Latest from Horse & Hound in Bolting

Jason Webb’s blog: why one issue can take a lot longer to fix than others

Jason Webb — Thu, 17 Jan 2019 14:24:48 +0000

Christmas seems like a long time ago now. I had a good break from riding and a very relaxing time with family and friends.

As always, the New Year provided an opportunity to evaluate the past year and make plans and goals for the year ahead. 2019 promises to be an exciting and action-packed year for my family and I. I will be representing the UK in the Polocrosse World Cup in Australia in April, so Penny and the kids will be flying out to support the team, and taking a little trip to the Great Barrier Reef and the Gold Coast at the same time. As I’m now the wrong side of 40, this is likely to be the last time I play international polocrosse, so it would be fantastic to go out on a high. The last World Cup in 2015 in South Africa will take some beating. I acted as player/coach to the UK team, and we finished fouth in what was the highest standard of competition I have played in, or watched. I am actually writing this having just finished a tough session of CrossFit, which is part of my commitment to getting as fit and strong as I can for the event!

On the yard, we have started 2019 with a bang. We welcomed a range of horses in for training after the New Year, including three of the Bechtolsheimer’s home-bred horses for starting. I have been doing groundwork with them and will be giving them their first rides this week, although I may need a ladder to get on one of them! It’s always exciting working with horses that you know have the bloodlines and the training opportunities to reach the top of their discipline. Even better for me, is the fact that they have been left to grow up without much interference, so I am working with a blank canvas. I work with a lot of young horses that have been handled too much, or that have had a bad experience when being broken in, and it takes a lot more time and work to undo the habits formed and rebuild new pathways.

One of the Bechtolsheimer’s home-breds (Image credit: creditUnknown)

An example of this is a young gelding I have in at the moment (who I’m pictured with, top). I usually only have horses with me for around six weeks, be it starting them under saddle, or retraining a behavioural or ridden problem. But after an assessment I told the owner of this particular horse that it would take at least three months, and no guarantees, to fix his bolting issue.

Contrary to what many people think, bolters aren’t generally created through being mistreated, but more typically during the starting or breaking-in process, something has alarmed the horse and they have taken flight, resulting in the rider falling off, and the horse having had a very bad experience of a rider getting on his back. Some horses get over things like this quickly, but with those with a nervous disposition, it can make a lasting impression.

I worked with this particular horse at my coffee morning demonstration last week, and I could give the audience clear signs of what a bolter looks like; head held high, tension throughout the neck and body, ears facing out and back, and eyes looking back at the rider. With this kind of problem, you can have a breakthrough one day, and then feel like you’re back to square one the next, which is why they take a long time to retrain. I do feel like in this case, there’s a lovely, successful horse that is going to emerge from underneath his nerves. He has made so much progress already, I’m becoming quite fond of him!

Off the yard, I, like most people making a living from riding horses, have been forced to diversify. I started my online training business, Your Horsemanship, a couple of years ago, and after taking a breather and letting it run along, I am now ready to get stuck in for a second round of filming in order to update and add to the content. Over the years I have done quite a lot of riding and talking to camera, but I still have a very annoying habit of getting to the end of a really good piece before totally fluffing my lines! This, added to the fact that you also need the horse you are filming with to perform to the script, can make it a frustrating process for all involved.

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(Image credit: Jason Webb)

Jason Webb’s blog: spook-busting tips, fresh horses in winter and how to convince your horse they won’t be eaten by clippers

Jason shares some great advice on how to manage spooky or clipper-shy horses

We have also been developing the facilities on the yard to include a new office and function room, so it has been fun thinking of ways to use this room to increase revenue. For example, I am looking forward to Russell Guire from Centaur Biomechanics coming to do a clinic and evening talk, and to conducting more business leadership programmes, which is something I have really enjoyed doing with Sainsburys and JLT Insurance.

So, whatever you 2019 has in store for you, and whatever New Year’s Resolutions you have made (and hopefully not broken yet!), I wish you every success for the year ahead.

Jason

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H&H question of the week: Help! My horse runs off in canter — what should I do?

