Should I sell my horse?

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horserider0912

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Hi, I have a 14.2 cob. He's a gelding and is 15 years old. He is really good riding out and I trust him with my life on the road. He rides out in company but won't ride out alone. His ground manners are really bad. He barges through the stable door when you open it, inpatient, kicks out at the hose pipe, nudges you when you are doing his rug up, refuses to do anything in the school unless there is another horse with him. When I take him hunting he pulls all the way. Barges through the field fences and managed to get into someone garden!Hes not on any feed at the minute so not sure where he gets his energy from. Is this just a typical cob? Thanks for reading!
 
Without meaning to sound harsh but who do you think would buy him:confused:

Can you get some help to deal with his bad manners, a firm hand and regular routine with some ground work could make a lot of difference to his overall behaviour. It sounds as if he has no respect, cobs can be opinionated and need clear boundaries that you should set.

In order to sell, if that is what you decide to do, he will probably need to be showing better manners otherwise a buyer is most likely to walk away.So I would get some help before making a decision it may be that he becomes ideal for you.
 
How long have you had him? My horse was exactly like this when I got him and for the first 18 months- he isn't a cob, he is andalusian x so just as opinionated and pigheaded! And a ridiculously good doer. He had also done some strange method of groundwork which I didn't understand! So we were both confused.
Is there anyone that can help you with groundwork? Mine was so bargy and rude he would barge through people AND barriers (he pulled a half a barn wall down once!). I found when I got serious about groundwork and respect, with the help of a sensible experienced friend, it made a massive difference to his behaviour. He started to realise the world didn;t revolve around HIM and so his behaviour really improved AND he started hacking out alone.
The hacking thing, the barging and the pulling are all linked when horses are so ill-mannered. I found reading Michael Peace helped and followed many of his groundwork techniques. He works on the premise that non-compliance leads to being made to work which makes sense to cobby/native types who tend to try and avoid hard work. You need to reward as well as reprimand. Also read 'Horses never lie' by Mark Rashid - that really taught me what sort of leader my horse needed ie calm and persistent.
It took about 6 months to get my horse to really start respecting his boundaries (physical and behavioural) but he is tons better now, and much calmer, happier and more self-confident. He still has his argy bargy moments but I just quietly remind him who is boss and he accepts that. I am also very, very positive with him when he behaves well. He just needed teaching manners in a way that he understood. Whether other techniques work for other horses, I don;t really have the experience to know, but I do know what worked with mine. It is hard work being persistent but it pays off.

In terms of his energy levels, are you restricting his grazing at all? Mine has a greenguard muzzle so he can live out with his friend.
 
I agree with the above, hard work and time will sort him out, but youneed instruction, otherwise you will accept half measures, and for him, he needs to be told there are no half measures, he has to do what is asked and do it as and when you tell him, this needs sorting out.
I would send him for re-schooling, he needs to be handled every day in a disciplined way as he is not behaving himself, what is his background, and what is yours, even ex school ponies can take the P~~~~ if they are left to decide their own boundaries.
Is it possible he was a driving cob in the past, in which case this might suggest an alternative career.
As loving owners we don't tend to ask this question unless there are real issues, and mis -matches do occur particularly with first time owners.
 
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Was he like this when you got him? Reading back through your posts you are quite young. Is he the first horse you have owned? I ask because we sometimes make mistakes with our first horses - I know I made many - and the trouble is, you don't keep them in line just once or twice and thats it, you have a stubborn, opinionated cob who has turned into a little swine. I had one!

Is there anyone on your yard who can help you out and show you what you need to do to correct his behaviour? You really need to be consistant I'm afraid, it is mentally (and physically) tiring but worth it in the end.

However, only you know if your lad is too much for you to handle, I wish you the best whatever you decide, but if you do sell him please let any prospective buyers know his worst - I'm sure you wouldn't want him getting passed from pillar to post.
 
I second the reading recommended by Noblesteed, both MP and MR have a lovely quiet but firm attitude and I have seen them work wonders.

If you go onto the Intelligent Learning website (Kelly Marks) there is a directory of approved trainers around the UK who will come out to you and help with your "rude" cob. I would give one of them a ring and discuss it with them.

I think you will struggle to sell him if he is as naughty to handle as you say!
 
Tammytoo said:
I second the reading recommended by Noblesteed, both MP and MR have a lovely quiet but firm attitude and I have seen them work wonders.

If you go onto the Intelligent Learning website (Kelly Marks) there is a directory of approved trainers around the UK who will come out to you and help with your "rude" cob. I would give one of them a ring and discuss it with them.

I think you will struggle to sell him if he is as naughty to handle as you say!
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No 'like' button - but wholeheartedly agree, we had an intellegent horsemanship person out to out TB several years ago. Well worth the money as we have used the skills learnt on a number of horses, including a rude young cob and a companion pony who was with us for 18 months. The pony in particular was good ridden but had learnt to be such a git on the ground it rendered him unsuitable for children. After 18 months of firm consistent handling he was perfect and the owners were able to sell hime easily when they had him back.

Good luck whatever you decide
 
Actually, if I were looking, I'd buy him. Yob cobs are my soft spot. I love them, and they are so fixable.
You need help from someone who can show you how to teach him how to be a perfectly well mannered boy. By working on your leadership skills, it will have a direct effect on improving the ridden issues.
As others have said, read Micheal Peace and Kelly Marks, and if possible find a mentor who can help you turn things around. Cobs are generally very astute and good at reading who's in charge. If they don't think their owner is, they tend to take on that role themselves. You don't need to be bossy, just consistent and fair. He's not daft, he can become a model citizen with a little change in direction.
 
it's not acceptable behaviour. I have a cob who was a bit of a yob on the ground when i bought him. 3 months later and he is remembering his manners, it just takes being firm but kind and consistent and they respond incredibly.
 
