Advice please! Mis sold horse?

I think as you seem to be planning on keeping him (and therefore not persuing the seller for mis-selling as they would at least need to be given the chance to take the horse back then) that getting a confident rider to hack him out/long reining him etc is probably a good place to start.
 
Haven't read all replys ( sorry) seems like u have a few option here ... Sell the new horse..or work on things .. Sell is easier if u really can't get on with him .. Pay someone to ride him and sell him ( done problem sorted ) people buy the wrong horse all the time and for many different reasons ..so not a massive problem ;) forget the old owners and work on sorting things :) or work on things ( slightly harder but may just get the horse u want ) can u hack with someone else ? ( just till he learns the routes ) can u long rein? Do u have a school ? ( best to get to know a new horse off the roadside ;) ) do u have a friend that would ride him ? Do u have an instructor ? Where r u based ? If local to me I'm happy to take him for training or come and give u a hand ;)
 
TommisMum said:
All I would say is -
Do not keep a horse that scares you in any way - there are plenty of others out there.

Good luck
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Agree with this TommisMum; sometimes you can pull through and it works out but as a lot of us keep saying, it is meant to be fun and enjoyable if its your hobby, not an un-nerving battle.

I would get back to old owners re the two contradicting statements they made before and after sale and get a refund and a new horse that is better suited. Next time if in any doubt walk away :)
 
Nervous rider, new surroundings for horse. Most horses take a while to familiarise themselves with their surroundings, sadly they get labelled unsuitable/missold. Give both of you time to settle and get to know each pther. Yes horses do get nervous if the rider is nervous they look to the rider as being their leader, so if they are nervous how do you think the poor horse feels.

My cob is an absolute dude, 15 years young, owned for 5 years, but if i am nervous you can see him wondering whats wrong mom.
 
My horse is safe as houses but when I put a nervous rider on him in the school, he got a bit worried and kept coming back to me for reassurance. I was very surprised by his reaction as he's always been unflappable with me right from day one. Horses for courses as they say.

If you are keeping him, you could try a product called Pax ( http://www.paxhorse.co.uk/how.htm ) if you haven't already.
I've not tried it myself but know someone who swears by it. It cant hurt and might just do the trick. Good luck. :)
 
I kinda know what you mean. I bought my very first horse at 37 even thou I had rode all my life. I didn't specify I needed a confidence giver but in my head it was what I was angling for. 3 horses in I got on scarlet and loved her. However she needed to be able to hack out with no issues, and when I tried her she did spook. Now to me this wasn't a massive issue as I was told that was all she did. And while when I got home it did frighten me for a bit and she started planting as well, but I persevered, found a bit of confidence to push her on and started to predict her spooks and after about 3 months I got over the spooking bothering me and she stopped planting her feet. Now I would class her as bomb proof as a chestnut Arab can be but many others disagree!! I think with a bit of confidence on your side and a bit more time, this guy could be just the fella you were looking for and you'll be so glad you stuck with him!! ;-)
 
yep i feel torn as to what to do! one minute I'm thinking lets get on with this and see it through, next I feel i just cant do it.
Whilst typing this I can see him grazing and I think whats all the fuss about then I think I would love to just throw his tack on and go for a mootch but just cant seem to do it. I know this attitude isn't helping him but just cant help feeling a bit let down.

Thanks linperrie your situation sounds almost similar, whilst on hind sight i did make a few mistakes but hey! life not perfect

some have questioned why did I buy when he spooked but I don't think I've met a horse that doesn't and in the grand scale of things an odd spook is not the end of the world however I didnt expect to be told by the vendor 6 wks down the road that he needs confidence to hack alone when i have emails to say that he will give me confidence to hack alone.
I suspect this is where my argument lies
most posts have been very supportive and positive which gives me food for thought!
 
maxweg said:
yep i feel torn as to what to do! one minute I'm thinking lets get on with this and see it through, next I feel i just cant do it.
Whilst typing this I can see him grazing and I think whats all the fuss about then I think I would love to just throw his tack on and go for a mootch but just cant seem to do it. I know this attitude isn't helping him but just cant help feeling a bit let down.

