New horse a mistake

[rockysmum]

[ QUOTE ]
Hoffy - I hope you have more patience with your horse. You need oodles of patience to get the best out of a horse.

[/ QUOTE ]


Agree

Perhaps a new home would be best for all concerned

 

[Happy Horse]

QR to original post but you say you have had him four weeks and this is the first time you have sat on him? If he has been in regular work then I'm not too surprised after 4 weeks rest he may not act like a perfect saint when someone gets back on him.

Maybe get someone with more confidence to come and get him back into work for you but from the story I am reading it doesn't sound like the horses or sellers fault.

 

[Jericho]

Havent read all the posts but I do tend to agree. My big 16.1hh chap bit spooky to settle, as always stayed a bit spooky and in fact the less I do with him the more spooky he becomes. New mare settled in straight away, hacking out, boxing to lessons, schooloing in field all in first week and a half - she just got on it with it exactly like her owner said she would.

He shouldnt have been sold as a complete gentlemen / saint etc but at the end of the day it is buyer beware - horse buying is a nightmare - you never do really know what you are buying.

First step is get hold ofprevious owner as you have been trying and find out whether she had the same trouble at the beginning. If you cant get hold of her then you cant return anyway! Secondly I would start really doing lots of things with him and just spending some good time with him so he learns to trust you. Agree with other posters that you should hack out with others. Also did you get his eyes checked when you bought him? I have heard of occassions where horses with cataracts have become spooky. Also look at what you are feeding him (cut hard food right back) and maybe trie a calmer (and some for you to takeedge of your nerves as he he is bound to be reacting to some tension in you.

Good luck!

 

[Ranyhyn]

KatB - I assume though you will have suggested to the buyer how your horse should be handled in the first few weeks? I always know how my horses settle in new places from moving them myself and know how to suggest the new handler treats them.

 

[KatB]

To some extent, but then I would only sell to a very knowledgable home anyway and would hope they would have the common sense to realise any horse can be unpredicatble in a new environment. BUT what I mean is I didn't KNOW exactly how he was going to behave with that person in that situation

as I'd never put him in that situation, no-one except the horse will exactly how they will behave.

As far as we know, the old owner may have done for this horse, we don't know because it hasnt been mentioned.

 

[trundle]

To be fair to Hoffy, everyone keeps saying "ask the seller this, that or the other" - hoffy has said that she has been trying to contact the seller and the seller WON'T ANSWER HER CALLS! So until the seller speaks to her, she can't ask the seller anything!

Going by this and the other threads, i don't think this lad is right for hoffy. I would bite the bullet and find him a nice new home ASAP before either of you sour too much.

 

[trundle]

Forgot to say, when my previous loan horse didn't work out (because he took off with me and dumped me twice in the space of a week, the second time landing me in A&E), I knew he wasnt the right horse for me and he went home as soon as his owner could arrange transport.

Now, that was a different situation because he was a loan, i hadn't bought him, but even after only a couple of weeks, it was quite obvious that he was too much for me and things were not going to work out happily. I delayed making the decision until i got hurt, but with hindsight, i should have made it MUCH earlier than that, as all the signs were there.

 

[BackInBlack]

i do sympathise with the op and the horse. having been sold a horse under false pretences myself,( he wasn't sold as a plod , old owners failed to tell me he had lung damage). i am really pissed off with the op's horses former owners not returning your calls

i have recently put my horse out on loan (somewhere where his breathing may improve) and within the 1st 2 weeks they started to have problems with his behaviour. as a result they phoned me every time there was a problem and i did everything i could to help. i drove 1 1/2 hours to their stables to hack him out in his 'new' home. he was fine, tho i think it helped immensly that he had somebody he knew on his back. and i wanted to make sure my beloved horse was ok.
i hope you manage to resolve your problems - if not do the right thing and sell the horse to somebody more suited.

 

[Happy Horse]

I don't think it sounds for a moment like the horse was sold under false pretences - it's not been ridden for four weeks (unless I am misunderstanding the OP) I had a horse who was as laid back as a laid back thing but if I got on him after 4 weeks I knew he'd be much more lively. It sounds as if the OP has a serious lack of confidence, which is being blamed on the seller.

