People blaming their horses past!!!

teamsarazara

teamsarazara

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Does anyone else find that people will say things like 'oh he's had a hard life' 'oh, the people before us weren't good to him so spoil him a bit' etc etc. In quite a few occasions I have known the horse before them and know they have not had a hard life. Im not sure wether they are trying to be the hero or something but it makes the previous owner/s sound horrible! Maybe it's just me but it really gets on my nerve!! Fair enough if you want to spoil your horse but I think some people need to be careful what they say about other owners!
 
Yes, but tends to be either novice owners or those who are not blessed with great intelligence! Ignore it.
 
It's my one BIG bugbear tbh. I deal with a lot of horses who have concerning pasts, and I know fine well that the only way for that horse to move on is for the owner to move on. People who constantly harp on about the hard, abused life a horse has had tend to be novicey people who don't really understand horses unfortunately ... and the horse remains in a constant state and never moves forward. Shame for them I always think when I compare them to the amazing progress made by the horses I work with.
 
Oh god it does my head in. And the people (usually those mentioned) are always the ones who have "rescued" something from somewhere. You've not rescued it love, you've paid over the odds for something that's a bit thin and badly bred because the seller saw you coming!
 
Bugs me too. One of my horses did have a rubbish past but after 5years of owning him, its time he got over it so I don't even consider it now. My friend however goes on about how all these different horses mine included have had bad pasts. Or that they were only sold as they had problems or werent any good. It's just not the case, at least one of mine came from a fab home. I agree that they can't move on unless the owners do.
 
It's fine to acknowledge a bad past or previous poor experiences which may influence the way a horse behaves '.....because they've almost been "trained" to be that way.
However...New home, New owner.....quite often means "New horse", as long as new owner manages the horse appropriately ie as a horse. Two of mine have had bad past experiences /lives as youngsters but they've never been able to use it as an excuse and have made fabulous horses.....
 
Spring Feather said:
It's my one BIG bugbear tbh. I deal with a lot of horses who have concerning pasts, and I know fine well that the only way for that horse to move on is for the owner to move on. People who constantly harp on about the hard, abused life a horse has had tend to be novicey people who don't really understand horses unfortunately ... and the horse remains in a constant state and never moves forward. Shame for them I always think when I compare them to the amazing progress made by the horses I work with.
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I agree with this. You may acknowledge the past but you need to be positive and that breeds positivity in the horse and yourself and you all move on.
 
Oh yes it grinds my gears! I always hear people saying they have 'rescued' a horse and frankly there can't be that many that have been rescued, and I love those before and after pictures were they basically brushed it and took a picture on a sunny day. I am sure if I showed them a picture of a horse who was a bit on the lean side and had a bit of mud on (from having a lovely time in the field with its friends) I could get some credit for rescuing it too!

Obviously there are plenty of legitimately rescued or horses saved from poor conditions, and those speak for themselves.
 
Ned had a really bad life before he came to us. It explains a lot of the things he does and it often means I have to spend a little longer with him than a "normal" horse.

I think it's unfair to say people who buy them are novices and don't know what they're talking about.

You can't buy a horse such as Ned and expect to get on and do everything on day 1, it takes time!
We had our ups and downs, but I'd say most of the time we progressed quite well.
 
why are people who blame their horses pasts for their behaviour novices, stupid or 'all the gear, no idea'?

I would like to think that it would be taken into consideration in certain cases.
or maybe I'm just being too soft with my old boy...?
He wasnt rescued but he had an 'interesting' few years with his previous owners and he was a nightmare to deal with when we first got him - 7 years down the line, he's still got issues that have never been resolved despite getting help from numerous professionals and not being allowed to get away with being an arse when he acted up.
Like Nah says, it can sometimes take twice as long to get something done but you have to remember why they're acting like that and try to get on with it.
Oh, and I spoil him...

So I'll have to disagree - sometimes a horse's past can be to blame.
 
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Yikes, this is me :/ I don't go on and on about it, or spoil my horse as a result, so I suppose I'm not too bad. But my horse was found tied to a bin on a motorway. He was emaciated and had a wound infested with maggots on his withers. And today he went to the Petplan Area Festival having qualified within his first two BD outings. He also events and does sj. So I do use his past as a comparison, and do point it out to say look how far he's come! I don't see the harm in that.

