Horse bolting

[Flyspray87]

So I just bought my horse 4-5 months ago. I bought him thinking he was older than he really was. His lip tattoo was misread and instead of being 6 he’s only 4. I didn’t find out until almost 2 weeks after he was home. For the first 3-4 months, he was an angel. Everyone loved him. Super quiet. We took him to two shows and he didn’t bat an eyelash. There was even huge gust of wind (for the life of me I cannot remember what they are called) that knocked down some jumps and all the horses were spooking but him. He just stood there. He is an OTTB. Only jumping 2’. I injured myself a couple of months ago so he went from being ridden 5 days a week to…once every week maybe every two weeks by a couple of different people. This past month he started humping during the canter, bucking, and now bolting with bucking. Checked the saddle fit and it was fine. I was going to have chiro look at his back to make sure he is not sore.

But what can explain the bolting? At first it was just me “sitting the canter” so I assumed maybe he’s just sore and he really hates the weight on his back bc he doesn’t buck or bolt in half seat. But even trotting he just will be mellow then take off with his head way up in the air, then he’ll slowly lower his head lower and lower which makes me think he’s going to stop and buck. Being that im just starting back up again after injuring myself, I asked my trainers daughter if she can ride him and see if he does it with her (maybe he’s picking up on my nerves). Same thing if not worse. He bolted from one end of the arena to the other (which doesn’t sound like a long distance but still not something I want my horse doing) would stop buck then bolt. She would reprimand him, but now my confidence is shattered. Why would a horse randomly start bolting? He was known for his beautiful rhythmic canter and now…this. what are the best corrective actions? I went from riding my horse almost daily all alone in the barn on an early early morning, to being deathly afraid and unable to ride without someone present with me. I’m extremely discouraged.

[DunByMistake]

Don’t beat yourself up. It’s very likely pain related and not anything you’ve done. Try treating for ulcers. It sounds like he’s in pain and panicking.

[doublesstable]

I agree with DunByMistake… and often horses that are used to being in consistent work will start doing things that are not normal behavior for them.

I have a horse that was a 4 year old I had with my old trainer - this horse was a saint… perfect and quiet. Never needed to be lunged etc. He showed for almost a year and he was perfect.

He had an injury and was off for a year… when bringing him back to work he was terrible. I was at another barn at the time because my family and I moved… The new barn thought this horse was scary and couldn’t believe he was as good as I said he was. Had the vets okay and MRIed, scoped for ulcers etc. to make sure he was healthy - I had a professional that deals with difficult horses work with him… within a few weeks he was the saint he used to be.

He is doing really well now because he is in a regular program. Some horses just are much better when in a program and have professional rides as well.

[CanteringCarrot]

I do believe in reprimand, and I do believe that some horses thrive in a regular program, but I would look for pain.

It is quite possible that he needs a structured program, but his behavior seems a bit extreme. He’s not just kicking out, unwilling to get into the contact, sluggish, or zooming, he’s straight up bolting and/or bucking.

I would have the vet out to look at his teeth, examine his back for pain, look at feet, and evaluate for even a miniscule amount of lameness. Ulcers are a possibility too. He could have actually gotten more stressed falling out of regular work depending on the type of guy he is.

After you sort out any health issues, I’d have a pro ride him in a solid program for at least a month (then reevaluate). If the problems clear up with the pro, then you can begin riding under their guidance/in a lesson. In order to help build your confidence, you must see the horse going well and behaving. After you notice the behavior is gone, you’ll feel slightly more comfortable. You can then get back on, maybe directly after the pro has ridden and had a good ride.

Do not feel that you have to rush yourself. Building back confidence and trust is a delicate process.

​​​​​​I, myself, feel more at easy really ruling out pain, and then having a pro help/guide me if I am in such a situation.
​​​​​

[Flyspray87]

Thanks guys. That definitely helped. I know he had terrible teeth when we got him. He did have his teeth floated a couple of months ago but the vet said it was so so bad that it couldn’t be fixed in one day. I do notice he chews on his rubber bit a lot more too. He’s even become disrespectful on the ground. He used to respect personal space but now will try to trot alongside you, will try to pull you. That’s an easy fix though because the moment I start working with him on ground manners he’s very responsive and “walks with me” rather than doing his own thing which tells me this is all from inconsistency. It just sucks not being able to ride when I finally can.

