New horse problems - please dont shoot me down in flames!

NeverEver said:
hmmmmmm. i might buck the trend a little here.... i totally agree they can take time to settle in. My black mare took a couple of months to go back to the sweet pony I tried. When we got her home she was rude, bargy and stressy and yes she was a bit on her toes under saddle however she was still ‘rideable’. Also, an experienced horse that is used to travelling away to rallies and comps , I would expect to be able to take home, tack up and ride. In fact Ive done exactly that with a new horse before and got on fine. Im not saying it wouldn’t be unsettled once turned out, settling in etc but the work stays consistent and Ive found they take confidence from that.

Reading your post a couple of things jump out to me; why was she out on loan so many times? was she really sent away to be sold because of better facilities?? Ive heard this one a million times before - often it’s more because the horse is a bit quirky and will perform better in a professional environment on a big yard with lots of work and a strict routine ;) It may well have been to camp but who was it at camp with? I’ve personally found horses ridden by semi-pro’s and produced are a lot more horse to deal with away from such input and kept ‘at home’ by an average rider. Id do a bit more digging if I were you, speak to PC trainers etc if you can and find out if this horse really has always been a straight forward confidence giver. That will inform you better as to whether just to give her more time or no. Good luck! It’s such a horrible feeling x
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I was having similar thoughts, the horse may well be totally genuine but to have been loaned out several times I would question how well the owner knows her, why a confidence giver at the lower levels required good facilities at this time of year when the fields are usable, I regularly have new horses arriving here and none have turned their bum on me or behaved in the way the OP describes, they may take a few days to settle in general and longer before they are really at home but most that have been moved about and been to competitions/ clinics/ camp usually settle in quickly as long as they get food!

I never leave them for too long before starting to ride, it helps most of them if you do get into a routine that they understand, I had one arrive on Monday he was lunged for 10 mins before being turned out, he has made himself at home and is now being ridden daily and in a routine, I would expect the same of anything I bought or sold as a made horse especially one described as a confidence giver.
 
You will all think that I am completely nuts but I am a great believer in riding a new horse from its old home to its new home as some horses become very disorientated and few people realise that a horse maps itself by smell so new smells will disorientate it completely and it will not know were it is.
A new horse in a new home can behave completely differently due to a different owner, rider and surroundings and some horses can take up to two years to settle in to a new home.
My advice is get the old owners to ride your horse in it's new surroundings each day for about four weeks because that way you get rid of one big variable and your horse will settle it far quicker in it's new surroundings.
This will also demonstrate if they were genuine sellers!
 
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supagran said:
OP, did you get her vetted? It is too easy to lose your confidence and from your posts you are already wavering. I know it can take a while for a new horse to settle, but if you are already having doubts you need to be contacting the seller for either help or to return.
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Agree with this. I've been to see a LOT of horses recently and have had some really scarey experiences. Therefore I have a VERY overactive suspicious mindset at the moment.

IF you have been mis-sold a horse then you need to tackle the issue straightaway. Not trying to frighten you here, but it is not exactly unknown for horses to be doped and then when it wears off you'll have problems.

Blood tests would indicate if this might be the case and/or there could be a pain issue somewhere. Mebbe worth getting the vet out to take bloods?? Yes an expense, but might clarify the situation.

As you've only just got her, I'd be inclined to get back to the seller (and also, if you can, try and suss out anyone else who might know of the mare too - yep, suspicious-mind-syndrome working again), to see if this behaviour has happened before. If the seller knew of this behaviour before selling it as a "confidence giver", then you want to know, for your own safety and peace of mind if nothing else.

So sorry this has happened.

I'd firstly get back to the seller, try and find out what you can if possible - and (oh dear, sorry) be asking around for a good lawyer with experience of equine matters in case this does turn sour....... hopefully it won't, but wouldn't hurt to put them on the back burner just to be sure.....

Hopefully the mare's behaviour will soon settle down in the next few days - you both then might benefit from a professional to come alongside and help and support in the first few weeks/months.
 
I'd expect some level on unsettledness with her being in a new home but what you describe OP seems very out of character compared to your description of her when you tried her. Could you be nervous around her OP and she's possibly picking up on that?
My older mare was very attached to her fieldmates for a month or so when I first bought her which made her a handful for me to handle, calm and consistent was the key, but she was the same to ride as when I tried her.
 
The spooking at a cross pole wouldn't bother me. Don't think too much about what if she does x y z in the future at shows, just take one step at a time.

I recently moved yards with my gelding who is very laid back on the ground and not super spooky. He went mental when I was trying to walk him in hand in the new field, nearly flattened me! We do in hand showing, and showing on grass, he has never reacted like that at a show. He also spooked at the poles in the arena. He has seen poles before!