Also, his past was relevant, as at first I had to be very cautious tacking up as he was flinch and tense with just a saddle pad, and would not let anyone stroke his face. He can't use that excuse now though, as 99 times out of 100 he's good as gold and is anyone's friend :D

I do get annoyed when people say they "rescued" their horse when they paid money for it. That's not a rescue, that's a purchase.
 
Nah said:
Ned had a really bad life before he came to us. It explains a lot of the things he does and it often means I have to spend a little longer with him than a "normal" horse.

I think it's unfair to say people who buy them are novices and don't know what they're talking about.

You can't buy a horse such as Ned and expect to get on and do everything on day 1, it takes time!
We had our ups and downs, but I'd say most of the time we progressed quite well.
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That's what I meant when I said acknowledging his past, but you do treat him as a normal horse .....because look at what you've achieved, if you used it as an excuse there'd be none of those long-hack posts :)
There's a difference between rehabilitating a "problem" horse and using its past as an excuse :)
 
you wont hear me blaming my horses past I have had them all since they were tiny foals so any issues they were either born with or are of my making.
I do think some are born with problems though I guess some wont agree with me
 
Whilst I agree with the sentiment, I do think sometimes a purchase is a rescue. Anyone who'se walked away with one of those poor little NF foals at Beulieu Road over the last couple of years for under 20 guineas for example (assuming they weren't going to eat it). They'd be cat food else. Doesn't mean they've necessarily got problems though - and certainly not ones that will affect them for more than a couple of weeks!
 
My bug bear is almost the opposite of this. There are so many threads on here with people having issues with their horse and spending a fortune getting no where, but they can't possibly sell because he would end up in bad hands/ the meat man etc. Why? That horse will be perfect for someone else- you are not the only one that can offer them a good home!
 
Two of my horses have had busy lives, it shows in their joints, but I have no idea if they were neglected at any point. One is a bit food aggressive, that could be just his way or maybe he had to assert himself to get to a roundbale or something, when our dentist first did his teeth he remarked they didn't appear to have done for some time, so maybe he just didn't eat efficiently.

I've experienced people let a horse bomb around and become increasingly out of control and do nothing to address this and just say "oh it's an ex racer" which I guess is blaming a horse's past in a way, and its really annoying.
 
When people do it with ex-racers it especially annoys me. Even with Bee, who was genuinely unbalanced, was treated like any other horse and asked to behave as one. It would have been easy to let her be food aggressive and seriously nappy but Al worked very hard to make sure she was at least able to do basic 'normal' things.

Oddly, this strictness meant when things went from 'bit difficult' to 'dangerous' it was noticed quickly and dealt with properly rather than being passed off as just her...
 
My youngster has had a tough time of it and there are certain aspects of that I have to take into account. I understand that horses live in the here and now and 90% of the time treat his behaviour accordingly. But I do think its wrong to assume the past doesnt affect them in any way..!!! I also don't understand how that makes someone "novicey"..??
I wish for my horse to progress (and he has done massively in the last 12 months) and in doing so I am having to find ways of dealing with his anxieties etc xx
 
Well I say CF was a rescue it's because he was part of a large rescue and placed with his previous owner .
He hates being shut in anywhere if he thinks you are leaving whether he's badly behaved or remembering something I don't know .
He also has badly worn front teeth from chewing wood when he was hungry.
 
I did buy a horse who was in really poor condition once, he was very very hungry, and would eat anything (once he ate a shredded paper bed). I would have described him as a compulsive eater, during his first year here, as he couldn't quite believe that the source of food wouldn't dry up. Now that was a hang up I could quite easily ascribe to the hungry years he'd been through.
Once he'd been here a year this all settled down and his appetite was normal from there on. So in a way I agree with you OP, as I do see what you are getting at, but on the other hand I disagree, as there are times when events in a horse's past can affect their future
 
It bugs me that there is always an excuse whether its teeth/feet/saddle/back is out, sometimes a horse just needs a smack and be told to get on with it.... :p
 
I actually think it's the opposite to what most people have put on here....I think those who have a horse that's had a traumatic past but expect them to forget and move on are the ones that don't understand horses! Horses never forget. I've had several horses that have have awful pasts, one who I've had for 10 years and I'm certain he's never forgotten his past! A man still wouldn't get near him in the field, and he goes to the back of the stable with people he doesn't know. He panics if you move towards his head too quickly, and still isn't happy with others touching his ears. Whilst he is much much better, you have to do things slower with him, take you're time etc, if you rush him he loses the little confidence he's eventually got!! It's not an excuse, just like being an ex racer is not an excuse. It's a reason. They are all expected to behave, have manners etc but IMO you do have to act accordingly round them, mine really does have mental issues bless him but its so rewarding when he takes a step forwards. Being an ex race horse doesn't give a horse the right to walk all over people, or be evil to feed etc, but there are race yards out there that don't give the horse the benefit of the doubt and walk straight into stables from day one with a whip, why should the horse give us the benefit of the doubt if we don't treat it the same way?
 