Thanks linperrie your situation sounds almost similar, whilst on hind sight i did make a few mistakes but hey! life not perfect

some have questioned why did I buy when he spooked but I don't think I've met a horse that doesn't and in the grand scale of things an odd spook is not the end of the world however I didnt expect to be told by the vendor 6 wks down the road that he needs confidence to hack alone when i have emails to say that he will give me confidence to hack alone.
I suspect this is where my argument lies
most posts have been very supportive and positive which gives me food for thought!
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Gosh, if its making you that anxious to ride maxweg "Whilst typing this I can see him grazing and I think whats all the fuss about then I think I would love to just throw his tack on and go for a mootch but just cant seem to do it" I'd either get some come back from the seller or move him on.

I still think you would have a strong case against the seller- get some free advice from equine solicitor, private sellers still need to abide by the sales of good act. I really feel for you I do!
 
Throw your tack on him and ride him to the end of the road and back no further, but think positively dont think of dear he is going to spook at that. By the way if you see something you think your horse will spook at it will, take your eyes off the object and look ahead your horse will follow, yes it does work.
 
maxweg said:
yep i feel torn as to what to do! one minute I'm thinking lets get on with this and see it through, next I feel i just cant do it.
Whilst typing this I can see him grazing and I think whats all the fuss about then I think I would love to just throw his tack on and go for a mootch but just cant seem to do it. I know this attitude isn't helping him but just cant help feeling a bit let down.

Thanks linperrie your situation sounds almost similar, whilst on hind sight i did make a few mistakes but hey! life not perfect

some have questioned why did I buy when he spooked but I don't think I've met a horse that doesn't and in the grand scale of things an odd spook is not the end of the world however I didnt expect to be told by the vendor 6 wks down the road that he needs confidence to hack alone when i have emails to say that he will give me confidence to hack alone.
I suspect this is where my argument lies
most posts have been very supportive and positive which gives me food for thought!
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Speaking as someone who was almost in tears over getting on my new boy no more than two weeks ago I'd say just get out there and get on him. I made the error of waiting almost a week to get on him as he was really sharp the first week he was at our yard (which was only natural seeing as I'd taken him away from his home) and I wrongly assumed this meant he'd be a handful to ride. Each day I didn't ride him my anxiety got worse until my OH intervened and told me I was riding tomorrow whether I liked it or not.

I told myself I could hop off as soon as we'd done one lap of the school if I wanted to but, and an hour later we'd walked and trotted on both reins and gone for a short hack with my OH on foot. I've ridden him every day since and even hacked him around our XC field alone (which may seem like nothing to most but was a HUGE achievement to me!) and little by little my confidence is returning and his silly spooks don't scare me anywhere near as much as they did in the beginning but in order to get to this point I've had to keep taking baby steps and pushing myself even when I don't really feel like riding. Believe me when I say that nothing was ever as bad as it was in my head and it'll only get harder to push the anxiety aside the longer you leave it.

ETA - My sig is actually a pic from the first day I rode him at home.
 
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What do you want to happen next?

He does sound vaguely unsuitable and the seller less than brutely honest to clinch the sale. But you've got him now. You prob could pursue sending him back for a refund but it'll be hassle and sounds like not in his best intetest.

You could turn him into the horse you want though. Most horses become confident and calm out alone with enough exposure.

Get an experienced confident rider to get him out and about, then build up to you riding him. It'll take time and effort but should be worth it in the end.
 
I have to say that I wouldn't buy something which spooked in the school if I was looking for a confidence giver. However that is by the by now. It sounds like you want to keep him so I think you need to adopt a different frame of mind, as I imagine, that you are riding him you are possibly getting worked up about your whole experience and still cross about the sellers. Wipe the slate clean, set yourself very small targets and enjoy it when it goes right. Good luck.
 
Unfortunately as a private seller and with a less than clear case it is likely to cost more to try and force the original owner to take him back even if this is what you want (which again seems a little unclear).

You both need to build a relationship, so spend lots of time on groundwork with him, grooming, long reining etc. Let him get used to his surroundings and build trust in you. Ride him within his and your comfort zone, in his field and work on the basics walk, trot, transitions etc. Get someone who is more confident to hack him out both alone and with you on a bike.