Gemma Redrup — Thu, 04 May 2017 12:40:59 +0000

Jason Webb of Australian Horse Training is a renowned UK-based horse trainer with a passion for starting young horses, solving equine problems and teaching riders of all abilities and ambitions develop and strengthen the partnership they have with their horses. Here Jason gives a H&H forum user advice on how to stop her horse from running away from her in canter in an arena

Q: “I was wondering whether somebody could give me some help with controlling my horse in canter. I’ve only just got him — he’s a six-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding. He’s fine cantering while hacking, it’s just in the school he goes a bit crazy. He’s very very forward going — I can just use my seat lightly to get him to transition from trot to canter. However as soon as I ask for canter he springs forward and bombs off around the school. I’ve learnt that if you pull back on the reins and panic then he panics and gets even faster. I’ve tried squeezing on the reins, releasing, squeezing and releasing and have eventually got him to slow down and into a nice canter but still have him bombing round for half a lap before getting to this point. It’s not a health issue — his back, teeth, saddle and everything are fine. He’s fed on mostly hay and grass with very little hard feed too. Are there any exercises I can try with him or do you have any advice? I’ve been doing lots of transitions and that has sort of helped. Canter circles just make him speed up even more. I’m not sure whether it’s a balance issue or him being excitable?”

A: Irish horses that have this problem are notoriously difficult fix. The good news is that it sounds like your horse has a mild anxiety problem compared to some that I have met over the years. These horses are all rideable but tend to be very sensitive, gaining their trust is very hard and can be a long road. In inexperienced hands they can become more reactive with problems manifesting in mounting issues, bolting and general explosiveness, but this is very avoidable and I’d advise anyone with a horse who is tense and nervous to stop riding them and seek help if they feel out of their depth as your safety must always come first and you don’t want your horse to have any more scares.

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I’m not sure what has happened to the Irish horses I’ve met over the years — I’m sure something has gone wrong in their early training and frightened them, but whatever has happened they don’t seem to forget it and I have found any progress you make one day with their retraining seems to be gone the next. Their trust in the rider is damaged to the point that they can’t let go of the tension that is always underlying, but in time and with the right exercises they can still have a future and many I’ve worked with have gone on to become very good horses in the right hands.

I would like to do a trip to Ireland one day, to see if I can find out what practice is causing this problem as this would help me when retraining them. In my work I ride a lot of young horses and in the first instance horses can be very unsure but with the right processes they can quickly learn to accept a rider and grow in confidence. Of course, not all horses that come over from Ireland have problems as there are many great trainers based there, but the ones that are sent to me all have a similar issue. The good news is that your horse seems to be a mild case.

So let’s discuss how to help your horse overcome this. Firstly the problem is not with your canter, it is the underlying tension. It is always hard to control a horse working at speed, which is probably why you are finding things get out of control more quickly at canter and the tension is more apparent in this gait.

Exercises to help

To begin with you need to make sure you can rub your horse front (shoulders and neck) and back (over on their quarters and flanks). Start at walk then progress to trot if you feel your horse is confident. We want to ensure they are settled and happy with a rider, seeing you out of both eyes, up above their eyeline and feeling your movements. There is a tendency to sit very still on these types of horses but this doesn’t help them in the long term as it’s not “real life” and I believe everything we do in our training should be preparing our horses for everyday life.

With your horse we need to check he can cope with his rider moving above him and build his trust in you. Ride on a circle when you are doing this in case your horse wants to speed up and get tense — if this happens you can then use the circle to control your speed. Horses can’t easily run away on a circle and you can use this to your advantage. We want him to slow down and process what is happening and realise that there is nothing to worry about. If your horse lowers his head then widen the circle as he is starting to settle and accept you. Watch his ears, if they are pinned back towards you with his head high and tense then all his focus is on you but in a negative way, he is looking back and worrying so keep repeating the exercise until he relaxes and drops his head.

The aim is that you should be able to move your hand from front to back and give him a rub all over without his head lifting in response or him becoming worried. Doing this exercise will start to desensitise your horse to your movements and reassure him through contact. If you are not sure how to start the process or to control him if he rushes forwards please take a look at my training videos on Your Horsemanship where I have everything from ground to ridden work to help with desensitising and overcoming problems.

Next you need to get your horse to walk a circle and use your leg to step the hind end slightly out of the circle. Continue doing this until your horse does not over-react to you and then change sides. If your horse lowers his head at any time, widen your circle as again he is relaxing. In time your horse will become a little less sensitive and learn to accept your leg and you moving around above him.

Another tip is when going from trot to canter keep rising. I know it goes against everything you have been taught but it really helps these types of horses. I often see that when riders sit the trot just before canter it can lead to double bouncing and this will create more tension and worry in a horse like yours. In time you can go back to sitting just before the canter once he is more settled and accepting.

