Pony bolted :'( daughter in hospital

[LoobyLou2709]

Ok, I'm sat here stressed as hell wondering where I go from here and after some advise! .. please be kind as I'm feeling terrible, helpless, guilty and sick in my stomach of what could have happened!
Brief back story!.. new pony purchased October for my 10 year old daughter, pony ticked all the boxes a proper first ridden, safe as houses, had references, loads of videos of pony ridden by very novice girls, viewed twice, had 5 stage vetting, he wasn't cheap! I'm experienced but admit I've been out of the buying market for a while! my daughter is a polite neat little rider and is keen but not brave, so stressed it had to be a very safe more woah than go type etc, we have been gradually getting to know him over the last 3 months, and apart from a few annoying things that we have managed to deal with, he's been ok. today riding in the field, (was told he's amazing in open spaces, saw videos etc) he full on bolted with her, flat out there was not a hope in hell he was going to slow down or stop! It was like a switch went off in his head, My daughter managed to stay on (I don't know how!) and he came back to a walk, I then walked slowly over to him and he fuc*ed off again before I got there, sending my daughter flying in to a post and rail fence and landing on her head knocking her unconscious for a few seconds. 6 hours, lots of bruising and a CT scan later they are keeping her in hospital for obs, I'm distraught, I feel likes it's my fault and kicking myself thinking what I could have done to prevent it happening, I feel physically sick to think how much worse it could have been. I don't know what I'm asking really, just wanted to vent, my first thing is to get his teeth and back etc checked to rule out pain but I honestly don't think I'm going to let my daughter get back on him, would you contact the previous owner? I know she'll just deny it happed with them, I'm just feeling numb and helpless right now :'(

I think there are three categories of running off
Yes true bolt, blindly running including through fences
Cheeky just bogging off because they can and fancy a hooley
But a third, and I think like this, where they are honestly frightened, shoot off in panic and if not pulled up just take charge and keep running but with a sense of self preservation.
My cheeky native will do this, if something frightens her she will just bog off, I'm strong and used to it so would pull her up sharpish and job done, but if a child wasn't strong enough or quick enough to pull her up before she reached top speed, she would probably do the same as this pony. They frighten themselves more by running and panicking so it all escalates

Babe it happens. As my dad used to say (I've ridden since I was 2 years old) any rider who hasn't been bucked 7 times isn't a rider).

Horses buck! It happens.! I remember being thrown off and slamming right on my arse my god it hurt.

That's part of horse riding. They're animals not toys.

How worrying for you OP. I hope your DD makes a quick recovery.

I agree that you should get his tack checked to ensure it's not causing him pain and some more lessons and schooling will help. But you do have to accept that riders fall off their ponies... it's almost inevitable, no matter how bombproof the animal is. I think it's unreasonable to start thinking there's something "wrong" with him - sometimes they spook and bugger off with you!

My 7 friends and I grew up with ponies. Nice, steady, bombproof ones. And we all had at least one nasty fall that put us in hospital. A concussion, a fractured collar bone, a broken wrist...

Get her back on him in the same field as soon as possible to get her confidence back. On a lunge line, if you need that security to start with...

I hope your daughters ok

These types of accidents are awful and extremely panic inducing for both rider and parent.

Firstly I hope your daughter is ok - this must be awful for you. What bit is he in? Do you need to get this looked into? Has his diet changed recently?

our pony is a saint in the school & on a hack but turns into a bloody racehorse in an open field so we avoid completely (we found out the hard way). That said, she is generally very forward going but an open field - or cross country are just too much for her to cope with - she gets way too excited. So we stick to our boundaries because she’s worth it - it depends on how deep the bond is & whether he’s good enough elsewhere.

what happened when you went towards them after the first bolt? I really hope you get it sorted - do you have a trusted instructor you can ask?

I don't know anything about horses/ponies. But like another poster has said, it's and animal and they're unpredictable. Lots of people get injured by their own horses.

@LoobyLou2709 with my experience to date (best part of 20 years so not new to horses) I wouldn't want to ride anything in a five acre field unless it'd never been in it or seen it before. I was thinking you meant a small section. I think most horses and ponies can behave differently in a known field. They don't run out of ground too easy unlike on the edge of a ploughed field when they eventually run out of grass if they're being cheeky and doing it to have a good time (although the pesky TB x I mentioned carried off done a main road with me once too, proper shit he was). They're comfortable in a field and know exactly what their surroundings are etc unlike out on a general hack.

I wouldn't ride him in the field but I wouldn't be hasty either in making decisions. Worth getting someone else on him I'd say. Sounds like he fancied a merry old time to me.

Hope your daughter is ok . I don’t see any point in contacting the previous owner , you’ve had the pony for months and it has nothing to do with them . These things happen with live animals .