[Flyspray87]

Furthermore, this past month I started him on beet pulp with molasses. I know beet pulp isn’t usually supposed to make horses hot, but could the molasses be a culprit to make horses hotter than usual?

[findeight]

Molasses is sugar, like giving a kid a candy bar. But I think you started getting into trouble when you stopped working with him almost daily as he would have been in race training and that daily handling would have been by very experienced handlers who don’t put up with crap. And sounds like he really doesn’t know much.

Honestly, you may be in over your head with a horse that isn’t where you thought he was and the age being off by 2 years on a 4 year old tells me me your seller might have known nothing about him, that’s 25%. of his life? Have a few questions that will make figuring this out easier. And you need to figure out what’s wrong before you can fix it.

Where did you buy him from? A dealer or reseller?

Do you personally know the seller well, do they have a good reputation?

Was he flipped through a few owners quickly before you bought him?

How long is he off the track and what’s his race record like? Those records are public and fairly easy to find. You could post his tattoo number, somebody on here can check it for you pretty quick.

Did you have the vet/dentist back to finish the dental work that could not be finished in a day?

Did you have a PPE? If do, what was done?

Couple of random thoughts, if he’s chewing on a rubber bit, he’s probably trying to spit out because it’s too big/thick for his mouth. Sometimes when new horses with unknown backgrounds are good for several months then the wheeis come off you have to consider they may have been given something. But here you abruptly stopped working him almost daily so that and some type of pain are more likely…still…

Anyway, often a history on a horse provides many clues to bad behavior so…who does his tattoo say he is, where’s he been and what’s he done? Start there.

ETA kissing spines…Classic behavior. Heavier then a track rider, sitting down more, took a bit to get sore enough to bother him. Has to go in the possibility bucket.

[btswass]

I’ve had my 7 yo thoroughbred since he was 3 and he’s always been a bolter. That’s what he does when he wants to be naughty. And the only way to prevent is to keep him in consistent 5-6 days a week work. Obviously its always important to check for pain but sounds exactly like my guy. They’re smart and pressing buttons looking for a way out. I’ve also had issues with ground manners. Its so important to do ground work so they learn to respect your boundaries and understand body language commands. Don’t ever let him get away with bad manners on the ground or in the saddle because it will be very difficult to undo. Sometimes I think these thoroughbreds are just too smart for their own good!
Edit: Do you have a round pen or small ring to work him in? My horse had two weeks off for a stone bruise and he’s going to get a week free lunging in the round pen before I get back on him. I’d maybe get him back into consistent work by lunging for a couple weeks then start riding a couple times a week/lunging a couple times a week until you feel confident to ride every day. I’ve been there and I know how much it sucks to be afraid of your horse or afraid to canter. Another thing I do with mine is keep a cookie in my pocket while riding and immediately after my ride when I hop off he gets his cookie ONLY if he didn’t buck or bolt during our ride. Since I’ve been doing that he really tries to behave himself and is learning positive reinforcement. He gets all excited when he was good nudging me for his cookie

[DMK]

beet pulp with molasses (versus bp w/o molasses) should not be a significant concern unless you were feeding many pounds of the stuff or you had a horse where every extra bit of sugar was an issue (insulin resistant, etc.). If you are feeding a pound or two a day, it’s pretty insignificant (and if you are feeding a scoop, you aren’t even feeding a pound).

Whatever it is, it sounds like it may have evolved from pain, so if you haven’t done a thorough evaluation with a vet, just stop t=right there and don’t do anything until you get that taken care of.

Another thing to do (which will help the vet) is to observe him in 4 different scenarios - moving in a straight line/at liberty - both in hand and turned out (but relaxed movement, not being stressed out/chased), then on a lunge line, no tack., then on a lunge line with tack and finally under saddle. How does he change in each situation? Is one markedly better or worse? Does he start out bad and get better or the reverse? Is it markedly different in one direction over another?

