having to resell due to accident

[TPO]

If your instructor at the centre rode him before would it be an option to put him on schooling livery there and/or have them sell him on your behalf? Obviously if that's an option you'd need to work out costs or % of sale with them but if they've ridden him before and are confident and capable they would be best placed to school him and show him to potential buyers and as a trainer be able to assess the people coming to try him.

As he's an ex-racer if you look you will probably find lots but if he passed a vetting an is "fit for purpose" then if you're able to keep him going with a rider I'd do that.

I had a TB (not an ex-racer) "schooled" like yours, lots of side reins and pessoa, and he would arch his neck and come completely behind the bit. It's not an easy or quick fix to get something that is used to dropping behind all contact changing their ways.

If you trust your trainer and it's a venture you are both up for it might be the easiest way to have some control over where he goes and get him going as well as possible within the available time.

I hope that you are feeling better soon and make a swift and full recovery

 

[Bellaboo18]

thanks for your reply.
We don’t really have any selling yards where I live but yeah if I did give him to a dealer I would probably get €800 for him..

He’s actually quite afraid of street noise and especially lorries I’ve noticed. I’d see him bolting across the field when there’s one going past..
There was some machinery working not too far from where the accident happened too.. I’m pretty sure that’s what frightened him.

Unfortunately, I did not get around to having the insurance in time.. I was sent out quotes but I hadn’t signed anything yet.

It sounds like he's alone in his field now so he'll be stressed even if he appears to be coping. Which would explain why he's afraid of everything.

 

[Bellaboo18]

I wouldn't jump to the conclusion there's anything wrong with him, he just spooked.
If he's living alone now though, you're really risking ulcers.
Sell him from the field, declare everything, he's a green exrace horse. I don't think this is a case of passing a dangerous horse on just someone over-horsed.

 

[tenya]

Was the ‘osteopath’ actually an ACPAT registered physiotherapist?

She’s a highly qualified and registered equine Osteopath.

 

[Tiddlypom]

Was the ‘osteopath’ actually an ACPAT registered physiotherapist?

Odd comment. There are such people as qualified, registered and insured equine osteopaths, you know.

 

[tenya]

I would ring the old owner up and see if she will give you any details of his previous competition experience, hopefully that can be checked out on the internet. You will have greater chance of selling him if you have that information. Lots of horses compete and do not 'go'properly, lots of TB's go behind the bit, they do not like too much contact, so its not a big deal, and I have fallen off a few times, too may, when the horse has quickly gone one way and I didn't.
I am afraid you really only have two choices, you either spend money on investigations, and hope the behaviour is down to some undiagnosed problem that is fixable, or sell cheaply to a dealer/ or someone willing to take a chance who has time but not a lot of money. Its coming up to the hunting season, some people are crazy and will ride anything, so if you can get it out it may sell for that.

We had an older TB that would only be ridden on his terms, and only performed for 4 mins in a dressage arena, but for what ever reason, mainly because she asked so little of him, he put up with my daughter. I spoke to an old owner who said he would bite the ride judge if he didn't like them, and he once stood in the corner of the school and bucked a sharer off, for no reason I could think of apart from she had stiff shoulders. I hated riding him he as was so lazy, and you had to ride him 90% of the time with your reins in loops, but he could do a novice dressage test and look the part, but the rest of the time he looked like a broken down horse. It may be his expectations were not yours or your trainers, and being lunged, which is hard work, has made what ever was sore worse.

I’ve fallen off a good few times but unfortunately this time I got injured seriously. If I had just broken my arm or something less serious I’d be back riding him again.
He’s honestly improved so much since I bought him. I think he is actually less sore than when I got him.
He hasn’t misbehaved a single time in the arena and was giving his best every lesson. We went off on a field walk and he got spooked by machinery.. and I just didn’t sit it. It’s just misfortunate that I got injured the way I did.

im trying to get as much information from the woman that sold him but I’m noticing now that she also wasn’t quite honest when selling him.
she for example never mentioned that he was not ridden for a year and had just been brought back 3 months ago. She only told me that when I asked for more information after I told her about my accident...

 

[tenya]

I wouldn't jump to the conclusion there's anything wrong with him, he just spooked.
If he's living alone now though, you're really risking ulcers.
Sell him from the field, declare everything, he's a green exrace horse. I don't think this is a case of passing a dangerous horse on just someone over-horsed.

I honestly believe that he just spooked. He’s out on the field with a pony
I don’t think he’s dangerous at all, but he needs a confident rider that knows what their in for..