Yes it sounds like that to me too.

Sorry op but the pony nudging on your dd quite hard is not a “little thing” it indicates complete lack of respect in terms of personal space.

Basic manners, and how he behaves in the stable, being tacked up, being fed and groomed are all very important. It’s not always the case but pushiness on the ground can develop in to bad manners under saddle.

Of course it could be a pain issue and that should be checked out, but I think there is a possibility that your pony has worked out in the last three months that your dd is a bit timid and not what a horse would see as a leader and has decided to take charge himself. He’s not being cheeky, all horses want to follow and be safe doing so, and they test the person in charge of them.

The fact that he was good at the dressage comp probably indicates that he may respond better when the activity he is doing is more structured, or he was more focused on dressage and not as free to run away, or your dd felt more in control and confident, or she had more guidance there, and he responded to that confidence from her, rather than when they were in a big field and the activity was more as lib.

It’s hard to know without seeing him but it’s often the case that a horse who is fine working in a school, may go nuts doing exactly the same exercises in a different environment such as a field.

In your shoes I would:

• get a thorough vet check: feet, back, legs and teeth and check tack
• get an experienced light adult rider to put the pony through its paces in all environments
• depending on the outcome of the vet and the adult assessor, get an experienced mentor to help, like a properly qualified and experienced riding instructor and get their advice before your dd gets back on.

Not sure what to advise about sale but it sounds like you may have a reasonable case against previous owner, although “buyer beware” applies in these cases. Eighteen months is a bit of a red flag for a family pony I think.

I hope your dd is ok and she recovers quickly and that this hasn’t dented her confidence too much. Take care op and I hope you get some sleep tonight.

Three months is a short time for your daughter and the pony to trust each other. I suspect that the pony has had a more confident rider previously and has taken his lead from them, a less confident rider when he feels unsure can lead to a more fearful response.
I don't think it would be fair to contact the previous owners, it is just one of those things.

I'd get the pony going with a confident rider initially and take a step back with your daughter, riding in a smaller area and gradually building up.
I had a pony that would bolt for the gate every single time we rode in our larger field, the space didn't help.
I'd also make sure his tack is comfortable, if his shape has changed due to losing or gaiming weight or muscle it could be an issue. If he's older check for arthritic issues.
I hope your daughter is soon home and not too frightened by it all.

I’m sorry this happened to your daughter.
I would contact the previous owners as it may have been a known fault in a field. My first pony came with the warning do not take him hunting, a much later horse with fine with everything except horse lorries or similar looking lorries and they weren’t kidding!
The fact that he wouldn’t let you catch him when your daughter has stopped him made me think he’s sees you as the boss not your daughter who was riding him. A pony needs to be thinking/aware of the rider. I would get someone more experienced to ride him and I suspect your daughter may not want to ride him again

First of all I hope your daughters ok
How big is he, how old is your daughter?

I'd like to throw in something else as a possibility. Do you think he was testing her?
We had (just lost him last week age 23) the most wonderful NF pony for 17 years. Generally he was a real saint but could occasionally get pissed off and play up. Always for my youngest daughter. She was bratty, whining and complaining one day on her pony whilst we were hacking out, asked to swap to Ted. He waited for her to get her other leg in the stirrup and sit down (always very mannerly lol) then buggered off with her. She was upset, I was shocked as it was so out of character, thankfully nobody got hurt. Our conclusion was he was as pissed off with her whining as I was. Then a few years later she was riding him as her pony was in foal, once again he started playing up and being rude with her. Proper naughty and dangerous stuff like refusing to stop at road junctions and just barge out on to the main road instead, things he definitely knew were wrong and that he would be told off for. Then after a few weeks he stopped. As he was never ever like that with me or my other daughter, we were baffled. It could have been her riding (she is quite a bossy character) but maybe not. In the end Ted was happiest when she rode him as she was the bravest of the 3 of us and he had the most fun with her. He just made her work very hard to earn the privilege of riding him.
After you've done back tack and teeth checks, I'd suggest someone small but competent riding him in the field and seeing how he is/feels to them. Also how he looks to you when being ridden.

It may be a one off. If your DD isn't that confident or competent yet, he may just have been in the open space and wanted to let off steam with a jolly good gallop. Maybe he was even allowed to do that in previous homes?

Now just to hope your DD is ok and prepared to get back on him once she's recovered. Good luck with it all. I did have to sell one of my younger daughters ponies. They simply didn't get on, she ended up scared of him and he made it clear he didn't like her riding him with a sullen face etc. then without warning he bucked her off at a kids camp in front of everyone and broke her wrist. She did get back on him when the wrist was healed but he made it clear he didn't like it and I realised that he would be happier starting afresh in a new home. Which he was and he was there for several years without incident.

