Decided to sell Trev :-((

catembi

catembi

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Very sad. :-((

Unfortunately, the bad points outweigh the good.

Good points:

Great balanced paces
Schools v nicely at home
Scored 70.4% affil prelim last time out
Has jumped up to 1 m 10 in lessons
Not spooky
Hacks out nicely in company

Bad points:

Hard to load
Won't travel without Jenny
Dangerous/impossible in sj warmup
Jumps erratically at comps
Not pleasant to hack following a bike. He will do it, but I wouldn't describe it as relaxing.

It all came to a head yest as I'd hired a lorry so I could have some lessons as a treat. Took 5 hours + sedalin to load, which rather ruled out a jumping lesson. Today he took around 10 mins to load... then he had an almighty paddy so we had to unload again as fast as poss before lorry/Trev/all nearby personnel met a sticky end. So I spent £150 on a lorry & didn't manage to leave the yard.

The hysteria travelling/at comps I don't think is fixable as he flips out completely & is not to be reasoned with. At the end of the day, I want to be able to go to sj comps with a fair chance of no loss of life or limb, & I don't think he's capable of getting there.

Someone pls tell me that I'm doing the right thing. I am really, really fond of him, but I don't want to spend the rest of my life schooling in my arena, which is where he excels.

**sighs & feels sad**

T :-((
 
The hard bit is making the decision. I'm sure there's a wonderful home out there for him where he can hack and maybe travel to dressage in company? You've really persevered with this horse and hopefully you can both move on now. :)
 
Aw that is such a shame but having had a horse that could be a bugger to load I know how flipping frustrating it is. I got a NH practioner to help me with the loading of my late mare and it really turned around my horse for me but it may not be for everybody.

It's a shame he can't get better in the SJ warm up's. J used to be a bit of a plank but he's fine now, he just used to leap about a bit and be a bit unpredictable so not sure he was as bad as trev?! J has got better just with going out regularly but even when he was going through his excitable phase I always knew that he would focus once in the ring. Not much point trying to get out to practice though if you can't get the blimin thing in the lorry!!

Having struggled with a horse that wasn't quite right, I perservered and she actually turned out really well but since i've got J it's like i've died and gone to heaven. He's so easy, can take him anywhere, do anything, he always makes me smile. It makes a massive difference.

It's up to you but it doesn't sound much fun at the moment. Could you not try to find another one before you sell him, to soften the blow and to make sure its the right thing? With my late mare I tried to find another one as she was a bit tricky and I got fed up. I spent months looking and tons of money buying a crappy donkey and realised just how nice my mare actually was! I was super happy I hadn't got rid of her before hand! Then I managed to have one final fab year with her before she was PTS.

Just a thought :).
 
He would probably be great at somewhere with on-site comps.

His flatwork is very nice indeed & I could see him going quite a long way with it. He's jumped BS, but it's too busy for him & he panics & is a danger to himself & others.

I want something I can chuck onto a lorry/trailer & go jump, without all the angst & drama! I've seen something I rather like already... a total change.

T x
 
Sounds fab! I do think if possible it would be good to buy the new one first and then sell Trev. I know it can't always work out that way but I think it would make selling him easier :).
 
OK, the photos are not good!!!!, also pre loved is a free site, used to "find a wider audience".
If you feel he needs a special home [and it sounds like he does] you need a proper horse site.
Personally I would not recognise your description on here with the ad.
 
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Your ad is refreshingly honest. Your pictures are quite dark and not close enough. Pics of his flat work would be useful. Rather than elaborate on his unwillingness to travel turn it around by firstly saying that he would suit somebody who isn't interested in shows etc as his flatwork/jumping/hacking at home are good but hard to load, won't travel well alone and difficult away from home. You could mention his stable manners etc. I hope you find a nice home for him.
 
catembi said:
Can I be cheeky & ask for crit on his ad...??

http://www.preloved.co.uk/adverts/show/105833803/tb-gelding-for-sale.html

I'm getting quite excited at getting out n about again. I miss jumping the big stuff. (If you can call NC/1m15 big.)

T x
Click to expand...

Do you not have any better photographs? I really think it would be worth getting a couple of really good flatwork shots, as that is obviously what he excels at.

At the moment your ad makes him sound like a bit of a nightmare and I think would put off most people, even for the amount of money you're asking. Emphasize the good points, play down the bad - not that you shouldn't mention his issues but right now the focus is far more on the bad than the good.
 
I would go along the lines of
"An experienced home required for a slightly difficult horse............ this boy has really good paces and will be ideally suited to a yard where he can be hacked in company and schooled for local competitions. He is difficult, but not impossible to load, needs to travel with a companion, but if he was at yard with regular in-house competitions, I am sure he would be the perfect horse for an experienced but not necessarily ambitious rider."
I would also advertise on RS sites, and contact local RS.
I know a top, internationally renowned yard who took on a big boy who had a few [fear based] issues, they paid "£1", and he is sweet as candy, he needed to know that his future was secure.
 
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Thank you for the help.

I'm trying to advertise on Proj Horses, but the site isn't co-operating!

I've also found a flatwork photo to add.

