Tell me your 'new horse started out bad turned out good' stories

Jill Crewe

Jill Crewe

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Feeling uncharacteristically down in the dumps. Bought a new horse just over a month ago from a friend of a friend - when I tried him out he was great, I knew he needed work on his schooling but that was fine. Since buying him I realised that his teeth were in a bad way and am still sorting them out (one had to be removed due to periodontal disease) and he was quidding really badly. So I felt reallly sorry for him and am still going through the process of sorting his mouth out for him - poor lad.

At the weekend I took him for a hack and he was like a different horse - kept bucking and tanking off in canter (on road and track) to keep up with the horse in front (at one point my friend had to put her horse across the track as a barrier!). Just had no control of the thick necked welsh section tank ;)

I know that there may still be pain issues with his mouth or conversley that he may be feeling the best he's felt in years now his mouth is on the mend - and that his whole environment/life has changed as a result of the dental work and changing yard.

I know that I need to put in lots of schooling, start again from scratch, possibly try a stronger bit to give me safety and confidence until schooling is improved. I've been reading old threads on here all day to get advice.

I just feel a bit disheartened because it's not what I signed up for...I don't like feeling sorry for myself like this as I'm normally an optomist. So please cheer me up with your stories where you started up feeling hopeless and now after some hard work have a horse that you wouldn't change for the world.
 
Not got a story to tell as such but did feel huge sympathy - you start off with such high hopes and end up thinking what the hell have I bought!

In fact only one of the many horses I have bought have behaved brilliantly from the word go. I remember despairing of several - one was a pony I bought that we tried at theirs and ours, came via a recommendation from a friend, and it promptly spooked and span at a trotting pole (!) just as my parents arrived to see precious grandchild on new pony, then on floor in tears having bashed her head on the terrifying trot pole. My parents were quite up for reporting me to social services!

He did improve but we had to go back to serious basics and I always say only semi-joking that he had an equine nervous breakdown over changing yards - at one point he wouldn't leave his stable, and it was just sheer terror, he couldn't cope with the change and it took 6 months before he really began to trust us.

Back to yours - can you perhaps cut out hard feed for now, or change hay/haylage to a lower sugar one, just to give you a chance to get to grips with him?

I think it probably is a case of him feeling good as you say, his mouth feels great, everything is new and strange and changing yards really can affect some horses hugely.

I'd be sticking to slow hacks with a friend who is willing to babysit you in walk for as long as it takes :)
 
In February I took over the ride of a 10 year old WB X. He had been "quirky" since he was backed and I had watched him turn himself inside out a few times with a previous rider - his rider walked out on him (unsuprisingly) and for some reason I piped up that I would ride him.

I spent 2 months making every excuse possible not to ride him. When I did I just sat and clung onto his breast plate. It was horrendous and I really wished something, anything, could spare me having to ride him :o

He had had a sacriliac problem previously that had been treated but I felt he was still weak in that area so we came to a compromise. We alternated lunging and riding, working all the time getting him stretching down and working long and low right over his back to really build his topline, and he started to improve.

THEN just as I thought he was turning a corner he lost the plot again one week and we were back to square one.

Slowly step by step we built up again and with every tiny step I built a tiny bit of confidence and he got to know me.

Now I am competing him in dressage at novice working towards elementary, we pop round little clear rounds when the RC based on the yard run one (I am a pansy so they are tiny, much to his disappointment!) and we go hacking......and we are both finding enjoyment. He is learning to enjoy working and I am learning to enjoy working with him!

In February I would never have believed you had you told me I would be taking him out for a hack or jumping him....let alone competing him.

Keep plugging on, even if its hard and its scary, it makes it SO much more worthwile when they come good and the relationship builds. :)
 
Me! Mine was not a good boy at all. Bought him at 4, he was quirky, kicked, bit, napped, bucked, and was generally awful.

Fast forward 4 years (and 3 were awful!), and I love him to bits. Still quirky, but pretty much a good boy now!
 