When in the canter you need to really, really relax. Don’t worry about what you look like — retraining horses isn’t always neat and tidy! Once your horse settles into a rhythm in the canter then gradually circle them back to a relaxed walk and rest rather than pulling to slow them down. Whenever you feel your horse has done well, immediately give him a break so that he can reflect on what he’s just done and learn that doing the right thing results in rest, which is his reward.

Between canters, go back to rubbing and desensitising to the leg in walk and trot before you attempt another canter. It’s a case of repeat, repeat, repeat with periods of rest and of course, finish on a good note.

Try this — it has worked for me with horses similar to yours, but remember these horses don’t forget easily and it will feel like ground hog day at the beginning. The key is not getting frustrated and lots of patience and persistence. If you need any more support I am always in my forum and can direct you to videos that will help you or come on a camp.

Hope this helps. Good luck!

Jason

For more information on Jason Webb visit his online training base Your Horsemanship, where you can learn a foundation in horse training with online lessons in groundwork, starting, and ridden fundamentals

Woman in intensive care after bolting horse ran her over

Caroline Bankes — Tue, 27 Jan 2015 14:55:57 +0000

A woman has been seriously hurt and two others were taken to hospital after they were hit by a bolting horse in Russia last Wednesday (21 January).

The accident happened at a market in the city of Perm in central Russia.

The police believe the horse had bolted after a car beeped its horn.

CCTV footage of the incident showed the animal appear out of nowhere in the early evening and mow down the three women.

Naina Vasilieva, 22 and friends Jana Davydova, 23, and Hella Nevzorova, 23, had been shopping at a market in the town when they were hit by the horse as it galloped down the main road with its sleigh.

Local resident, Albina Muravyova who was watching, is reported as telling the local TV station: “It came out of nowhere. The horse didn’t slow down at all. They didn’t have a chance.”

She said after the horse had galloped off she ran over to see if she could help but all three women were unconscious. “I thought they were dead,” said Albina.

The three women were immediately taken to the local hospital and Naina Vasilieva was in intensive care with severe head injuries.

A spokesman for the hospital is reported online as saying: “She is in very serious condition with severe head trauma and is receiving around-the-clock care.”

The other two women had bruising and one had mild concussion but both are expected to make a full recovery.

Horse and sleigh rides are popular in Russia in the winter holidays. In Moscow horses appear in Troparevsky reserve at the end of December taking tourists on sleigh rides.

Perm is the third largest city in Russia after Moscow and Saint-Petersberg and is the most easterly city in Europe.

Spooked police horse bolts around London

Sophia Heath — Mon, 03 Nov 2014 17:55:50 +0000

A police horse bolted around Bow, near Victoria Park in east London on Saturday (1 November) after a firework was let off nearby.

It is thought that the officer fell off after the horse was spooked by the explosion.

A witness, who spotted the horse on the loose, wrote on the website Reddit: “It [the horse] veered across the road and turned right by a Boris Bike stop, and absolutely stacked it — sparks flying everywhere from the hooves.

“It got up, and flew off down Driffield Road.”

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

It has been reported that a man from local shop managed to stop the horse before it ended up on a larger road.

A police spokesman confirmed to H&H that they had been called just before 5pm on Saturday after the horse was found by a member of public at the Driffield Road junction with Roman Road.

“The horse and mounted branch officer were quickly reunited,” the spokesman added. “Neither had any injuries and both continued with scheduled duties.”

Established force

The mounted branch of the Metropolitan Police was started in the 1760s and still plays an important role in modern law enforcement.

The main responsibilities of the branch are to conduct safe policing of football matches and crowd control at other large public order events.

Despite the dangerous situations, research has shown that police horses cope well with the pressure.

A recent study conducted on horses for three years in the Netherlands concluded that police horses are less stressed than an elite sport horse being pushed to win in competition.

See them in action

The Metropolitan mounted branch will be demonstrating again at Olympia Horse Show this Christmas (16-22 December) after a five-year break.

The group had to temporarily stop their display — which includes the horses jumping through rings of fire and solid paper rings — in order to concentrate on their duties for the 2012 Olympics.

Jason Webb’s blog: Luna the Mule is backed

Jason Webb — Wed, 11 Sep 2013 12:00:07 +0000

What a weekend for the Kiwis! Top 3 placings at Burghley and a very happy 29-year-old in Jock Paget — what a fantastic achievement. Unfortunately I missed most of the action over the weekend, but have enjoyed catching up on the news via Horse & Hound’s news feed!

