Tell me your stories, when the devil horse becomes good?

[kerrieberry2]

Does anyone have that horse that was once so bad that has ended up being your one in a million horse?

Kelsey when I got her at 16, chucked me on the floor, trampled on me, galloped home (on more than on occasion), almost being run over numerous times, bolted any time we hacked out in company! refused to go forward out of the yard when she was in season! wound herself up so much she started biting her tongue when we where hacking in company and made herself bleed! constantly covered in sweat, regardless of the clip! but 12 years on I wouldnt change her for the world! I love her to bits!

 

[1Lucie]

Yard owner purchased a cob with terrible manners and vvv naughty! He is now quietest safest most trust worthy horse ul ever meet!

 

[kerrieberry2]

Yard owner purchased a cob with terrible manners and vvv naughty! He is now quietest safest most trust worthy horse ul ever meet!

how long did it take to transform? was it a lot of hard work?

 

[The mad TB]

When I got Conn I couldn't hack him at all. He would rear, buck, spin, kick, squeal, bolt, bronc ect... You name it he could do it. He became dangerous to handle on the ground, rearing when tied up so that he could break free and came down about 6inches from my head when we were trying to load him. Now we happily canter about the countryside on our own with only the occasional spin and I have to drag him off the lorry :3 he's so nicely natured now, he hardly ever does anything wrong!

 

[kerrieberry2]

When I got Conn I couldn't hack him at all. He would rear, buck, spin, kick, squeal, bolt, bronc ect... You name it he could do it. He became dangerous to handle on the ground, rearing when tied up so that he could break free and came down about 6inches from my head when we were trying to load him. Now we happily canter about the countryside on our own with only the occasional spin and I have to drag him off the lorry :3 he's so nicely natured now, he hardly ever does anything wrong!

blimey, he makes my 2 sound like angels! how did you manage to over come all of that? but well done, I'm sure it was really hard work!

 

[LittleGinger]

The little ginger pony used to bronc like a rodeo horse rather than the child's pony he was supposed to be.
He was an absolute loon and almost got us thrown off our first yard after YO kept a diary and counted up that I'd come off 47 times in one month (riding mostly only at weekends!). The phrases "knackers' yard" and "I could just call the hunt if you like" were uttered in hushed tones on a regular basis too, especially when I would leave the yard wrapped up in horse bandages en route to A&E.


However, he got to 7 and it was like someone flicked a switch in his head. He seemed to just mature, almost overnight.

He is my horse of a lifetime - wouldn't swap him for the world and he has made me fall head over heels with Welsh cobs!

In the past five years or so I've had to give up two loan horses - both of which were beautiful, successful show horses (one Connie X and one warmblood) which were much younger and bigger, much more suited to what I wanted to do... But when it got to a point where I only had time/money for one there was never any doubt which one I would hang on to! I think our mutual near death experiences have somehow meant we've bonded properly - both loan horses were 'perfect' but although I liked and respected them I never loved them like I do Ginger!

 

[Serenity087]

My Carrie was a demon horse, rearing like a demon every time someone mounted her, refusing to be stabled, refusing to go near our other pony, then refusing to be apart from him, spooking at anything, causing numerous accidents out on hacks, it was sheer hell.

But my Mum refused to give up on her.

I think the turning point was a number of things... We found her colicing in the field in a storm and I was screaming at her over the thunder to keep her conscious... she just wanted to die... I had to punch her to keep her awake to keep her upright!

Then we found out she had ragwort poisoning and we had to lunge her every day to try and sort her out.

The horse I came out with was a one in a million (I'm very lucky, all our horses have been!) and my very best friend.

They had to hold me back to put her down without hurting me in the process because I wouldn't let her go...

 

[kellybee]

Copied from a blog post, so apologies for the length of this!!

