To keep a missold horse or not

Melody Grey

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This horse isn’t telling you politely he’s a bit uncomfortable, he’s screaming at you through a megaphone....and it’ll get louder until one/ both of you has a nasty accident!

ETA: on reflection, I’m surprised and frankly horrified that an instructor has assisted you in trying to resolve so many issues and dangerous behaviours over so long without veterinary intervention.
 
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I haven't read all of the replies but I have to disagree strongly about sending him back. If you feel sorry for him as you say you do then get the vet and get him sorted. If something serious is found I would pts over sending him back. It would be the kindest thing and potentially save the horse a lifetime of being passed about.
 

skint1

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I expect you guys are going to rip me a new one for this opinion, which I know myself is impractical and stupid but here goes... this horse appears to be in pain, if she sends it back, what will the dealer do, sell it again, to someone else who may get really hurt and then pass it on again. Maybe nobody will ever look into the "why" behind this, and that doesn't seem right. I mean, it may be the horse is just a wrong one, but there's very few that are truly like that.

I couldn't sell on/give back a horse I'd had for a period of time and I knew to have pain related ridden issues knowing that it is likely to be sold on again to another unsuspecting buyer, but that's me. Trust me I know what it is to buy a horse and have it go wrong quickly, it stinks, but I think it's not right to pass him on. This is the problem with the leisure horse market, so many people dumping their broken horses on dealers (who may or may not know). If everyone took responsibility for their broken horses maybe a lot less of them would end up being passed around so much.
 

Winters100

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I expect you guys are going to rip me a new one for this opinion, which I know myself is impractical and stupid but here goes... this horse appears to be in pain, if she sends it back, what will the dealer do, sell it again, to someone else who may get really hurt and then pass it on again. Maybe nobody will ever look into the "why" behind this, and that doesn't seem right. I mean, it may be the horse is just a wrong one, but there's very few that are truly like that.

I couldn't sell on/give back a horse I'd had for a period of time and I knew to have pain related ridden issues knowing that it is likely to be sold on again to another unsuspecting buyer, but that's me. Trust me I know what it is to buy a horse and have it go wrong quickly, it stinks, but I think it's not right to pass him on. This is the problem with the leisure horse market, so many people dumping their broken horses on dealers (who may or may not know). If everyone took responsibility for their broken horses maybe a lot less of them would end up being passed around so much.


Not a stupid opinion at all, and if I was in OPs position I would do exactly as you suggest, fix the horse if he could be fixed, and if not he would not leave my hands alive. I would say however that this does require funds, which I have no idea if OP has available, and also a certain amount of knowledge of how to approach such problems. OP is convinced that the horse does not show signs of pain, and in many months of the horse demonstrating behaviour which would indicate this, has not called a vet. A simple google search of any of the behaviours mentioned would highlight pain as a likely cause. Therefore in my opinion the best for both horse and owner is that he is returned, and hopefully he will have better luck next time. Sad for all parties, especially the poor horse, but I do not believe that staying with the current owner is in the best interests of the animal.
 

skint1

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Not a stupid opinion at all, and if I was in OPs position I would do exactly as you suggest, fix the horse if he could be fixed, and if not he would not leave my hands alive. I would say however that this does require funds, which I have no idea if OP has available, and also a certain amount of knowledge of how to approach such problems. OP is convinced that the horse does not show signs of pain, and in many months of the horse demonstrating behaviour which would indicate this, has not called a vet. A simple google search of any of the behaviours mentioned would highlight pain as a likely cause. Therefore in my opinion the best for both horse and owner is that he is returned, and hopefully he will have better luck next time. Sad for all parties, especially the poor horse, but I do not believe that staying with the current owner is in the best interests of the animal.
You raise some good points Winters, Just hope whoever buys him next knows what they’re doing so they don’t get hurt
 

ownedbyaconnie

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I expect you guys are going to rip me a new one for this opinion, which I know myself is impractical and stupid but here goes... this horse appears to be in pain, if she sends it back, what will the dealer do, sell it again, to someone else who may get really hurt and then pass it on again. Maybe nobody will ever look into the "why" behind this, and that doesn't seem right. I mean, it may be the horse is just a wrong one, but there's very few that are truly like that.

I couldn't sell on/give back a horse I'd had for a period of time and I knew to have pain related ridden issues knowing that it is likely to be sold on again to another unsuspecting buyer, but that's me. Trust me I know what it is to buy a horse and have it go wrong quickly, it stinks, but I think it's not right to pass him on. This is the problem with the leisure horse market, so many people dumping their broken horses on dealers (who may or may not know). If everyone took responsibility for their broken horses maybe a lot less of them would end up being passed around so much.
Nope I am a complete sucker for animals and would do the same.

