What Are Your Absolute NO Points Re Horses?

[Arizahn]

Behavioural or health related; as opposed to hating chestnuts etc. Where do you draw the line?

Behavioural - I won't have one that kicks and means it, but I'll work with ones that bite. And I don't like to be harassed in the field; especially around gates. It's annoying and unsafe!

Health - I would consider one that had sweet itch, provided that I knew I could manage it year round. I don't think I would take a risk on one with a sarcoid though.

Feel free to add your own ramblings here

 

[Annagain]

I wouldn't touch anything with major traffic issues - hacking is important to me and that means some fairly busy roads.

I also wouldn't have another grey. Mine is riddled with melanomas. I know I'll lose him to them sooner or later and it's like a death sentence hanging over us. I don't want to go through that again. I know they all have to die of something, but it's not so much the dying of it as the living with it that I find difficult. Because of where they are (inside his sheath) they take quite a lot of management which he, and therefore I, hate.

Having had one with SI, albeit relatively mild, I wouldn't be too concerned about it as it is manageable.

 

[The Fuzzy Furry]

I wont have on my yard by choice:
Fence runners,
Sweet Itchers (part of my land inc the yard is very low lying & midgy virtually all yr round)
Door bangers
Known fence jumpers


Have coped with cribbers/burpers/weavers etc.

Wouldn't buy myself a napper these days nor hormonal mares & riggy geldings, mine HAVE to be good on own or in company, also to box etc.

Prob lots more but brain addled currently

 

[L&M]

No rearers for me, or difficult loaders/travellers.

Having had a horse with sarcoids that caused no problems, I would consider another, and likewise SI. One of my best hunters was a cribber, so again would not discount these.

But I would never consider a laminitic - too stressful to manage and I would be worrying all the time.

 

[Merrymoles]

Major traffic issues would be a no from me too.

Also don't like rearers - a couple of feet off the ground when under stress is OK but nothing that goes up and up - this is ridden and handled, they can do what they want in the field.

Major separation anxiety can be a pain in the proverbial to manage and under current circumstances I would not be able to add to a "herd" to help deal with it.

Proper bolting - ie when the horse bolts blindly, ignoring everything in its path - would also be a non-starter.

I am happy to work on most issues however. Bucking (apart from the odd one in excitement) needs investigating, biting remains an issue with my horse but we are getting there and he will also rear when tied up if he is stressed by something but that usual just takes a growl. Sweet itch, sarcoids, string halt etc are all things I have coped with in the past.

 

[PolarSkye]

Nothing that kicks the door (or anything else for that matter), is antisocial with other horses, bites, rears or is otherwise naughty in hand, has melanomas or sarcoids, doesn't load, is a pain or needs sedating for routine care like shoeing/vet/dentist/clipping.

P

 

[HufflyPuffly]

Behavioural - Won't have one that is nasty on the ground, have met a few horror's and I just wouldn't want a horse who is that way inclined (bite or kick). Can deal with lots of naughty behaviour when ridden and don't mind re-schooling bolshy behaviour on the ground, but overall I like them to be nice 'people' on the ground.

Health - Wouldn't knowingly take on a sweet-itch sufferer, one that has sarcoids or has seriously wonky legs.

A little vain, but they have to be attractive too, if I have to pay and have them for the next x number of potential years they can at least be nice to look at .

 

[Shutterbug]

No rearers, absolutely will not sit on a rearer - I can handle a bucker but not a rearer :O

Horses that are not good in traffic also a big no no - I love hacking out - so no nappers, bolters or horses that wont hack out alone
Poor travelers as I like going places

Things like weaving, cribbing and such like wouldn't put me off an otherwise perfect horse - oh and I cannot stand door kickers

 

[Annagain]

Proper bolting - ie when the horse bolts blindly, ignoring everything in its path - would also be a non-starter.

I would think this is a no for everyone!

 

[SpringArising]

My absolute one must is that it needs to be good in traffic.

Anything else I don't mind.