I had a 5yr old, 15.1hh mare on a months trial - with prior knowledge that she hadn't been sold previously as she tended to buck and bury her riders in the ground. Unfortunately in that month trial I sat on her twice as I didn't have a saddle that fitted. I still bought her. It took over 18 months to have something that was sane enough to hack, school and jump a little. She used to try and go hacking as fast as possible, if I took a contact then she would violently sling her head up and down (had teeth and back checked) I now know it is her reaction to stress which has seriously lessened over the years.
However in that time she has only ever bucked me off once and then she stood and shook. That was a good 2 or 3 yrs after I bought her and don't know what caused it.
We are still together 9 yrs later. Given she is a 7/8ths TB x, and little, she is doing some very good dressage, she'll jump round a 3'6 sj course and if I had the b****cks she'd happily do BE at intermediate. Yes life may have been easier if I had never met her and her tension issues but I have done far more on her than I ever thought I would. Her sire was Bandmaster and I've heard lots of stories about how BM mares are not sane. She is but you just need to find the right buttons to press - good luck X
 
A few months after we'd bought knobberpony,she started to refuse to be led.She'd plant and then rear up if you pressured her.It took me 40 minutes once,to get her in from the field.I was at my wits end with her and came on here seeking advice.Although she was good under the saddle,I thought that there was no way I'd ever be able to let my girls lead her around.We tried everything,but if she wasn't moving that was that-show her the whip and her hooves would be whistling around your ears.After speaking to the first person in her passport,I found that she had past form for this.She was so bad,that when they sold her,her next owners couldn't bring her in at all and had to get the old ones to do it.:eek:

We got over it,the poor old girl was anxious as she didn't see me as being in charge,and within weeks,with a bit of hard work,she got her confidence back.She is a dream now,the girls catch,lead and load her,and the pony that had such a bad reputation stands at the gate neighing for me.The other week,she followed me across 3 fields with no headcollar or lead rope,just because she wanted to.It was hard to imagine that this time last year,I'd thought that I'd made a terrible mistake.She is with us for life now,we love her too much to ever let her go.

Best of luck with your boy.Keep us posted!
 
katehemyock said:
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At the weekend I took him for a hack and he was like a different horse - kept bucking and tanking off in canter (on road and track) to keep up with the horse in front (at one point my friend had to put her horse across the track as a barrier!). Just had no control of the thick necked welsh section tank ;)

I know that I need to put in lots of schooling, start again from scratch, possibly try a stronger bit to give me safety and confidence until schooling is improved. I've been reading old threads on here all day to get advice.

I just feel a bit disheartened because it's not what I signed up for...I don't like feeling sorry for myself like this as I'm normally an optomist. So please cheer me up with your stories where you started up feeling hopeless and now after some hard work have a horse that you wouldn't change for the world.
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Your story is really familiar to me :) friend bought a young cob who turned out to have had no schooling..not quite as advertised. What you describe is exactly what he started doing with her. To make matters worse the little s**t would be an absolute angel when I rode him. Anyhow we got him going nicely between the two of us for about two weeks anyhow lol.. Then he got really unpredictable..bucking and tanking of with her and a few others who tried to ride him. She did lots of lunging with him and his balance and paces had really improved but the bucks continued. We then discovered that his saddle was not only too small and pinching his back, but the tree had also snapped, so poor boy was misbehaving because of pain. He's now got a new saddle and is moving better and behaving a lot better. However he did tank off with me last week when we lost sight briefly of our hacking buddies. He'd never done this to me before so it seems he may have learnt a few tricks whilst playing up over the saddle :( he's a work in progress but we are getting there. It's a gradual process and he's still young.

So no, don't give up just yet. Get help with his schooling so that you have some support and continue taking lessons on a reliable horse to get your confidence back meanwhile.
 
Oh and forgot to say, we have just started jumping (albeit very little jumps!) and I took him cubbing six or eight weeks ago and he was a diamond - strong, kicky, but no bucking at all, and really good boy standing for ages in the middle of a field - never, ever thought we would get to that!!!
 
Took me over 18 months to gel with my lad. Nothing awful or anything in these months, just a bit of time and work, but he was so so different to anything I was used to owning, it just took us both a while to get a mutual understanding really. My problem, was my pony before him was my one in a million and could ride her like the back of my hand...he was just a whole different kettle of fish as was just the complete opposite to her so just wasn't anything like I was used to.

But...like my post earlier about him.....I'd never have ridden him bareback hardly before when I first got him, let alone hack completely tackless like today!!!