But appreciate not everyone is as soft/stupid as me.
 

ycbm

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Not a stupid opinion at all, and if I was in OPs position I would do exactly as you suggest, fix the horse if he could be fixed, and if not he would not leave my hands alive. I would say however that this does require funds, which I have no idea if OP has available, and also a certain amount of knowledge of how to approach such problems. OP is convinced that the horse does not show signs of pain, and in many months of the horse demonstrating behaviour which would indicate this, has not called a vet. A simple google search of any of the behaviours mentioned would highlight pain as a likely cause. Therefore in my opinion the best for both horse and owner is that he is returned, and hopefully he will have better luck next time. Sad for all parties, especially the poor horse, but I do not believe that staying with the current owner is in the best interests of the animal.


Exactly, I would keep it, having taken on the responsibility, but it would be better if the horse goes back to the dealer and gets sorted out or gets a chance to be sold to someone who will get it sorted than stays with someone who completely rejects the idea that he can possibly be in pain.
 

Flicker

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OP, until you have the horse thoroughly assessed by a qualified clinician (or happen to be one yourself) you simply cannot be sure whether the behaviour you describe is pain related or not. I don’t understand how people are happy to spend money on alternative practitioners (all of which have their place in the right circumstances) but hesitate to shell out for a vet.
The number of times I hear, ‘teeth, back, saddle checked and all fine...’
My last horse, who I ended up PTS because she was so broken, was horrendous to mount until she had her hocks and SI done. Literally the next time I got on her she stood at the mounting block like a dream. She, incidentally, trotted up sound on a straight line, and the vet who eventually suggested PTS said that the first time he came up to assess her he would have passed her on the trot up for a ODE. Her behaviour was appalling in some respects: spooky, shooting forwards, bucking, snipey in the stable...
She passed a 5 stage vetting pre-purchase vetting. I was fortunate because the vet I came to assess her due to her behaviour was a bit of an SI specialist and found the buttons to press to make her go ‘OW...’ and that’s when we realised how broken she was.
I had her teeth and saddle checked, both practitioners said what a lovely horse she was but the saddler did agree with me that she needed to loosen up a bit under saddle. And I had a lovely physio who I worked with who agreed that she was 1-2/10ths lame on both hinds but nothing worse than she’d seen in many low level competition horses.
I guess what I’m saying is that sometimes extremely painful underlying conditions do not cause significant gait abnormalities but will nonetheless be very distressing and will manifest in exactly the behaviours you are describing.
It’s your conscience in the end. But my recommendation would be: if you care for this horse, get the vet. If you want rid, send it back - in the knowledge that it will likely be passed on to someone else. Your choice.
 

Goldenstar

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I expect you guys are going to rip me a new one for this opinion, which I know myself is impractical and stupid but here goes... this horse appears to be in pain, if she sends it back, what will the dealer do, sell it again, to someone else who may get really hurt and then pass it on again. Maybe nobody will ever look into the "why" behind this, and that doesn't seem right. I mean, it may be the horse is just a wrong one, but there's very few that are truly like that.

I couldn't sell on/give back a horse I'd had for a period of time and I knew to have pain related ridden issues knowing that it is likely to be sold on again to another unsuspecting buyer, but that's me. Trust me I know what it is to buy a horse and have it go wrong quickly, it stinks, but I think it's not right to pass him on. This is the problem with the leisure horse market, so many people dumping their broken horses on dealers (who may or may not know). If everyone took responsibility for their broken horses maybe a lot less of them would end up being passed around so much.

What you say is true and I take the view on the day they arrive thats that for good or bad they are with me and it’s my issue to so I would not do what I have said OP should do .
I would have had the horse vetted and (yes they can pass the vet with serious issues )and as soon as problem reared it’s head I would have got my vet in and the bloods tested .
That does not change the fact that for OP getting her money back and returning the horse is the best course of action for her .
For poor poor horse the nightmare goes on .
 

Rowreach

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was it my post you read or what other people had written, no sign of pain has been shown, the ‘horse whisper’ was brought in to help with mounting issue. If there was signs of pain then a vet would be involved. There hasn’t.

OP, what do you consider signs of pain in a horse to be? Genuine question.

In answer to the thread, and on the basis of all the information you've given in this thread and the other one, send him back to the dealer, no question.
 

splashgirl45

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if i owned this horse i would have had a 5 stage vetting and if he had passed that i would get the bloods tested ,if all ok then i would call my own vet who i know is good to assess him. if nothing was found i would contact the dealer to see if my way of management was causing the problem and then i would get richard maxwell or similar to help me with the horses behaviour and i would hope that at the end i would have a nice horse that i could manage. no way would i be sending this horse back to a dealer to be sold on but depending on the results i would try and get some money back from the dealer if they had been at fault....they may have kept him short of food and water so the buyer thought he was quiet and suitable or left him out all night then lunged him for ages to wear him out before the buyer arrived..
 

paddy555

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I take the view on the day they arrive thats that for good or bad they are with me and it’s my issue .

this.

I think everyone is wasting their time. This thread is going exactly the same way as the last one. OP posts, provides some info, doesn't seem to listen to anything and then disappears. Maybe they don't get what they want to hear.

ETA I too am wondering if this is a troll.
 
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