 

[IrishMilo]

In your first post you said he spun and bolted 'out of nowhere', and just now you said it was because he got spooked by machinery. I really don't think any of this is a big deal - it was just unfortunate you came off and hurt yourself so badly. I'd send him to a pro to ride and school for a month and then stick him up for sale.

 

[DabDab]

Can you send him back to the centre to be on schooling livery with your instructor until you're well enough to either start riding him again or sell him?

 

[Shay]

Just another possible perspective... I broke my back when my beloved horse and I fell together. Not his fault or mine. I was persuaded to sell him when I was only 1m or so into re-hab. I was drugged to the eye balls, only just re-learning to walk, in constant pain etc and staff said I would never ride again. I have regretted that decision pretty much every single day of the 18 odd years since.

I know he went to a good home although I could not face asking for updates or anything after the first couple of months. I do know he died peacefully only a couple of years ago so he had a good old life and they loved him. I know we did the best we could in the circumstancs we had. But - long story short - I did ride again. I owned horses again. Still do. I don't actually ride now becuase I'm that much older now, the brace I have to use is difficult, it really hurts and if I fell again I would probably be paralysed. But I have seen DD through pony club, BS Juniors, eventing and now she is settled with hunters (which I still pay for...). I still have all the contact I could want with horses. All the reasons that I sold my horse for didn't come true.

In those early days after what is potentially a life changing injury there is just too much going on with pain meds, coping with what might have happened, coming to terms with it mentally etc.

If it is an option for you - can you send him to a proffessional yard to retrain. Let them have him for the 6 months or so and then see how you feel. Even if you do then sell him anway (and I would echo all the other comments about a racer not being suitable for a novice) he will be in that much better place to sell. If they can get some compeition record for him so much the better.

 

[tenya]

In your first post you said he spun and bolted 'out of nowhere', and just now you said it was because he got spooked by machinery. I really don't think any of this is a big deal - it was just unfortunate you came off and hurt yourself so badly. I'd send him to a pro to ride and school for a month and then stick him up for sale.

Well to be honest I didn’t see the machinery because it was way to far away but I know there was machinery around.. I will update my original post with this fact.
Thanks for the advice. I will look into doing this.
Edit: I don’t seem to be able to edit my original post.
Regardless, something gave him a fright and he spun and bolted.

 

[tenya]

Can you send him back to the centre to be on schooling livery with your instructor until you're well enough to either start riding him again or sell him?

After all the advice I’ve gotten this is probably what I will do. Thank you

 

[tenya]

Just another possible perspective... I broke my back when my beloved horse and I fell together. Not his fault or mine. I was persuaded to sell him when I was only 1m or so into re-hab. I was drugged to the eye balls, only just re-learning to walk, in constant pain etc and staff said I would never ride again. I have regretted that decision pretty much every single day of the 18 odd years since.

I know he went to a good home although I could not face asking for updates or anything after the first couple of months. I do know he died peacefully only a couple of years ago so he had a good old life and they loved him. I know we did the best we could in the circumstancs we had. But - long story short - I did ride again. I owned horses again. Still do. I don't actually ride now becuase I'm that much older now, the brace I have to use is difficult, it really hurts and if I fell again I would probably be paralysed. But I have seen DD through pony club, BS Juniors, eventing and now she is settled with hunters (which I still pay for...). I still have all the contact I could want with horses. All the reasons that I sold my horse for didn't come true.

In those early days after what is potentially a life changing injury there is just too much going on with pain meds, coping with what might have happened, coming to terms with it mentally etc.

If it is an option for you - can you send him to a proffessional yard to retrain. Let them have him for the 6 months or so and then see how you feel. Even if you do then sell him anway (and I would echo all the other comments about a racer not being suitable for a novice) he will be in that much better place to sell. If they can get some compeition record for him so much the better.

Thanks for sharing your story and your advice.
I will look into having him retrained as this was the plan anyways once I realised he needed a lot more schooling.
My accident was only 17 days ago so I won’t rush into anything yet.
I know that I will ride again but I just have to be patient now and take the time to heal.

 

[tenya]

If your instructor at the centre rode him before would it be an option to put him on schooling livery there and/or have them sell him on your behalf? Obviously if that's an option you'd need to work out costs or % of sale with them but if they've ridden him before and are confident and capable they would be best placed to school him and show him to potential buyers and as a trainer be able to assess the people coming to try him.

