Success stories?

[My_old_warmblood]

When I first bought my cob he was green and a bit mad. Bit me, dragged grown men about, threw me off, broke several stable doors, smashed a helmet, bronced about the place, reared, kicked, put me in a & e and would bolt at a pin drop.
Everyone said to give up/ get rid of him but I totally refused. I had about half a dozen instructors quit. I wrote an advert and tried selling him. Had a few views but realised no one could loved him like I did.
years on and now he’s the gentlest horse I’ve ever met. I’d let a toddler handle him and is one of those snuggly dog types. I don’t know what I’d do without him honestly, and deep down I’m still upset with those who told me to give up. It’s a good thing I didn’t as if I had I wouldn’t have kept my soulmate (sorry for all the mushiness) and ended up with some nose-to-tail donkey. He wreaked my confidence but without him I wouldn’t be the rider I am today!
anyone else had this experience where you proved everyone wrong?

 

[CMcC]

Lovely story.
I had a similar experience.
I learnt so much from that horse and took me down a whole new path.
I call him my biggest mistake and my greatest teacher.

 

[Fiona]

As a 16yo I was bought a very green bolshy 6yo welsh cob who had no manners, either handling him on the ground or in the saddle. My YO (a 18st rugby player memorably rode him once because he napped and reared going out of the yard, and thankfully a well placed smack between the ears meant he never ever did that again).

He turned into my horse of a lifetime, and we did RC/hunting and low level eventing for over 20 years before he passed away at home with me.

Fiona

 

[Bonnie Allie]

Lovely stories.

Couple of my favourite sayings from trainers.

”the difference between a horse and a good horse is just training”

”a quiet horse is not always a trained horse, but a trained horse is always a quiet horse”.

You clearly put a lot of time and quality training into your horses to get great results.

 

[mymareisaniightmare]

our mare seemed great when we first got her, but two months after moving from a home she had been at for 10 years she had colic, gastric ulcers and osteomyelitis in the space of a year! she was advertised as jumping discovery, which I saw her do with her previous owner, but when she moved it was like the confidence had been removed from both of our brains, but now we are winning at 90 cm which may not sound great but I couldn't be happier. and we got a second at our second ever prelim together after being told by her owner 'not to even try dressage because she hates it so much.' 6 months of hard work, completely changed that, and she came out with a 3rd at our first BE 80

 

[My_old_warmblood]

Thats

Lovely story.
I had a similar experience.
I learnt so much from that horse and took me down a whole new path.
I call him my biggest mistake and my greatest teacher.

so true! Sticking with it is the main thing, and they always teach you so much!

 

[My_old_warmblood]

As a 16yo I was bought a very green bolshy 6yo welsh cob who had no manners, either handling him on the ground or in the saddle. My YO (a 18st rugby player memorably rode him once because he napped and reared going out of the yard, and thankfully a well placed smack between the ears meant he never ever did that again).

He turned into my horse of a lifetime, and we did RC/hunting and low level eventing for over 20 years before he passed away at home with me.

Fiona

mine isn’t going anywhere either, the slightly crazy ones always make the best horses imho

 

[My_old_warmblood]

Lovely stories.

Couple of my favourite sayings from trainers.

”the difference between a horse and a good horse is just training”

”a quiet horse is not always a trained horse, but a trained horse is always a quiet horse”.

You clearly put a lot of time and quality training into your horses to get great results.

Thank you, those are definitely great sayings! I’m definitely very proud of him. He’s the oddest horse, you just have to trust him to do the job well with minimal interference, so I guess it’s more like he’s training me

 

[My_old_warmblood]

our mare seemed great when we first got her, but two months after moving from a home she had been at for 10 years she had colic, gastric ulcers and osteomyelitis in the space of a year! she was advertised as jumping discovery, which I saw her do with her previous owner, but when she moved it was like the confidence had been removed from both of our brains, but now we are winning at 90 cm which may not sound great but I couldn't be happier. and we got a second at our second ever prelim together after being told by her owner 'not to even try dressage because she hates it so much.' 6 months of hard work, completely changed that, and she came out with a 3rd at our first BE 80

I’m more of a dressage rider than a jumper so 90 sounds huge to me! Some of the most talented jumpers take to dressage once they realise they aren’t just running in circles and they start to enjoy it

 

[dorsetladette]

Yep - the last stallion from my parents stud. He came to my parents as a terrified yearling. Shown successfully by his breeder and then sold on to a 'rough and ready' couple who didn't handle him very well. They owed my parents a lot of money for schooling, broodmares visiting stallions etc. So he (along with a huge volume of animals) was taken to clear the debt (bit of a rescue case as they did a moonlight flit and left a yard full of ponies, cats, dogs with pups, all sorts) a lot went through the sales, but they kept this nervous little colt as he had fab breeding.
It took until he was 7 to have any success breaking him. Once we got the basics we got him out hacking and made everything a big adventure. Trot happened accidentally as he wanted to see what was round the next corner and canter the same. He was with us until the end, but he was my best mate and truly a horse of a lifetime.

I currently have another who I took on as I could see similarities in him to my old boy, but it doesn't look like this is going to be a success story - not in a ridden career anyhow. You can't win em all!

 

[My_old_warmblood]

Yep - the last stallion from my parents stud. He came to my parents as a terrified yearling. Shown successfully by his breeder and then sold on to a 'rough and ready' couple who didn't handle him very well. They owed my parents a lot of money for schooling, broodmares visiting stallions etc. So he (along with a huge volume of animals) was taken to clear the debt (bit of a rescue case as they did a moonlight flit and left a yard full of ponies, cats, dogs with pups, all sorts) a lot went through the sales, but they kept this nervous little colt as he had fab breeding.
It took until he was 7 to have any success breaking him. Once we got the basics we got him out hacking and made everything a big adventure. Trot happened accidentally as he wanted to see what was round the next corner and canter the same. He was with us until the end, but he was my best mate and truly a horse of a lifetime.

I currently have another who I took on as I could see similarities in him to my old boy, but it doesn't look like this is going to be a success story - not in a ridden career anyhow. You can't win em all!

not every horse is a success story, very true. It’s about giving them the best life they can have! He sounds like a wonderful stallion

 

[MuddyMonster]

Yes, a very similiar story with my native. Whilst I never cared about proving people wrong I just wanted to give him the happiness he deserved. A good few years on and he's happy, healthy, enjoying life and we have a good partnership - he's taken my horsemanship journey in a whole other direction than I planned - but I wouldn't change it for the world.

So very pleased for him (well, and I)

 

[oldie48]

As a 16yo I was bought a very green bolshy 6yo welsh cob who had no manners, either handling him on the ground or in the saddle. My YO (a 18st rugby player memorably rode him once because he napped and reared going out of the yard, and thankfully a well placed smack between the ears meant he never ever did that again).

He turned into my horse of a lifetime, and we did RC/hunting and low level eventing for over 20 years before he passed away at home with me.

Fiona

Daughter cured her young eventer of napping and rearing in exactly the same way, one smack between the ears and a good boot and he never reared again.