# Bolting while Mounting



## crazypaint (Oct 3, 2010)

I've just recently joined so perhaps I should tell you a bit about myself first. I bought a horse on May 1st, 2010. She is a 2-yr-old Paint Horse that I call Roxy. She's very sweet, follows you around in the pasture, leads just fine, etc. She's only been under saddle for about 3 months. I don't expect her to be perfect at all, just to be able to complete a simple walk, trot/jog, lope, and back up. She walks, trots, and backs up on the ground just fine. Our signal to trot is a kiss, and we're still working on the lope but I think that will be a clicking noise.

So, anyway, she was just perfect after we got her back from the trainer. No, we did not break her ourself, we sent her to a local trainer. We rode her there and she did just fine also. Until around, umm, two weeks ago? she rode very nicely, all of her transitions were smooth and we were so happy with her progress. 
In the past two weeks or so she's developed some bad habits. It all started when she got spooked by something in the pen and I fell off. Then my brother fell off during that same week. Now whenever we try to mount, the horse just bolts. We've tried nearly everything; putting pressure with the hand first, then leg, then more foot pressure in the stirrup, etc and going up like that until we can swing our leg over. Lately even that doesn't work.

Her tack seems okay, and she's a pretty good horse once you're on (just VERY testy) so it's basically just getting on and off. Dismounting is a real pain, pretty much the same as mounting. As soon as she feels like you're getting on or off, she runs. We have to have someone holding her or have her lined up in a corner where she can't move, but sometimes that doesn't work either.

My brother is in college so I'm usually the one that rides our horse. But when my brother comes home, he's like a new rider, and Roxy seems confused. That's when all the bolting started. She doesn't give very many problems once you're in the saddle.
I had my brother groom her and spend time with her, and she seemed better, but it's still not quite what we want.

Sorry for the novel. We can contact the original trainer but he said she never threw him or anything, so I don't think she had this problem before. We're thinking that she's just had so many bad incidents, that she 's scared. Yesterday we worked with her for almost 3 hours, and by the end she let us get on and off with only a mere shiver or head raise. Both my brother and I had very good rides, so that's a plus.

Again, sorry for the novel. Thanks for reading, all help appreciated! 

P.S. Remember that this is a young horse, and all we ask of her (for now) is a safe ride. In a few years, I'll eventually be showing her at local 4-H shows.


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## mbender (Jul 22, 2009)

Start over. When you put your leg in the stirrup make sure you take the inside rein and pull her head toward you. She will circle. Let her. When she stops moving her feet release her head and get down and do it again. Keep doing this until you are able to get your leg into the stirrup without her moving. Then get on keeping her nose tipped to you. When she is settled release. If she tries to take off, pull her face in again until she stops her feet. Make sure you and your brother stay consistent and work together. When you are on and she isn't moving her feet, sit for a minute before moving her out. Remember, everytime you pull her nose into you, as soon as she stops moving her feet you release her head.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## crazypaint (Oct 3, 2010)

thank you for the tips, I'll definitely try them the next time I ride.


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## crazypaint (Oct 3, 2010)

mbender said:


> Start over. When you put your leg in the stirrup make sure you take the inside rein and pull her head toward you. She will circle. Let her. When she stops moving her feet release her head and get down and do it again. Keep doing this until you are able to get your leg into the stirrup without her moving. Then get on keeping her nose tipped to you. When she is settled release. If she tries to take off, pull her face in again until she stops her feet.


Thank you very much for the help! Tonight I rode and tried doing what you said, tipping her head, and she figured out pretty quickly that if she wanted to run she'd have to do it in circles. Sometimes she'd back up when I was trying to get on, so I'm MAKE her back up farther than she wanted to. She got the hang of it quickly and within 10 min. I was on her back with no bolting or anything. The ride went well. However towards the end she did lay down on me. I hopped off and she didn't run away or anything, just stood there and walked off. I'm pretty sure she was just tired, since I've caught her lying down and napping fequently lately. Must be all this bolting stuff making her tired.
anyway, I easily caught her and got on, this time she barely moved her feet, and I rode some more just fine. Getting off wasn't a problem either.

Overall, I think this method works well for her.


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## smrobs (Jul 30, 2008)

Great suggestions from mbender. One thing I do want to mention is that it is _never _okay for a horse to lay down under a rider, it is not only disrespectful but very dangerous. When she tries to lay down, kick her, pop her on the butt, whatever you have to do to get her moving. If she gets down before you can really react (and some horses can), then step off and make her get up. Whatever you do, don't allow her to continue to roll or lay there.

