Newbie seeking advice!

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HenrytheCat

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Hi Everyone,

My name is Lucy and I have just bought a horse but I am not getting on very well with him and so I hope you don't mind me seeking some advice from you all?

I shared a pony for 5 years with my friend - we got on really well and I loved the pony. Then I got married and we moved to a different area so I had to stop riding the pony. I started having riding lessons once a week but I missed the pony such a lot that my husband decided to buy me a horse of my own so that I could spend more time with it and build up a bond like I'd had with the pony.

He is a gelding of unknown breeding (horse, not husband!) and I got him from a Riding School so I thought that he would be safe and sane. But I think I have made a big mistake because although he is the sweetest horse to handle on the ground he is very nervous and has bucked me off several times as soon as I've got on. This has dented my confidence a lot and my friend who is an instructor and sucessful showjumper has ridden him for me today and he acted just the same with her i.e. bucking as soon as she got on. At least I know that it is not my rubbish riding that is causing the problem but I really want to return the horse to the riding school. Do you think I would be able to do that or should I just try and sell him myself. I am not sure who would want a horse that doesn't seem to like being ridden though so I am really worried because I want a horse that I can ride and I can't afford to keep this one as a pet even though he is very sweet.
 
Did your instructor advise you to get his back and teeth checked? he could be in pain, how was he when you rode him before buying him?
 
I think you have 2 options, get his teeth, back, saddle checked to see if he is in any pain or if you feel he is really not the horse for you then speak to the riding school he came from. It would be hard for you to sell him, presumably he would buck when you rode/prospective buyers tried him.
 
Hi!

There is alot of things you might want to do before you think of selling said chap or sending him back.

Did you ride him before you bought him? Was he ok then? Did you see him ridden at the riding school and so on? If he was well behaved before, maybe you need to get his back checked, and teeth. It might be that he is trying to tell you something. Perhaps even get his saddle checked over...there could be a reason for his bad behaviour.

As for sending him back i am not sure...anyway, good luck!
 
Sorry, I should have said I have had his back checked by vet and physio and neither found anything wrong. Had his teeth done and they were fine too and have also had saddler out and had saddle re-flocked.

I think I was a bit naive when I bought him because I let the lady who showed him to me hold him whilst I got on. He had already been ridden for 20 mins before I got on and he definitely didn't buck when I got on that time.
 
hi and welcome,have you had his back and teeth check ?
did you get him vetted before you brought him ?
there maybe and underlying problem that could be easily sorted although once they have done this to you i know it does knock your confidance in the horse !
 
I am really sorry to hear these problems and glad that your instructor had the same experience, this must put your mind at rest.

A lot of animals that come from riding schools are often traded/dealt and passed from home to home as there may be a problem or two.

I dont suppose you know the horses history or how long the riding school had him before you bought.

As suggested bucking when getting on, usually indicates pain and discomfort.

As I see it, you have a horse that is currently unsaleable because no-one would be able to get on him to try him out.

I think you are between the devil and the hard rock on this one and the only option is to try and sort out the problems to get him saleable or keepable. I would try the riding school and threaten them with legal action if they refuse and see how that goes. Otherwise some hard work and time need to be put in to sort everything out.
 
Applechaff, yes I think he would buck when I rode him for any prospective purchaser and, to be honest, I am getting very nervous about getting on him again becuase I think I will be chucked off straight away.

Could he have been doped or something when I tried him out? I don't know much about this but someone suggested it. Not sure if it is far fetched or not?
 
Thank you filly 190. I agree that I don't have many choices. Unfortunately, I am not experienced or brave enough to sort out the problem on my own if it is behavioural. If it is physical I don't know how to get it diagnosed because vet and physio can't find anything.

It is my belief that he is in pain but how can I find out?
 
Hello Lucy
That sounds a rather disappointing story.....it does sound like the new horse is uncomfortable and I wonder if the saddle you are using actually fits? Have you had it fitted or is it the one he was being ridden in at the riding school? If your friend is an experienced rider and is also having the same problem, it may be the case.........
Sometimes, horses in a new environment do take time to settle in, but I would not waste too much time here, riding school environments are very different to private homes. Also consider his diet and workload, lots of problems are caused by overfeeding........ask someone from the riding school to come and see you and him and ride him for you and see what happens....what you describe is not waht you should expect from ahorse sold to you as suitable for a novice. I am sure they know that as yet, you are still inexperienced??
I think it would be reasonable to ask them to take him back, as he does not seem to be suitable for you as a comparitivly novice rider....prehaps they have a different horse that is more suitable?? Whatever you do, have an experienced friend or teacher with you when you do this. Getting a new horse is always a slight gamble and it happens to the best of us so dont worry, but I really do think you have to act quickly if you feel he is not safe for you as otherwise you will lose lots of confidence.........there are consumer laws to protect you in this case and you may need advice from a lawyer, but if the riding school is reasonable and is willing to help you then hopefully you wont have too big a problem.........Good Luck!
 
