Gutted about my young horse and thinking of just giving up

My 4 year old little Warmblood X Cob who I bred was a total dope I used to just get on him bareback and walk up and down the yard. He went away to be broken and they rang to say he was bucking. They got their physio to look at him and she said he had kissing spines and possible neurological problems so was unsafe to ride. It broke my heart but I asked them to PTS. Before they did my Mum offered to pay for a second opinion. We took him to Rainbow who gave him a clean bill of health !!! He is short backed and we can only think their saddle had bruised him. He is just the sweetest horse who is now 9 and 100% Please also do not underestimate how traumatic it is for youngsters to have to go somewhere they dont know with people they dont know or trust. Incidentally he did once bolt with me. The farmer was waiting to come out of a field with his sheep. He let me past but then sent the sheep up behind me. He got faster they got faster he lept over a hedge and went. Never offered to do it since and I trust him 100%.
 
riversideeu said:
My 4 year old little Warmblood X Cob who I bred was a total dope I used to just get on him bareback and walk up and down the yard. He went away to be broken and they rang to say he was bucking. They got their physio to look at him and she said he had kissing spines and possible neurological problems so was unsafe to ride. It broke my heart but I asked them to PTS. Before they did my Mum offered to pay for a second opinion. We took him to Rainbow who gave him a clean bill of health !!! He is short backed and we can only think their saddle had bruised him. He is just the sweetest horse who is now 9 and 100% Please also do not underestimate how traumatic it is for youngsters to have to go somewhere they dont know with people they dont know or trust. Incidentally he did once bolt with me. The farmer was waiting to come out of a field with his sheep. He let me past but then sent the sheep up behind me. He got faster they got faster he lept over a hedge and went. Never offered to do it since and I trust him 100%.
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The physio diagnosed KS and neuro issues without a vet being involved, thank goodness you went to a vet, the physio should be ashamed of themselves at the very least, too late now but you should have reported her as she has acted without authority and giving a "diagnosis" is illegal she is lucky to still have her professional status, if she has!
 
I completely agree with riversideeu about how stressful it can be for young horses to be sent off somewhere new and then ridden. Had anyone apart form you ridden him before he went? It was probably a big shock for him to go somewhere different, be ridden by someone he didn't know and probably asked to do things differently from how he was used to. Not criticising you as I know this is how a lot of youngsters get started.

With regards bolting, I have a horse who when I first got him bolted multiple times, mainly when hacking including once down a main road for over a mile which was absolutely terrifying. He had major issues with accepting a contact, in that initially whenever you tried to take up even a moderate contact he would just panic and run away, I wonder if this is a bit like your boy who you say is used to you riding him in a relaxed way? I spent months teaching my boy to accept a contact but he did eventually get it and become trustworthy to hack and ride anywhere and went on to be quite a successful and reliable allrounder. Your boy is still young so I wouldn't feel too disheartened yet, something has obviously upset him but hopefully you can get him back on track. Good luck.
 
Did he have a fitted saddle, teeth, back etc all done BEFORE he went? I dunno if its just an old "if they dont tolerate anything its no use" type thing but i bet in the old days a horse that did this would be shot, leaving only the horses who tolerated any pain to be used. Times have moved on obviously..so you have to be sure everything is fitting and not causing any pain. My little mare although retired now, if her breeching was one hole off she would bog off on you. Not suitable for a driving pony, unless you knew this trick and knew to put the hole exactly in the same place each time. So you just need to find what the trigger is, and don't do that.
 
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