Q. I have an Irish Draught cross Welsh Cob 15.2 gelding. He is obviously very chunky because of his breeding, and he has a tendency to bolt away with me. He was owned by a man for two years before I bought him six months ago. I know that he used to be ridden in a running martingale and Globe pelham, but I am not sure if he needs them. He is not being naughty, just strong. I am now riding him in a continental gag (bubble bit) with no martingale. He has become better with this bit. He did have a loose ring snaffle before.
He bolts at any time during the ride. It makes no difference if I am with someone else. I don’t believe that he is doing it out of pain or discomfort. I consider myself quite knowledgeable, and I cannot see anything physically wrong with him. His tack is not pinching or anything like that. I ride him in a field, as I have no use of an indoor school. He gets ridden six times a week for about an hour to two hours each time. He used to go hunting every weekend, and before that, he did eventing. He is going to events about once a month, maybe less. With me, he does road work, schooling, jumping, hacking, and lunging. He gets a massage around his ears (his favorite spot) every day, too! I have been riding for ten years, and this is my fifth horse.
I might be feeding him the wrong feed. I am feeding him 1/2 scoop of Dodson and Horrel Competition mix and 1/2 scoop of Super Moilchoff. I know that perhaps he is getting too much energy food, but I used to feed him a cool mix, and he did not have enough energy. I have thought about feeding 1/2 scoop of moilchoff, 1/4 scoop of pasture mix, 1/4 scoop of competition mix. What do you think of that idea? I cannot afford to call the vet, dentist, back man, etc., as I am not made of money. I am worried about his and my safety.
A. How old is this horse of yours? Is he stabled or kept in a pasture? Most importantly, under exactly what circumstances does your horse bolt with you – at specific gaits, at particular spots in the field (or only when headed back toward the barn), during particular activities (only when jumping, for example), when he’s frustrated, anxious, afraid, in physical discomfort, bored, or just full of energy – or perhaps when you get a little off-balance in the saddle? The answers to these questions will give me a better idea of how to address the problem.
I will assume your horse is bolting out of boredom and high spirits since you’re convinced he doesn’t have any physical problems (including any problems in his mouth), and you haven’t indicated any other causative factors or consistent triggers for his running off. You have painted the picture of a horse in very fit (perhaps too fit) condition with a relatively heavy work schedule. If all of this is, in fact, the case, keeping your horse’s mind and body well occupied may very well eliminate his bolting.
One of the most effective techniques I’ve found to keep a horse occupied and focused is rapid transitions. Moving very quickly (like every half dozen strides) between walk, trot, canter, halt, and rein back in constantly changing order does wonders to keep the horse’s mind on his work. If you are unfamiliar with rapid transition work, you might want to start with just the slower gaits until your horse is responding instantly and correctly to your cues before adding canter to the rapid transition routine. Please note that if your horse’s bolting is caused by anxiety, frustration, fear, or physical discomfort, rapid transition work may only make the situation worse. It’s essential for you to try to identify the cause of his bolting in order to devise an appropriate response.
You’ve mentioned riding your horse in a field. It’s important for you to give him some sort of boundaries to make his high-speed explorations a bit less inviting. Is this field fenced? If so, you should ride him in a corner of the field so you have at least two fenced sides to help restrict his movement. If you have no fencing available, try laying long poles end-to-end on the ground to afford some delineation of an arena. Of course, poles on the ground will do little to keep him contained if he decides to bolt, but they may be of visual assistance to you both in staying within bounds and on task.
As far as the bit is concerned, I’m still unclear as to who was using the pelham and martingale on this horse and when. Was this the man who owned him previously? And did you then switch him to the loose-ring snaffle when you bought him and later change to the gag? A pelham and running martingale pack a mighty punch, particularly in the hands of a strong man who may have used force to keep this animal under control (an assumption on my part). If you then switched him to the snaffle, this horse probably decided all bets were off and that the reins were back in his hands … so to speak. The gag is a considerably stronger bit, which is why he’s respecting it a little more than he did the snaffle. My inclination would be to return to a pelham with no martingale. He’s familiar with the action and influence of the pelham, and using it will give you the opportunity to wean him back to the snaffle as he becomes more responsive in your hands. I suspect if you get his mind focused on his work and use rapid transitions to strengthen your own position and cues, the snaffle may be all you need.
The grain issue is difficult for me to interpret as I am unfamiliar with the feeds you mentioned. I would guess the performance mix probably contains both a higher protein content and offers higher energy grains (such as corn) than the pasture mix. I haven’t a clue what the moilchoff is. Unfortunately, it sounds like you’re between a rock and a hard place here. Your horse’s working schedule demands a high energy level, but you are finding that energy very difficult to control. If you adjust his grain ration to reduce the total energy delivered into his system, you risk riding an animal without adequate oomph to get his work done. You can try gradually changing his diet as you mentioned to see if you can find a happy nutritional medium, but the root of your problem with this horse is still one of controlling his enthusiasm and addressing his boredom.
You’ve got a difficult task at hand. It’s not easy to keep rides entertaining for a horse who’s already seen and done as much as your horse has. You must use your imagination to stretch his experience and give him something new to occupy his mind. Keep your rides as fresh, as varied, as unpredictable, and as educational for him as possible. If you don’t, you already know how he’ll amuse himself. Obviously, the same old, same old isn’t doing the trick anymore. Maybe it’s time to teach that boy how to drive or to take him out and chase some cows!
If despite your best efforts, you end up on a runaway, the following link will offer suggestions for safely bringing your horse back under control: