Dangerous horse

[Carlos's Mum]

Someone examining my horse said not yo ever ride him again or I will have another nasty fall. Should I ask others opinion or take her advice. He's a lovely boy but extremely nervous and has had a traumatic time last 2 years through no fault of his oen

 

[Dave's Mam]

Could you give a little more information?
Is he very spooky? (Mine is too)
What age is he, what is spooking him?

 

[AmyMay]

Who was the person examining him? What was the reason for the examination?

 

[Lady Jane]

More information?

 

[Lois Lame]

Does the horse trust you? A horse that doesn't feel safe with his rider is not a safe horse IMO.

 

[Red-1]

A vet said this? For something physical? A wobbler?

 

[Parrotperson]

yes a the others say we need more than this. if it wasn't a vet then I'd get one out for. workup! It could be an easily resolved issue.

If this person advising you isn't experienced get someone who is.

 

[Peglo]

Yes more information. What was the circumstances of the fall? Who was telling you not to ride him again and is it because he’s in pain that they said that? Is he always nervous or just when ridden?

 

[Carlos's Mum]

It was my physio who said this. A yard I had been a for decades closed.ended up moving4 times to my present yard. Sure it did unsettle him. Very sensitive warmblood aged 15. Had retired from eventing when I bought him.
Lost my nerve being at new yard where I was constantly hassled. Are you riding that horse was all I heard. This yard is not like this so after 6 months i got on him i the school. Just walking. Third time at walk he threw his head in the air,gave 2 tiny bucks and i fell off. Cracked my ribs an other bits.week in hospital and took me 4 months to recover, i am in my 70's.
He is really good at groundwork but tried to find someone to get on him. Meanwhile had him scoped for ulcers and they have cleared up as last scope showed.
Been riding forever showing,dressage and endurance. Lady said I wasoverhorsed and he would hurt me again. After that how could I put him up for sale even.
He is lovely and will always look after him but do you think this is the end of the road for him and me?

 

[bonny]

It sounds to me based on that update that he’s not the horse for you but there is no reason why he wouldn’t suit someone else and that there is a horse out there that would be a better match for you.

 

[Regandal]

If he’s been off work for a good while, there’s a good chance that his saddle no longer fits. I’d get that checked,
did the physio find anything?

 

[Cortez]

So you got straight on him after 6 months off, he bucked and you fell off? If that's the scenario I wouldn't condem him out of hand as "dangerous" just yet. Can you get someone to bring him back into work properly and evaluate him before you get back on board?

 

[Peglo]

Sorry about your fall and your injuries. Hope your feeling much better.
Sorry if I’ve got this wrong but did that mean he hadn’t been ridden in 6 months and then when you got on him you fell off?

do you have any instructors near you that could help? You could look at paying someone to ride him and see how he goes with someone else?

 

[PinkvSantaboots]

I would get his saddle checked then get a pro rider to start him back into work and see how he goes, I think most horses would be a bit fresh after 6 months off I know mine would.

Hopefully then he will start to settle down enough for you to start riding again, or it could just be that his a bit too much horse for you and always will be but I would say it's definitely worth a try to see.

 

[AmyMay]

He’s 15, you’re in your 70’s. Absolutely no shame in just giving him lots of love and attention. He won’t care if he’s not ridden.

 

[Flowerofthefen]

He’s 15, you’re in your 70’s. Absolutely no shame in just giving him lots of love and attention. He won’t care if he’s not ridden.

I agree with the above but also a lot of horses after having a decent amount of time off will be a little fresh. If you want to ride I would get saddle checked then ask someone to come and bring him back into work slowly. Sounds from your post that you have lost confidence and I should think he can feel that x

 

[Palindrome]

I wouldn't think it is end of the road but perhaps it's time to downsize to a quieter and smaller horse, Icelandics are fab (tolt is so much more comfortable than trot), or a good natured native.
At 15 he could still have years of riding ahead of him so I would sell or loan to a suitable home and find yourself the right horse.

ETA: but of course no pressure if you prefer to stop riding, I like cuddling my horses as much as I like riding and the one in my avatar picture is a big pet.

 

[Orangehorse]

Especially if he was an eventer and used to doing lots of galloping and jumping, and was probably very happy and pleased to be ridden again, hence the buck.

I daresay the physio was thinking that maybe you are a bit over horsed and this particular combination isn't right, but that doesn't mean that the horse cannot be ridden again if he is sound or that you can't keep riding, only maybe not together.

 

[Melody Grey]

Difficult to say without seeing you and the horse, but if you want to get back to riding, I’d get in a pro to re- start him and see what you have. If the result is something you can work with, keep him and if not sell and get something better suited? You may even be able to loan /trade if you find someone with a steady eddy they’re bored of wanting a step up?

if you’re not bothered about riding, but enjoy caring for the horse then continue to do that.