T x
 
I would sell him, right decision for you and probably the right decision for him, was in a similar situation last year, had a horse that I felt would be more suited to a purely s.j home, she loved jumping and was good in an arena environment but was not exactly all-round material, not scared of traffic but quite 'wired' and prone to spooking at silly things, I persevered but really didn't enjoy riding her. I sold her to a s.j home and bought another horse, she is a complete gem, perfect hunter and s.j and made me wonder why I persevered with the other one for so long!! By the sounds it would be the best decision for you, it is meant to be fun after all! Good luck
 
Going against the grain here but do think it is rather unfair on the horse to sell him with these problems have you tried horse behaviour experts/ sedating him for a few journeys/ taking him out for little trips every day/ doing 2/3 comps a week, / loads of riding club stuff to get him used to travelling and competing?
I understand tho if time/money are a problem then he does need to be sold but I'd be surprised if many people came forward to buy him. Even tho he does look a lovely horse.
 
H'mm interesting perspective, SeaBiscuit.

Time & money aren't really a problem. Not having any transport atm is a bit of a biggie.

When I had my DAF, he would load 100% fine **IF** my old mare went on first. He would also travel fine with her. She is 39 & I felt bad dragging her about from pillar to post, esp if it was hot, so tried him without her. First trip - v sweated up but not too bad. 2nd trip - very agitated. (Only regular lessons; not comps.) 3rd trip - fair old tantrum at home & wouldn't load at all, so I had to get Jenny.

If by some miracle he loads by himself (as per yesterday) he will then thrash about & go bananas, & won't stop til he's out with no regard to his safety. In my DAF, he reared so his head went thru the ceiling lining & he got his front feet over the high part of the partition as he was trying to climb out.

FWIW, the horse whisperer said that he doesn't like travelling alone as he's always been alone when he's been moved onto another home.

He will behave at a quiet dr comp, but jumping simply blows his brains, & he will behave dangerously. It's not a case of riding him through it... there is no connection at all between me & him. Snorting, blowing, whipping round, vertical rearing, bucking & plunging. He is dangerous as I often have no control over what direction he's going to go in next. It's as if it's not "him" IYSWIM... like he's been replaced with a 4 yo stallion version of himself that's racing fit & stuffed full of oats & has never been to a comp before.

He is also not great to hack. Pretty well 100% with another horse; will hack out following a bike but I wouldn't say that he's safe. We get a flash of 'sj warm-up' behaviour now & then, & he's always on his toes. And that's on 1/3 tube of sedalin.

But at home, he v rarely puts a foot wrong. He's affectionate, & schools & jumps v nicely, in all weathers, even in the dark in the middle of winter with a single floodlight. He also behaves in dr & sj lessons, once he's used to the venue. His flatwork shows flashes of brilliance & I think he'd trundle through the affil levels fairly briskly. However, he is a full on Jekyll/Hyde. He is my perfect horse when he's Jekyll & pretty well unrideable/unmanageable from the ground when he's Hyde, & it doesn't take much to flip from one to the other. There is no middle ground - he's never 'a bit' agitated. He's either fine or insane.

I would love to sedate him & do stuff with him, & go out n about til he's bored. Not sure what I could try that's stronger than sedalin? He is on the daily Magic, & I've got some one-off Magic syringes but haven't tried them yet. Leaving aside whether things are competition legal, not sure if it would be safe to jump him sedated?

My plan was to start again with lessons, then compete loads dr working up to busier venues, then start with combined training so we can jump but at a set time to hopefully get around the 40 people warming up at once issue... but I spent £150 on 2 days' hire for a lorry & didn't get off the yard, so that was the plan scuppered.

FWIW, the late Catembi was unpleasantly excitable at comps, so I used to hack out hard late the day before, then hack out again & lunge on the comp morning & use a (legal) calmer, but this is something different... all-out panic rather than just being a bit 'wahey-party' IYSWIM...

Right, I'm off to ride Trev & ponder. Now that I've calmed down from wasting £150 on the lorry hire, I don't really want to sell him as he's such a sweetheart when his knickers aren't in a twist. Maybe I'll re-join Equine Affairs & find stuff to do within hacking distance... but he's not very safe to hack... and he's horrid when he flips... arrrrrggggghhhh...

That's enough rambling from me... all suggestions welcomed.

T x
 
Honestly,I think selling is the right thing to do. There comes a point where the frustration outweighs everything else, and it just isn't fun any more. I am sure someone will want him, as he is such a smart horse, but he obviously doesn't do what you need him to do :(

Think Project Horses is a good site to advertise on, but make sure you emphasise his good points too! Very honest to have the negatives, but you do need to show all his positives :)

Isabelle
 
I can totally understand that you must be at the end of your tether with this horse. There are a lot of options out there and solutions to his problems but all would require a fair investment of more time and money and I couldn't even begin to explain on here how you would go about fixing his problems ( it would take forever to write) but it probably would be achievable.
Some racehorses just take such a long time to be ' normal ' usually about two years.Endless Perseverance and de sentising is the key.
 
I worked for 6 years on a traveller as bad as yours and he was as unpredictable the day I had him put down 2 weeks ago (for a totally different reason) as he was 6 years ago. He travelled tied down with a wither rope and penned back with breast chains, and then he was quiet and safe, though he always weaved. He never did learn to jump in company, either.

Life is too short. Don't spend 6 years on yours, put him on Project Horse and he should sell at the right price. Good luck!
 
Costs the same to keep the right horse as the wrong horse. Just a heap more fun with the right one.
Sell him!
PS when you find a new one you like let me come look at it with you. :p
 
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