Thanks luley. I have tried 3 saddles on him now - my own, one that I had on loan from the saddler and have now returned to him and my friend's own saddle which she used today.

He came from a busy livery yard/riding school and is now kept in a similar environment on a busy livery/competition yard. He was only at the riding school for 3 weeks and I think he was ridden nearly every day but I also rode him nearly every day for at least an hour when I could get on more easily (he has got worse the last two weeks and I have only managed to get on twice). He gets no hard feed at all and is turned out for 8 hours a day and has some hay at night. I asked about his routine and kept it as similar as possible.

I told the riding school exactly what I wanted i.e. a horse suitable for a novice and they said that he was. If they had another horse who didn't have these problems then I would gladly swap.
 
If he was sold to you as being safe for a novice rider, you should certainly be able to ask them to take him back. As posted earlier, riding school environments are very different from private homes. Does your horse get as much turn out as possible and what are you feeding him? Please don't feed him any mixes as they can be very heating to some horses. Have you thought of giving him a calmer? This might help him settle. Also, try lunging him for 10 mins before you ride - he may well be "cold backed" and will get the buck out on the lunge rather than with you on top.
To be honest, I think this horse is not for you and you would be wise to get something more suitable. Welcome to the forum and good luck.
 
Yes he could have been doped, did you have a 5 stage vetting? If you did then you could ask to have the bloods checked for doping. However I do agree with what already been said - more turnout, less riding etc he's probably feeling quite full of himself and lunging first is a good idea. We have a cold backed horse, try standing off his back (or get someone else to try if you are not feeling brave enough!) for a few minutes when you mount before you tighten the girth.
 
Hi Meltdown and thanks for the welcome,

Horse is on a busy livery/competition yard now which is not that much different to where he was before. He's been here 6 weeks and has settled in fine in his stable and in the field. He is also fine to lunge/lead in hand in the indoor and outdoor schools.

He doesn't receive any hard feed at all. He gets 8 hours turnout a day and hay overnight. I have lunged him for up to 20 mins before I've ridden but it doesn't make any difference. He is fine up until the moment I go to mount and then he tenses up and bucks when I am on. He never bucks on the lunge at all and seems very happy, going round with his ears forward, and a spring in his step. I truly think it is pain related but I am not that experienced so I may be wrong. I seem to be the only one on the yard who thinks it is a pain thing ......
 
Sorry to hear that your new horse hasn't worked out!

I too had my first horse bought out of a riding school, what was a lovely quiet seemly sane horse for the 18 months i'd been riding him in the school turned out to be a member of the barking raving loony party. After we bought him, we kept him at the Riding School on working livery, within a week he had nearly killed me out hacking, he reared and bolted in the woods on the way to the common (a ride he was use to) I was down on his neck to avoid the tree branches and a very thick low one that the horse could get under but I couldn't caught me full across the face and bought me off backwards (whilst the horse was bolting through the woods
crazy.gif
), I had no nose left other than a little tip poking out half an inch to the left of where it used to be, I had to have reconstructive surgery. We couldn't find a way to return the horse - it is a case of buyer beware, we felt safe buying him because i'd ridden him for 18 months prior to buying him. One of the grooms told me that he didn't like going out alone and had done it previously after the accident but wouldn't 'go on the record!'. I couldn't ride for several months (and didn't ever get on him again after this accident) and my older sister use to go ride him (but only in the school), the riding school shut and we had to move him, at the new yard he became a lunatic, he had gone from doing 3-5 hours of lessons aday to being ridden once, it is our belief that it was his workload that was keeping him quiet at the riding school, anyway my mum eventually sold him for a third of what we paid to a 'problem horse solver' (cough *dealer*) without telling me, I went down to see him and he was gone!!
My advice for anyone is be very careful buying horses out of Riding Schools, make sure they are safe to go out alone, look at the workload they have and make sure they haven't been ridden several times before you try them and always get a vetting with blood.
My story has a happy ending though:
Two years later, we bought a pony, a dishevelled pathetic excuse to look at from a drunken dealer, we bought him to look after, my parents didn't honestly know if i'd ever ride again but slowly and surely we went from walking in hand to plodding around, to a little showing, to a few clear rounds, to a few jumping classes, to a couple of xc schooling, to a couple of hunter trials.........................................to doing everything from competing at Tweasledown, Aston le walls, poplar park, Malvern and Hickstead! Dishevelled pony turned into a lean mean show jumping machine! (well a cracking pony that would jump his heart out for you!
grin.gif
)
 
i had a 2 stage vetting done with bloods taken? check with your vet, nightmare story, awful and one that puts us all off. do you know anyone that has the patience and perseverence to work with him on your behalf? it is sssooo important to bond with them though. good luck and do keep us all posted, please.
 