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=577956

He's my angel now. Hang on in there. :)
 
thanks everyone :) really helping

Rcross - didn't get saddle checked yet as he's not filled out properly due to bad teeth. but now you've said it I think I should....maybe feeling better in mouth and now he's telling me about what's next! we have a great master saddler nearby. will make the call tomorrow. better buy a lotto ticket. bloody horses!
 
i bought my stallion 9 weeks ago and tbh when i first met him i was like ermmm mum what have you bought?! he was very excited when he got off the lorry and we had to lead him a mile home which he found very exciting :o but i can understand why (had been on a horse box for 6 days stopping every 8 hours for 12 hours but he had no turn out or exercise) so he dragged me back dancing around and neighing to every horse that came into sight and doing his " im a pretty stallion" bit which i was a bit like oh god hope he settles down and isnt like this all the time!!

let him out and he charged around for a bit and wouldnt settle at all spent the first 3 weeks pacing the fence line between his field and the other horses. he also got really upset in the stable and the only thing that settled him was a radio. this lasted about 3 weeks as well.

he also has a really bad habbit of biting and he was biting me dozons of times a day and it was getting really bloody annoying! he wasnt very good to lead the first couple of times i lead him he tried to kick me and kept rearing although he stoped after he was told off although he did used to drag me towards the field then get really excited about the other horses and start messing about and whinnying.

first time i rode him he took off into gallop at a fence and wouldnt pull up and when i tugged on one rein (seriously thought he was gonna go through the fence) he reared and ran while rearing and then plunged, dropping the shoulder then whipping around 180 degrees and the only reason i was still on him was because of the spanish saddle holding me in :o he kept throwing his head up and almost smacking me in the face etc and i actually told mum i think she made a big mistake buying him as hes going to take a hell of a lot of schooling to come right as he was a bit like riding an unexploded bomb if you pushed the wrong button he would rear or take off or spin or get really frightened.

first time we hacked him out in company he was being a pain in the bum so we put him slightly behind taz and he got really stupidly excited and kept trying to mount taz and taz got frightened so we decided that he would aways be in front.

i have spent the last 9 weeks working with him both ground work and ridden. gained his trust, changed his bit a few times, got him settled and things started to fall into place.

ridden he is still exposive but he is well behaved he does what i ask although he hasnt been cantered yet. hacking he now walks behind taz without even looking, no sillyness or excitedness and he walks past other horses like they arent there. his biting is under control and he hasnt bitten me in over a week now :) he now goes out in the field and mooches about and isnt interested in the other horses and hes like a donkey to lead and i even had a 9 year old lead him along the other day! he even walks past mares without a second look.

in general he has really settled down he is a lovely horse and everything is falling into place! its going to take a long time for him to be everything i want him to be and settle for riding but its something im willing to work on as he is a really lovely horse and he is really trying very hard for me!

most of this i have never put on here tbh i think i made him out to be the perfect example of a horse when really i was just looking past incorrect behaviour because when he is good he really is amazing but it has taken a while and we have a long way to go!

dont give up yet! it does get better :) good luck!!
 
ChristmasSparkles said:
my pony before him was my one in a million and could ride her like the back of my hand...he was just a whole different kettle of fish as was just the complete opposite to her so just wasn't anything like I was used to.
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This! Had my old boy PTS last year after 16 years together. I knew him inside out. Could hack him round village bareback in a headcollar - so unsettling having a horse with no partnership in place yet.
 
Llewelyn said:
Back to yours - can you perhaps cut out hard feed for now, or change hay/haylage to a lower sugar one, just to give you a chance to get to grips with him?

I think it probably is a case of him feeling good as you say, his mouth feels great, everything is new and strange and changing yards really can affect some horses hugely.

I'd be sticking to slow hacks with a friend who is willing to babysit you in walk for as long as it takes :)
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Only hard feed he is getting is a small amount of calm and condition to give him the meds he is on from dentist work (I was told it's fine to ride)

Babysitter already employed! I've not asked for canter from him yet but it happened a couple of times on that last hack non the less!

I'm thinking about asking the dentist to put the bad tooth back in again ;)
 
I have had my current cob for 2 1/2 yrs now.

