Do some people ever learn?

[Hovis_and_SidsMum]

I give up!
There is a lady on our yard - lets call her mrs X - who seems to lurch from one bad equine decision to another.
She is a rather large, novice lady who went out and bought a 7 year old TB race horse for her to ride, never saw it ridden, paid peanuts for it and wondered why she got completely seen coming. To her credit she spend £ks on this horse trying to get it rideable but even our instructor refused to get on it it was so unpredictable.
Cue lady getting heavily involved in pareli, horse whisperers, healers etc and horse going off to a natural horsewoman (to live in a field for the tune of £550 per month). Horse was returned "fixed" (and horrendously underweight), lady rides horse a few times, horse throws her off, lady bangs head badly, horse gets sent back to natural horsewoman to sell on. Project horse advert states owner found it too much of a horse and wants a cob.

With me so far?
Much work is then done with lady X to convince her that she needs a weight carrier, something older and something sane.

She states she doesn't want a ploddy cob so mrs X invited to watch hovis jump, do XC and race round the back fields giving the yard TBs a run for their money. She is impressed. ah ha think we all, she has go the message about the type of horse she needs.

Last weekend new horse turns up........
16.3 WB. 10 years old, BSJA winnings, fine build and a back that will make a chiropractor weep then rub their hands together with glee thinking of the money they will make. It has at best a roach back at worst its buggered. Its not been vetted and was only at its last home for 2 months. (alarm bells anyone?). He seems a nice lad but something doesn't add up (again).
Why do people ask for the advice of their instructor / yard owners/ other liveries then go and do the exact opposite?

I really hope this doesn't end in tears again as she obviously wants to love a horse of her own but i don't have good vibes about it.

 

[teddyt]

What really p1sses me off about people like this is the poor confused horses that get pushed about from one home to the next, through no fault of their own. They just happen to be chosen by a numpty that is unsuitable for their needs. The horse doesnt stand a chance. Bring on licensing for horses!

 

[diggerbez]

its frustrating isn't it...its the same with all sorts of things in life though unfortunately. its the horses i feel sorry for

 

[hellspells]

[ QUOTE ]
What really p1sses me off about people like this is the poor confused horses that get pushed about from one home to the next, through no fault of their own. They just happen to be chosen by a numpty that is unsuitable for their needs. The horse doesnt stand a chance. Bring on licensing for horses!

[/ QUOTE ]

Ditto this!!

Poor boy.

 

[hopppydi]

sounds like more money than sense! Im probably gonna get alot of people disagreeing but it really annoys when 'larger' ladies think a tb will be happy to carry all that weight, there just not built for it

 

[tasel]

I know the owner made a mistake... yet again.

But in some ways, just to tell you another side of the story, I can understand what is happening. Simply because ME + COB = Zero Chemistry... don't get me wrong, I have ridden several Cobs in the past. Some of them were as far from a plodder as you can be (i.e. mental). But although I don't mind riding them from time to time, I just could not buy one for myself. Don't ask me... I don't know why!!! Maybe because I grew up in an area which was full of grand-looking WBs, and I always loved those type of horses. Maybe because I learned riding on TBs. In fact, the first time I ever came into contact with Cobs was in my late 20s!

I also have a horse which at first sight may not have been the ideal match for me. Yes, she is a WB and yes, she's a youngster. But in retrospect, you could say that we were both lucky to have found each other (well, she was more lucky to end up with me, I think... lol), because despite her looking like a fab competition horse... she just could not stand the professionals that have previously tried (unsuccessfully) training her. In fact, one of those professionals - who didn't get on with her - did suggest to me that I should sell her to a competition home ASAP and get a Cob. I didn't, and I think my horse is still thanking me for this.

I know examples like this are few and far between, but sometimes, it does work.

 

[Hovis_and_SidsMum]

I hear what you're saying - on paper i should never have bought hovis but he's the best thing in the world.
I guess its not about mrs x buying a cob ( its her choice) but it IS about buying something that can take her weight and preferably not kill her in the process. The weight issue being the big one. In this case just because the horse is tall she thinks it'll take her weight - it is of very slim build and obviously has had / has got a back problem. Whether thats a wB/ cob/ shire cross / whatever.

 

[NeilM]

[ QUOTE ]
I hear what you're saying - on paper i should never have bought hovis but he's the best thing in the world.
I guess its not about mrs x buying a cob ( its her choice) but it IS about buying something that can take her weight and preferably not kill her in the process. The weight issue being the big one. In this case just because the horse is tall she thinks it'll take her weight - it is of very slim build and obviously has had / has got a back problem. Whether thats a wB/ cob/ shire cross / whatever.

[/ QUOTE ]

I have a real thing about 'bigger' people on 'skinny' horses. I know we are not all built stick thin and tiny (like my OH) and I also know of a superb young rider in our area who is a 'big girl', but she rides the right sized horse for her, as many big people do.

As a novice myself, and an older person, I have no time for these idiots who will not listen to what they are being told. In their minds eye they see themselves cantering along and sailing over fences on their fine 16.something hand TB. The reality is something very different, the owner ALWAYS loses a pot of cash and the real loser is always the poor horse.

I am afraid pride and ego are powerful drivers, add them to ignorance and naivety and you have a dangerous mix.

 

[tasel]

[ QUOTE ]
I hear what you're saying - on paper i should never have bought hovis but he's the best thing in the world.
I guess its not about mrs x buying a cob ( its her choice) but it IS about buying something that can take her weight and preferably not kill her in the process. The weight issue being the big one. In this case just because the horse is tall she thinks it'll take her weight - it is of very slim build and obviously has had / has got a back problem. Whether thats a wB/ cob/ shire cross / whatever.

[/ QUOTE ]

I agree with you on that owner... TB or bad back and weight just don't go hand in hand... seen it before at yards (including one that needed a weight-carrier, but had a horse with a bad back and a saddle that must have weighed 25kg!!)... my thread was just to see about those that bucked the trend and found unsuitable horses temperament-wise but came out of the situation shining. Just like you and Hovis!

 

[Taboo1968]

Might be easier to actually tell her outright if it does go wrong again.... along the lines of

Why bother asking our advice, you've bought another totally unsuitable horse that is knackered anyway, and that will now be passed on to yet another home, and totally ignored what we had to say. Give her a wake up call, tell her she needs to lose weight if she wants to ride a horse built like the one she has now!!! It might cause a bit of upset at the start, but might just be the wake up call she needs..... or, she could be just plain selfish and only thinking about herself, in which case there is no hope and she is a lost cause!!!

(Sorry I'm going through one of those speak your mind weeks)!!!