Follow on from Folks that should not have horses

IMO, rather than judging people, most of the posters are frustrated...a waste of good horses (in NeilMs case) and the danger to themselves and others when people overhorse themselves.

Again, only my opinion but I think an awful lot of people have a much higher opinion of their abilities than is justified. When I was looking to full loan my Welsh D who is an easy ride but needs a very confident, strong minded handler it was scary the amount of people who told me how "experienced" they were. But when you saw them handle the horse it was obvious that despite having ponies since they were little they had never had to deal with anything that wasn't straightforward. Unlike a lot of older people - late thirties onwards? - they had always been given nice well schooled and mannerly ponies and thought that 15 - 20 years with these ponies made them experts - whereas most of the ponies/horses I rode in my early teens were the ones that nobody else would get on unless they were stupid and/or desperate (I was both
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) to ride. I also got to try daft things that don't seem to allowed now because of H&S - circus tricks, riding horses bareback to the beach in just a headcollar, along a main road to boot, that type of thing - not that I would recommend it btw but it did teach an awful lot, mainly what NOT to do.

I've always found that the genuine novices or 1st time owners are keen to learn and really open to advice....the ones that drive me mad are the folks who never appear to learn from their previous mistakes and go on to repeat them. Why????
 
spookypony, I fell on the floor laughing imagining you working out a loan agreement while haring around the field after your pony!
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You must be a great multi tasker or else very, very fit!
 
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To be honest, I think I would always go for Irish cobs now, they are very placid and good all rounders.

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This is something which gets my back up. Wild generalisations. Not all cobs are angelic plods, not all thoroughbreds are nutcases (apparently!), not all mares are moody and not all geldings are biddable.

All you can do is rely on people you trust (whether that trust transpires to be misplaced at a later date or not as not all instructors are to be relied on for any number of reasons) and a whole heap of good luck when buying a first horse.

What you DO need to do is be very honest with yourself from the outset about your ability and knowledge, take every word that comes out of a vendors mouth with a pinch of salt and if having got your dream horse home he turns out to be a nightmare accept that you have made a mistake and start your search again.
 
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Despite knowing what I should do, and planning to go through my instructors to find a horse, I went about things almost exactly the wrong way:

1. Agreed to take the pony on loan while it was still leading everyone a merry chase around the field, reluctant to be caught.
2. Didn't have the owner ride it first (she's a bit big for him). I was the first person to get on him in well over a year.
3. Got on, rode it only at a walk, and promptly got dumped into a mud puddle when he spooked at something.
4. Decided to buy it a few months later, without a vetting (to be fair, had been riding it for a while by then).

My excuse? He was sweet, well-mannered (once you finally caught him), I was told he was nice to ride, and...he had a soft nose and kind eyes.
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Thing is, I knew it was silly, but did it anyway. And of course, if it hadn't worked out, I could have sent him back.

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Brill, I love spooky pony and think its great that his soft nose helped get him the job
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FWIW mums anglo was pretty unsuitable for us as she had been mishandled. but we had a stable and field waiting! we had a weeks trial and she did improve, we bought her under the premise that she was pretty (palo) and someone would probably always want her and if it went horribly wrong in the spring I would send her to more experienced friend to sell her.

We had a few down moments but mum adores her, does all RC stuff on her and she is still here 5 years later.
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so sorry to have got your back up Spaniel but coming from the land of Irish cobs I have a soft spot for them. I have seen enough of the real ones to know what I like. And yes, I do think I would remember to take on board an individual horses personality and my own ability and not go toddling toward one goin "Ooooh, Irish cob, me friend."
 
i've heard lots of stories but the worse one was parent that brought a horse of the internet for there daughter. she had only been riding for about 6 month i think. the horse was unvetted and turned up on xmas eve. 2 weeks later we had stangles, the owners then think that the horse wasnt the one that was off the net. this is a unbacked 4 yo anglo arab. lucky they deside that they need help so get in a proff.

a few months later they got another but got it vetted, this horse then went lame (but this might be more something to do with riding an unfit pony for 3 hours a day cantering around and around in the school). horse has been written off but they are still riding it.

they have just got another pony, again not vetted and he is very green and they are not geting the prof rider up any more.

3 ponies in 6 months, buy another when the 1st isnt what you want.
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spookypony, I fell on the floor laughing imagining you working out a loan agreement while haring around the field after your pony!
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You must be a great multi tasker or else very, very fit!

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Haha, I did word that in a silly way, didn't I?
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No but seriously, the best bit was this other pony in the same field, a deranged little roly-poly thing that comes up to about my hip. We'd managed to catch everyone else (including SP at last) for the farrier, but not this one...polos through a headcollar, a rope over the neck, feed buckets, nothing worked...at one point, I was running in huge leaps alongside him, hanging onto his mane while he cantered up and down the hill...that didn't work either. We had to give up, because the farrier left.
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Ha ha! Could you not have rugby tackled him?
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That was a joke! The yard we are on keeps all its little shetlands in a barn in a family group. One day the farrier went it to start catching them for a trim. They twigged why he was there and starting running round and round him, aiming the odd kick at his knees as they went past. It was like watching the Alamo! We would have helped but we were too busy running for our camera phones.
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Skewby, I suppose I am being a judgemental, in so far that I am critical of these particular owners for buying horses that are clearly unsuitable for them. However, I am not criticising the horses, the sellers or the owners abilities, just the fact that in some cases the owners are trying to use good horses for something they are not really suited to, personality wise and in two cases, people without the knowledge, experience or ability to train horses, have taken on youngsters that need training, and in one case the owner is clearly frightened of the horse, not good for either horse or owner.