I am full of admiration for the eventers, the trust they put in their horses and their horses in them, and enjoy picking their brains whenever I can. I have 3 or 4 potential eventers in for starting at the moment including one of Emily Baldwin’s homebreds, Betty, who has just had her first few rides and is going sweetly. It would be very exciting if she ended up at the top level one day.

In my last blog I spoke about a couple of horses that I am currently working with.

Damian

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

Hallam’s Solento

has been with me for 4 weeks to be started under saddle and has gone so well he is now enjoying a little break in the field before doing another 2 weeks and a handover with Damian. The picture (right) is of him hacking up our driveway on the way back from a trip round the local lanes. I try to get the young horses out and about round the farm and lanes as soon as I am confident I have the necessary controls as it prevents them getting sour and gets them used to the big wide world.

When Solento arrived straight from the continent after being bought up in a herd, he took a while to settle down, but apart a couple of “interesting” groundwork days in the first week he has been an absolute pleasure to work with. He is closely related to Serupgards Salut, one of Damian’s top horses, so we are all looking forward to following his progress once he leaves Risebridge Farm.

I also spoke about a young horse whose nervous rushing tendencies were developing into a bolting problem. He has done well and is now with local event rider Matt Selby to put some competition miles on his clock before being sold. Although his owners have made the difficult decision that he is not going to be right for them, I am confident that there will be a positive outcome and he will go on to be a successful competition horse.

Now onto a Luna the Mule update! Although I now know where the saying “stubborn as a mule” comes from, we have made great progress and she is being ridden. The main difficulty came with bridling her as she was incredibly head shy and didn’t like her (large!) ears being touched, so you can see that we have actually started her ridden work in a halter (pictured top) whilst we work on that area.

(Image credit: creditUnknown)

With headshy horses you first have to gain control over their feet so you can always get them to “face up” to you (stand still facing and looking at you) if they move away from you when you approach their head. I then work on their head and neck flexions and making a low head position their “default setting”.

I then move my hands in a pattern around the head and once they have accepted me rubbing their face I work towards the poll and ears. All the while I am making the right thing easy and the wrong thing hard and should they turn and move away, I move their feet quickly to make them face up to me again before repeating the process. After this it is time and repetition in order to truly establish the low head position and develop confidence in contact with the head and ears before introducing the bridle.

In my spare time (which admittedly I don’t have much of!), I play a bit of polo and polocrosse and earlier in the year captained the UK Polocrosse team in South Africa. I am pretty excited about an ex-hurdler, Lady Deddington, who I bought earlier this year and rode at the weekend in the UK Polocrosse Association National Club Championships. We won the A grade with my club, Kent Target. She is a complete natural and has made me smile every time I ride her.

No matter how many talented dressage and jumping horses I ride and the pleasure and satisfaction I feel from seeing them progress towards realising their full potential in the competition arena, the Aussie outback boy who grew up chasing cows on stock horses isn’t too far under the surface. There are few things I enjoy more than sitting on such an athletic and intelligent horse that is built for speed, is as nimble as a cat and who finds her job so easy… bliss! I know I should look at selling her but I just can’t quite bring myself to write the advert…

Jason

Coroner concerned about safety of sharing ex-racehorses

Charlotte White — Fri, 21 Dec 2012 15:58:19 +0000

A coroner is writing to the British Horse Society (BHS) to register his concerns about the safety of sharing ex-racehorses after the death of a 28-year-old woman.

East Sussex coroner Alan Craze recorded a verdict of accidental death on Caitriona O’Leary, of Tideswell Road, Eastbourne yesterday (20 December), who died after 12-year-old Mister bolted on a country road on 28 May.

An inquest in Eastbourne, heard that Miss O’Leary was found on her back in the middle of the road in Hailsham by a passerby.

It was unclear whether she had fallen or jumped off.

Miss O’Leary, shared the horse with another woman, was airlifted to the Royal London Hospital but died on 1 June.

She had suffered multiple skull fractures, despite wearing a riding hat.

Mr Craze said: “Our concern was to make sure that if there were lessons which can help other people then those lessons are learnt.

“If there is a difficulty in a racehorse’s temperament, which isn’t there in other horses, then the equestrian world needs to have that underlined.”

The BHS said it had not yet heard from Mr Craze.

