08/06/2026
Toujours un trésor d'informations sur cette page...
Je ne m'en lasse pas...
When we look at why horses bolt, we have to look at why this response is happening. Fear tends to be the underlying cause…but fear of what? It could be fear of pain, or discomfort from imbalance. Perhaps it’s fear of the environment, fear of not knowing the answer, fear of the rider’s correction, or fear of the equipment?
One thing we do know is that that their worry or fear is genuine, it is their reality and if we want to help our horses to move past it, we must not dismiss their concerns but instead, we should empathize. Your horse is telling you that they are struggling with something in their environment. They have catapulted into flight mode and their actions are telling us that they do not feel safe and now they are fleeing for their lives. That is no exaggeration.
Bolting is not a fun place to be for us or them. Think about it, do you enjoy feeling panicked? No, of course not. It is an awful feeling. Our horses do not like it either. At Shawna Karrasch Equine, we strive to teach horses without ever triggering this drastic response for survival. And we also teach them how to recover when they do get startled, because we all get started now and then. We are not trying to teach them to be obedient and keep it together for our sake, but instead, to truly recover and get back to feeling safe and settled. This process is self-regulation and we can consider this the antidote for bolting.
Often times we look to equipment to help manage their urge to escape. We get bigger bits, draw reins, tie downs, lip chains, nose chains or rope halters to try and stop the bolting. These things may stop, or reduce the physical reaction but it does not improve the emotional aspect. In fact, it may make it worse. When we prevent them from escaping the fear inducing stimulus, we may be creating even more fear. In addition, when we use equipment that creates discomfort to minimize their physical reaction, we are creating an extra layer of fear by adding more aversive adrenaline to the situation.
Of course, safety is an issue that triggers our own response for survival. We often accidentally brace, grab the reins or sn**ch the lead rope because of our angst and/or imbalance. This sudden, harsh pressure can feel like an attack or trap and acts as an unintentional punishment. Horses’ brains instantly link the scary thing in the environment with the painful or scary pressure from the human, doubling their panic.
After a few repetitions, a powerful, involuntary association is formed, and their brains create a permanent highway that says a startle equals pain or entrapment, which triggers an immediate, blinding need to flee. In addition the humans often become emotionally charged which is easily recognized by horses. Now the horses perceive us as unsafe too, doubling their panic. We are both reacting from fear. This truly creates a vicious cycle.
The good news is that there is a way through this, to turn things around.
Breaking this pattern requires us to deliberately step in and change those neural pathways through science, counter-conditioning and systematic desensitization. We do this by pairing the things that used to scare them with something highly reinforcing, like a high-value treat, when they are relaxed and below their fear threshold. If they can look at a trigger from a safe distance and get a click and a treat, their emotional response physically changes from fear to anticipation. We are rewriting the involuntary association in their brains, transforming the trigger from a cue to run into a cue that says something great is about to happen.
The hard science behind this is all about neuroplasticity and the way the equine brain handles stress. When horses are stressed, their sympathetic nervous system takes over, flooding their bodies with adrenaline and cortisol, which locks them into a reactive flight response where learning is completely impossible. By introducing positive reinforcement when they are calmer, we keep them functioning in their parasympathetic nervous system, which governs rest, digestion, and cognitive processing.
Through repetition of heavily reinforced alternative behaviors, like touching a target or softly lowering their heads, we physically wire new neural pathways. Over time, these new pathways become stronger and more ingrained than the old panic tracks they used to follow, allowing their brains to default to a calm, thinking behavior instead of an explosive escape.
To do this, we have to set about changing their neural pathways. This takes repetition and it takes redirecting the behavior by teaching behaviors we would rather see. When we build a strong reinforcement history with alternative behaviors while they are feeling settled, their brains will naturally start to default to those choices instead of running away when life gets worrisome. Pretty soon, self-regulation is redirecting them before we even have a chance to step in…they know how to get back to feeling settled.
One powerful replacement behavior to teach is targeting. This is where we ask them to touch their nose to a target instead of flinging their head away. When horses feel unsure or start to tense up, presenting a familiar target gives them an immediate physical task to focus on. By channeling their nervous energy into the physical act of reaching out to touch that target, their brains are forced to shift out of a reactive flight mode and into an analytical, problem-solving frame of mind. This action physically roots them to the spot and replaces the desire to flee with a familiar, rewarding, and even comforting movement.
Another excellent option is teaching a soft, rhythmic head lowering on cue. In the equine body, a high, locked neck is physically linked to adrenaline production and the flight response. By utilizing positive reinforcement on the ground to teach them to lower their nose, you are establishing a behavior to encourage relaxation.
With enough repetition, when they encounter something startling, you can cue the head lowering, which helps interrupt the physical feedback of panic and replaces the urge to bolt with a posture that promotes genuine relaxation.
You can also train a highly reliable, voluntary lateral flexion or a soft step under with the hindquarters as a default movement. Instead of trying to hold horses straight and tight when they spook, which often makes them feel trapped and causes them to bolt, you can redirect that nervous energy into a soft sideways or circular movement. Teaching them that a slight cue means to step their inside hind leg under their body or bend softly to the inside gives that forward, panicked energy a safe outlet. Remember that even the smallest try should be celebrated. Because this movement has been repeated and well-reinforced when they were relaxed, their neural pathways should begin to default to this soft yield.
One last point to consider. If your horse has an area of the arena or paddock they are sure to bolt at, you’ll want to stay away from that area to start with so as not keep rehearsing the idea of bolting. As they grow in confidence and you feel sure the behavior has been replaced with a new settled one, you can then slowly move closer to the old area of worry. You may also want to place targets in the area at first to keep reminding them we are still playing their favorite game.
These systematic steps are processes that work and ones we use often in our training. To find out where you can learn more about properly applied positive reinforcement training, check below.