I have a deep respect for anyone who takes on a problem horse, either knowingly or unknowingly, and takes the time and effort (and heartache and bloodshed) to turn it round. My OH did this many years ago with a ruined horse, and with her help and guidance I have done the same with H, who a year and a half ago would not leave the field without napping and spooking at everything and anything and who is now happy to hack out alone, jump, school and generally be a great (big beefy) riding pony.

As has been said, there is no way to stop people either accidentally or deliberately buying horses beyond their ability and knowledge, it just bothers me to see it so often, at least around here.
 
I wayy over horsed myself.. but after 3 years I feel so confident on him and feel I am always in control I can gallop him where ever whenever I want .. (ex Racer) .. It doesn't always end in tears.
 
Funny, the other day some one told me Velvet was a little big for me. She's a 15h heavyweight cob and I'm five foot six and 10 stone. They were just saying we could probably get away with 14.2 for our next cob if I wanted to share her with my eldest daughter. I looked at Velvet and said "Really?!" It never occurred to me after being on a yard for seven years iwth 18h drafts and 17h warmbloods. I think she looks dinky!
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Hi Neil, I do know what you mean. Personally I am horrified and upset at the number of people I see on livery yards who take a nice horse, and ruin it. Then discard it on to the downward spiral we all know that ends up at the knacker - IF the poor horse is lucky.

Loads of mismatched partnerships too, as you say - you and horse need to enjoy the same things! Also lots of people totally intimidated by their horses and horses ending up as field ornaments because of it.

I do wish people would more readily get professional help. The way I look at it, this is my hobby - although I have ridden since a small child there was no way I could be expected to know how to fix my lad's issues alone. So I carefully picked a trainer and stuck with her, and she's single handedly transformed the pair of us. I do realise I was lucky to find her, though. Many would have told me to give up on him.

Another pet hate which I see LOADS is people wanting to spend around the £1k mark for a sane, safe, been there done it, sound schoolmaster. They are the prey of the dodgy dealers (and we have one near us) but it's not so much the dealer I am cross with, than the fools who perpetuate his trade. It's always the same - the horse arrives, compliant through shellshock/dope/being kept poor, then as soon as the new owner begins to feed it up the issues come out. And they don't have the cash or experience to fix it.

So I suppose, we are talking about the same people and hold the same or similar opinions! I just so vividly remember the crowds that used to gather whenever I got on at my first yard, and the people who would go off and choose other horses for me, and the things they used to say about us and how they used to snigger. A small percentage of the dissenters, however, were big enough to come up to me in later years and say "well done. I really never thought you would do that, but you did". Others said things like "oh, did he go well? I didn't really see"
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Skewby, I know where you are coming from, as my OH had all of that. She started riding after a break of a few years, and very quickly discovered a NF mare who needed help at a local yard. She was one of those on the start of the downward spiral, who had been a good horse turned bad by one owner (who had already ruined several good horses, and went on to do the same to several more, until she ran out of money).

Long story short, F had all the problems associated with trying to avoid people and being ridden. We bought her and my OH put in two years hard work turning her back into a ride-able horse again and better and nine years later they are still together.

If people are sold a problem horse unwittingly, that is one thing, but when people buy a horse that is blatantly not what they can handle and they try to change it, then everyone loses. One of the people I know is getting progressively more and more frightened of her horse, despite having weekly lessons. The effectiveness of her instructor was demonstrated when my OH (who is pretty 'old school') saw her riding with her stirrup leathers at least 4" too long and with her bent leg irons in the wrong way round! But poor / weak instructors are another subject.

Regarding cheap horses and pony's. I'm afraid our 'instant gratification' and 'everyone's a winner' society encourages people to own horses after three lessons at a local school or worse a three day trekking holiday on Exmoor (don't laugh I actually had that conversation!), as they genuinely believe they have learned how to ride
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What I still fail to understand, is why do I know of six or seven cases of people with the wrong horse and only one where the novice listened to all the advice given and spent her money well. That's a pretty poor ratio.
 
I had ridden and loaned horses since I was 4 so when I was 19 I decided to buy my own. I admit I was nieve and trusted my old YO who said not to buy privately because of pitfalls and took me to a dealers where all hers had come from. 'She will look after you she's a good friend'.

I got sold a horse that terrorised me for 3 years and I was recommended by the vet to have her put down. I however felt a responisibility to this mare - people had caused her issues and I was determined to sort them. We did make her ridable and more managable, however once we'd managed this my confidence had been destroyed. With the help of my instructor we sold her to a much more suitable home where she went off to compete and live a happy life, and I bought River - because I trusted him and loved him.

If you had seen me with her you would've said I was totally over-horsed - and I was. But I was not stupid or nieve. I knew I was over-horsed and many trips to hospital proved it, but I felt I had a responsibility to the mare and to other riders. As soon as she would do as she was told she was found a suitable home. Yes I did things wrong buying her, yes my head was rulled by my heart - but we learnt a lot together, and she turned into a very sweet mare whose very happy now.

People judged me constantly, and I don't blame them. But it wasn't all my fault when i tried her she was the quietest sweetest mare - like many have said it was when i got her home the problems started...
 
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