Ok, it wasn't a true bolt, just a 'f*ck you newbie, I'm off home' bolt!
I was riding a friends horse for the first time, he is lovely and very similar to Kev. Friend had told me to put the snaffle in for a walk/trot hack but go for the Pelham if we were doing anymore. We were just going out for a daunder so the snaffle went in! Mistake!
We had a lovely chilled hack, a couple of trots which turned into unasked for canters, but he was very polite & his canters were at trotting speed. He does have a very hard mouth, but came back to me eventually.
On the way home he picked up his pace, but K does exactly the same, so I wasn't too phased. He stopped when I asked him which is more than I can say for Kev! We stopped and crossed the wee road back to the yard nice and calmly....after that there is a short stretch of hardcore track with 2 right angled turns right then left into the yard. Well as soon as his feet hit the hardcore he did a teeny bunny hop and was off! There was no stopping him! We weren't quite at gallop due to the sharp turns, but we left our hacking companion in dust within seconds (while she was managing to keep her steed in a more steady canter.....we usually walk up the track, but a steady canter was all she could manage!). I had enough time to swear a lot (apparently!), think 'calm down, heels down, lean back and get his head on your knee', then 'oh this is really not good for his feet!', then 'sh*t, I really can't stop him, time to bail', then after I had taken my feet out the stirrups 'I don't have long till the yard, he will hopefully stop there' and 'oh crap this is a seriously tight turn coming up and I don't have stirrups!'. I am pleased to report I stayed on and he did stop at the yard! I yelled at him for being a little sh*t and then walked him back down to the road and calmly walked him back again.
I still love him and would get back on him tomorrow, though I would probably put his Pelham in!! He was just taking the piss and had a known him a bit better I would have been able to stop him before he got into full swing.
In a weird way I quite like it when things go wrong, it makes me realise I'm maybe a better rider than I think I am! I lived to tell the tale, so it was just a bit of excitement for the evening! Ha ha!
I was riding a friends horse for the first time, he is lovely and very similar to Kev. Friend had told me to put the snaffle in for a walk/trot hack but go for the Pelham if we were doing anymore. We were just going out for a daunder so the snaffle went in! Mistake!
We had a lovely chilled hack, a couple of trots which turned into unasked for canters, but he was very polite & his canters were at trotting speed. He does have a very hard mouth, but came back to me eventually.
On the way home he picked up his pace, but K does exactly the same, so I wasn't too phased. He stopped when I asked him which is more than I can say for Kev! We stopped and crossed the wee road back to the yard nice and calmly....after that there is a short stretch of hardcore track with 2 right angled turns right then left into the yard. Well as soon as his feet hit the hardcore he did a teeny bunny hop and was off! There was no stopping him! We weren't quite at gallop due to the sharp turns, but we left our hacking companion in dust within seconds (while she was managing to keep her steed in a more steady canter.....we usually walk up the track, but a steady canter was all she could manage!). I had enough time to swear a lot (apparently!), think 'calm down, heels down, lean back and get his head on your knee', then 'oh this is really not good for his feet!', then 'sh*t, I really can't stop him, time to bail', then after I had taken my feet out the stirrups 'I don't have long till the yard, he will hopefully stop there' and 'oh crap this is a seriously tight turn coming up and I don't have stirrups!'. I am pleased to report I stayed on and he did stop at the yard! I yelled at him for being a little sh*t and then walked him back down to the road and calmly walked him back again.
I still love him and would get back on him tomorrow, though I would probably put his Pelham in!! He was just taking the piss and had a known him a bit better I would have been able to stop him before he got into full swing.
In a weird way I quite like it when things go wrong, it makes me realise I'm maybe a better rider than I think I am! I lived to tell the tale, so it was just a bit of excitement for the evening! Ha ha!
