Hi everyone, Newbie requires advice :)

Has he definitely been backed? If he was okay with being lunged in tack, it doesn't mean that he's had a rider on him.

If your friend is determined, you need some professional help, and go right back to basics (after getting him checked out with back person etc)
 
I feel very sorry for you and your friend. More so for you as you are getting dragged into a mess that is not yours to deal with.

Your friend needs to get off her high-horse and accept the fact that she needs help. Impulse buying (even by an experienced person) is risky, especially at a sale! She has to realise that this horse needs professional help in the form of backing/schooling by people who have the knowledge, experience and insurance to do so!

It sounds to me that this horse has had a bad past and needs someone who is fully equipped to handle this. Your friend should of waited and found a horse suitable for her.

I am selling my Highland Pony at the moment and have had so many people call and ask "is he a first horse?" before telling me they can walk/trot and are learning to canter. There is no way I would sell him to someone like that. Don't get me wrong I would stick a total novice on him, but he can be a little monkey if he gets away with something and pushes your buttons!

Please take the other posters advice and stay clear of this situation. It's an accident waiting to happen. I hope you find your perfect horse, and remember to take an experienced person with you. I hope it all works out for you x
 
*sigh* Your friend sounds like an unscrupulous sellers dream.

- Find a good professional person who you trust.
- Send him there for 1-2 weeks assessment livery. If at the end of this the professional says he's got a serious problem (which would be my bet), take their advice. This may well be PTS (before or after expensive vet bills).
- Bear in mind the saddle you bought from the unscrupulous person is also unlikely to fit properly.
- If the professional says they can straighten him out then leave him there for them to do this, but go along towards the end of the period to have lessons, on the ground and mounted.
- Take him home but continue to have support and lessons. Bear in mind he's still unlikely to be a novices horse.

Your approach sounds much more sensible. Take plenty of time making your choice, DON'T buy from an untrusted dealer/ auction ring, see if you can have the horse on trial (owners may not let you take the horse to yours for this period, but have him "on trial" at theirs for at least 2 weeks, make sure hack out alone and in company, and have a lesson or two with your instructor). DON'T buy anything that isn't bomb proof in traffic. DON'T rule out an older hose, teenagers go on for years these days and are much more sensible. DON'T buy a 3/4/5 year old because it seems quiet - they always are when freshly broken. DON'T rule out everything except cobs, a semi-retired hunter/ polo pony would also have a sensible head on it's shoulders.
 
the sentence in the original OP about buying a horse being cheaper than having lessons made we laugh so hard i nearly wet myself.
 
Hi OP,

You've been given some great advice here already, I don't have much more to add, apart from. I'd really try and get her to put up an honest advert and try and sell him. I know how hard it can be after you get so attached, especially when they seem to trust you if they have 'issues' but it really is in her best interests. She could be out hacking with you instead of trying to sort out a problem horse!

For you-how about this one? http://www.horsedeals.co.uk/horses-for-sale/allrounder-horse/absolute-Bargain__24-5-12-313478
http://www.horsedeals.co.uk/horses-for-sale/allrounder-horse/-Biggles-__3-9-12-537815

There will be lots around! Just make sure you try, try and try again! And take someone very experienced with you :)
 
Broke_But_Happy said:
What is he being fed? Chances are if grazing is good and he isn't really doing anything your friend will be able to get away with only feeding him hay, and if really needed a good non-mollassed chaff (ready grass/good doer etc) and multi-vit powder. Also does he lunge? Lunge him with tack and see how he reacts.

Get a good trainer to come to you!
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Apart from the grazing, he is eating hay and I think she bought him some high fiber mix from the local farm shop - not sure whether she was told this would be suitable or just assumed.

Yes he lunges without tack quite well, with tack not so well.
 
lula said:
the sentence in the original OP about buying a horse being cheaper than having lessons made we laugh so hard i nearly wet myself.
Click to expand...

I didn't mean it to sound like that. It wasn't about being cheaper, it was about us realising that owning would be financially possible.
 
Gracie21 said:
Hi OP,

You've been given some great advice here already, I don't have much more to add, apart from. I'd really try and get her to put up an honest advert and try and sell him. I know how hard it can be after you get so attached, especially when they seem to trust you if they have 'issues' but it really is in her best interests. She could be out hacking with you instead of trying to sort out a problem horse!

For you-how about this one? http://www.horsedeals.co.uk/horses-for-sale/allrounder-horse/absolute-Bargain__24-5-12-313478
http://www.horsedeals.co.uk/horses-for-sale/allrounder-horse/-Biggles-__3-9-12-537815

There will be lots around! Just make sure you try, try and try again! And take someone very experienced with you :)
Click to expand...

IMHO I don't think she would sell, even though an owner with much more experience would be beneficial for him, like someone said even after re-training he may be too much of a handful for her.

I have advised her to stop trying to push him and go back to basics i.e lots of positive attention, grooming, leading ect and to contact a professional who can assess him and tell her what steps to take.

Both of these adverts appear lovely however I am in no rush at the moment, I have decided to sell my beloved little sports car to bump my funds, and also have to consider costs associated with transport.
 
I haven't read all of the thread, however I'd get her to cut all his hard feed immediately, having him on a mix is certainly not going to help matters!
 
she has done the wrong thing, horses like that need people experienced in horses and training, can she move him on and follow the original plan, take your instructor with you when you go trying horses
 
If he lunges worse with tack on, then he either has pain that's made worse by the tack or else the tack doesn't fit and is causing the pain. A vet has already done a basic check on the horse, you say. I'd have a saddler out to check the fit of the saddle (be prepared to need a new saddle) and have an instructor check the fit of the bridle (you mentioned soreness behind the ears).

Before doing this, I'd get him to a suitable weight using fibre based feed (starch and sugar can make flighty types worse). Continue with the lungeing to build muscle, continue the de-spooking work to build trust and establish discipline. Then you'll have an idea of whether he's getting less spooky over time (therefore becoming more suitable for a novice than he is at present) and you'll have a decent back to fit a saddle to (avoiding buying new saddle then replacing it when horse muscles up).

This will probably be the extent of what you can do for him yourselves, so either sell at this point or do as others have said and get help for breaking.
 
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