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The tack room

Discuss horse riding and ownership on our Horse forum.

Dd's horse bolted with her. Wwyd?

88 replies

Mercison · 26/03/2018 08:13

Dd has had her horse for almost 4 years. He's a big competition horse but very polite and easy. Can get strong and boisterous occasionally but nothing bad. Dd has started eventing him and he's been great. She hacked him out last night as normal. She cantered along a bridle path and he got stronger and stronger faster and faster. She couldn't stop him and he ran through a line of bollards onto a road (bridleway has been unceremoniously divided by a new road Sad) , a car had to swerve to avoid them. She eventually managed to turn him into a closed gate and jump off. She rang me and I drove to where she was and led him home. She was completely petrified, had a panic attack. Horse is fine apart from a split mouth which MAY have been the cause (new bit). Also dh bought the wrong chaff with alfalfa in a few weeks ago which we thought he might be sensitive to, but fed it anyway.

She's supposed to be competing this weekend. Dh wants to get rid of horse!

Wwyd?

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DullAndOld · 27/03/2018 10:36

I would cut out all the alfalfa, mollichaff and supplements tbh, just feed some really low energy mix and dry hay not haylage. Does he have haylage?

DullAndOld · 27/03/2018 10:44

" She was trying him in an elevator gag which I hate the look of anyway "

think this could be the problem

Mercison · 27/03/2018 10:45

He usually has hay but our supplier ran out so he had haylage for a bit! It all sounds so obvious now!

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Mercison · 27/03/2018 10:45

Yeah hate that gag bit. Just about to stick it on ebay!!

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DullAndOld · 27/03/2018 10:48

yeh haylage can be really dangerous, it can literally make horses see things that don't exist, like they are drunk....
Definitely dry hay. Don't forget you have the spring grass now too..

Also, sorry if someone else has already said it but have u thought about having his back checked?

Mercison · 27/03/2018 10:49

He has regular physio. They live like Kings Hmm

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DullAndOld · 27/03/2018 10:51

especially (getting carried away by horse chat now)...if the haylage is new..

Jon66 · 27/03/2018 10:57

It's spring, so if he is turned out at all he is getting all the sugars in the grass as well as the extras in the supplements, plus if your daughter hasn't been well he hasn't been exercised enough for the amount of feed.
Moving on, cut out all the supplements and revert to his previous feeding regime and original bit, once his mouth is healed. Book a course of 6 lessons in the school for your daughter with an instructor. Only go out hacking with another reliable horse and rider to accompany. See how it goes. I've been bolted with a few times. Have a strategy for if it happens again. Turning in a circle, making a bridge, running close to the hedge, etcetera.

DullAndOld · 27/03/2018 10:58

..which I suppose it wouldn't be at this time of year...

Spudlet · 27/03/2018 11:35

If his feed has changed he may have changed shape - might be worth checking the fit of his saddle, in case it's pinched his back a little? It does sort of sound like a bit of a sugar rush-type issue though. Plus the bit!

Hopefully he'll be back to normal soon. It's bloody horrible being pissed off with, it happened to me a few times in a short space of time (totally due to rider error in my case) and it really knocked my confidence for six for a while.

RatherBeRiding · 27/03/2018 12:04

Did I see turmeric mentioned? I have known it send a rock steady happy hacker absolutely LOOPY! Different horses react differently to different feed-stuffs but I would treat turmeric warily!

Re his cut mouth - have heard great things about Manuka honey (Aldi sell it).

Mercison · 27/03/2018 12:28

@ratherberiding thank you that's a brilliant suggestion. I will pick some up on the way home. The cuts don't look bloody any more, but pink patches on grey skin which has sloughed off.

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Clemfantango · 27/03/2018 14:24

If his mouth's still sore, I would ride in a headcollar until it's completely healed.

Greyarabsdrinkthewind · 27/03/2018 19:55

I personally wouldn’t advocate anyone hacks a horse out in a head collar let alone a “big competition” horse that’s taken off and scared it’s rider so badly she had a panic attack.
Mouths heal quickly let it heal completely and than start riding him again.

Greyarabsdrinkthewind · 27/03/2018 19:56

Out of curiosity why are you feeding turmeric?

Mercison · 27/03/2018 21:09

Put pile cream on today, then took the hackamore to the lesson. First if all we tried him in a nathe snaffle, smeared plenty of manuka honey on the sore places and gave him a couple of polos. He went really well in it, was exceptionally well behaved! Instructor says he definitely doesn't need all the extra feed and perhaps he needed to blow off steam. We think we might take him to a local gallops in a few weeks and let him gallop safely.

She definitely won't hack him in a Headcollar!! She's going to use a hackamore tomorrow and just walk with me.

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Mercison · 27/03/2018 21:10

Someone recommended turmeric for mud fever which he had a few weeks ago.

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IsItTimeForGinYet · 27/03/2018 22:12

Glad to hear lesson went well.

Manuka fab for healing as is pile cream. Then moving forwards the acavello gel bit guards are good for prevention.

Magnesium lick can help at this time of year when the dotty spring season hits. Alfalfa isn’t great for horses. Can make them itchy and irritate their gut, canter seems to be worse...

What does he do when he is being strong? I can’t quite hold mine in a universal but he resists a Cheltenham gag. However he goes well and seems happy in a nelson gag with Waterford mouthpiece. However obviously depends on what he does.

Good luck!

DullAndOld · 28/03/2018 11:42

ye don't even think about 'hacking in a headcollar' Grin some people are living in la la land...

DullAndOld · 28/03/2018 11:43

..but good news about the lesson etc., and the healing - hope it all continues well.

Karigan1 · 28/03/2018 11:54

If this was my horse that had pissed off I would go back and do transition schooling over and over down that stretch practising 9 stride canters transitions only when satisfied he is listening in trot to halt and walk.

But first I would be checking my horses bit. What is she riding in that she managed to split his mouth? I break all my own, re schooled many ‘problem horses’, have ridden for 36 years and have never managed to do that. Is it too thin or severe? Please look at your horses bitting very carefully as he could be running through because of pain.

RawhideRingpiece · 28/03/2018 12:03

Hacking in a headcollar! 😲

Mercison · 28/03/2018 12:19

Karigan I've explained the bit

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Karigan1 · 28/03/2018 12:39

No you didn’t. You said elevator gag but I’m talking about the thickness and design of the MOUTHPIECE

Mercison · 28/03/2018 13:20

I've sorted the bit issue, but thanks anyway. It was a Neue Schule bit, thought I had said that. It has a trans angled lozenge.

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