Agree with everything said so far. You just need some help, time, patience and firmness.

He may always be a bit headstrong in the hunting field. But I think all the other problems are eminently fixable with some professional help.

I hate to think of him being sold. As a 15-year old with no manners and no brakes, who's going to want him? You'll get peanuts, IF he sells, and he'll have a very uncertain future.

My current cob has lovely manners on the ground, but I've had two very bargy, ill-mannered TBs in quick succession who had no manners whatsoever. It took time to sort them - I've been around horses a very long time so knew what I considered acceptable, and got it - but one even pushed me backwards into the trough, if that's any consolation to you! Persevere. Inside your fella there's a nice horse waiiting to come out.
 
I have had him 2 and a half years! I'm 16. I think I did make a mistake when I bought him
and don't think he's the right one for me. He was the second horse I viewed to buy. The first one was completly mental and bucked me off. Lol. I was thinking about sending him away for re-schooling but isn't he a bit old to change his ways. I have had people attempt to help me but no one really has the time. I am trying my best but I'm losing my patience with him.
 
No, he's not too old to change his ways. I think its such a shame that you haven't anyone to help you and to show him how to be a mannerly, all round riding horse.

If you don't have the heart to turn things around, and sometimes, horse and owner just don't click as a partnership, do one thing for him. Be very careful who you sell him too. He deserves a home with someone who can see the horse he could be, and has the time and expertise to make it happen.
There are people out there who would do this. Selling him to a novice who just wants to kiss his nose and earn his love by feeding treats would be a disaster for him.

You are young and you will have learnt more since having him than you realise, but even so, before buying another horse, develop your skills with handling and training by offering to help/work in your spare time at a professional yard or RS. It'll give you a better chance of success with your next partnership.
 
Ok. I could send him away for re-schooling but that will be expensive. I don't know what sort of horse I would be looking for if I was to get another one. He has actually improved since I had him. He wouldn't load, be clipped, pick his feet up. He does all that now so he hasent been a complete disaster since I have had him. His last owner was the same age as me so he's never really had a experieced horse owner.
 
If its any help the best thing I did was to take my horse to a new yard. I know that people are well-meaning but I found I was bombarded with so much advice on a busy livery yard that I didn't know what to do. I was also made to feel like a complete idiot by certain people who scoffed at my attempts to teach him to lead properly. These people (including my instructor) also told me to sell my horse, but I was determined to at least try to sort him out.
I moved to a private yard on a farm where an acquaintance had a space - she has been fantastic in helping me and I found with less people around I could focus on my relationship with my horse. There was no grumbling YO complaining about his bad behaviour, just either me or my friend handling the horse so we were able to ensure we both gave the same response to his actions. Yes I sacrificed the social side of the livery yard as well as the all-weather arena BUT my horse has gone from little monster to a go-anywhere, bombproof, trustworthy treasure who is now worth his weight in gold to me, and a horse I will never part with! No-one from the old yard can believe how different he is and how much more confident we both are. I am sure, as people have said, that there is a lovely horse inside your little monster but you DO need to find someone, either a friend or an instructor, to help you work out a strategy for addressing his issues. And that person might not be at your yard.
 
Also I don't think reschooling him will sort out your issues with him, certainly not if he has to be sent away from you. It sounds like it is your relationship with your horse that needs working on. Can you find someone to come out and work with you both?
 
horserider0912 said:
Ok. I could send him away for re-schooling but that will be expensive. I don't know what sort of horse I would be looking for if I was to get another one. He has actually improved since I had him. He wouldn't load, be clipped, pick his feet up. He does all that now so he hasent been a complete disaster since I have had him. His last owner was the same age as me so he's never really had a experieced horse owner.
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I had the feeling that you'd made some headway with him since he came to you. Its difficult to stand back and be objective sometimes and see how far you've come.
Has something happened recently that has made everything seem worse or has someone else got a horse and seems to be doing all the stuff you'd like to be doing ?

Noblesteed's advice about moving to a new yard is a good one, if its suitable for you. On a new yard, you'll no longer still be the 14 year old with a new cob, you'll be the experienced teenager who knows her horse inside out. A fresh start with new people who see you as you are now.
 
I do think you need to be part of the reschooling process, rather than sending them away. I was a similar age to you when I had a young TBXcob mare who was bargy and bolshy and would buck and rear. She was my second horse, but I'd only had my other mare three years and although green she was an angel.

I sent my cob mare away to be broken for three weeks and she was fab for a month after that - but I went to uni and she wasn't worked in the meantime. I came back and she had turned in to a 'yob' again. We sent her away for 6 weeks to a guy who trained racehorses who reckoned he could school her, spent £350 for 6 weeks grass livery and work, and when she came back she was no better.

I was lucky enough to have a friend who had been in Ireland working as a stablehand and she came over every week and showed me some ways of instilling confidence in my horse in accepting me as her leader - we used Join-up as part of the process, and the results were magical.

I found she responded really well to a structured routine, so doing everything in a certain order, and I did have to communicate with her constantly to remind her I was still there, and still taking charge. I second anyone who suggests intelligent horsemanship - try getting hold of a copy of Kelly Mark's books, they explain things really well.
 
Ok. That's exactly what I'm worried about. I don't want to pay out all the money and send him away for him to come back the way he is. I can't really move yards cos it needs to be in walking distance as I'm only 16 and can't drive. He actually does join up in the school and he follows me around. Lol
 
What part of the country are you? If you post your general area i.e. nearest town, then someone could recommend a good trainer who would be prepared to come to you.
 
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