When I tried him he hadn't been in work for 6 mnths, and bucked me off when I viewed him. I changed my mind several times whether or not too buy him, then the owner offered me him on loan with view to buy.

For the first few weeks he terrified me, was very spooky and tense, difficult to mount, throwing in bronco tantrums and generally being a complete thug. I stuck to the school as felt it was safer, and had to stop myself phoning the owner on several occasions demanding instant removal of horse....something told me he would come right, but whether I would survive the journey was another matter!

Then one day I just gave myself a 'kick up the preverbial' and decided to take all pressure off him and me, and just go for lots of long slow hacks instead, and within a few months of this he settled down and we started to bond.

I found a good instructor that helped me with his flatwork, then moved onto the jumping, which despite being a heavy weight cob, was suprisingly good at.

That winter I started to hunt him, and although initially very strong and excitable, soon settled into the job. Hunting is a great thing to help create a relationship with a horse as you quickly have to learn to trust each other.

He is now the love of my life - I hunt him weekly and he has proven to be so reliable and brave, has field mastered on several occasions, and always rises to the responsibility. We have competed in sj/ode's/wh classes etc and he is always placed, also qualifying for the BHS xc championship the first summer I had him. The only thing we are still 'rubbish' at is dressage, but we were have both come to the conclusion we would rather be charging around the countryside instead!

Due to finances (or lack off!), I have decided to spend next summer season investigating our glorious Shropshire countryside by going on long hacks and fun rides, then continue to hunt as our 'discipline' over the winter months, as this is where his natural talents lie.

Every time I look at him he just makes me smile and just couldn't put a price on him x
 
I have a new horse. Had him 8 weeks but saddle only arrived today. Rode him a few times before I bought him as he was the yard I was on at the time. He bucked me off first time I rode him.

We have a bond as in I have been spending time grooming and lunging him etc. I'm hoping the ridden bond will come. We had a hack in new saddle today and although a little spooky nothing bad happened :)

He is very different from my other horse in personality and temperament and I guess it will take time for us to get to know each other.
 
It took me a good 6 months to connect with my horse and 3 yards to find the right place. It's nearly 2 years from the day when I brought him home but sadly lost him in August and he was PTS :(

Bonds can take weeks, months, years to form but when they do they are the most amazing creatures to share your life with.

Give it time and patience, you will get there but you must take the rough to get to the smooth.
 
fox had been abused before i got him so as you can imagine he had no trust in people.

i remember trying to take him a hack one day and he just spun and spun and reared and backed up and refused to leave the yard. was a total nightmare. he always dropped shoulders randomly when i was riding him, and he used to bite ad you walked by his stable and lift his leg when you walked near him, never actually kicked though. there were so many times i just thought what the hell am i doing, and wanted so badly to just give up.

now hes like a bloody blackpool beach donkey! i wish he would act up sometimes haha! different animal. will try his heart out for me, hacks totally fine, and the only time he's grumpy is like now when he's been in for AGES cos of the rain :mad: i trust him with my life, and with any one elses life when they get on his back.

it took him fracturing his leg last year for us to have a proper bond, think that was when he realised i was there to look after him, not to hurt him! and id had him 4 and half years at that point!

youll get there :) takes time and patience but i promise its worth it!
 
As a riding school rider of 18 months experience I took my cob on loan from the rescue where I volunteered. He was called Asbo Izzy because he was such a bargy b*gger! I didn't ride him before I took him (bonkers I know) but did 2 months of ground work while he was still at the rescue. He was too fat for any of their saddles. Worked him for 2 more months on the ground at new yard until could get saddle fitted. He had been in field 24/7 for 3 years and had gone a bit feral.

I was nervous and he was obnoxious, rude and didn't want anything to do with being ridden at first. Saddler apparently said to YO when she saw me ride him 'THat isn't going to end well'.

Had three lessons a week and a friend hacked him out for me. I fell off a lot, got a BP, toughened up and worked hard. He got fitter, I got more confident and started hacking him out. Then he started bucking me off in excitement in canter. I knew I had to either sort him out or send him back to the rescue - couldn't avoid cantering the rest of our lives. Took him big haylage field every night for 10 days with neck strap and held on as cantered him up the field. Walked back down, and up again. Learnt to sit his bucks and he learnt that cantering isn't that exciting. Still has a go sometimes but I quite enjoy the odd buck now.:D

It just takes work. We now have an amazing bond. We do endurance, trec, jumping, cross country, gymkhana and are aiming to do a ODE next year. I have had him just over 3 years and he is now 14. We have come so far.