One other thing to consider is how long do you ride her? Do you give her a good ride where she is nice and sweaty at the end or do you just kinda plod around on her for a while and call it quits? One thing that will get a horse gentled down quicker than anything is miles and lots of wet saddle pads. When you ride her, work her and get her tired. Not just her being sluggish tired either, I'm talking sweat dripping-side heaving tired. In my experience, a tired horse learns better and is more accepting of new training than a mildly worked one.


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## corinowalk (Apr 26, 2010)

Hmmm how about saddle fit? That could cause the rolling and the bolting. Make extra sure that the saddle fits her perfectly well.


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## netty83 (Sep 21, 2010)

My friend is having a similar problem with her nervous horse. she has trouble getting on him he starts to spin. This is what we are trying at the moment - if he starts to spin we are keeping his head bent round towards us as said above and pushing his back end round forcing him to spin we keep this up until he finally decides it's far easier to just stand still. we have been working on this consistantly not just once or twice a week we have been dong it every night for two weeks so far and he is getting the message. It used to take around 15 mins of turning before my friend could get on and we are down to around 3 or 4 mins we will keep this up every night until he finally stands still and respects the fact that he needs to stand still good luck!


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

I'm sorry but this just sounds like a young horse who is overwhelmed and confused by life. :-(

I know that people now thinks it's normal to be riding 2 year olds, but I take the unpopular view that they are just to babyish to do much with.

She sounds like a real nice mare, friendly and nice to work with, so I would be guessing that she either has a pain issue, or is just having a major brain freak about being ridden.

If she were mine I would turn her out for the winter and then start all over again at 3, but that is because I like to go slow. I would certainly advise having her checked out for pain, maybe she hurt herself when you fell off. We also don't know the relative size and weight of your mare, yourself and your brother, is it possible that he is bigger and heavier and is just to much for her now?

From what you have told us there is something far wrong, and it is impossible for anyone to 'fix' the issue online here, they can advise on how to cure the bolting etc, but for a young horse you really need to be asking WHY the whole time, you need to find and fix the underlying cause, not the symptoms.

Good luck, hope you can get it all sorted out


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

crazypaint said:


> Yesterday we worked with her for almost 3 hours, and by the end she let us get on and off with only a mere shiver or head raise. Both my brother and I had very good rides, so that's a plus.


Once again purely personal opinion, 3 hours is way way to long to work with a 2 year old, they simply can't concentrate for that long, I only work my youngsters 20 - 30 mins, then let them go be horses again. I think we need to remember that pressure is mental as well as physical, so although you may not have been riding for 3 hours, it's still work. That's like doing double double maths class!!!!!!!!!!


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## crazypaint (Oct 3, 2010)

hey this is Dustin i just wanted to step in any say something

this horse was worked hard at the trainier... i was taught the more tired the horse is and the longer the rides the better
this horse is very mature and should be about ready to go anywhere
its crossed water, rode next to cars, ditches other horses

its had a couple bad rides but i think it was terrified of me, it would tense up and shake, im came home from college and im sure it hardly knew me
the first bad ride was after alot of comotion on the farm, combines, tractors, more people around than normal, she moved pastures, her barn got tinned while she was in it

kelsey was riding it with very little trouble before this

i think she was so worked up and terrified and then didnt remember me at all and had a couple bad rides and it got worse and she could be testy

but i dont understand that because i rode her anywhere the first 2 weeks she came home and no trouble at all

it settled down at the farm and im having kelsey ride her everyday


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## crazypaint (Oct 3, 2010)

hope this works haha im not an english major


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## NdAppy (Apr 8, 2009)

Golden Horse said:


> Once again purely personal opinion, 3 hours is way way to long to work with a 2 year old, they simply can't concentrate for that long, I only work my youngsters 20 - 30 mins, then let them go be horses again. I think we need to remember that pressure is mental as well as physical, so although you may not have been riding for 3 hours, it's still work. That's like doing double double maths class!!!!!!!!!!


Ditto this.

It sounds like in the 3 hour stint, you not only mentally exhausted the horse, but you physically exhausted her.

Personally I would be cutting back how much work this horse was getting, if not totally tossing her out to pasture for the winter. She needs a break.

She is to young to be worked everyday for long periods of time.


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## crazypaint (Oct 3, 2010)

Golden Horse: Thanks for your opinions. When I meant 3 hours, I took quite a while to work with her on the ground, groom her, etc. So we only really rode for about 45 min or so. 

My brother has also posted something below...if you want to read that it might explain things a bit more.


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## crazypaint (Oct 3, 2010)

As mentioned before, I take an hour to tack up and groom. I usually actually ride for 30-45 min.


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