# how to hold on



## Tayz (Jan 24, 2009)

ok, well i went horse trekking a few weeks ago and i was put on a horse what kept on bolting with me. Yeah, the person who has never ridden before and is 14 years old gets the bolting horse. Yep, well when the horse bolting at one stage I was gripping onto the saddle to keep from falling while it galloped about 100 metres away before the tour guide person finally caught up, but by this time the horse had halted, it ears layed back. While I was gripping to the saddle I was wondering "Is this the only way to hold on when a horse is bolting?"(and oh my gosh I'm so going to fall off any minute now and aaaarrrrgggghhh) and so here I am asking you guys whether you know the proper way to hold on. It might come in handy in the future or maybe some members on here might like to here some advice.
so what is the proper way to hold on? with your legs, the saddle, your hands? any tips...


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## iridehorses (Oct 22, 2007)

Having a horse bolt is one scary situation; I've been there a few times and never enjoyed it!

Whatever it takes to hold on is the proper way to do it but what you need to learn is how to prevent it or, at least, how to stop it. Preventing it comes from knowing what to look for - the signs that it's about to happen. You need to be proactive on any horse and especially one that you don't know regardless of what someone told you about the horse ... one of the last things I ever want to hear after a horse has done something is "Wow, he's never done that before!".

The signs I look for are in his ears, are they forward or pinned; the feel of his body (tenseness as an example, bracing against the bit - pulling the reins from your hands); is his tail swishing; is his head high (when it's normally lower). Those are some of the warning signs and I'm sure you'll hear others.

When it seems a bolt is eminent, brace yourself and turn your horse. You need to get his mind on you and not the thought of bolting. Moving him in a circle or just bending him and disengaging his back end will cause him to rethink his intentions.

If a bolt happens anyway, then put your weigh to the back of the saddle, your legs forward and using one rein, try to turn him in a large circle. Pulling both reins back will not stop him. Pulsing the reins may help but a one rein stop is the best way.

It's a very scary thing even for an experienced rider!


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## claireauriga (Jun 24, 2008)

If you're on a trekking horse, they're likely to have many bad habits like pulling the reins, shaking their head, being very hard mouthed, and so on. Hopefully they _shouldn't_ bolt, but instead be hard to get past a slow slow walk ...

Can you tell I've had some sucky experiences trekking?

Experienced riders stay on a bolting, rearing or bucking horse by being relaxed, believe it or not. They know how to move with the horse and can stay calm, and therefore stay in the saddle. If you take riding lessons, you will soon learn that the more tense you are, the more you bump and bounce about, but if you relax everything and pretend to be jelly you won't move much at all.

For novices, hold onto the saddle and the mane! The horse has no nerves in its mane so you can pull as hard as you need to, and even if the saddle slips the mane can't. Keep hold of your reins and turn the horse in a circle, because they can't run so fast if they need to balance while turning. Try and relax to make things less bumpy, and don't squeeze hard with your legs because the horse may interpret this as an instruction to go even faster.


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## Tayz (Jan 24, 2009)

Yeah the horse I rode was scared of my jumper. The wind was rattling it. I'm proud of myself. I picked up all the signs that it was going to bolt before it did. I suppose that's probaly the only reason I stayed on. All the signs Iridehorses said were there. (except for the tenseness, but it probaly was there too)


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## horseMAD (Jan 6, 2009)

I grip with my knees and calm him down by walking him around in a circle... Your not alone, it IS a scary experience!! (And a bad habit!!)


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## horsegirl123 (Jan 7, 2009)

Bolting can be very scary, but when the horse sences that you are scared, it will only give the horse more reason to be scared *so stay calm*. When the horse bolts, you want to *sit back* in the saddle.


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## PoptartShop (Jul 25, 2010)

That is definitely scary. But I have to agree, a 1-rein stop really works, if you've tried everything else.
My friend's horse bolted very unexpectantly last week, & she pulled her into the rail, with a 1-rein stop. Or else she would've kept going. :O


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## satrider (Nov 10, 2008)

that is scary, you did better than me, it has happened to me twice on my own horse, but not prepared for it. Never expected it. My mare wanted to get back to the barn to her buddy. I was not able to hold on and took a pretty hard fall. Had a sore back for days.:-x I am very cautious now and look for signs, like everyone mentioned here. And definetely one rein stop, you should practice though because it is not as easy as you may think. Especially of the horse is not used to having his head/neck bent all the time. Anyhow, good luck for the future.


