Being on a runaway horse is no fun particularly when they are trying to get rid of you as well!
Here are three ways to reflect on why your horse became a runaway train:
Running to or away from something
The first thing to ask yourself is – Did you have a sense that your horse was running AWAY from something that suddenly gave him a fright or caused him some distress, or was the horse running TO something which caused him to want to veer off from where you wanted to go, maybe another horse or home perhaps?
You see, horses always run AWAY from something they are frightened of, it can even be us when we are riding them. Putting to much pressure on the horse or having a lack of confidence, can mean disaster for a horse that is seeking your leadership and comfort. I have been bucked off in this way when I wasn’t paying attention or getting way to focused on something I desperately wanted to have happen.
Horses will also run TO something that they think will give them safety (they are not feeling safe with the rider) like another horse or home.
The reason why it happened may not be what you think
The other thing that happens with horses often times the reason the horse behaved badly may not be related to what you were doing when the bad bahaviour happened.
Often times it can relate to what you were doing BEFORE the horse ran amok. So think about what you were doing before the behaviour started, whether you left something unresolved or didn’t quite get something happening properly with your horse before moving on to where the incident happened.
It can be a tiny thing, but for your horse to move onto something harder when they are not prepared mentally and emotionally it is a huge step. This has caught me out! Sometimes it is really hard to spot these things with our horses if we are in a bit of a rush. With a young horse they sure do need LOTS of time to process things before moving on! Baby steps work really well for me.
What was going on in your head
Lastly think about where your focus was and what kind of thoughts you were having at the time, if you were feeling doubtful, hesitant, unsure even a tiny bit or couldn’t hold focus on where you did want to go and be a good leader for your horse, then the horse may have lost confidence and taken over the reins in order to find a sense of security and safety for himself.