Unusually highly strung horse

be positive said:
Now having had more of the story I think the instructor involved was as equally wrong to recommend the horse was purchased as the seller was for selling to a young girl with parents that rely on professional advice, the horse would never have been viewed if they were my clients however quiet it appeared on paper, it sounds like a recipe for disaster, sadly the horse is the one that suffers the true consequences.
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Totally agree, OP is the instructor you took on the viewing your YO?
 
OP - I have a very good and extremely knowledgeable friend in Ruthin, North Wales, so if you need advice on professionals you can trust, please just ask.

I am not at all confident in the instructor you took to the viewing or the YO that has turned the horse out straight from a racing yard.
 
Massive thanks to everyone for your advice. Today my wife and I are going to see our YO. To discuss what you all have very kindly helped us with. We will then speak to the vet who checked the horse on our behalf. Next we are going to phone the previous owner and give her the final option of taking the horse back, if no luck then we will phone the legal advice guys at the BHS. We still haven't told our daughter as well!! :-(. We have moved yards to our present YO due to the fact that our previous yard would not take the new horse due to windsucking but it was too late (we were assured that it would have not been a problem). We had one heck of a difficult time finding a yard that had availability even!!! (Gap in the market there i think!!). We certainly do not put any blame on our present YO as the first time she laid eyes on the horse was when she was delivered. I blame the previous owner and the so called instructor, ex friend of ours!, for causing all of this. This horse was paid for by my daughter from money she had saved up and money left to her!! So as you can imagine we are furious that this has been done to her!!!! Thanks again for all of your kind help! Will keep you updated
 
That sounds like a good plan of action and clears up a few loose ends that were unclear about the purchase etc.

You are right to be furious as the advice given has been poor to say the least, hope you get a good result and please update when you have news.
 
Cookie Monster said:
Massive thanks to everyone for your advice. Today my wife and I are going to see our YO. To discuss what you all have very kindly helped us with. We will then speak to the vet who checked the horse on our behalf. Next we are going to phone the previous owner and give her the final option of taking the horse back, if no luck then we will phone the legal advice guys at the BHS. We still haven't told our daughter as well!! :-(. We have moved yards to our present YO due to the fact that our previous yard would not take the new horse due to windsucking but it was too late (we were assured that it would have not been a problem). We had one heck of a difficult time finding a yard that had availability even!!! (Gap in the market there i think!!). We certainly do not put any blame on our present YO as the first time she laid eyes on the horse was when she was delivered. I blame the previous owner and the so called instructor, ex friend of ours!, for causing all of this. This horse was paid for by my daughter from money she had saved up and money left to her!! So as you can imagine we are furious that this has been done to her!!!! Thanks again for all of your kind help! Will keep you updated
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That sounds like a great plan and I cannot imagine how much stress this is putting on you when your primary concern is the recovery of your daughter.

You are her parents, you know her best, you will know what to say and when to say it and as hard as it will be, you will be able then to tell her that you have a plan in place now to be able to find a horse that she'll be able to enjoy safely.

Good luck with the sellers and if they don't help...BHS helpline and trading standards will be your friends xx
 
Yep, one more thing, if the trainer, [who is licenced by the British Horseracing Authority] took the horse and passed it on to his daughter to sell, this does NOT in my opinion comply with his responsibilities to the horse, in fact it looks like a means to avoid his responsibilities. This is another piece of vital information, although the daughter was the owner, the trainer cannot espcape his responsibilities, and he must have a licence to continue in his business.
 
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Hi _GG_, tried PM you but I think something is going wrong as it doesn't register the message has been sent!! Brill!! Try on the open forum then! Just tried to find our YO on the BHS web site as she claims to be a BHSAI but couldn't find any instructor in our area at all!!! Any ideas?? I know she is actively teaching at our yard and another locally. We know our YO from a few years back when she first taught our daughter!! Things are just getting better and better!! Sorry if this has duplicated xx
 
Cookie Monster said:
Hi _GG_, tried PM you but I think something is going wrong as it doesn't register the message has been sent!! Brill!! Try on the open forum then! Just tried to find our YO on the BHS web site as she claims to be a BHSAI but couldn't find any instructor in our area at all!!! Any ideas?? I know she is actively teaching at our yard and another locally. We know our YO from a few years back when she first taught our daughter!! Things are just getting better and better!! Sorry if this has duplicated xx
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Not duplicated, I'll PM you x
 
Just spoken to previous owner and she is not willing to do anything!! This was my daughters complete savings and has now been wiped out!! Don't feel I can trust anyone now!! Cannot believe it!! She will have the horse back but is not willing to give anything for it!!
 