 

[YorksG]

May I suggest that the OP buys a rocking horse? They settle in immediately, require no regular riding and have no problem with riders with confidence issues.

(and usually come with a saddle that fits!)

 

[Ranyhyn]

Yorks!

 

[Theresa_F]

Naughty but funny.

It is just me or is there recently a rash of people wanting advice, which people take time to give, and then the OP gets huffy if it is not want they want to hear?

If you don't want opinions but for us all to tell you what you want us to say/agree with, please say so at the start and don't waste folks time on asking for views.

 

[Ranyhyn]

I dont understand getting huffy, take Kat and I, we dont agree but we're bandying it out properly and it doesnt make me think any less of her (on the contrary) and i dont get in a huff, opinions are totally personal and we arent all the same.
And yorks is just lol!

 

[rockysmum]

[ QUOTE ]
May I suggest that the OP buys a rocking horse? They settle in immediately, require no regular riding and have no problem with riders with confidence issues.

(and usually come with a saddle that fits!)

[/ QUOTE ]

Now why didn't someone suggest that 40 years ago.

I might not have 3 now

 

[YorksG]

QR
I know I should apologise, but I casn't

I am sure I should have done the same 40 years ago as wello, just think of the money I would have saved!

 

[JM07]

QR...

Hoffy.....i do believe you may have led a few of us up the garden path with your OP.....

Being the type to answer on the subject given and not one to be arsed to trawl back through previous postings, i feel the advice i had given earlier today might not be the right course of action...certainly TS wouldnt be too interested as you seem to have been a tad economical with the truth....

the main priority for you now, i feel, would be to get s decent rider on your horse, and then sell him on to someone who is maybe a little more competent than you are at the moment.

you need to take a hard look at this, and treat it a lesson learned i feel...

 

[dozzie]

I dont know many horses that wouldnt spook having not been ridden for a month, and being handled by someone who is clearly nervous.

Kitsune- I had a mare who was fab but went on trial and was a nightmare! I got a phonecall from buyers to say they were having problems. She attacked everyone who went in the field, would not be caught and they wanted to return her. This was totally out of character! I went to pick her up, called her, she came trotting over, caught her up, into the box and home. She went straight out as if she had never been away.

She had been with us since a "wild" foal. I never tried to sell her again. I just knew it would happen again. I had had her 12 years and when i looked back to when we got her she was the same but we had put it down to her "wildness" rather than her insecurity.

So horses can change in character when moved to a new home. Had the people persisted they would have had a fantastic pony. But tbh my attitude was if they were not willing to persevere then they didnt deserve her

 

[Ranyhyn]

Im not saying they can't change character - if you read all my posts Dozz you'll see I said I had horses of my own who needed time to bed in etc - Im just saying in most cases a) the seller will know about these and b) they'll be around like you were to help pick up th pieces.

 

[KatB]

[ QUOTE ]
I dont understand getting huffy, take Kat and I, we dont agree but we're bandying it out properly and it doesnt make me think any less of her (on the contrary) and i dont get in a huff, opinions are totally personal and we arent all the same.
And yorks is just lol!

[/ QUOTE ]

Haha! Thats cos we is civilised 'uman beings, int' it?!!

 

[Ranyhyn]

Yer, might nick yer new 'orse tho...

 

[KatB]

What the one eyed donkey?!

Only if you don't return her cos you were expecting a pony with a brain

 

[ladyt25]

I'm sorry, i have not read all these replies but you have decided you don't want this horse because it spooks?? What does it do exactly just a little jump?

Maybe I am missing something here but, you put someone nervous on a horse then the horse picks up on this and think "whoa, something's obviously scary here - what could it be?!!".

Sorry, unless it was being dangerous and nappy then this really wouldn't bother me. MOST horses spook to some degree, if they didn't then they have totally lost all their natural survival instincts! It doesn't mean they're going to throw you off or run away and it's entirely plausible that this horse WAS perfectly fine with the previous owner or the spooking wasn't actually an issue.

I am sorry, I just think this is ridiculous and neither horses or sellers seem to win. If the horse was a duldrum plod who didn't react to anything then he'd probably be fed a tonne of supplements to 'perk him up'!

I get tired of these stores TBH - horses are animals, they are unpredictable whether a 'novice ride' or not. What is a novice ride to one person may not be for another.

