Horse in a Rush

My first horse rushed his jumps. He never refused. I reasoned that he was a bold jumper he loved to jump and so did I! On approach to every fence my horses head would elevate his ears would perk up and his legs would speed up. I figured the jumper ring with its speed element was a more natural fit for my eager jumper than the hunter ring. But once I hit the show ring my horses keenness became more problematic. Hed rush past the distances oblivious to my attempts to regulate his stride. The more I pulled the more he sped up and then the more I pulled. Rails came down and I learned the precept firsthand haste makes waste.

Years later I came to understand the real reason why horses rush and why my horse seemed to tune out my aids.
Unplanned Acceleration
Any type of rushing prancing jigging or spooking is an expression of the flight response. Horses hurry through canter transitions scurry across trail bridges and back off trailers in a flurry! The motivation to rush is not likely out of the joy of bridgecrossing or eagerness to have arrived at the destination. Rather its to get the experience over with!
A milder version of hurry is anticipation. The ringwise competitive horse anticipates the next step in navigating the trail gate anticipates the gait call to canter or anticipates the pattern in speed event classes. When rushing attempts are thwarted the horse begins to jig.
Flight Response Explained
Horses being prey rather than predators opt for Im outta here! over a logical analysis of the situation.
When spooked a horse at liberty flees to a safe distance and checks things out from there. That scary experience is validated when flight results in escaping the object of fear. So by increasing the distance between himself and the scary thing fleeing the scene worked in the horses mind. He eluded the sunbeam in the arena dirt before it grabbed his legs. In the next lap of the arena hell seek to avoid and rush past the spot where that light beam lurks.
If your horse rushes into the stall finding a safe zone there hes going to rush through that door again Yikes that was close! He escaped the nip on his rearend from his stall neighbour reaching over the Dutch door. The associated adrenaline rush and possible skid on the cement floor only confirm that