Cookie Monster said:
Just spoken to previous owner and she is not willing to do anything!! This was my daughters complete savings and has now been wiped out!! Don't feel I can trust anyone now!! Cannot believe it!! She will have the horse back but is not willing to give anything for it!!
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Call BHS helpline, of course she's willing to have the horse back but not refund...because she can make a profit all over again.

Don't do anything until you have had proper legal advice.

If, after that, there is nothing you can do, I would pursue a full vet check and take it from there to sell the horse in a responsible manner, i.e. put on sales livery with experienced producer that can work through the issues and find the horse a good home.

Good luck
 
I'm just wondering how old the previous owner (the YO daughter is)? and whether it might be possible to find out whether she perhaps sells multiple horses a year. - I know a fair few people who wouldn't class themselves as dealers but bring on and sell enough horses in a year that in the eyes of the law they would be/a professional which increases your rights as a consumer. I do hope you manage to get this sorted.
 
Just a quick message as I didn't what to read and run... There are many horses that just don't settle, their behaviour can change dramatically with a new home, new environment, new owners etc... Even if the change of ownership is handled as sympathetically as possible, the horse can become a basket case.... This is no ones fault, it's just the way it is. The chance are that with time and management this horse would settle, but the risk to your daughter is far to high in my opinion. I would be making moves to contact the bhs, write to the previous owner and indicate that you wish to return the horse.
 
I have spoken to the father of the previous owner and found out that the horse was her own for the last 2 years and it was not stabled at the race yard. My daughter rode the horse to try it out before agreeing to have it. She was very calm and seemed perfect! We don't know what has happened at the yard as she is out in the field all the time. Maybe she has been hurt in some way. The YO has put her on calming measures and is working her hard this week before we sell her on. Will keep everyone posted. Thanks to all
 
Cookie Monster said:
I have spoken to the father of the previous owner and found out that the horse was her own for the last 2 years and it was not stabled at the race yard. My daughter rode the horse to try it out before agreeing to have it. She was very calm and seemed perfect! We don't know what has happened at the yard as she is out in the field all the time. Maybe she has been hurt in some way. The YO has put her on calming measures and is working her hard this week before we sell her on. Will keep everyone posted. Thanks to all
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That's very reassuring to have some more background information. See what she is like after the week of work. As Queenbee says, horses can take time to settle. There' always the possibility with every horse, that they can become dream horses, perfectly mannered after they settle, but it is a risk and I do think that finding a new home for this horse, and then a more established and proven safe horse for your daughter would be the best way forward.

OP, I think you and your wife deserve a bl00dy good drink!!!
 
_GG_ said:
That's very reassuring to have some more background information. See what she is like after the week of work. As Queenbee says, horses can take time to settle. There' always the possibility with every horse, that they can become dream horses, perfectly mannered after they settle, but it is a risk and I do think that finding a new home for this horse, and then a more established and proven safe horse for your daughter would be the best way forward.

OP, I think you and your wife deserve a bl00dy good drink!!!
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Absolutely, op... Let me tell you a little bit about my old girl... At her old yard she was a lot calmer, still had her quirks (she would pace when tied up, when I agreed to buy her, I kept her at their yard for a good six months until I moved her, down the road... They had told me that once before she had left to go on loan, and couldn't understand why the girl who had ridden her for months at theirs returned ebony from loan and hadn't ridden her once...