Call for regulation after death of grandmother caused by bolting horse

Charlotte White — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 10:30:11 +0000

A coroner has asked the Department of Transport to address a lack of regulation surrounding carriage rides, after a grandmother was killed by an out-of-control horse and carriage at a country fair.

Coroner Dr Peter Dean was speaking on 12 October, at the conclusion of a two-week inquest at Bury St Edmunds’ Farmers’ Club into the death of 57-year-old Carole Bullett.

Mrs Bullett, who was partially-sighted, died from serious chest injuries after she was run over by the carriage at Nowton Park, Bury St Edmunds, on 19 June 2011.

“The evidence we have heard has highlighted the risks if the activity [the provision of carriage rides] is not regulated properly,” said Dr Dean.

The inquest heard conflicting evidence to explain why four-year-old Breton draft horse, Lucas, bolted.

His owner, Duncan Drye, said Lucas had been well behaved on the day of the incident, but other witnesses described the horse as “agitated”.

British Driving Society president John Parker, who was called as an expert witness, said the rides should have stopped an hour before Lucas bolted, as three of the horses being used for rides had become distressed.

He also said Lucas was too young to have been used in this way and neither Mr Drye nor his groom Sally Tyrell had enough training or experience to provide the rides.

It was also claimed that the horse’s bridle was removed shortly before he bolted.

A spokesman for Mrs Bullett’s family said: “It has been very distressing for them to hear of numerous failings.

“If they had been considered properly beforehand, then

the accident might never have happened.”

The Health and Safety Executive said it would review the case.

This news story was first published in the current issue of H&H (18 October 2012)

Shire horse injures spectators at steam rally

Horse & Hound — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 10:19:06 +0000

Six adults were injured at a Northamptonshire steam rally when a Shire horse was stung by an insect and bolted into the crowd, according to Northamptonshire police.

The horse was being paraded in the arena at the Hollowell steam rally, near Northampton, on Saturday 7 July to display old-fashioned machinery.

“The horse became distressed after being stung by a wasp or a bee, jumped up and got into the spectator area,” a spokesman for Northamptonshire police told H&H.

The spectators suffered multiple fractures and were taken to Northampton General Hospital. Five of them were released from hospital on Sunday (8 July).

The health and safety department of Daventry district council will be investigating the circumstances of the incident.

Woman dies and 23 injured as horses bolt at parade in US

Horse & Hound — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 14:52:32 +0000

One person has died and 23 have been injured by two horses drawing a carriage in a 4th of July parade at the Bellevue Heritage Day Celebration in Iowa.

The two horses bolted and overturned their carriage before galloping through the streets for several blocks trampling spectators.

According to local reports the horses “ran wildly hitting people along the way”. More than half of those injured were under the age of 12.

Four people are reported to be in a critical condition, five in a serious condition and 14 more with minor injuries. A 60-year-old woman has died.

Buyer wins court case over bolting pony and receives £8,000

Horse & Hound — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 16:35:21 +0000

A Leicestershire horse producer has been left £8,000 out of pocket after losing a court case brought by a dissatisfied customer.

In November 2008, a judge at Northampton County Court ordered Jennifer Hyde of Ullesthorpe to repay £7,500 plus costs of £2,500 to Penny Cabourne of Surrey, who bought 12.2hh show jumper Mr McFlurry for her daughter.

The amount was reduced to £8,000 by agreement between the parties.

Mrs Cabourne bought the pony in November 2007 but in February last year she alleged her nine-year-old daughter could not ride him as he reared and bolted when being mounted.

She declined to speak to H&H, but in a statement her barrister Jane Bennett said: “Mrs Cabourne and three witnesses called on her behalf gave evidence that the pony could be extremely tense and fidgety while being mounted, and at worst would rear and then bolt blindly until his young jockey was caused to fall off.

“Under the Sale of Goods Act, the burden of proof was on Mrs Hyde to satisfy the court that the pony did not have the vice in question at point of sale. She could not do so.”

But Mrs Hyde told H&H she had only been alerted to a problem with Mr McFlurry four months after she sold him.

Mrs Hyde said her 10-year-old daughter had ridden the pony with no problems during the eight months she had him before selling to the Cabournes.

“When Mrs Cabourne contacted me in February, I offered to buy the pony back for £6,000, to swap him for another pony, or I’d sell him for her. But she decided to take me to court.”

This news story was first published in Horse & Hound (15 January, ’09)