New horses - are they ALL naughty at first

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BigRed

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After searching for a long time and trying to be uber careful, I have bought a new horse and although she is lovely to handle, she is being extremely nappy and rears, this is scaring the c*** out of me and I am struggling to get through this phase.

I KNOW lots of people have the same problems and I am very hopeful we will sort it out and she will revert back to being the nice quiet horse I tried.

I just wondered how many people can say their new purchase was 100% fine from day 1 ? or are they all silly for a few weeks ?
 
My boys both settled almost immediately, but I think I was lucky. One was young but seriously laid back character and the other older and a bit more worldly wise.
Maybe worth getting some help fairly quickly tho if her behaviour is scaring you?
 
I can say that my new horse of 4 months has never put a foot wrong since i bought her (even though her past owner had lots of problems with her), horses behave differently with different owners and homes :)
 
He is just settling in and dont forget its all very new to him, new horses, new surroundings and probably a new schedule! Horses thrive on routine and for him everything has changed! Give him time to settle. Also dont forget that horses are a bit like children in the fact that he knows you are new to him so he will probably try to push the line for a few weeks to see what he can get away with! Be firm but fair so he knows your not a push over. In a few weeks im sure he will be good as gold x good luck x
 
Baggybreeches said:
no help with your problem, but you can say crap on here now!
Click to expand...

Can you?! :)

My new horse has been a sooooperstar from day one, but the one before this (7 years ago) was *crap* :) He would nap and rear, I put a market harborough on him, it really did help, it gave me the confidence to push him forward more, he is a brilliant horse now, he never reared again after the first few months.

I think they 'test' you, you have to go through it - good luck :)
 
One of mine was an utter nightmare to handle for the first few months but that was down to him not being handled much in the past!

However my pony couldn't have been easier, quieter and more laid back when he arrived and has also been the same.

Do you have an instructor? If your horse is scaring you get some professional help and things will hopefully settle down shortly. My instructor helped me heaps with my lively one!
 
Rearing bucking tanking off....
Once you get used to it you laughthen give him a telling, mines slowly coming back into a lovely horse (i hope) :D so dont worry!
 
I will be gutted if she's still doing it in 3 months !

I am already very fond her her, she is really nice to handle etc, but she has decided the first half mile of hacking is very bad news and tries her damnest to get me to agree to go back home. I am a good rider, and I have not felt as though I am going to come off, but I'd much rather have the quiet horse I tried... this is no fun at all.
 
my first pony was a cow from day 1! so after 11 months of struggling and ££££ of help, i sold her. then my boy i've had for 2 yrs, was a saint for the first 6 months, then when he'd settled in he tried it on and tanked off with me a few times!! but we got thru the blib and altho he will still try it on now when he gets excited, he knows who's boss ( well, 95% of the time anyway ;) )
 
I havent found this, no.

What about having some lessons to help with getting used to each other, it sounds like this would help you:)
 
Would agree with Headpiece. I have had my boy for month. Mine is a bit nappy and spooky on his own but he doesn't rear and just takes determination to keep him going and he is getting better. I do get the feeling he was trying me out to see what he could get away with.

In the school he is very silly and I could just endure it on my own, but I have lessons and feel much more determined with my instructor telling me to sit deep and push him on.
 
I think it always taes time for them to get used to their surroundings, and depending on the type of horse they are, that will determine how long it takes. My new boy was chilled for a day then we had a very loopy week. He went nuts, slashed his face open while bolting around and had to have stitches! This resulted in him being re-advertised! But after a couple of days, letting him get used to his new life he turned out fine! He's as good as gold now and back to his normal showjumping self :)
Give her time!
 
Most I have bought have been a little naughty to handle for a little while, one I think took a year to settle, but was good ridden. Another one (my dream horse) reared in hand but was a joy to ride, including hacking out. My current horse was very fidgetty tied up, but ok leading but did buck me off twice in the first week but then was ok. She's now lovely to ride at home not very good hacking out but then that's because we've only just started hacking out.
 
My new mare has been 100% from day 1, both to handle and to ride. And a good job too, as that's why I bought her. I'm far too old (and fragile) to go rolling around on the road. However, she's been her since the beginning of FEb and it is only just this week that she has calmed down with the other horses in her field. Until now she has been going back out to eat piles of haylage (always more piles than horses) and literally been charging at one mare in particular. We have been quite concerned for the safety of our retired 30 yr old cob, although to be fair she has mostly left her alone.
However in the past, even some of the most sensible animals have tested the boundaries. One carried on doing that for 23 yrs. Others have waited until they settled in before seeing just how far they could go. They are all different.
In your position, I would think that it would be a good idea to get a good instructor to help. Good luck!
 
When I got Whisk he was imported from Germany. He was kept in all the time and only out for exercise. When he came to us he got daily turnout and was one of three instead of 70 odd horses. He was excellent once you got the first 20 minutes out of the way!! Probably took me 12 months to sort all his idiosycrancies out. He is still quirky but I love him.
Bought a new horse for hubby 4 weeks ago and we are having mounting issues with him. Lovely in every other way but we'll get there.
Think it depends on the horse. You have to be confident and you will get there. If you need to get outside help then do it. Good luck!!
 
Don't worry. She is just terrified and will eventually settle down. My mare took almost a year. People told me to sell her, but she ended up being the horse of a lifetime. I love her to bits even though she is now just a field ornament due to injury. I had terrible trouble hacking out especially. The breakthrough came when I abandoned everything I had been taught and just got off and led her! I had to do this around six times before she finally learned to trust me. She realised I would not take her anywhere threatening and if she was scared, that I would get off and support her through it. She ended up being a really good hacking horse that would jump or go through or over anything I pointed her at. But it was well over six months before I cracked it.
 
I rode my mare for several months before I bought her. After I bought her I kept her at her previous owners yard for a while before moving her to a yard closer to my home. When I moved her she was awful turned into a bucking bronco and I became terrified of riding her as I came off every single time. I had saddle and teeth checked all ok. I had a osteo out who found she had severe pain in her neck. After her treatment she was fine literally overnight. I always wonder if her behaviour was due to pain? Or she just settled in and we got used to each other? The moral of my story.....check the essentials first as you never know!
 
It may be impossible for you but if you could find someone to ride with for a couple of weeks it will really help both of you.

Horses are naturally a herd animal and when everything changes around them (their surroundings and people) they generally fall back on the one thing they feel confident with which is another horse to take a lead from. They are also naturally a flight animal and therefore when they are nervous of something new their instinct is to run away. Having another horse for company who knows the area and is confident hacking out will really help your mare to get the confidence she needs to tackle it on her own. It will also give you the confidence to believe she can behave.

Good luck and I hope you sort things out soon.
 
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