Goodness HorseGroupie what a horrible experience you had. It sounds absolutely awful. I am glad that you came through it in the end and could still place your faith in another horse.

thewonderhorse, the lady who rode him today to assess him for me would re-school him but she thinks that he may need 6 months work before he is safe for me to ride and even then she says that she can offer no guarantee. I feel really fed up and stuck now and I can't see a way out. If I had my own land I suppose I could retire him if that was the only solution but I just can't afford to keep him at livery for what could be years and years since he is only 8.
 
Are you riding him in the same saddle he had when at the riding school? Have you had the tack checked to make sure it fits his back correctly?
 
Thank you Patches. I'm not riding him in the saddle he came with because the saddler said that it was too narrow for him. I had already figured this out for myself though and I only rode him in it once, fortunately. The saddler has re-flocked a saddle which I already had and I also borrowed another from him whilst mine was away for re-flocking. My friend who rode him today for me used yet another saddle (she has lots) which seemed like a good fit but he behaved exactly the same and bucked just as much. So I don't think it is the saddle in itself which is causing the problem.

I am using the same bridle and jointed snaffle that he came with and he seems fine with those although he is headshy and puts his head up in the air to make it difficult for me to get the bit in sometimes. To be fair though the dealer did mention that he was headshy but my last horse was too and it was never a big problem so I wasn't worried by that.
 
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My advice for anyone is be very careful buying horses out of Riding Schools, make sure they are safe to go out alone, look at the workload they have and make sure they haven't been ridden several times before you try them and always get a vetting with blood.


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What a dreadful experience. However, please don't tar all riding school horses with the same brush. I was after a happy hacker last year and bought one from a riding school - they were completely honest about her and she is everything they said she was and more. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend that particular riding school to anyone.
 
Hmm I think you need to look round for somebody to come and help you for a few weeks and get you going on the horse. I do this all the time, I run a competition/breeding/schooling/dealing type yard and we get hundreds of horses like this. people buy them from the riding school where they are used to following the horse in front and are worked for endless hours a day. Quite often the new buyer has ridden the said horse for quite a few months and is there favourite horse at the riding school. When they take the horse away and start to school and hack it on its own and it is only being worked 1 hour a day instead of 5 the horse can change somewhat.
What I do I go and see the horse, I check it all over and check to see what tack they have on it and if it fits. Most of these people have already had their back/teeth/saddle etc. checked and find nothing wrong. I usually then take the horse to my yard for a week where I have the facilities to do an intense week-long schooling period and get the horse to what the owner wants. I ride in my tack and see what bit/noseband the horse goes best in. When I take the horse back I come and help the rider everyday for the first week, they often borrow my tack and bit until they get sorted with their own. I lunge them on the horse and hack out with them and give them tips etc. to make sure they carry on doing the right thing with the horse. It then usualy goes down to me going and giving a lesson once a week or two weeks until they are confident and capable of knowing what to do on their own.

Try and see if there is somebody that can offer you a service like this in your local area, there are quite a lot around, just make sure you get a decent one with qualifications and good experience with all types of horse!!! Good Luck!!!!!
 
It might be that he now thinks that any saddle will hurt if the first one was too tight - why not try a simple re-backing procedure?

Stop riding and lunge him with the saddle on each day - at the end of each session stand him by a mounting block and lean gently on the saddle with lots of praise and pats. Each day build up the weight until you are able to lean your whole body across the saddle. As long as he is happy with this you should now get a friend to lead you around on a 20m circle with you lying across the saddle. You should always wear a hardhat and have someone on hand to hold his head and pat lots throughout this process. If he is calm and happy try sitting astride the next time, but then get off again so that he sees that you being on him is not increasing your demands of him. And so on and so on until you are able to ride him about calmly. If you do this calmly and sensitively this process should be completed within a fortnight - if it isn't, he has more problems than you'll be able to deal with.

Also this should all be done on a safe surface like a school or field - definately don't try to get on in the yard!!

I had to do this on my horse after a lengthy lay-off and it was wonderful to see the relief in his face that I was giving him the time to figure out for himself that everything was ok. Now we have a better bond than ever.
Good luck, what ever you decide!
 
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