Bolting Problem

I recently purchased an 11 yr old Thoroughbred mare who was taken off the track at 5yrs old and has been a broodmare since then. She is an amazing horse and has no issues, except one! When I try and ride her out of the ring she bolts and im unsure why? Wondering if anyone could help me with this?

IME with ottbs that havent been properly retrained off the track they can tend to think everything is about GO GO GO :) in a smaller environment this isnt possible but once out in the open they feel the need to do the only thing they know what to do which is run.

How is she with listening to your commands for whoa in the ring?

I would start by lunging her out of the arena in an open space. Work on getting her head set low and getting her relaxed with working outside the arena while understanding that she doesnt have to be going a hundred miles an hour all the time. Lunge work is a great took with ottb's as it allows you to work through problems on the ground before continuing under saddle. Work on voice commands as well. Everything you do accompany it with a voice command. Make it the same thing every time and use it without fail every time. Voice commands are very helpful with ottb's I have found.

There is a book called 'beyond the track by anna morgan ford' and it is a great tool for learning how to combat many problems commonly associated with ottb's.

Ohhh gosh... I know what your dealing with! I used to own a retired racehorse (About 10 years old) & she did so amazing in the round pen but out on the trail or in the feild all she wanted to do was GO!
Here are some things that helped me & my thoroughbred:
I highly suggest that you relax yourself completely while in the saddle. Try not to lean forward while riding her because that is how the jockeys ride & she knows that means run. Sit as deep as you can & really relax yourself. Remember, your horse can feel every move your make. If your tense, she'll be tense. If your calm, she'll be calm. She is looking to you for guidance & it is your job to show her the right way.
I do suggest working on your "whoa" cue. While in the arena, work on walking directly towards a fence & once you approach it, sit deep, say "whoa", & add rein pressure. Do this at all three gaits (Make sure your good at it at the walk before you go to the trot, then canter.).
While your outside the arena & have practiced the things above: Relax yourself to relax your horse. Also, when she goes into the canter without your cue, slow her down to a stop, back up, and continue on in the pace YOU want to go. If she canters again... repeat.
Consistancy. Consistancy. Consistancy.
Good luck.

Thank you both so much I will definitely try the things mentioned. I do alot of lunge work with her and she is good with some of the commands: walk, trot, canter but not whoa, so I will try to work on that with her. The last thing I need is for me or her to get hurt!

Why does everyone lung a horse for every problem?? She rides well in the ring and only when you are taking her OUT of the ring she has a problem. Is lunging going to help her?? Can't you work on her Whoa from the back , in the ring??
I deal with run aways, horse that don't stop, horses that run full out across a field until you bail off or risk running into a fence. Should I suggest to the person to lung the horse, teach it what Whoa means??/
Or do I just put a good western bite, one that any reining horse uses every day performing his wonderful manuvers in the ring, let the horse run and when I yell WHOA shut him down hard and fast, release all pressure when he stops, point him in a new direction , kick him into another run, yell WHOA and pull him up hard and fast.
I beleive in riding out a problem. If the horse bolts leaving the ring then I would bite the horse up and when she bolts pull her up hard and fast.

It deals with the problem, doesn't pussy foot around it. It is over in a matter of minutes.

Here agian I am assuming the person can ride???

Well now my bolting problem has tuned into a mounting and bolting problem? Why is my 11 yr old mare acting like a 2 yr old? Today I tried many times unsuccesfully to mount up and everytime I put my foot into the stirup she moves in a different direction away from me? I finnally managed to get up on her and she was fine what is all this about? ?? My horse has been perfectly fine over the last little while and had know isues its like all her training has been reversed and she is a baby again? Has anyone had this happen to them?

I don't know if this will work in your situation, but whenever she moves away from you step off and make her back up. Do so sort of aggressively. Not like, screaming, but make sure she knows you're serious and you mean business. You could also try making her move sideways after, just to get the point. Maybe even, just quickly, go back to the old respect method by forcing her out of your space and keeping her out until you say so (->this just seems to work whenever my mare misbehaves-if not a smack. It's just a little wake-up call that reminds her: Oh, hey, ok you're in charge). I do agree that if you have a problem in the saddle (the bolting) fix it in the saddle. Obviously make sure she knows how to whoa, but I don't think lunging will help.

Agree with ilytango, about the backing up method, and some of the above posters.

I do want to suggest, that when on the lunge, my OTTB, didn't resond to well to the 'whoa' when I had a lunge rope in my hand, so I decided to drop the whip, and try another method that english rider's use (which I am) I purred, to make him stop, he quickly changed transition's and went to a stop and joined up with me.

It is worth a try..

Jeesh, kinda funny. Have a thread of my own that's got some of the same sort of stuff, sort of. However, i've got a suggestion or two.

When mounting, i've been taught, especially when in a snaffle, to pull their head around in toward you like you're flexing them. The OTTB that i'm working on right now had the same problem. I could NOT get on him. Friend suggested I go back to pulling him around. I stick glued to his side next to the saddle and pull his head around. When he stops, i'll get a foot in the stirrup and he'll start turning again but doesn't take long to get him to stop again. Usually. It might take ten minutes to get on but that's ok.

He tends to be ok when we ride, pasture or on the road until I let him open up any. Another thread recently made me remember ya don't want to have CONSTANT pressure on the bit so we're working to keep a looser reign while not getting out of control. Problem there is if he opens up to more than a SLOW lope he wants it ALL, and I have a helluva time stopping him again. And he sinks into the bit HARD. His mouth was rubbed raw today, and he has a wear spot on his nose from the hackamore (other than that, he responds well to the hack).



sir, this is why my brother said to have my wife STOP lunging her horse. I ride him now instead. But are you suggesting putting something like a curb on him and letting him run and shut 'er down in fast fashion? Because we can do that, too. Only other question is how fast do I let 'im go before putting on the brakes?

I have found that when you work with a horse off the track you need to baisically retrain them I suggest clinton andersons ground work routine (clinton andersons downunder horsemanship(book)) it takes about a month but is well worth it I did this with a friends thuroubred that she bought staright from the track and she could not control the mare and couldnt mount without help and if you can get in the saddle take her somewhere she loves to run and make her stand in one spot for about ten min the move do this several times a day everyday and she will start to relax, walk slow and stand still while you mount another problem I found is if the girth is too tight or not tight enough she will try to keep you off her back