Nobody deserves to be hurt, ever; and one should try one's best not to put people into the way of the potential injuries. Nor am I saying that it's 'the rider's fault' (if you were a beginner under the control of someone else it's much more likely to have been *their* fault for not training the horse, for not setting up a safe situation, for misjudging the horse's mood/the general situation/your skills, for not teaching you to cope etc.

But even at the best of times, it happens that horses will take off - they're flight animals. Mostly, it can be dealt with.

(I also feel that your 'I was bolted with and got terribly injured' isn't a 'problem' in the context of the discussion. What is the problem are the people who say 'oh, the horse bolted and I was able to shut it down easily' because if you could shut it down easily, _it was not a bolt_.

And again, I am sorry to hear about your injury and the consequences thereof.