 

[SussexbytheXmasTree]

Gosh my 26yr old veteran bucked my 72yr old sharer off the other day because he got a bit excited and he’s a naughty old man. He is not “dangerous” except he’s a horse as I wouldn’t ride if he were. Luckily she was just jarred and bruised.

Unless there is more to the story I don’t understand how your physio can make this assessment based on one incident. However he may not be quiet enough for you at your stage in life. If he were mine I’d get someone experienced and younger to ride him a few times a week to see if he settles with consistent work. If not and you want a riding horse then he may be perfectly suitable for someone else.

 

[nagblagger]

I agree with the other posts that he does not appear 'dangerous', just over excited. If you feel you may have lost your love/confidence riding, why not have a lesson or hack out at a riding school. no pressure, just enjoying a hack round the countryside on a 'bombproof' horse, this will help with your decision whether to continue to ride. Once you are sure what you want to do then you can focus on your horse, asking the questions whether he will be suitable for you, happy to keep him a a pet (i have too many!), sell him or put on loan. There are many options so you don't need to rush into any decision making.
However it would give you a clearer picture of his suitability if you did get a rider to suss him out and keep him ticking over until you decide.

 

[irishdraft]

I wouldn't label your horse dangerous from what you have said, more likely possibly not suitable for you to ride if that's what you would like to continue to do . My own horse had a few months off when I decided to take him for a little hack, he was bucking & flinging himself about very unlike him but just got over excited certainly not dangerous. Maybe get someone to bring the horse back into work first .

 

[Equi]

Do you WANT to ride? Or would you be more than happy just to have him as a pet. He won't care either way, but you don't HAVE to ride a horse.

 

[Lady Jane]

I'm over 60 and I wouldn't get on a horse that had been out of work for ages - I'd get someone younger. We just don't bounce as well as we did! But if he is happy as a pet and you enjoy looking after him that's fine - enjoy him anyway you can

 

[Carlos's Mum]

Thank

 

[Carlos's Mum]

Thank you everyone for your very understanding thoughts on my post. To try and answer your questions:
Yes he is a bit spooky but more so extremely curious.
He had 6 months when I never even sat on him, I became very over the top anxious
I had 3 days of a little bit of walking round the school. I loved it!
As an eventer wasn't very good but his dressage marks were. That's what I liked him for (one thing anyway)
I have had him for about 30 months and used to hack him out daily on my own,had lessons every week and a young girl took him in his first riding horse class. He was foot perfect on the go round and in his show piece. He came second,. Winner had been to HOYS.
I do really want to ride him if he can bee as he was when I got him. He's lovely to sit on
How do I find a pro rider?. We're a bit thin on the ground for decent yards in my area.
Hope you managed to read all this! Also, that gives a better background
p.S. physio said she could tweak him a bit but didn't want to take my money.

 

[YorkshireLady]

Can we clarify, apart from you hurting yourself and the yard moves has anything else changed? ie did he have an injury or anything?

 

[SatansLittleHelper]

I don’t think he sounds dangerous but I would get a full MOT with the vet as well as the usual saddle, teeth etc checks before deciding he can't e ridden again. I would definitely get some pro help with him too if all is well with the above xx

 

[Winters100]

It does not sound to me like a dangerous horse, more an unfortunate situation. Your physio is probably a lovely person who is genuinely worried that you could do yourself more serious damage. As Santaslittlehelper says it would be wise to have him checked by a vet, have teeth done if they have not been looked at for a while and check the saddle. It doesn't sound to me as if you need some amazing pro to ride him, just someone who is a strong and confident rider, and (sorry to say) a bit younger. I have not yet made it to my 70s, but am certainly in an age group that does not bounce, so we do need to be a bit more cautious.

In terms of finding a pro I would spend some time at the yard and see who other liveries are training with. If you don't find someone try asking in a local tack shop, or maybe a feed merchants. You could look on facebook for local riding clubs and ask them too.

Good luck with it, and take things one step at a time. He has had some time off, so another few weeks will make no difference to him and will give you time to arrange the next steps.

Edited to add that is the young girl who took him to the riding horse class still around? If she is an adult, and is a strong and competent rider then maybe she could help you?

 

[Annagain]

I'd go down the full MOT (vet check, teeth, saddle etc) route and then get a trusted, recommended pro to restart him. Once you're happy with the work he's doing and his behaviour, then is the time for you to get back on. In the mean time would some lessons at a decent riding school be an idea for you to sharpen up a bit? I had a year when I was barely riding as my old boy had retired, my share horse was doing more with his owner's son and I hadn't yet found my new boy and I think my riding definitely suffered. New boy went through a stage of little bucks in the school (nothing malicious just baby schooling issues) and the first few nearly had me off as I was rusty. After a month, I barely moved when he did it.

You've both been through a lot in 6 months so taking it slowly would be the way to go I think.

Just seen you asked where to find a pro-rider. Where are you based? Maybe someone here can help you. I think in your case someone to help you where you are rather than sending him away is the answer as he's had so many unsettling moves.