As he's an ex-racer if you look you will probably find lots but if he passed a vetting an is "fit for purpose" then if you're able to keep him going with a rider I'd do that.

I had a TB (not an ex-racer) "schooled" like yours, lots of side reins and pessoa, and he would arch his neck and come completely behind the bit. It's not an easy or quick fix to get something that is used to dropping behind all contact changing their ways.

If you trust your trainer and it's a venture you are both up for it might be the easiest way to have some control over where he goes and get him going as well as possible within the available time.

I hope that you are feeling better soon and make a swift and full recovery

Thanks a lot for your comment and your well wishes.

My trainer seemed confident that with consistent work he’d be able to change. We were already making progress and he was starting to improve... I will be on to her about getting him back to the yard and put him back into training.

 

[Bellaboo18]

How long had you had him when you fell off?

 

[tenya]

How long had you had him when you fell off?

Two weeks..

 

[Shay]

So you broke your back about 2 weeks ago? If you got him at the start of July and had had him 2 weeks before you fell that was only about 2 weeks (or less) ago? I presume on that basis the break wasn't signficant. Not to underestomate the pain or length of healing. If it isn't serious enough to merit pinning the spine - like a collar bone the only option is to limit movement until the body heals on its own. I presume you are not still in hospital posting this?

 

[Goldenstar]

You bought the wrong horse cut your loses and sell him .

 

[windand rain]

If he truly bolted your only option is to shoot him if he pissed off after he spun but had an element of self preservation then he did not bolt he just ran off a bolter is a seriously dangerous beast and cannot be passed on. You need to take care of yourself so selling him with full disclosure is fine but no one will buy a bolter so never use those words to dscribe him it seals his fate only cure is a bullet

 

[tenya]

If he truly bolted your only option is to shoot him if he pissed off after he spun but had an element of self preservation then he did not bolt he just ran off a bolter is a seriously dangerous beast and cannot be passed on. You need to take care of yourself so selling him with full disclosure is fine but no one will buy a bolter so never use those words to dscribe him it seals his fate only cure is a bullet

This is a good point. I assume I used the wrong terminology here (excuse this, non native speaker)..
I couldn’t move once I came off him so I just saw him for a second and he was just racing away and then he was out of my sight.

 

[tenya]

So you broke your back about 2 weeks ago? If you got him at the start of July and had had him 2 weeks before you fell that was only about 2 weeks (or less) ago? I presume on that basis the break wasn't signficant. Not to underestomate the pain or length of healing. If it isn't serious enough to merit pinning the spine - like a collar bone the only option is to limit movement until the body heals on its own. I presume you are not still in hospital posting this?

Hi Shay,
My injury was not significant like yours. I’m grateful I didn’t hurt myself more than I did.
I was discharged from hospital after 5 days after having been transferred to different hospitals twice.
Ive got an acute burst fracture of L1 with 45% height loss and 4mm bony retropulsion into the spinal canal. The fracture is unstable. My spinal cord terminates at L2, so there is a risk of some of the fractured bone pieces to damage my spinal cord which could lead to serious nerve damage.
Ive also bilateral L5 Pars fractures.
There was lengthy discussion if I needed surgery and finally it was decided that due to my young age I should not have surgery.
Im in a back brace for 3 months with minimal mobilisation for the first 6 weeks.

May I ask why this is relevant?

 

[Mrs. Jingle]

Odd comment. There are such people as qualified, registered and insured equine osteopaths, you know.

I don't think this is an odd comment at all, given that OP has said she is in Ireland. Unfortunately there are a myriad of so called 'Osteopaths' or 'Back people' in Ireland who claim to be qualified, when they have not one single formal qualification.

OP has agreed she is a novice so it could be pertinent to point out the possibility that the osteopath was a chancer and not to rely on their opinion. Happily she has confirmed they do have full qualifications, so alls good there.

 

[Red-1]

I am sorry that you have had this accident.

It sounds like the horse is not right for you, and it will be a while before you are ready to ride anyway. Even if this horse is trained, you would likely not feel comfortable to get back on.

I would sell this horse, via the trainer, who can keep the horse in work. It doesn't sound, to me, on the limited information, that the horse is necessarily lame, in pain, specifically dangerous etc. However, to sell the horse, it has to be back in work as selling one where the last time it was ridden ended in an accident is not good.

So, trainer has the horse, horse is sold, when you are healed start with a lessons horse then buy one that is more suitable. An ex-racer is likely not the best solution.

