open about this during the sale. I could tell it was a fear & stress based reaction - not a naughty habit. Once we bonded he never tried it and only one time did he give a half-hearted try early on in our relationship. I just circled and softened when I felt him tense and get hoppy. If I had clamped down on the reins and tensed my body, he would have exploded…

He became a wonderful upper level horse and he behaved with some of my riding friends, but you could tell he preferred “his person”. I sold him to a lower level dressage lady and her pre-teen daughter as a schoolmaster. They rode him for a month before committing to buy him…I wanted him to get the right home. He did spook a little with the mom - nothing she couldn’t handle and no bucking or taking off. She was more tense/nervous riding him with others watching, etc. Daughter, carefree like most young riders, never had an issue. My horse could feel mom’s nerves . Now they are all fine together and they have bonded and no more spooks or squirts. If this family had bought my horse directly from the first owner, I’m sure the bolting would only have gotten worse and horse would have been called nasty, dirty and sent down the road…

[Highflyer]

I wouldn’t make excuses for this horse. He isn’t a baby and wasn’t being asked for anything overwhelming or even difficult.

Does that necessarily mean he will do it repeatedly? No. You will have to always be aware that it’s there and prepared for it. I would (have) taken horses like this and not had issues but it really depends on your confidence level and ability (and reflexes). I have a horse who does this now-- although his bolt follows a spook most of the time-- and I am very careful about hacking him out on a long rein and letting him get too behind my leg as that is when it happens. That said I find this behavior way preferable to a buck/rear at least!

[SportArab]

Horses develop bad habits very easily. To break the bolting habit you need a good seat, quick reflexes and a little bit of strength.

The minute you feel something is about to happen, you take one rein (doesn’t matter which) and pull his nose to the vicinity of your knee. I’ve never met a horse that could rear or bolt in this position. Once he’s relaxed again you give him his head. Keep doing it and he’ll eventually forget that he once was able to bolt back to the barn.

[artisticgold]

Oh, boy! Thanks for all the responses! For several weeks since this happened, I have been going over in my mind all of the things I have learned from 25 years of starting and restarting horses, researching, watching videos, and coming up with a plan. Based on some of the success stories, my gut feel about this boy, the connection I felt when I rode him, and a long term slow progressive approach, I did contact his current owner, my friend, and told her I am considering taking him. She called me immediately, and she said her shoulders untensed and her stomach relaxed for the first time since he dumped the other rider, and she learned his full history, she would be happy for him to come to me.

We talked a lot, and I told her to still consider all the other possibilities, and that our concern is for whatever is in the best interest of this horse, that I wouldn’t be offended if she wanted to go with one of the other options. I told her to talk with our mutual trainer/friend about it. He had already said he thought he would be ok with me and my situation.

I lost my heart horse several years ago, and this horse gives me the same feeling as he did. Old soul, sensitive, smart as heck, and needs a special, caring person to bond with.

I’ll let you know what we all decide.

Please keep the ideas coming, good, bad and otherwise. I am very open to hearing all sides of this situation. Thanks!

[Hobbs]

Has this horse ever bolted with his current owner riding? How long has she had this horse? Is your friend a very timid rider?

I have a Canadian Horse gelding who also liked to bolt when I first got him. Now, he’s doing really well, and I’m glad I kept him.