Don't give up just put the hours in and get help when you need it. THere were times when I dreaded my lessons, wondering what he would try next. But with a good instructor you can work through it and improve both yourself and the horse.

Have fun!

PS - saddler is now making me a jumping saddle and is amazed at our progress. Thinks we are a different rider and horse now!
 
A year ago bought a 17h well bred 4 year old, 2 weeks later I was lying in hospital waiting on operation to remove dead muscle from back of calf, and skin grafts to cover over the mess.

Thought what the hell have I done. He threw me then trampled me crushing my leg and I got compartment syndrome, I thought I was going to lose my leg.

Fast forward 1 year, £1000's spent on professional schooling for him and lessons for me on adavenced schoolmaster we are getting on a dream, not long started BS and looking forward to a good future with him

He is my dream horse, but believe me it's taken blood , sweat and many tears.

Read my old threads for future stories :-)

Good luck xxxx
 
tiga71 said:
I was nervous and he was obnoxious, rude and didn't want anything to do with being ridden at first. Saddler apparently said to YO when she saw me ride him 'THat isn't going to end well'.

Had three lessons a week and a friend hacked him out for me. I fell off a lot, got a BP, toughened up and worked hard. He got fitter, I got more confident and started hacking him out. Then he started bucking me off in excitement in canter. I knew I had to either sort him out or send him back to the rescue - couldn't avoid cantering the rest of our lives. Took him big haylage field every night for 10 days with neck strap and held on as cantered him up the field. Walked back down, and up again. Learnt to sit his bucks and he learnt that cantering isn't that exciting. Still has a go sometimes but I quite enjoy the odd buck now.:D

Don't give up just put the hours in and get help when you need it. THere were times when I dreaded my lessons, wondering what he would try next. But with a good instructor you can work through it and improve both yourself and the horse.
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Just one word for all this - RESPECT :)


Well done, hugely impressed at your determination.
 
Ludoctro said:
A year ago bought a 17h well bred 4 year old, 2 weeks later I was lying in hospital waiting on operation to remove dead muscle from back of calf, and skin grafts to cover over the mess.

He is my dream horse, but believe me it's taken blood , sweat and many tears.

Read my old threads for future stories :-)

Good luck xxxx
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Just read through some of your threads and have to say I'm very humbled by them, I can't believe how much you have done in just a year. Your boy is lovely and very lucky to have someone that believed so strongly in him :)
 
I got my boy from a trekking centre aged 11; he'd done nothing basically but just follow the bum ahead and had never seen the inside of a school before I bought him. But he WAS a nice chap and having had him on winter loan from the centre I couldn't bear to send him back.

So I bought him; and very soon he began to think he was on a good billet and started showing his Rooney side; he'd nap and try to spin around if he met something out hacking that he didn't fancy going past, also would try to back me into a hedge/ditch/whatever. Also had a very nasty little habit of going up on his hind legs - not a big rear as such but more of a rider-frightener.

It got to the stage where he was seriously frightening me (and he knew it) so to cut a long story short - a friend who was riding him at the time had been to equestrian college locally and she suggested he go there on working livery, which is what I did, with a view to eventually selling him on.

When he arrived at the college he was immediately assessed and they started schooling him. Amazingly, he thrived, and became a very popular horse at college. At the end of the first term the difference was amazing; he was responsive, courteous and a thoroughly nice ride in comparison to what he'd been - it was just a matter of knowing what buttons to press.

He was at college for two years and everyone loved him!!! Then he came back to me again and yes OK he CAN and does try it on but I've got an old schoolfriend who takes on horses for schooling/re-schooling and she's very willing to pop out and sort us out anytime. She always says that groundwork is the most important thing as this is where the horse learns respect and you can never do enough of it basically - so OP perhaps you need to step back a bit and rather than do ridden work, do some groundwork with yours??

Also, with mine, we turned a mare out with him; she did have a foal at some point and so isn't afraid to keep him firmly in line which is just what he needs as in the past has tended to be a grumpy git when with other horses. She does it out hacking too and basically just reminds him of his manners, so I just offer this as a suggestion.