For me, after I do that, I generally evaluate again both on a trial of bute and bute and robaxin just to see how the horse changes. I’ll also be grabbing the hoof testers as well. But these last steps are in conjunction with my vet, she knows me, and understands I can represent fairly accurately what’s going on in any of these stages (the good news/bad news is by the time I do all this, we just skip straight to the big guns). But if you, your vet and trainer have this relationship, it may help you get to an answer (if there is one, because sometimes there isn’t).

Only when you have ruled out pain can you tackle behavioral, and remember even if there is not pain today, the behavior may have been rooted in pain.

[Hej]

Also double check your saddle fit with a snug girth,

In a couple of months a four year old can change shape a lot, and if he was basically not in work he may have gained weight as well

Either or both things might mean a saddle that fit well before his little vacation is now narrow enough to pinch him.

[IPEsq]

There are a lot of factors going on, but this sounds like ulcers are a strong possibility, along with lack of a program. Although lack of a program doesn’t all that often cause such a personality change, which IMO tends to be more pain related (ulcers, back problems, foot problems, etc.). If this horse has back issues, lack of work will make that worse generally (provided not caused by the saddle). Given his teeth issues, that could also be a cause. He will have a lot of changes with his teeth going on at this age and perhaps he needs more work done.

I’d have the vet out to look at his teeth again and do a comprehensive lameness, basic wellness, and basic neuro exam and then go from there.

[bt1]

You are on the right track getting his back checked out. Were the other riders using your saddle or theirs? Did a professional check the saddle fit? Just the change in exercise routine could be causing him to be sore or led to some ulcers. Start with the chiro, preferably one who also checks/adjusts saddles.

[outside_leg]

I agree with everyone that before you look at anything else, you need to address anything that could be causing him pain. If he’s 4, his teeth need to be done every 6 months, not every year. Having a chiro look at his back (and saddle fitter too) is also a good idea. If everything’s good there, I’d ask a vet to look him over just to rule out anything physical that others may have missed. The last thing you want to do is start punishing him for being in pain.

Assuming you rule out pain, there’s a decent chance he’s acting up from being out of work. Some horses do better in a program. Especially young, fit horses used to their routine and in need of an outlet.

Also, what’s his turnout like? My OTTB went from being an angel to being almost unmanageable when I was at a place that cut back on turnout in the winter. He had a lot of energy and nowhere for it to go. Went from being super quiet to bucking for the first 10-15 min of every ride, turning in on the lunge line (aggressively), etc. Not his fault, he needed an outlet. Moving him to a place with better paddocks where he could get outside for 10 hours a day transformed him.

How do you respond when he gets strong? Do you pull back? As a racehorse, he would’ve been taught to go forward into pressure (that rooting down, bracing against your hand feeling you described). Continuing to pull could cause a bolt. You could be inadvertently queuing this behavior.

If you find him getting forward and strong, relaxing the reins and sitting deeper in the tack should help get him to stop bracing. If he starts to lean into your hands, lift the reins and lean way back. Seriously back. Pretend you’re going to lie down. It will make him lift his head to rebalance himself.

And if he starts to bolt, turn him. Right into the wall of the ring. It’s not graceful, but bolts are dangerous. You do what you have to in order to get him to stop.

Young horses can go through phases. They can get energetic and fit and not know what to do with that energy. They can test you. They can get strong. Consult your vet to rule out pain. Take a good look at turn out. And talk with a pro about a training program.

[drifterlee]

I had a T-Bred that had never been raced but he was very fast. He was 4 when I bought him. Unfortunately my vet at the time told me he had come down with EPM and I treated him with Marquis for four months. I don’t think he really had EPM, just a locked stifle, however he was an angel for two years, He loved to jump and even trail ride and did not spook. He was perfect for two years, then the last six months I had him he started to bolt. First on the lunge line and then with me on him. I had everything checked out: teeth, back, legs, tack and on and on. Finally I came off him when he bolted and fractured my back, got knocked out, and broke my ribs. I finally gave him to a trainer that did the jumpers with him, as he could jump very high. She was a lot younger then me and fearless. I was afraid to ride him anymore. I bought another OTTB who is an angel and has never given me a problem. I’ve had him for four years. I still feel bad about giving up my bolter, but I could not control him when he bolted. They say EPM can affect the horse’s brain. I will never know why such a nice horse started to bolt.

