Why does my horse jump out of the rollback?

A horse that jumps out of the rollback — departing forward before completing the full 180-degree turn, or launching from the turn with an abrupt, uncontrolled leap rather than a smooth, willing departure — is either anticipating the departure, lacking the shoulder control to complete the turn correctly, carrying too much forward energy into the stop, or not yet understanding how to turn over the hind end as a specific, trained response distinct from simply running forward in a new direction. Anticipation is the most common cause in horses that have been drilled on rollbacks: the horse has learned that the stop and turn always lead to a departure, and it begins preparing for that departure before the turn is complete, pulling the front end through the arc prematurely rather than allowing the turn to finish before the forward energy is released. Varying the training — sometimes stopping and turning without departing, sometimes stopping and backing instead of turning, sometimes pausing in the turn before asking the departure — breaks the anticipatory pattern and teaches the horse to complete the turn before the departure is asked. Shoulder control is the physical requirement that most often underlies jumping out: a horse that cannot move its front end slowly and precisely over the hind end will default to rushing the shoulders through the arc rather than sweeping them in a controlled, cadenced turn. Slowing the rollback down to a walk-pace turn until the shoulder control is correct, then gradually building the speed of the turn and departure, rebuilds the maneuver from the correct mechanics. Forward energy that was not fully absorbed in the stop also contributes: a horse that stops but retains too much impulsion will redirect that impulsion into the turn and departure before the turn is organized, producing the jumping departure that takes the horse past the intended direction.