Honesty

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rodeo12

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I was just wondering how honest you are to other people about your horse's faults? Especially if these people are exercising/handling your horse in anyway.

I am always honest about my horse, let people know what he finds spooky, let him know what he does if he wants to get me off and I also explain that he has only ever been naughty with me and has been perfect with other people. For me, if something went wrong and they didn't know I'd never forgive myself.

However, there have now been two occasions where I have got hurt from other peoples' horses. One person didn't tell me their horse was a rearer until it went over and landed on me. However, they also didn't tell me it hadn't been ridden for a long time, that it bucks and that it bolts etc. I had to find it out for myself and once I found out the owner said oh yes . . . and told me more about it.

Another was when someone said their horse was stubborn but was what I would call dangerous if in the wrong hands. I found out after the incident that the person had in fact broken bones as a result.

Luckily, neither incident led to MAJOR injury, but I feel in the wrong hands then it could have been a very different outcome. So I was wondering if this was just something that is unusual or if people do have the view that butter wouldn't melt about their horses?
 
I over exagerate mine if anything. :o When really, they're both school masters, but I don't want a) them ruined or b) anyone hurt!
 
I'm afraid I probably make any bad behaviour by my two sound far worse than it actually is, purely because I couldn't bear the thought of anyone getting hurt because they didn't know. My mare can occasionally rear in hand on the way in from the field, not nasty, just excitement if the wind gets up and she always turns away from her handler, but I always warn people and tell them to let go if they need to. I couldn't live with myself if someone got hurt because they didn't know. Admittedly asking my current yard owner "Would you be willing to accept my mare who rears in hand from time to time?" Probably wasn't the best way to do it, but nobody could say I hadn't warned them!
 
My oldie doesn't have any faults so its pretty straightforward. If someone started hauling her mouth about or riding aggressively, with an adult she'd dump them & a kid plant herself. But tbh I wouldn't let anyone on her that rode like that anyway, & don't let anyone I don't know do stuff in my absence. Daughters doesn't respond well to handlers who either have aggressive body language or lack confidence, again, don't leave her with strangers, anyone handling her in our absence knows her.
The people you mention do sound rude but it depends on the circumstances. I've ridden horses in a work capacity without getting detailed lists of faults. Eg I wouldn't expect to be warned that a well bred sports horse may be sharp or fizzy to hack, or put the odd buck in. But I would expect to be told that about a lr pony.
 
I totally agree littlelegs about the circumstances. I've worked on yards before and thus wouldn't be told faults and have handled horses from when they've first arrived at a yard and we know nothing about them as such. It's this I think that has prevented these incidents being worse as I know to take nothing as face value and assess the horses indivdually. For example, the use of the whip, you very quickly assess which horses just need the whip there and which horses need a light touch and which horses need a quick sharp reminder and if so how they are going to react. Just a quick but not great example I could think off.

But these circumstances weren't work related. The rearer was me looking at taking on the horse to ride. The lady didn't know me, I didn't know her. I just turned up at the yard having text and discussed what the horse was like. I found out that it hadn't been ridden since it had been at this yard and that was about it. My first time on I got bolted off with and the horse napped about 7/8 times. Yes, I continued riding it, I could see it's potential and I was right, but still after all this I never found out the full picture even when asking questions.

The other incident was a friend's pony who is kept at a different yard so don't know it that much. It had a little bit of character but just like any other horse really. So stubbornness to me would never have meant what it did. And again I'd already decided to not take it as face value as I'd already put a couple of things in place in case I needed control.

Am glad I'm not the only one though who could be 'too honest'
 
My sis ended up in A and E after viewing a horse. She told them many times she was a novice, apparently this horse was perfect for a novice....and it tried to wrap her around a tree.

When questioned, they let slip this horse only likes 1 particular person riding it, and basically this was a regular thing!

It's a nightmare....people are nutters!
 
DragonSlayer - hope your sister wasn't too badly injured. When viewing a horse we had similar. I was only 10 at the time, had just fallen off a horse badly and so was not confident at all. My family rode, so was a horse for 4 of us, but they said it would be a suitable horse.

Got there and as soon as we went to touch it the horse bombed to the back of the stable. When we rode it, it just spooked completely. Then when asking about hacking out - the advert saying hacks out alone or in company - they said well actually it only hacks out with its friend and just so happened that horse wasn't available that day.
 
We've just re -homed a pony that the seller wasn't honest about.I asked if she bucked,to be told that no,she didn't.She bucked my 7 year old off after 3 attempts,and carried on bucking intermittently for weeks.We checked everything and took her to camp,hoping that it was just new pony naughtiness/pushing her luck,only to be taken to one side by another mother whose daughter had tried the pony it a year previously and been bucked off,in front of the seller.Apparently these people have a reputation for being untruthful and less than honest.:mad:

I couldn't do that to someone,and have been truthful about the pony's faults,and was lucky to be able to re home her with help from a local equine charity.We have lost our money,and my daughter her much loved pony,but at least the pony has a good home for life now,which was very important to me.How anyone could lie about a child's pony is beyond me,I don't know how they sleep at night.This could have ended very badly for child and pony.
 
I'm always honest, my boys are angelic 99% of the time but when they're not, they're really not and I'm always clear about this if anyone rides them. I really wish other people would be though. I'm currently in a lot of pain from a fall last week off an imported pony. I now hear his ex owner has a broken pelvis and is being very vague about how she did it :rolleyes:
 
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