But IMO you can't beat a skilled trainer/expert to come alongside and help because they'll have the experience and detachment to see what's going on and be able to suggest remedies: personally I'd ask around for local recommendations. I'd avoid Parelli (just my opinion) and instead be inclined to seek out an Intelligent Horsemanship practitioner as in my experience they've got the right attitude but aren't obsessive about their doctrines like Parelli people are. Sorry that sounds judgemental but not intended to be. Quite often the more quirky the horse, the more quirky the solution will be.

And em, no, I didn't sell my boy on; have still got the blighter!
 
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MiJodsR2BlinkinTite said:
groundwork is the most important thing as this is where the horse learns respect and you can never do enough of it basically - so OP perhaps you need to step back a bit and rather than do ridden work, do some groundwork with yours??

But IMO you can't beat a skilled trainer/expert to come alongside and help because they'll have the experience and detachment to see what's going on and be able to suggest remedies
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Thanks for your story and advice :) Groundwork is exactly what I have planned for tomorrow morning as he definitley needs it! So looking forward to seeing how that goes.

I've asked my friend who is also an instructor to help out with schooling, it's definitley not something I want to be doing on my own until I've progressed a bit with him. There is also another lady on the yard who is a bit braver than me - and she has offered to ride him too which I will definitley take her up on :)

I must admit I have had thoughts of 'Oh my god what the f have I gone and done' but it has literally been a month and I haven't had much time to invest in him yet. Just really didn't like the whole thing of being tanked off with on a hack - never had that loss of control before. I think part of the issue is that the friend I hack out with is on a TB and gets ahead of me all the time (but she does stop and wait for me) we've had hacks where he was fine about it (unless she disappeared round a corner) but the last hack he was just totally different and I don't want him to learn that he can get away with it. Also this is not excusable.
 
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I remember trying my horse on a number of occasions and thinking how brilliant and quiet he was, we even went on a short hack around their farm and he was perfect. As soon as he came to me, however, that all changed! Took us about 5 days to get the saddler out, the first time i asked for trot he cantered on the spot and bucked, and I wondered what on earth i had done!!! He wouldn't accept any affection, would canter off up the long side of the school, spook at his own shadow, turn and bolt back down the lanes for absolutely no reason other than he had had enough, and he had really dangerous separation anxiety from his new field mate. I remember riding outside in a paddock once and she walked past, he promptly chucked me off and pranced around the field for 15 minutes before we could get anywhere near him! And all this from a 12 year old schoolmaster! Fast forward nearly 5 years and he is almost a donkey he is so calm. It took us a long time to reach the conclusion that neither of us are really keen on hacking, but other than that he will turn a hoof to anything and really tries hard. He is now and angel to lead in from the field (he used to randomly run away, snorting) and my yard owner even described him as the perfect horse the other day! And all this was really just down to settling in, it took him a really long time (years) to like us and settle, but he's happy now and I couldn't bear to part with him. One day in the future you will look back on this and realise what a long way you have come and you will be so proud, I promise!! :)
 
Don't know if anyone agrees with me BUT I think SOME ( not all ) of " new horse started out bad turned out good " problems aren't raally about the horse being bad... It think it takes time for a horse to settle into a new environment * routine aswell as horse * rider getting time to know * trust each other.

From day one my Mare who I have couple mths ago was always super sweet but first couple mths were difficult - at times she was a nightmare to catch, also putting the bridle on was a massive ordeal - one one occasion tried to put it on in the yard * she just freaked out , thankfully she didn't hurt herself!

Mounting was another challenge, most of time she wouldn't stand still which was incredibly frustrating as for first while always had to have someone hold her which isn't ideal!! - she was fizzy * took ages to settle before being able to do any sort of work...
Also I did have a bad fall off her ( MY fault ) but got slammed into arena fence , thank god for my back protector but had bad bruising to hip and arm which set my confidence back heeps * did have doubts for many weeks about what the hell had I done buying her!!