19yrs ago I was asked to exercise a pony for a friend of a friend whilst she started uni. I was desperate for something to ride but I didn't like the pony much, basically because I didn't feel safe on him but I loaned him when I should really have said I wasn't competent enough. He was a 4yr old 13.2 bad mannered, inexperienced gelding that would tank off with me if I so much as touched him with my leg, thought grass was for galloping on and had two speeds if you excluded the sideways jog. Sometimes he scared the living daylights out of me, but I always managed to stay on.

He was lanky, underweight, had a big head, 4in cannon bones, needed 3 rugs just to stop him shivering and wouldn't tolerate being stabled overnight. So many times I nearly gave him back! He was far from my perfect pony but he was unofficially mine and I wanted so badly to be competent enough to ride him well.

6 months later, not wanting to be the girl who stood grazing her pony ringside whilst all my friends competed, we went to a gymkhana and rode in the open group. I was shaking like a leaf and he was doing wheelies on the start line. Regardless, he won everything that day based purely on the fact he was so ridiculously fast. But, I stayed on and that was a good thing! It gave me a little bit of confidence that I was lacking before. Then we started doing clear round (no brakes but bold jumper!) and before I knew it I had a shoebox full of rosettes. It wasn't about winning, it was about realising that this pony wasn't dangerous, he was just faster and more sensitive than the "safe" cobs I'd learned to ride on. The day I realised he was neck reining without my ever attempting to teach him, I had him move away from one leg then the other. He responded and we learned together at home by ourselves, away from whizzy ponies and the distractions of the show ring. I should have had lessons but the money I'd normally have spent on lessons was now going towards feed and field rent.

In March 1994, when everything was going much better and I was getting ready to start my first proper season as a member of the local show, his owner called and said she'd advertised him for sale to fund her uni fees. To say I was devastated is a massive understatement. She didn't even give us first refusal - my dad worked in a factory and my mum was a part time hairdresser. No way could they afford to buy him.

Then, on my 15th birthday (april 6th) they gave me a big framed photo of pony and I on a charity ride. I thought it was nice gesture, but it was probably the saddest moment of my 15yrs, knowing someone else would be the one who got to do all those things with my boy. I bawled my eyes out. Then my dad toook the frame off me, turned it over and showed me on the back the receipt for the pony - in my name. He'd cashed in an insurance policy.

That pony taught me so much, and we were a pair of cowboys but we understood each other and we did everything together - Pony club, Prince Phillip Cup, MGA, you name it. He was absolutely one in a million, still is!! His show name was "Daddy's Overdraft" and for good reason I should probably add though, the things I learned as a result of having that pony included how to scrimp and scrape and balance the bank account!

I'm 34 in April and he'll be 24, but we're still going strong

 

[ariellaII]

When I got my ex racer goose within about 10 days of him being ridden he threw me into the window of the viewing area of the school and I went right through it and it pretty much carried on this way for the first two almost three years with him where I would ride, he would buck/Bronk/rear/spook/take off and I would inevitably fall off. I became very friendly with the staff at my local A&E. Even several instructors told me to get rid of him but I was young, stupid and carefree and thought that he would turn into my dream horse.

He shaved his splint bone and was on box and during this time was crazy but after this he started to settle down a bit and when he got back into work he was incredible (for his standards). We then went on to do some BE and affiliated show jumping. He wasn't by any stretch an easy or a novice ride but he was my special boy who went from demon ginger goose who I was terrified of to slightly less demon ginger goose whom I adored.

