angel turned into a monster

[wizgirl]

my friend sold a horse 3 weeks ago who we called our fearless friend as he was so good and totally chilled about everything no matter what. a bomb could have gone off and he wouldn't move.

when he came to us at first he was a nightmare for 3 weeks on the ground and jumping out of fields etc until he settled down. However, as he was such a chilled ride we kept on and once he settled in he became fab all round.

Anyway, my friend had to sell him for finaicial reasons and he has turned into an absolute monster all round and has become a nightmare to ride. He has even bucked and is trying to race home to the yard.

all tack etc tried so no obvious reasons for above. However, the new owner is now so scared and upset she is going to sell him on, as she thinks that he isn't the plod we knew...........

my gut feeling is that he is just settling in or something is wrong, but am deverstated he could be moved on so soon as he was truly such a little sweetie to ride and we never had any issues like above.

the new owners are too far away for me to go over and i also have my own horse to care for which as he has health problems etc needs daily care.

Any ideas??????? and have any of you had this experience

 

[Tia]

I think all you can do is try to convince them that ALL horses have the potential to be like this when they are moved away to a new home......it's perfectly normal and they just have to sit it out. The horse will likely come good in the end.

Perhaps you could suggest to them to have a more experienced rider take the horse out a few times for them until he settles properly?

Either that or say to them to not ride him for a couple of weeks but to spend loads of time just getting to know him on the ground? Grooming, taking out for walks or just talking to him will familiarise them to the horse and he should be able to feel comfortable in their presence in the not too distant future.

 

[AmyMay]

Hopefully when your friend sold him she explained that the horse took some time to settle with her initially.

Most people will give a horse the benefit of the doubt for the first couple of weeks, and put anxiety etc. down to new surroundings.

 

[wizgirl]

she did, but he has been far worse. It's just so sad, as he really is a star . i am so upset for the new owners and him as he deserves a home for life and that what is a stake!!!!!!!

 

[debradley]

As it was your friends horse could she not travel up to see him and see if he settles down whilst she is there? That way the people may get to see that it is probably just a settling in period and they may need to get to know him a bit better on the ground first before they make the decision to pass him on. Your friend may also be able to give them some tips on his favourite things and could also observe how they are trying to handle him, and possibly point them in the right direction that works best for him. Might be worth a try; if they've been in contact with you they seem like geniune people.