When you feel happier in your relationship start hacking him out and gradually push the boundaries. Continue to have someone more confident on hand to help out if things don't go quite to plan, but at least give it a bit of time and effort. Once he has settled he could be just what you are after.

If not then look at re-advertising him.
 
I agree with "Lizzie" above. I don't personally think the horse has been "mis-sold" to you TBH. It sounds like you are very much lacking in confidence which is in turn affecting the horse. Please don't think I'm being rude here OP, but I think, being brutally honest, that ANY horse right now is going to be a bit daunting for you, purely because of your very recent medical history.

A nervous rider will make a nervous horse. Unfortunately, that's the way horses are. They take their lead, and confidence, from the rider. The old saying was "fear runs down the reins" and this is very true.

I think it would be a shame if you were to sell the horse on without giving the two of you a decent chance.

I would be inclined to seek professional advice; a few sessions with a sympathetic professional who will adopt a stand-back-and-look approach could make no end of difference. And someone who is honest enough to tell you straight out whether they think the partnership is going to work or not, is what you need right now.

I also think you need to give you and the horse time to get to know each other better, to bond, and learn to trust each other more. Its early days yet! If there's a nice ploddy sort of horse at your yard you could ride out with to give you both confidence for a bit, that would be good.

To encourage you: my first pony was a real darling, an angel, pony in a million, BUT the first time I took him out solo he was an absolute nightmare! Plus our first pony club event!!! BUT after a few months we'd bonded, and if I'd asked him to gallop off the end of the cliffs he'd have done it for me, bless him.

My first horse was the same, very spooky when I got him first to the extent that I would have sent him back if I could......... but again, after a few months, we'd bonded and really looked after me.

Give it time.......... have some lessons, and allow you and your horse to get to know each other a bit more.
 
I'm afraid I agree with the others in that I doubt very much that this was mis sold as such. IMHO in my own horses none of them have been perfect from the word go and found that it takes time for a new horse to trust the new rider on top of him, learn the subtle differences in riding style, and become familiar with his new environment both the living environment and the hacking environment. It's a lot to take on really. 6 weeks is no time at all. Had you been talking six months I might have felt differently. Give yourself and the horse a chance. Have some lessons with him. I doubt very much that anyone can buy a so called bombproof horse and expect perfect manners from the word go cos in the real world it rarely happens. Good luck and I hope all goes well with your joint replacement.
 
Thank you Maxweg for posting as there is lots here to learn from. I have recently bought a new horse who has had me off twice spooking, the most recent time when I tried to hack him on his own. I am 50 so not very bouncy! My tactics are - get brave young professional girls to hack him alone; have a lesson on him every week; hack out in company and get him to go in the lead more often, and take him for a few walks in hand. He is definitely chilling out more as he gets used to being in his new home. I agree with those saying get some company to ride with if you can. What about posting on your local horsey Facebook site - lots of people would be glad for a hacking partner. Otherwise take someone on foot if possible. But I also agree, if the horse scares you, then move him on. Good luck!
 
Thanks all! having contacted trading standards it would appear i do have a case of misrepresentation under the sale of goods 1979 however!................ i have decided not to pursue this any further. BWa is right i need to move on wipe the slate clean i think she is right i feel cross at the seller and it is eating away at me.

He is kept at home which makes it difficult to ride with others however i did lunge today in our menage and he was a very good boy, not quite what I want to do but little tiny steps!

Ive been in touch with our riding club and they have suggested a good instructor so i am going to have a few lessons.
 
maxweg said:
Thanks all! having contacted trading standards it would appear i do have a case of misrepresentation under the sale of goods 1979 however!................ i have decided not to pursue this any further. BWa is right i need to move on wipe the slate clean i think she is right i feel cross at the seller and it is eating away at me.

He is kept at home which makes it difficult to ride with others however i did lunge today in our menage and he was a very good boy, not quite what I want to do but little tiny steps!