 

[harveysmom]

Hi, We have owned Harvey since 2007, he came to us as a bucker and i can safely say his old owners didnt lie. I was riding him for the first 3 years but the bucking never really stopped [ it got better but it was still there] so enlisted the help of a natural horsemanship RA i can only think she red him completely wrong as for the first time ever she got Harvey rearing,i rode him 3 times after that we now had rearing before the bucking, so for now Harvey is an in-hand horse and he is very successful
I forgot to mention that Harvey at one time used to stand there and buck in-hand or tied up so the fact that he copes in the showring is progress
Whether or not i ride him again i just dont know, he is in veterans this year so he is no spring chicken.
Harvey is an old hand as he has been naughty since he was 5 years old, he has had so many homes and been through 2 horse sales he will stay with us until the end as he is a lovely boy, i think his past life has had an effect on him but still loves us humans which i feel is generous considering the scars
I feel he still deserves angel status as he still wants to try for us even though he finds it very frightening and after all he has a job in-hand showing
If anyone recognises Harvey i would love to here all you know as we only managed to trace his history back to 2003 at derby horse sales, he was 5 then
Harvey also loves visitors so if you are an old owner or friend and want to see him you are welcome [so long as you bring treats]

 

[The mad TB]

Kerrieberry2 - not entirely sure myself. A lot of blood, sweat, tears and 'I'm going to sell the bloody animal' combined with super-glue and *whispers* a big whip

Mostly I think it was just getting to know each other and our boundaries. Cheeky buck is acceptable but anything more and he gets a very quick telling off followed by lots of praise when we do something right

 

[maree t]

we took on a mare 3 years ago that was considered to be the devil in disguise. She was so hormonal that the vet was prepared to remove her ovaries. She just needed to trust somebody. We just stepped backa nd let her chill. We started on regumate as she was squirting constantly so the hair was coming off her legs. We are now at a stage of trying to rehome her as she has been outgrown and having not been ridden all through the snow she has been as good as gold so we have been able to put videos on youtube today she has only been ridden once before this . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JTo4sUKSY4

 

[kellybee]

we took on a mare 3 years ago that was considered to be the devil in disguise. She was so hormonal that the vet was prepared to remove her ovaries. She just needed to trust somebody. We just stepped backa nd let her chill. We started on regumate as she was squirting constantly so the hair was coming off her legs. We are now at a stage of trying to rehome her as she has been outgrown and having not been ridden all through the snow she has been as good as gold so we have been able to put videos on youtube today she has only been ridden once before this . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JTo4sUKSY4

Sweet little mare she came right back to the lance pole without so much as a second thought, bless her!

 

[Elsiecat]

Horsey reared on me in the road with me leading her over it to the fields.
Dragged me around the yard.
Attempted to double barrel me in the stable (4 or 5 times).
Kicked my in the menage on my knee so hard I couldn't drive home.
Charged at SIL in the field, missed, turned around, and attempted it again.
Reared on me getting her out of the field.
Bit me.
Rode along with her bucking underneath me (it seems I have a velcro arse, I made her keep working.)
All in about a week..

Loads more.
I despised her for a while. Rang the old owners close to tears.

Percivered and I wouldn't change her for the world.
Even if she DID barge out of the stable and started rolling in the field in her most expensive stable rug today

 

[jess2353]

nice to read all your happy endings keeps me positive

I've had my welsh mare about 6 months now & it's been one problem after another.

Walking her out inhand has become a nightmare she rears up spins around constantly trying to find things to spook at but yesterday was the worst she spun round and bucked right at mr luckily only scraping my back. She's Bargy, rude has no idea of personal space.
Runs up to me in the Feild rearing and bucking at me. she's one bad tempered mare.

hopefully we'll end up with a positive end like some of yours, here's hoping

 

[tiga71]

Izzy came to me as bargy, rude, fat cob who had been in a field for 3 years and I had been riding at a RS for 18 months. Not ideal.

He wasn't a demon but was very difficult.

Barged out of his stable first day at livery yard and many more times.
Would try to wipe me off on the fence, walls of schools.
Would trot into the wall/fence and refuse to move. (Had all checks, just being a prat)
Once he got fitter would bronc in excitement in canter. Fell off a LOT. YO was always glad to see us back in one piece.
Would bronc if he was cross, ie, wanted to canter and we were walking.
Not usually wanting me off tho and I improved my seat (was either that or send him back)
Started jumping and would get so excited he would bronc all the way up the school.