Turning the bum would annoy me. Not behaviour I would tolerate. Although you have to gain her trust, don't let her be the boss either.
 
I've just brought a confidence giver , a bomb proof horse to. I tried him at the yard he was great, of course he was, he knew where he was and what to expect. Once I got him home it was evident that despite his age he was very green. Six months on he is still settling in but we are making huge progress. The first thing I did was book my instructor and start having lessons. These are huge confidence boosters. I also arranged for someone to walk out with me hacking and then accompany me on another horse later on . It's a matter of building things up slowly and of increasing your confidence with that horse. You not going get your confidence any other way. Check with the old owner , make sure your not feeding any thing that disagrees with her, like Alfra a, that would send my sane cob in to a low orbit and very quickly. Plus I've found that a lot of horses that work well in a school do not work well in a paddock or field, unless they are used to it. It's where they eat not where they work. It's early days yet, I would be very surprised if any drugs were involved.
 
OWLIE185 said:
You will all think that I am completely nuts but I am a great believer in riding a new horse from its old home to its new home

My advice is get the old owners to ride your horse in it's new surroundings each day for about four weeks because that way you get rid of one big variable and your horse will settle it far quicker in it's new surroundings.
This will also demonstrate if they were genuine sellers!
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That depends how far away the old/new homes are! And the roads. I have done it, and I cant say the horse settlled any better for having been ridden there.
But I think it a bit unreasonable to expect the previous owner to come and ride your horse every day for 4 weeks! Itd be an enormous committment. Maybe once or twice, but every day for 3-4 weeks- no way, however genuine they are.
 
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ihatework said:
Are her old owners anywhere nearby?
I'd ask if they would be willing to come over and see you handling her in her new environment and see if they can help the settling in process
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Definately this. But really I'd just let her settle in, dont let her get away with anything but I'd just keep things low key and relaxed, not asking anything challenging of her just now. Probably, just lungeing quietly for a few days then go for some very leisurely hacks with a friend to see if she starts to chill out. She sounds like a lovely horse and some horses do act very oddly in new homes, some horses also seem to need to earn your respect.
 
I never ride a horse from one home to another did it once and the horse nearly killed itself jumping crawling and bargng its way out of the field to finally manage it and be killed on the road back to its old place killing the driver that hit him too. Even when mine change fields across the road they go for a ride in the trailer first. Overkill perhaps but it ahs lived with me for 50 years
 
Mine was extremely difficult to handle when I first got her, however was good as gold when I tried her. Took a good 6 months I would say for her to settle into her new home & with me. I found it really helpful to contact her previous owner who gave me some great advice. It also enables me to keep her routine quite similar. Best of luck, it is very hard with a new horse, but it's hard for them too- too many people expect them just to adjust overnight.
 
OWLIE185 said:
You will all think that I am completely nuts but I am a great believer in riding a new horse from its old home to its new home as some horses become very disorientated and few people realise that a horse maps itself by smell so new smells will disorientate it completely and it will not know were it is.
A new horse in a new home can behave completely differently due to a different owner, rider and surroundings and some horses can take up to two years to settle in to a new home.
My advice is get the old owners to ride your horse in it's new surroundings each day for about four weeks because that way you get rid of one big variable and your horse will settle it far quicker in it's new surroundings.
This will also demonstrate if they were genuine sellers!
Click to expand...

You obviously buy your horses very locally!
 
A 13 year old horse marketed as a confidence giver and used to staying away from home should be capable of moving home without quite such a personality change - Lets not forget it was sent away from home to be sold yet was behaving in a very settled manner? I am very suspicious when it comes to buying/selling horses and the most I would expect in this situation is for the horse to be slightly up tight/unsettled not rude and virtually unrideable. A 'confidence giver' is a horse that is not highly strung and high maintenance! I would be contacting the yard she was sold from and the owner - clearly stating the issues and requesting that they take the horse back if it hasn't returned to normal within the next 14 days. The longer you leave it the more likely it is that they will blame you/your management.
The only other aspect of this that I noticed is that you talk about your set up as being quite small with only a few other horses - some horses simply do not thrive in a small set up as they become hyper aware of where the others are and never really settle. One of mine is like that - she is a dope on a rope and will settle immediately in a big busy yard surrounded by other horses coming and going all the time but in a small yard she is very anxious and kicks off every time one of the others comes in or out - it makes her up tight and sharp to ride as well because she is never properly relaxed. If you have the option of moving her to a bigger yard with a school and more help (even for a week) then you will at least know whether the problem is the horse or the set up but I would still start the ball rolling with the previous owners straight away.
 
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