She was a head case, she was all over the place, jumping out of her fields, not standing to be mounted, jumping and spooking at everything, jumping out of a stable, box walking... A out and out nightmare. There was nothing wrong with her, she had not been missold, it was just part of her... She was in a new situation with someone she didn't know, horses, she didn't know... Do not underestimate how incredibly scary that can be for a horse, especially a mare... They are more sensitive. If you want to persevere, The calmer is an excellent idea, as is just taking some time, grooming, walking in hand to graze, building a really good bond with this horse will help immensely. And personally, with regards to ridden work, when it comes to that, your yo wants to select the most relaxed 'nanny horse' at the yard, or the horse that the mare has most bonded with and have the mare ride in company with it, nothing more... I wish you all the luck, seeing this happen can be agonising to all involved.
 
whether it is settled or not £2.8k for an ex point to pointer in it's teens is robbery!!!! - hope you get this sorted OP. Instructor doesnt know what they are talking about, please get some legal advice and some knowledgeable horsey peeps involved. There is a chance the horse could settle but if it's been oiked out of a set routine and surroundings, a lot of TB's take years to settle, they thrive on routine and ANY small change in that can simply make their head fall apart :( feel so sad for this horse....
 
Just to add, my little mare, with love and time turned into the dream horse, she was ridden by teenagers in inter school competitions and was a proper 'been there done everything' competition girl in whose hands you could place your child's life, but it took a hell of a long time and dedication, and I have to say a lot of falls and tears along the way
 
unicornystar said:
whether it is settled or not £2.8k for an ex point to pointer in it's teens is robbery!!!! - hope you get this sorted OP. Instructor doesnt know what they are talking about, please get some legal advice and some knowledgeable horsey peeps involved. There is a chance the horse could settle but if it's been oiked out of a set routine and surroundings, a lot of TB's take years to settle, they thrive on routine and ANY small change in that can simply make their head fall apart :( feel so sad for this horse....
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The horse is 6 years old.

I think it best that nothing is done too quickly.
 
Cookie Monster said:
Hi _GG_, tried PM you but I think something is going wrong as it doesn't register the message has been sent!! Brill!! Try on the open forum then! Just tried to find our YO on the BHS web site as she claims to be a BHSAI but couldn't find any instructor in our area at all!!! Any ideas?? I know she is actively teaching at our yard and another locally. We know our YO from a few years back when she first taught our daughter!! Things are just getting better and better!! Sorry if this has duplicated xx
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From a legal point of view keep it simple, you were naive, the vendor took advantage, the horse is not suitable for a novice 13 year old girl and you have now got a horse which has come from a professional yard which is in business, you want the money back and the horse removed.

Re the instuctor business. ... there are thousands of people out there who claim to once have been BHSAI, but to be on a register they have to pay an annual sub, so many don't.

Its not really relevant, you have to get this horse back to the vendor, and the best way [I think} is to tell vendor that all expenses will be required to be refunded , AND that the trainer will be reported to the BHA and also Trading Standards. AND that they need to take the horse back and refund the purchase price, just stick to your demands.
Do not move in your demands, you are in the right, they are in the wrong.
 
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MrsD123 said:
Best thing is horse goes back to where it came from and vendor refunds the money.
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There is further information and it might not be that simple. Easy for us to say what's best but we are not there and dealing with it. I was of the same thought yesterday, today it seems not so straightforward. If the OP wants to explain more, so be it...not my stuff to make public. It doesn't appear that anyone is really in the wrong though.
 
_GG_ said:
There is further information and it might not be that simple. Easy for us to say what's best but we are not there and dealing with it. I was of the same thought yesterday, today it seems not so straightforward. If the OP wants to explain more, so be it...not my stuff to make public. It doesn't appear that anyone is really in the wrong though.
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the fact that vendor is not removing horse or refunding money, is enough for me.
 
Who is to say that the 13 year old daughter cannot handle this horse? She's been given no chance and only the word of a new and unknown YO, the OP fully admits he can hardly tell one end from the other. I'd be pretty hissed off if I came home from hospital to find my horse sold out from under me.
 
9tails said:
Who is to say that the 13 year old daughter cannot handle this horse? She's been given no chance and only the word of a new and unknown YO, the OP fully admits he can hardly tell one end from the other. I'd be pretty hissed off if I came home from hospital to find my horse sold out from under me.
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I was thinking this too..

OP, did your daughter have much chance to spend time with the horse on your new yard before she went to hospital? Is there perhaps someone else you can trust to assess the horse for you, someone from the yard you had/have your other horse at perhaps? I would be worried about only taking the opinion on a new YO, especially if your daughter hasn't witnessed any of this behaviour for herself.
 
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