Now he is fabulous. Still has a little bronc if very excited but nothing really. Had all saddle and back checks - it is his default if he needs to go 'Wahoo'.

Three years on we do everything and I love him to bits. SJ, cross country, endurance, trec, gymkhana, hacking on Downs, lessons with a few kids. He is now the sensible escort hack for the yard and we hack out on our own.

 

[ljohnsonsj]

I'm sure people have seen these pictures before and read my post- any opportunity to show off how proud i am of my little girl!

In 2010 i lost a horse,due to being mis-sold ( a completely other story and quite sickening to be totally honest)

Anyway,i was missing having a horse and didn't have a lot of money i browsed around and came across a little ex racehorse. She had just turned 4 and not done anything since racing but been out so anyway off we went to see her and,due to her pretty little face bought her.

When we first got her home,mission feeding her up started! She was so riddcled with worms,they was live in her poo we was so lucky to not have lost her! But after some thorough worming programmes and a few weeks of tlc she was clear

After a few weeks

So mission schooling started,and despite a lot lot lot of greeness,she was so willing

Anyway to cut a long story short,despite the pretty face she was a total cow bag. She would rear to the field,tank off when leading,try to turn on you,rear at you on the lunge do everything imaginable when ridden,buck rear spin ect. Numerous people told me to give up before she hurt me because some horses just don't come right. I expected that to be the case but wouldnt take it as an answer. (Note she had teeth,back,vet checks ect everything done to check she wasnt in pain and she wasnt)

She now shows,does dressage and mainly showjumps and has done 1 BS show at her 3rd ever show and came 2nd. I cant fault her- and i hope i can safely say time and patience has paid off- i love her she makes me so proud!

SO sorry for the overload,i got a bit carried away

 

[Antw23uk]

My story isnt very long but I got my loan mare a week before Xmas. I hadnt set out to get a mare or a TB but I was so desperate for a horse I ending up getting an ex racer, bay TB mare! (she has been out of racing for years)

Some of you will have read my initial posts about how absolutley vile she was. She would threaten to kick, bite at will and really mean it and she is lethal with her food .

My OH came down one day and dissapeared to the field so see her ... she came over to him ears flat back, turned at the last second to kick him .. He says he slapped her bum which to us horsey people means he was WAY too close so I don't know how he got away with not being hurt

I was so misserable I was in discussion with her owner to send her back because I just couldnt trust her, I was scared of her and I was scared of her hurting someone on the yard.
During this time I kept looking after her but I ignored her, wouldnt even look at her I just didnt like her or want her but knew i couldnt trust her to let someone else look after her whislt we arranged for her to go back ....

Somethng over those few days seemed to click ironically and to me she is like a different horse She wickers when she sees me, she doesnt bite or threaten to kick .. she seems to enjoy my company and I can now feed her without sending her 'away' into a circle in her stable .. granted I still wouldnt stay in her stable whilst she is eating but I dont need to and its her time so she gets the space she needs.

I am REALLY enjoying her at the moment and I know we will just get better and better together.

Everyone said about a bond mares have with their owners and how loyal they can be ... I actually truely believe that now and although its still very early days she is really starting to believe im not going to let her down .. EVER

 

[Jill Crewe]

I started a thread on this a while back - loads of stories and they made me feel so much better

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=577990

 

[kerrieberry2]

Thanks guys this has really helped. I've had my boy a year this Wednesday and I feel like over this winter I've gone a million steps back. He was the easiest 20 month old this time last year. I thought I'd been lucky when I bought him. Then he turned into a devil. Last summer I was leading him out round the village, seeing loads of things that weren't scary. Now I struggle to go from one side of the field to the other with out him rearing up vertical. I've had natural horsemanship lady out And what she had taught me seems to help but where I haven't got as much time over the winter I feel like we gone so far back.

On the plus side he was as good as gold for the farrier today. He seem worse when there are other horses around. But well behaved when alone, so odd