Pie had a bad start to life, when I bought him he resembled a toast rack and had numerous behavioural problems both ridden and on the ground. I was a relatively novice owner back then but I always said his past is a reason for his behaviour but not an excuse for it to carry on.
I do admit I sometimes carp on about what he was like back then - but mostly because I am so proud of how far we have come. The horse I was once told should be shot as he'd never come good, has in fact come so good that people compliment him on his manners on the ground, and he has qualified for Cricklands next spring!
 
I usually forget that my boy came from an iffy past and was a rescue (not by me though) as he's such a star most of the time!
But I do get reminded of it - he was found shut up in a shed, think small area, no sunlight ect. And this has had a knock-on effect on how he perceives small spaces, he hates the majority of stables (unless they have multiple windows and are quite bright and airy) and hates the washbay as he can't turn around in it so I usually tie him up next to it and wash him off from there.
I know people are thinking "just get on with it" but I'd rather him be happy and relaxed stood next to the washbay than tense and stressed inside it.
I have to say that he has his moments being handled and ridden but all thoughts of "oh poor rescue pony" go out of my head as he's been with me for a year now so I just think "stop being a little ****!"
 
Equine lover, my previous mare was a proper court case neglect, one of the worst the prosecution had seen. With correct handling she turned out to be a completely normal horse and had a lovely life. I didn't feel the need to bang on about her past and neither did she. I doubt many horses claimed to be rescues by their owners suffered as much as that mare did.
 
WHile it it sometimes used as an excuse for bad behaviour there are times when a horse's past treatment has a huge influence on their current behaviour - we picked my tb up at a sales where he was very thin (maybe a 1.5), covered in cuts and bruises with an infected wound on his tail head, had no hay or water for the entire day and wore a hole in the concrete where he was teid weaving as he was so stressed out. We did not intend to buy anything that day.
We had no information on his past at all but it became apparent very quickly that he had been well thumped on a regular basis. To start with if you lifted a hand too quickly he would jump a mile, shouting would leave him cowering in the corner of his stable, you couldn't go near him with a whip and he was terrified of coloured poles (he had been a showjumper - I googgled his passport and found a record with Irish Show Jumping). We worked with him and he did become pretty much like a 'normal horse' and became comfortable with whips, moving hands, jumping for fun etc. There were quite a few other aspects of his behaviour that reinforced the point that at some point he had been very roughly treated but with normal handling he became a reasonably confident horse, who hardly weaved at all.
So past treatment is relevant but it shouldn't be used as an excuse to let the horse away with bad behaviour but it can sometimes influence how you have to work with that horse.
 
saddlesore said:
My bug bear is almost the opposite of this. There are so many threads on here with people having issues with their horse and spending a fortune getting no where, but they can't possibly sell because he would end up in bad hands/ the meat man etc. Why? That horse will be perfect for someone else- you are not the only one that can offer them a good home!
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^^^^^^^^ This is so common, and so true^^^^^

I have a field full of other people's problems, and they're all sound, quiet to ride and drive, and caught/handled by young children.
- an over-jumped youngster, turned away unrideable at 5 - we re-backed him at 10
- a 6 yo nervous welshy with a habitual defensive kick
- a one-balled dartmoor stallion who as a colt spent more time on 2 legs than 4.
- a couple with injuries which were cured by time and 24/7 on 20 acres of rough meadow, which keeps them moving
in addition to a classic skinny 'we bought him because we felt sorry for him' rescue, and several others bought for sub-meat money at the sales. We're not doing anything clever, but this kind of low-key home is the cure for many 'issues' which no amount of expensive quacks, gadgets and whisperers will resolve.
 
I know someone who last year bought a horse from a very novice rider (rode briefly as a child and not since), bought a 4 year old who hadnt done much (came from Ireland via a dealer). Horse spooked when said rider lost their balance and then fell off.
Rider continued to blame the horse and kept saying "When so and so threw me off" really painting horse in a bad light, sorry but IMHO it was very much a case of green horse, green rider! Its this situation that annoys me!
 
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