Buyer beware I believe applies in this instance as, from the sounds of it the horse hasn't actually done anything wrong other than acting like a horse.

 

[Ranyhyn]

[ QUOTE ]
What the one eyed donkey?!

Only if you don't return her cos you were expecting a pony with a brain

[/ QUOTE ]

If she poos, I want a refund

 

[KatB]

Haha! And I'd get done under the trade desciption act for not stating it poo'ed

haha!!

 

[guido16]

Let me see if I`m reading this right

You buy a new horse that DID spook when you tried it out and it also FAILED the vetting (I dont know what for but its been mentioned in this thread)

You then take it to a new home/yard and put it in a field for 4 weeks. Interesting that the yard didnt want it inside to worm/quarantine for a few days....

Then, you put a new saddle on it, get on its back and it spooks a few times.

So this could be because of ......YOUR lack of confidence, HORSES lack of confidence, badly fitted saddle, fright, freshness, other horse nearby, Bad riding, flying plastic bag, jad in the mouth etc etc etc etc etc etc

ANY number of reasons.

And because of this ONE incident you have decided the seller has defrauded you, the horse isnt what they sold it as and it should now go.

OK, how about the horse picking up on your doom and gloom (one of your other posts) towards it?
Just a thought.
And as others have said, we are giving opinions, as you asked.
My opinion. Sell it (if you can due to failed vetting) and buy YORKS rocking horse (Joke....)

 

[lauraandjack]

It's amazing how much change can upset a horse.

When I tried my horse he was not spooky at all. He was 10 when I got him. After getting him home I found he was terrified of most things that you tried to do to him - tack, rugs, shortening the reins. He had done virtually no schooling and whenever you asked him to try something new his reaction was blind panic!

It took him a good 6 months to begin to settle down. I very nearly sold him as I felt he wasn't the right horse for me at the time (I work full time and didn't have the time to deal with a complex horse). However I persevered and he has turned into a cracking chap who will turn his hoof to anything. BUT - 2 years down the line he is still settling down - it is only very recently that he has stopped being a nightmare to catch (still tries it on now and then, but that's welshie humour for you).

Different horses react differently in a new place. Perhaps this horse isn't going to be the right one for the OP. If someone is not very confident anyway then a spooky or difficult horse is not going to help them, and it creates a vicious spiral of no confidence as the horse gets the vibes from the rider and the behaviour gets worse.

However given that the horse was vetted, failed and was bought anyway I think it might be an interesting challenge trying to get the vendors to take it back.

 

[Ebenezer_Scrooge]

OP I had my horse for 3 years at the same yard where he was so good to ride and not bothered by anything. We then had to move yards as it closed down. We were only about a mile from the old yard but it really unsettled him and was so spooky when ridden and kept trying to tank off with me even though we had ridden these routes for the past 3 years. The move really upset him and due to his condition before I got him it was totally understandable if not a bit scary. My vet prescribed a mild sedative and we gave him time to settle in his new yard but still handled and treated as before. We progressed to working in the school and then hacking out alone again. I was firm but fair in dealing with this and always gave lots of praise and reassurance. Within 3 months he had settled and was back to his old self. In fact he is better than ever and very happy.

Sorry for long ramble but it's an example of how just moving yards, let alone ownership and new routine can upset then.

 

[beckieswann]

all horses have it in their nature to spook, if they didn't I would assume the horse is depressed and lacks a personality.

you've only had him 4 weeks give the chap a chance to settle in! he's probably feeling a lot of confusion and feeling very unsettled right now. Imagine yourself being sat on for the first time in a new environment, new horses, new smells, new people and a new owner. It's very daunting!!

However if you're not confident enough to ride it get someone who is, give him a chance to get used to his new surroundings. Get to know him, by all accords you've chucked him in a field and sat on his back? no wonder the poor boy is unconfident and feels the new to spook!

patience is a virtue. give him some time and yourself some time, and i'm sure he will grow in confidence as will you.

(also when horses are advertised as bombproof I completely ignore that because no horse is bombproof!)

 

[alynicholson]

Have you had the horses teeth and back checked. Horses in pain can sometimes spook when they normally wouldn't if they have problems with arthritis /back/teeth