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Parkranger

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So after the last couple of months with Ty I've been seriously questioning our future. Been talking to a few people and have a few options.

There's a trainer near to us who's retrained quite a few horses, she's used to retraining ex racers and will do it for a good price - so I'd send him away for a while, get him retrained then have him back. I'm guessing we'll either be ok or he'd still have to go - atleast I'd have a horse that was well schooled etc.

Or I could speak to a local dealer I know of who's also an International Showjumper - they reschool then sell to good homes.

Or I look for a sharer and muddle on myself. I'm just aware that I don't have the knowledge to get him to the level he needs to be at.

One of the girls on the yard lunged him last night and it was amazing to watch - I can't remember what the technique is but she was using her body to lunge him - kind of like MR join up - after 5 mins he was really responding to her.

God, what to do! He's a great horse but has a muppet owner, who in hindsight would probably be better with a schoolmaster who won't punish her for her silly mistakes!
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The only reservation I ever have about people sending horses away is when you get them back, you slip back to where you were before.

While hes away, if he goes, I would suggest getting lessons with the person reschooling him, and carry on these lessons afterwards.
 
Sending horses away to be schooled by quality riders is not cheap, don't forget that whatever you pay the person for their work; that's money that really you are losing from the money you take for him.

Given his blindness, the fact that he is incredibly green, doesn't really jump, hasn't really done anything, has had lameness issues (if I recall? Hock or something?), won't be shod (and can be fairly dangerous in this respect?), and isn't safe out hacking (understood the other day was a one off perhaps but even still)- he's really worth very little indeed (no more than £1k IMHO, less if the lameness is still an issue) and I don't know that you would make back the money you spent on the schooling unless you were to spend a huge amount, which would kind of defeat the object.

Sorry if that sounds harsh but having been in a similarish situation myself this year I wish I had cut my losses sooner than I did.

I'm no expert, can only speak from my own experiences but if I was you I would send him to the dealer (provided he is reputable), ask him to do enough with him to get him sold, forget about the money and concentrate on finding him a home where he will be well loved and looked after.
 
There are several things to consider. From what you have written, it sounds as if he is perhaps not the horse for you. Would you say you have bonded with him? Do you need a horse to give you confidence? Ex-racers are notoriously varied - some adapt to new things with little trouble, some seem to forget their new life and panic when out alone etc. Is he bright? I have no idea of your riding/schooling abilities, but ex-racers are often best schooled by someone who understands their issues, and what goes into undoing their earlier training. To be brutal, there are hundreds of thousands of horses in the UK, if he is not the one for you then look again. The right one is out there somewhere.
 
Agree with what lzt has said.

I remember when you first started posting and you were coming back into riding after a long break - you then bought a green, one eyed 8 year old ex-racer for yourself. I'm afraid it probably wasn't the most sensible decision. You've since had riding problems, he's been fairly dangerous out hacking and you are (from what I can make out) losing your confidence and not bonding with him. I know GTs was a bit blunt yesterday (that's his way) but I do think he made some very valid points. I would cut my losses now and find a good home for him with someone who wants a project. I wouldn't pay for him to be reschooled and then sold - on this sort of horse you'll never cover your costs - you'll probably find that you spend more in re-schooling him than you would eventually get for him. If re-schooled he won't be worth much more than about £1500. People can go direct to a trainer and buy a green project for less than £1000. If the person you send him to is any good then why is it cheap? Sorry alarm bells start ringing.

Find yourself a steady schoolmaster for a couple of years. If you then decide you want something with a bit more about it to go and compete a bit more seriously then a good schoolmaster will sell on easily and quickly and you won't lose any money on it. It's best to admit that you've possibly made a mistake in buying this horse before you end up losing your sonfidence completely or injuring yourself or worse, someone else.
 
Aww - that all sounds so tough and I don't really know the background but I'm afraid I agree. Unless you have fallen madly and deeply in love with him and stayed that way ever since you have had him then I'd cut your losses as soon as possible and get something to make you feel good with your riding and with him. That's what I'd advise you to do if you were my daughter.

Just on the off chance though that he's the only horse you've ever wanted then send him away and get yourself some good training whilst he's away and then some training with him when he's back - it won't come cheap and it'll be damned hard work but if he's the only horse for you then that's the only way to go!

Best wishes whatever your decision - and I do appreciate that it's a toughie.
 
totally agree with alot of what's been said here.

Just to clarify though, he was sold to me from a riding school where he was bombproof, apparently 12 and wasn't blind so unfortunately I was diddled!

He's a lovely horse but our bond is slipping now - there's alot of people who want to get their hands on him at the yard and help me reschool but I do think that our bond is slipping a bit.

He is very intelligent and picks things up quickly so in the right hands I think he'd do well. He's also very handsome (and no I'm not being bias everyone says it!) with great paces.

TBH, if someone came up to me now and said, here's £800 I'll take him and bring him on, I'd probably have their hands off!

Agreed, i need a schoolmaster, unfortunately that was what Ty was sold to me as and I had ridden him a good 5 times so what was I to do?

x
 
It's tough and I'm sorry if I was a little blunt in my post - it does sound as if you were diddled a little. The trouble with TB's is that they can be absolute saints most of the time but they will always have that little sharpness. A good one will be loyal, try hard and do anything for you - but they also have another side to them. Some show this more often than others. When the adrenalin kicks in then there's no reasoning with them - that's how they've been bred. If a TB gets summat in it's head it'll keep going until it drops dead. I have a little TB ex-racer and he is fab, a great temperament but he is definitely not a novice ride as he can be sharp and he has bolted with me a couple of times (a long time ago) and he kept going until he ran into a hedge! I would never say a TB is a schoolmaster unless it was for a particular discipline at a reasonable level. As a confidence giver it would be extremely rare to find a TB (an ex-racer at that) that would do just that. I know there are always exceptions to the rule.