Hope your dd is back home and well again soon. Mine was a gorgeous horse, mostly calm, gentle, but every now and again could be a right twat. Once on a hack she must have bolted about 6 times, my nerves were shot by the time I got back to the yard. She could spook at ducks, wind, sabertooth plastic bags and sometime because it was 4.30 on Sunday if the mood took her. If she was excited in any way her nerves seem to be up. Take it nice and slowly perhaps in the safety of a small arena to get everyone's confidence back.

@Luminalintel768 thank you so much for your reply, very helpful. He's a saint on the ground, dd happily and safely does everything from bringing him in/out, rugs, groom, pick feet etc and he's a saint, it's just the 'head end' when grooming and putting his bridle on he's taking the p with, and it's not all the time which is why she gets caught out! and we are addressing this, she has an instructor and I will definitely be having a conversation with her next week after we have all slept on it over the weekend,

If you've ridden since you were 2 years old, surely you understand the difference between bucking and bolting?

And to the OP, is it possible to ask (and pay if necessary) his previous rider to come and ride him a few times for you? Including in the field?

Could there have been a snake in the field that scared him?

I hope your DD makes a swift recovery and isn't put off horse riding .
I fell off loads of times , one (the worst one) when I was dragged after the pony I was on (riding school) decided to take off with me in a field . I was 12yo

When my DD was 4yo she wanted to start horse riding and was chucked off when the horse shook like a dog ( it was rained on) she didn't have the experience to see that coming .

It is horrible when your DC fall off especially if they're injured as your DD is .

Most likely your pony was just being a cheeky chancer but YY to getting him checked

I don't know if my parents worried about me falling off , there were no mobile phones back then !

Though when I saw my daughter fall to the ground , I was thinking OMG !
She did go back the next week (didn't get on immediately ) but lost the nerve after that .

I know nothing about horses or ponies, but would you not try to ride it yourself before your child did? I appreciate I'm probably missing something here,

@CrotchetyQuaver

I am loving the image of your pony , 23yo Ted
In my head I hear you saying " Ah now Ted" in a Father Dougal voice .

He must be leaving a huge pony sized space in your heart now .

Hope your daughter is fully recovered and back home very soon OP.

I don't have a lot to add to the very good advice except that my boy (mostly TB, but of Arab, fairly sure also a bit of dragon or something in there somewhere 😂) had perfect manners and only the occasional hesitation when working in enclosed spaces like the school or a small paddock, but was an absolute liability with no warning in any kind of open space. He was better in big spaces with other horses but unpredictable. But rarely put a foot wrong in the school.b

I think it was excitement rather than deliberate twattishness, but when bringing him in at night he'd also quite often let me approach him then fuck off at speed at the very last second before I got his headcollar on - so maybe a bit of cheekiness too. Like your daughter I also found these tendencies out the hard way - but learned to work with his quirks over time, and 12 years later I miss him every day.

Would definitely do as you plan to and check pain etc, and encourage DD to get back on him but also don't force it if she really doesn't want to. I ended up with my boy because a relative had fallen off him and just didn't trust him any more, and both human and horse were happier once they weren't being forced to cooperate unwillingly any more.

But I hope it just becomes one of those anecdotes about a long-loved family pony like pp's Ted!

I hope your daughter is ok and you , the first time
I saw my daughter fall
Off she was bareback and I didn't want to open my eyes! I've ridden on and off all my life and fallen many many times but when it's your child it hits different doesn't it.my daughters pony came in December , we don't have a school which she was used to and only a paddock and she's quite fresh in the paddock and throwing in bucks and has started kicking out when going to bring her in for grooming etc.I think she's testing my daughter but it's a fine line I don't want her to lose her nerve either.
Your pony sounds lovely apart from today , I really hope it was a one off and you can move on together but if not and he's not going to make your daughter feel safe and happy , it absolutely is not your fault

@Spongeboob if the pony is small and the adult is for example too tall it wouldn't work

Horseriding is statistically more risky than riding a motorbike. Also Whereas riding a motorbike gets less risky the more experience you get, Horseriding gets more risky with experience.

Horseriding is an inherently risky activity

I hope your dd is ok today @LoobyLou2709

You’ve had lots of good advice already but I was wondering how old the pony is? They can be very wily and know exactly when their rider is in complete control and when they can take the piss. I would definitely get things like tack, teeth, back and hocks checked but it may well be a combination of novice rider/pony in not quite enough work/being ridden in his own field/spring grass coming through etc. Can you get a lightweight, competent teen to get on and do some schooling? My dd helped quite a few families with their ponies who were being cheeky with their children. She loved it as she got a bit of pocket money and it was all good experience for her, the ponies appreciated having someone who could ride well and the children who were having problems gained confidence by seeing someone who wasn’t that far removed from them getting on and having no problems.