I did ALOT of ground work and the past 2 mths we've turned a corner, she trusts me * I trust her! She now walks to me when she sees me in the field, when putting bridle on she puts her noes down to take the bit ( think she has realised Im small:) * is at the moment just coming on leaps and bounds and I just can't imagine not having her.. She is a pleasure to ride, yes the road has been challenging and she has her " Moments" but have been determined NOT to fail , have worked bloody hard and now starting to reep the rewards So much so we are ready to get out and about next mth - some dressage and hunter trials which I think is a dam good way to reward both of us for the past couple mths:D
 
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Bought my lad at the end of February. 17.3hh DWBxISH 7yr old gelding. Quiet as a lamb when I tried him. Mounted no bother, played around in the school (he was unfit and had no muscle), popped a few jumps, took him out on a hack and over a few XC jumps on the hack. He was so quiet and easy I just fell in love with him. The seller came with me on foot when I went on the hack and she held him when I mounted.

When I went to pick him up a week later I noticed a slight change in behaviour. He was slightly on edge, even in the stable. When I loaded him his eyes were out on stalks. I just got a different feel from him.

Got him home and he settled quickly. His companion mare arrived the next day and after a bit of flirting and cavorting about they settled to graze. Gave them a few days to settle and brought him out the field. The most awful few months then started. He was an absolute nightmare! He wouldn't stand to be tacked, groomed, rugged etc. He wouldn't let me on, once on he tried to b*gger off at warp speed. Took him on a hack (by myself with no nanny which was probably a bad idea) and I was just glad to get home in one piece... one sweaty stressed to the max piece. He bucked, took off, spun round, napped and behaved very dangerously to say the least.

I put the behaviour down to the fact that he'd been shipped to Ireland, to a dealer in the Scottish Borders then to me all the in space of a month so he was out of sorts. He also bonded very strongly with the mare companion and they both had severe seperation anxiety.

To cut a long story short I replaced the mare with a quiet wee gelding that didnt' mind being left alone. I got to know my big lad, got friends to come and hack with me, my partner came out with me on the quad. Things started looking up. I started to take him out and about and our confidence grew in each other.

He's now an absolute babe and I love him to bits. He has grown to have confidence and respect in me and we have a proper relationship. At one point, after around a month of owning him I seriously thought he must have been drugged when I tried him (I still believe he may have been) and I was contemplating selling him. I'm so glad I stuck with him and those few months are just a distant memory :)

Just need to add i'm not a novice rider. Have been riding for around 27 years and have worked with and owned my own horses for years.
 
katehemyock said:
Just read through some of your threads and have to say I'm very humbled by them, I can't believe how much you have done in just a year. Your boy is lovely and very lucky to have someone that believed so strongly in him :)
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Aww thanks , I feel we have come along considering in January this year I was too scared to get on him , due to the original nasty fall and following operation etc then to be thrown again of for a moment thinking id broke my back, I just thought WTF have I done here.

But I knew I owed it to the horse to at least try, he never asked me to buy him, he was not a bad lad, just too big and green for me back then when things started to go wrong I had no idea how to fix it, but with a lot of help from professionals, people used to working with young horses, with their help and support I slowly got there, 1 he was being worked by them and 2 I was travelling 180 mile round trip for lessons on this advance schoolmaster which helped me become better balanced on a big moving warmblood something I was not used too.

I have to admit, the first time I hacked him out , with a pro following me of course, I was very scared, but I had to get over it or me and his would never work, the pro was encouraging me it was all going to be ok blah blah and by time I got back to yard I felt more relaxed that was a massive mile stone, then next time we went out I was a little better and after 2 months my fear was gone, but then the monkey had a bucking fit and threw but because I knew him better I was not scared and of course because I did hurt myself that helped

Now I’m not scared at all bar the odd moment when at a show or such like when I feel him up on his tip toes back arched, all excited , but I take a deep breath and hoof him forwards with confidence and he is fine after that. LOL

But you know all this help cost me a lot of money and if I did not have had it to spend, I think id of had to sell him as I would not of managed without these people,

But id not say he was a difficult horse, he might not of been the easiest youngster, difo not for your bog standard amateur, the fault all laid with me and my aspirations to have some brilliant fancy show jumper, I had my head up my arse LOL

But things are going well now, still ALONG way to go but nothing would make me sell him now, there is not much he could throw at me now I don’t feel I could not cope with, but again I do have a good support network.

Good luck and I hope things work out for you 
 
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