[joiedevie99]

I too had a horse that started bolting with EPM. I also had a horse that was off for a year at 5 who was a beast to restart but had nothing physically wrong.

With this horse though, I’d start by having the vet out to check the teeth and do a good once over to make sure nothing hurts. Take him off the molasses. Get regular beet pulp if you need it for the weight. If the vet doesn’t find anything, get him in regular light work - 6 days a week for a month. If the behavior hasn’t ceased wth that workload, have the vet back out for a more thorough investigation.

[ItchyRichie]

Can’t diagnose your horse obviously but I’ll say that my ottb is super young and big and as of the past year of growth long backed. She has always been very quiet and easy to ride, then she started bolting and bucking, not a lot just in little spurts. Was a saddle fit issue, switched the saddle and her whole expression changed and she completely stopped for about 6 months. She grew, fitness level changed, saddle stopped fitting, kind of my fault for not checking the fit frequently enough. I gave her some time off, she still just looked slightly uncomfortable to me and was bolting a little bit when I started riding her again. Everyone thought I was being crazy because she was sound and looked really good but I just know her really well at this point and could tell she wasn’t quite right. Had the chiropractor come out and do her. Our chiropractor is amazing and no bs if she thinks your issue is unrelated to her work she’ll tell you she’s not out to steal your money. My horse looooooooooved the acupuncture and she’s been 100x happier ever since. I know of a few horses that were actually dangerous to ride and had a 2-3 visits with the chiropractor and never had an issue again, worth a try IMO! I do not have much extra cash to spend on my horses and am a big penny pincher and I did it and am glad I did.

[tbchick84]

Assuming he shows no signs of saddle fit related pain, I would put my money on ulcers. A week’s worth of Ulcergard will tell you for sure.

[BeeHoney]

There are definitely some things you can do to try to find a “source” for the bolting and bad behavior. I think that it is fine to try some things like ulcer medication, a chiropractor, or saddle fit.

However, the fact remains that you bought a very young, very green horse. Horses in this age range are not set in their training or behavior. They can easily learn bad habits or develop bad behaviors. They also can start to challenge human handlers or try to test out various behaviors due to excess energy, playfulness, or even boredom with the training routine.

For starters, I don’t think that being ridden once a week is remotely enough for a young horse. I think that’s asking for trouble. It would have been better to completely give him the time off and then have him “restarted” by a pro for a week. It was a lot to expect that after some time off the horse would just automatically be the same as he was when he was in a lot of work.

Ultimately, you describe yourself at the end of your post as “being deathly afraid.” This is not a state of mind from which you can train this (or any) horse. Whatever other measures you decide to take, I think you also need to get a pro involved to give you a hand. This is not something to be embarrassed about, it’s simply a practical matter. Once a pro gets involved, there are two options. Either the horse will pull himself together and get back on track and then you can take the reins back, or the horse will prove to be a more difficult type and might be better suited to a different home.

[tbchick84]

Agree with BeeHoney on all counts. Once a week in nowhere near enough for an OTTB, especially a young green one. How much turnout does this horse get? If he’s standing in a stall all day, you can get he’ll be spinning like a top when that once a week ride comes along. Hopefully you at least have him out for long periods of time daily.

[equestriantrainer_10]

Sounds like pain related to me. Horses don’t just buck to buck under saddle unless they are really fresh or the weather is cold, etc. Bucking is most often for two reasons: pain or learned behavior. If the horse bucked someone off and they didnt tell you and they just put him away right after and the bucking started after that…could be a learned habit. Otherwise assume it is pain related. If your horse has never been fresh before (really cold backed) then he probably isnt now either. More consistent work is a huge plus but stopped for a month or two isnt going to just out of the blue cause a horse to consistently buck only when ridden. Give a vet who is also a chiropractor a call and have him look at.

I also did not read all the comments so I apologize if I repeat info. Make sure you have adequate turn out time and that your barn manager isnt penting your horse up in a stall for hours on hours for days and weeks at a time. OTTB’s just can’t be pent up like that. They are hot bloods and are ADD totally.