Accept a good offer on him and be prepared to either pay quite a bit more for a true schoolmaster or be prepared to loan something for a while - plenty of horses out there looking for a home for a bit.
 
Horses at riding schools tend to be a lot more lively when you get them home, they have a lot more work than a normal person will ever give them and they always perk up. So don't beat your self up over that.

It does cost a lot to either re school or have a horse on selling livery -at least £125/week. If you do have him re schooled and you get him back he probably only needs to do one bad thing and he'll knock your confidence again and you'll be back to square one and several hundred pounds poorer. If you have him on selling livery the diference in money won't be worth it.

I would try him cheap to sell, he obviously has good points as everyone on your yard likes him so I would try an advert and see what happens.

Once you have made a decision as to what to do you will feel a lot better and horses are like boyfriends if you fall out with them and then they get replaced by someone new you love the next one just as much as the first one - even more if it does what you want.
 
I haven't followed all of your posts, sorry, but have got an idea of the problems/issues you have encountered with your horse and it must be dreadful for you.
I know this will sound very cliche but I really think you should go with your gut instinct - you know your horse and if you think he'll come good with the correct reschooling then it has to be worth trying if you can get it done at a reasonable price.
I do, however, agree with S_V that in hindsight if you're novice/returning to horses after a long break then a TB was never the obvious choice of horse for you but as you say you were hoodwinked a little.
At the end of the day I think if you can't see a future for you both together even after reschooling the fairest thing on both of you would be to find the horse a fantastic home and buy something more suitable for yourself before you lose your nerve.
As regards the advert on Horsemart I would be very wary - the horse sounds fab but IMO too cheap for what he is meant to be.
Good luck with whatever you decide
 
I don't particularly need a novice ride, that's the annoying thing. Just not something that's going to bronco me off when he doesn't want to do something!
 
There are loads of nice horses around that you can enjoy which aren't complete dobbins and you feel safe on. You should be able to findsomething that can do RC dressage/jumping that could get you back into the swing of things. You would have loved my old horse, I sold him as his limit was 1.10, brilliant up to that height and totally safe, you don't have to go for something that is a novice ride just something that is honest, straight and wants to help you out.

If you do decide to get a new one, sell yours first as the worse thing is being stuck with 2 horses.

Such a shame it has gone a bit wrong as I remeber how excited yuo were when you first got him. Can you get any of the money back due to his blindness?
 
Working on that at the moment and will carry on doing so....

God, it's such a hideous decision to make - I'm starting to get teary but I know what is the best option.....
 
Realistically he is going to be hard to sell, putting money into having him re-schooled will not bump his value up by much and end up costing you the earth for a decent trainer. Do you have regular lessons with him and feel like you are progressing? If it is just a riding issue and you enjoy everything else about him then I would invest in good quality lessons from someone who can get the best out of you both, that way all the money you are putting in benefits you too. However if he has really knocked your confidence and you don't enjoy riding him then I would sell him sooner rather than later. But beware many dealers won't touch him with a barge pole and the ones that will take him off your hands will offer you peanuts and probably sell him to another unsuspecting person, so you may find it easier to loan him that way you still have some control over his future. Its a tricky situation, but there are lots of fun horses out there which makes it more saddening when people stick with a horse that doesn't suit them. Good luck whatever you decide.
 
I think I could possibly sell him for under £1000 through word of mouth....

We were having lessons but after various issues his work has slowed down. I also think he's just not a winter horse as a few aren't....not really much good for someone who wants to hunt one day!
 
In reply to your original question...you could get an RA out... who will "train" the horse and also yourself, so that the two of you can form a better bond. What's the point of sending him away to be schooled by an independant person who will school him to their liking..which maynot be to your liking, and you will be handing over hard earned money to someone who will be able to ride your horse.... surely the end result is for you to be able to ride your horse without any probs?

OR...you could advertise him on the project horses website, so he will get a good knowledgable home who knows he has issues.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I think I could possibly sell him for under £1000 through word of mouth....

We were having lessons but after various issues his work has slowed down. I also think he's just not a winter horse as a few aren't....not really much good for someone who wants to hunt one day!

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Its sounds to me as though you have reached a decision, if you are happy with the price then I really would consider selling him now rather than wasting money that can be invested into a new horse. Also if they know him and his problems then your conscience is clear that they are fully aware of what they are getting.
Buying horses is such a minefield isn't it?! Good luck.
 
[ QUOTE ]
In reply to your original question...you could get an RA out... who will "train" the horse and also yourself, so that the two of you can form a better bond. What's the point of sending him away to be schooled by an independant person who will school him to their liking..which maynot be to your liking, and you will be handing over hard earned money to someone who will be able to ride your horse.... surely the end result is for you to be able to ride your horse without any probs?

OR...you could advertise him on the project horses website, so he will get a good knowledgable home who knows he has issues.

[/ QUOTE ]

Err, sorry to be stupid but what's an RA? That sounds like an option definately.
 
An RA is Recommended Associate..... you mentioned in your original post that someone on your yard lunged using body language... and the initals MR..which i presume to be Monty Roberts? you can find a list of RAs on Kelly Marks website and also the nearest one to you.

RAs have done a course to learn the way of Monty Roberts, and though i am a fan of his as well as other people i still use what works for my horse which maybe some of Monty's and some of the kid next doors, so to speak...
 
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