 

[tenya]

I am sorry that you have had this accident.

It sounds like the horse is not right for you, and it will be a while before you are ready to ride anyway. Even if this horse is trained, you would likely not feel comfortable to get back on.

I would sell this horse, via the trainer, who can keep the horse in work. It doesn't sound, to me, on the limited information, that the horse is necessarily lame, in pain, specifically dangerous etc. However, to sell the horse, it has to be back in work as selling one where the last time it was ridden ended in an accident is not good.

So, trainer has the horse, horse is sold, when you are healed start with a lessons horse then buy one that is more suitable. An ex-racer is likely not the best solution.

Thanks for your comment.

I totally agree with you and I think that’s the best option going forward.

I wasn’t aware that he was raced when I went to see him and was only told when it came to vetting the horse as they had to disclose his winds surgery.
I know I made a mistake buying this horse but I just fell in love with him straight away and every time I went to ride him he was so well behaved and I felt very safe on him.

 

[Tiddlypom]

I don't think this is an odd comment at all, given that OP has said she is in Ireland. Unfortunately there are a myriad of so called 'Osteopaths' or 'Back people' in Ireland who claim to be qualified, when they have not one single formal qualification.

OP has agreed she is a novice so it could be pertinent to point out the possibility that the osteopath was a chancer and not to rely on their opinion. Happily she has confirmed they do have full qualifications, so alls good there.

I fully agree that there are ‘chancers’ out there treating backs, and we have plenty of dodgy types in England too. I think it was as much that the poster seemed to think that only a ACPAT physio should have seen the horse, whereas there are other recognised qualifications. I have various used an ACPAT physio, an equine osteopath and now a chiro vet - all fully qualified, registered and insured.

I always check up on the qualifications of any new body worker that I may use, whatever their claims .

 

[Velcrobum]

Late to this conversation but you can check his competition records if affiliated https://www.eventingireland.com/ https://front.dressageireland.ie/ https://www.sji.ie/. If unaffiliated look at equestrian centres around the area you bought him from. It is pretty easy these days via Internet. You said he was owned by the previous owner for 5 years who owned him between stopping racing and the person you bought him from? They might be a little more helpful about his history.

 

[tenya]

Hi

Late to this conversation but you can check his competition records if affiliated https://www.eventingireland.com/ https://front.dressageireland.ie/ https://www.sji.ie/. If unaffiliated look at equestrian centres around the area you bought him from. It is pretty easy these days via Internet. You said he was owned by the previous owner for 5 years who owned him between stopping racing and the person you bought him from? They might be a little more helpful about his history.

Thanks for the links. I will investigate more.
I bought him from the last owner who had him for 6 years actually (just checked passport) She hired someone else to sell him on her behalf. I have never met the actual owner and when I made contact with her she was very unhelpful.
He actually also has a Hunter’s cert (approved by I.N.H.S. Committee) issued in 2012.

 

[Aperchristmas]

Really sorry to hear about your accident. It sounds to be fairly typical but you were so unlucky in breaking your back.

Agreed that you should sell him - personally I would cut losses and put him on sales livery if you can find somewhere. If not, sell from the field.

 

[brighteyes]

At the start of July I bought a 13 yo TB gelding. He was raced 5 times as a 5 yo and then retired.
He was then retrained as a riding horse and with the same owner for the last 5 years.
After purchasing I brought him to an equestrian centre to get to know him better and take lessons on him before bringing him home to live on my land.
I thought I had bought a great horse but as it turned out he wasn’t properly retrained.. he is still riding out of his front legs instead of his back legs..
Being too inexperienced to notice this ...

You sound very inexperienced altogether. I got an ex racer last June. We are 13 months in to the deal and I feel we know one another and have an understanding now. Mine has 'history' and was very successful in his career, so civvy street has been a big adjustment for him, and me along with all that. He is sharp and clever and as an experienced rider I have had some very interesting moments. You haven't had him five minutes, really. My thoughts are you haven't let him settle, haven't really got the experience and coloured the incident (though not the outcome for you) against him.

 

[Velcrobum]

Hi


Thanks for the links. I will investigate more.
I bought him from the last owner who had him for 6 years actually (just checked passport) She hired someone else to sell him on her behalf. I have never met the actual owner and when I made contact with her she was very unhelpful.
He actually also has a Hunter’s cert (approved by I.N.H.S. Committee) issued in 2012.

Apologies for my ignorance but what is I.N.H.S? Google did not help!![/QUOTE]