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## Tayz (Jan 24, 2009)

Thanks, ouch! :/ how's your back now?? hope it feels better...


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## Eolith (Sep 30, 2007)

I agree with much of what everyone here has said. Stay as calm and relaxed as possible. If you are trying to "grip" with your legs, though, I would not suggest using your knees. That only makes your thighs tense up and you'll ping off like a clothespin trying to be forced on something round. Does that make any sense at all? Rather, keep your upper leg relaxed and use your calves to essentially "wrap" around the horse's barrel.

The one rein stop is definitely your best option. If you've got one half of the horse stopped (or turning in a circle), the other half can't go anywhere!


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## Tayz (Jan 24, 2009)

Yeah  thanks..


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## mattie (Feb 7, 2009)

thanks for all the tip ,try and remember them if the time comes!


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## Dumas'_Grrrl (Apr 2, 2008)

One rein stops are your absolute best option. BUT, They MUST be controlled, if you yank suddenly/or to too harshly you can throw your horse off balance (if they're really taking off like a rocket) and end up doing a header in the dirt!! Think big circle, not little circle....

Also, I know this varies by horse, but our QH's have never bolted for more than well...about a 1/4 mile. :lol: They get tired and start to wonder why they were running in the first place. If you can't get them turned, hang on and think slow :lol: they can't/won't run forever. 

Scary and I don't like it one little bit.


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## bumble (Jan 30, 2009)

hahaha Dumas'_Grrrl i tried to wipe away the bug in your avatar from my screen.

anyway, I agree with everyone else obviously, even though I'm probably a much less experience rider. However, I have a story of this happening to me, but it didn't quite end as well as yours! I was at a friend's house who lived about 40 minutes from my place and they had a couple horses, and told me that the gelding was pretty well broke, so I decided just to walk him around their place. They told me that he spooked at gravel, and their driveway was ALL gravel. I don't really know what went wrong, but he started to trot toward the driveway and I couldn't get him to turn around, so needless to say he trotted right on the gravel, reared up a bit, and bolted. I couldn't get him to stop so I tried to turn him in a circle, and he went with it but instead of slowing down headed straight back to the gravel and to his buddy.

I saw him headed for this little shed and I knew he'd even have to duck to get under it, so I didn't know what to do but duck myself. I ended up with a scrape from the metal all down my back and by that time I just had to jump off before going and getting my back scraped again. It was terrible. I was so shaken up, I'm extremely cautious now!

And I got the same response - "He's never done that before!" lol


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## IheartPheobe (Feb 15, 2009)

One of the ponies I school bolts all the time. It's scary! Sit up the best you can. If he pulls his head down, let the reins go with him but don't let go of them! Sit up and try to slow him down, but remember to pull and release, not just pull and make them more angry! Turning in a circle usually works. As for holding on, use your knees and do your best to stay sitting straight!


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## MyBoyPuck (Mar 27, 2009)

Prevention is preferred. One rein stops do work if you catch them in the first few strides. Heck I had to do 4 just today when my TB became convinced there was a monster in the woods and wanted to go home. Anyway, if you're attempt fails and you find yourself on a bolting horse, I'd say bridge your reins so you have a little more to hang onto, take a little mane with it, and as other have said, sit deep, relax and try to ride it out.


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## Qtswede (Apr 16, 2009)

I train horses, and I train people to ride horses. The best thing I can tell you, is fight your natural tendency to squeeze with your legs/knees. MOST horses nowdays are trained off the leg cues, and if you squeeze, you will probably be telling him to GO!!! That is the cue for faster. Your seat should be deep. You should be relaxed enough to feel your seat bones hitting the saddle, and as said earlier, it's always better to lean back a little than forward. Natural tendency is to lean forward & squeeze - that will tell them FASTER! as they try to get under your center of balance (you move forward, they try to get under the more forward position, lean back, generally they slow down.) One rein stop is essential. Even if they don't stop when you use it, you'll redirect their momentum, and get them spinning, and worst case - you can dismount on the spin. The point of the one rein is to halt forward motion, even if they don't stop, they're not flat out bolting. Hope it helps. BEST thing you can do is find a good instructor, and take a few lessons. Good luck!!!


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