Ive been in touch with our riding club and they have suggested a good instructor so i am going to have a few lessons.
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That's the ticket! :) good for you
 
maxweg said:
Sorry I'm not too sure why you feel for the horse?, he has a lovely home whilst he is with me and if I don't arrange something with his old owner then he can stay with us and our retired gelding and we will work on things and try to improve our relationship.
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I think I'm feeling for the horse as well because its so easy for a good horse to end up in a not quite suitable home, sold on asap to a less suitable home and sooner or later the horse is labelled "difficult" when in slightly more competent hands it would have been a perfectly good horse for someone. For someone who continually claims to have so much experience yet knowingly bought a spooky horse that you didn't fully try, your posts seem self contradictory and slightly odd.

You didn't buy from a dealer, so you cannot claim unfitness for purpose, only non correspondence with description. I'm not sure what you "want to arrange with the seller" - that they take back a horse they thought they had sold, possibly now with some behavioural issues and unsettled, or they give you some money back, or what exactly? They don't have to do anything, because they have done nothing wrong.

I'm sure with so much experience you realise that it can take over a year or more to build up a relationship with a horse. Since you admit you have only very recently had a joint replacement, are you certain that the problems with the horse aren't actually attributable to deficiencies on your part? The horse has only spooked after all! Its not a machine. And is it really advisable to be riding an unfamiliar horse only 7 weeks after a joint replacement? That sounds utterly non-senseical - how can you possibly be in a fit physical state to deal with a new horse's unsettled behaviour?
 
maxweg said:
Thanks all! having contacted trading standards it would appear i do have a case of misrepresentation under the sale of goods 1979 however!................ i have decided not to pursue this any further. BWa is right i need to move on wipe the slate clean i think she is right i feel cross at the seller and it is eating away at me.

He is kept at home which makes it difficult to ride with others however i did lunge today in our menage and he was a very good boy, not quite what I want to do but little tiny steps!

Ive been in touch with our riding club and they have suggested a good instructor so i am going to have a few lessons.
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You don't "have a case" but you may have a "potential case". However Trading Standards would only make the most general of comments because you haven't bought the horse in the course of business from a dealer so you could only bring a case under very limited parts of SOGA79. Trading Standards aren't set up to give this type of advice and if you genuinely had a case you would of course contact a solicitor.

I cannot think why you would need a riding club to suggest that you have some lessons. I would have thought this would be fairly self evident from someone with 30 years experience of horse owning.

I really hope for the horse's sake this works out. Why not simply sell the horse to someone like the owner who has presumably had none of the problems with it that you have experienced?
 
Well done op !!! A good positive step forward :) like I said in my last post .. If u r local I'm happy to give u a hand or even bring my boy ( good babysitter) over to yours and hack out with u .. Or whatever ;) ..treat this now as a fresh start for both of u :)onwards and upwards !! Keep us updated how u r getting on .. And photos pleaseeeeeeee :)
 
Mithras said:
You don't "have a case" but you may have a "potential case". However Trading Standards would only make the most general of comments because you haven't bought the horse in the course of business from a dealer so you could only bring a case under very limited parts of SOGA79. Trading Standards aren't set up to give this type of advice and if you genuinely had a case you would of course contact a solicitor.

I cannot think why you would need a riding club to suggest that you have some lessons. I would have thought this would be fairly self evident from someone with 30 years experience of horse owning.

I really hope for the horse's sake this works out. Why not simply sell the horse to someone like the owner who has presumably had none of the problems with it that you have experienced?
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I read it as she contacted the riding club to suggest her a good instructor. Not for advice on what to do.

Op, I think you have made a good choice sticking with him. I am sure with time and patience he will come right and be the good confidence giving horse he was sold as.
Good luck and keep us updated :)
 
Sorry, is the horse a 'she' or a 'he'??...
Appears to have undertaken a sex change during the course of this thread...
 
Where are you from? Im from Mottram/Glossop, if your local im happy to hack out with you, my pony is normally i good lad
 
Kallibear said:
Does he live alone now? That will destroy the confidence of pretty much any horse. They are always far more spooky, anxious and generally stressed when they don't have a friend.
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I'm glad you asked...as I did earlier but OP must have missed it.
 
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