how long does it take to ruin a horse?

I would say my experience was similar, Gs, half way across the world in a horsey culture about ten years behind the UK.

I do think perhaps people were a bit quicker to give up than now, which was probably no bad thing. They tried with a horse, then they got the local nagsman/cowboy to try and if it still didn't work, they moved on. People didn't feel as pressured to try anything and everything. I'm sure this meant many horses fell through the cracks - I certainly remember horses that no doubt had KS or similar, but there wasn't much that could be done so we rode the horses and they either coped or they didn't.
 
Just to add, I'm in no way saying things were better in the good ol' days! It's been many years since I saw a horse with white marks - or worse - from a chronically ill fitting saddle!

But I'm not sorry I had that experience. It's interesting to see, with all our improvements, what still/now goes wrong.
 
TarrSteps said:
Just to add, I'm in no way saying things were better in the good ol' days! It's been many years since I saw a horse with white marks - or worse - from a chronically ill fitting saddle!

But I'm not sorry I had that experience. It's interesting to see, with all our improvements, what still/now goes wrong.
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There's no doult at all that "back care "generally is much much better now.
 
Agree with many of the comments on here. I ride lots of 'ruined' horses for my job, and it is interesting just how many of them do have a physical problem going on. But the cause of that physical problem could often quite viably be linked to the way in which they have been ridden and cared for in the preceding months/years.

It is also fair to say that even with a lot of horses we could call 'ruined' some are quite quickly able to be put back on the right tracks given someone with knowledge and confidence to redirect the situation.

I can't help but think of the example of a horse my OH was asked to break in two years ago - it had been imported from Ireland, bought on the basis that it was cheap and it jumped exceptionally well loose. Well the horse turned out to be impossible to handle - it had to be lassoed in the stable just to get near it, and he was literally shaking with fear if anyone raised a hand above waist height. After 1 month of being unable to catch it in the stable, the owner rand my OH to see if he could do anything with it (it hadn't even been turned out, as they knew they would never get near it again!) after 5 days with the horse, OH had it broken in, ridden away in W,T & C and hacking out quietly with another horse. Within 1 year the horse was competing successfully at BE100 level. It is fair to say that this ruined horse was actually 'fixed' very quickly, given someone with the skills, confidence and patience required to do the job. The trouble is, most people don't have access to someone like this... or don't have the bravery to hand over their problem to someone suitable.
 
Throwing away all thoughts about physical issues that begin to play up when they do something...

Within a few days really. My lad is a solid chap, very well behaved. He was used regularly for beginners to trek on. Totally reliable. Extremely smart. When trying him i was told he can be a a little one sided but i also knew he has never really schooled so i was buying a trek type and i knew that. He did have the ability..he had done intro dressage with a good rider etc...but i knew it was not his "job" however i knew i would be trying to make that part of his job. I found in the first week he had a propensity to swing to the right a lot..not at all dramatically but forcefully. He also took a fancy to rushing after others. Thankfully im old enough, strong enough, wise enough and crucially confident enough (with him) also i have a great teacher etc so within a few rides we together had that behaviour corrected (i will also add that i got a new saddle which may or may not have helped as he did it after the new saddle but less so, but it also tied into more teaching etc) Its now a very very rare occurrence and it only ever happens if i am totally oblivious to him and not asking him for anything, he rightly so thinks "whats the point of this" and goes to turn. Very easily corrected and on we go with me making more effort to entertain him/tell him actually no this is not what i want.

My point being, in someone less experienced than me, less confident than i am, with less help than i had in the way of an instructor..this wonderful brilliant animal of mine could have been someones nightmare. Typical big lad who knows he is a big lad but has absolutely no malice. Without someone who knows how to put him back into line, i can very easily see him being too much to handle.
 
I'm on day 3 of re schooling her back to her old self and it's going very well. Horses are so forgiving and kind aren't they.
 
She has bought a horse that was competing at the level she eventually wants to compete at. She has spent more time on the floor than actually on it. She can't ride one side of it.
 
showpony said:
Just curious what people's thoughts are on this.
Have heard of couple of people lately buying a horse Possibly beyond their capabilities and horse starts napping or the likes of bucking and rearing Or being bargy on the ground. Most people immediately think horse mis sold, etc...

Thoughts?
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I suppose it depends on whether the horse actually has something wrong with it and its been passed off.
 
Fern007 said:
Mostly it's a case of not being realistic about your capabilities. Then the horse gets a label.
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Well I can only speak for myself in my case. It does annoy me when people have suggested to me that I've over horsed myself just because the horse threw me off. He threw me off because he was sore and he was sore because he had a pre-existing injury. Yes if I had been a professional I may have sat it but I am not and I never said I was at the viewing.

I've also had people say "well he's a competition horse". Well so what, so was Bailey, every weekend for years and years.

There was no way on earth I over horsed myself, at the viewing I was doing leg yield, half pass, counter canter and flying changes on the horse as well as cantering to a jump. I actually had to use a schooling whip to actually get the horse going, yes maybe I should have seen that as a red flag but the vendor said someone had ridden him that morning and he was tired. It transpired after that this 'laziness' was due to an existing injury so I was lied to. I thought if I was making any mistakes by wanting to buy him, the vet at the vetting would have picked it up.

It wasn't as if he was cheap either, if he'd been 5K or 6K then I would have realised there might have been an issue but he was sold for well over £10K having originally been priced at 15K

I never lied about my capabilties. I am more than capable of doing a dressage test having ridden to elementary previously and I have jumped thousands of SJ comps over the last 30 years having jumped to 1.05m and ridden 3, 2 and 1 day events at grass root levels. Not saying I'm an expert, by no means and I've not ridden for years either so I am very rusty and much heavier than I was, but I am more than capable of trying a horse and riding it to see if it is suitable, he was the 7th horse I've owned as well so certainly not a novice horse owner either. She saw me coming.

i know not everyone is the same and I know people do say they can do more than they actually can but I do think that the market is saturated at the moment with horses that aren't physically or mentally well and some sellers are taking advantage of the vulnerability of some folks, me included who was grieving for my mate of 17 years who I'd had pts four months before. It stinks it really does.
 
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TarrSteps said:
I think that's quite a harsh view, Firewell. ;) Absolutely people get in trouble because they don't use sense but what do you do if you can't just easily change the situation? For example, I see lots of people struggle with a new horse, one they rode confidently in its usual situation, when it moves and is on its toes and unsettled as many horses are when they move, even ones that are used to competing, which is not the same situation at all. So the person gets a bit anxious and unsure, which exacerbates the horse's insecurity, and the pressure builds until the horse can't hold it together. This is so common as to be a cliche! And it's not anyone's 'fault' or due to a lack of wanting to do right by the horse.
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I agree. Letting a horse settle and forgiving some silly (not malicious! behaviour like refusing a fence when they are brand new to a yard is something I have experienced myself. Utilising a good trainer and getting back to basics to build a foundation is often enough to get the horse back to its best. That’s just from what I’ve personally known. But I do also question what we mean by ruin. As someone rightly pointed out, horses are not machines and especially in unfamiliar situations with a rider they don’t know, they may be unsure and be off their stride (literally!). But to ruin to the point a horse is unrideable which I assume is what we need depends on environment and the quality of care and training.
 
Old thread alert, don't expect a response from some of these posters who are being replied to.
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