 

[NellRosk]

I always said I'd never have a mare, or anything with sweet itch, or anything with the tendancy to go up. What have I ended up with? A horse with all 3 of those traits

 

[JustKickOn]

If it has a history of rearing, I won't get on it. Don't mind one that bucks though.

 

[Merrymoles]

I would think this is a no for everyone!

It should be but I have known people who blame the rider and think they can "sort it out". I think there are still an awful lot of people around who don't know the difference between a bolt and a little tank off...

 

[exmoorponyprincess1]

Behavioural - Won't have one that is nasty on the ground, have met a few horror's and I just wouldn't want a horse who is that way inclined (bite or kick). Can deal with lots of naughty behaviour when ridden and don't mind re-schooling bolshy behaviour on the ground, but overall I like them to be nice 'people' on the ground.

Health - Wouldn't knowingly take on a sweet-itch sufferer, one that has sarcoids or has seriously wonky legs.

A little vain, but they have to be attractive too, if I have to pay and have them for the next x number of potential years they can at least be nice to look at .

You have described me here too! I also have a very wary outlook on anything with known locking stifle issues having known the "simple" op go very wrong twice.

 

[B&J]

Behavioural - No real bolters, no kickers, definitely no nappers (current horse has put me off nappers for life), no full on nasty ground antics but can deal with bolshy

Health - no melanomas / sacroids. Would consider EMS, Laminitis as current have one and am set up to accommodate

 

[LeannePip]

My list is getting longer since this is hypothetical but i cant tell you what i would do if i were looking for a horse and the most perfect one did any of the below;

-Chronic Rearer (don't mind the odd one through excitement or through stubbornness - mine has been known to do both)
-unknown bucker (mine puts the odd one in, but i know why she does it and i can prevent it if need be, most of the time is pure disgust that im asking her to do something she doesnt want to do!)
-bad in traffic
-bad to load

I cant bear door kicking but i think in most cases this can be un trained. I think weaving/ cribbing would be an annoying niggle, and distressing to watch. I also don't know if i could have a horse that was known to be disgusting in the stable - if i have to muck it out the majority of the time, i don't want it to take an hour!

 

[Kezzabell2]

I said I didn't want a rearer.

I bought a baby and 3 months in he started rearing. Been backed a yr now. AnD yep you got it, he's a rearer. But I'm not giving up. I want him to get over himself

He was actually fine until he got injured. Been back in work a few weeks and have had 2 rears both mid trot, no warning

 

[joulsey]

Rearer's

Never had any dealings with a rearer until last year when leading a friends horse out. I was by my self, and as I got to the gate, horse didn't want to stand so started standing up, way up, striking out as well...Eventually I just had to let go as each time I got between her and the gate she would go up. As I let go she spun round at the speed of lightening and cow kicked at me. Have to say its the only time I have been scared of a horse and have not handled said horse since. Its being back this year so see if she does it under saddle

Also I can't stand horses that don't stand back and stay back when you enter stable

 

[Lipza767]

NO rearers. Had a big accident with one last year and now have a scar on my face. And wouldn't touch anything with sweet itch unless i knew the horse for at least a year before buying and nothing with sarcoids. Other than that i'll over look a lot of things that would put others off.

 

[9tails]

I don't want a good doer, I'd rather feed extra than muzzle.
I would discount a laminitic.
I wouldn't buy a grey.
It must hack alone, I don't often want company.
No big rearers, big buckers or bolters. I can work with napping and excited feet lifting but not one that wants me off.

 

[Jericho]

Kickers and biters - absolute no no. Bucking too - just scares me but can cope with rearing.

Good in traffic is v important as is loading.

sarcoids and head shaking would put me off but sweet-itch/EMS/lami are all manageable.

 

[MotherOfChickens]

no vices, no greys (a melanoma experience-based decision). I only now have horses from youngsters so traffic is my look out and hopefully rearing won't occur. The 5yo I've had since weanling has got very mild SI which is a shame but I can accommodate him but I wouldn't buy one in. I'm not anti mares per se but I have three geldings and feel adding a mare to the mix would make life unnecessarily complicated. I am also very shallow, I have to find them attractive-I don't care if noone else does (although they'd be wrong ).

 

[muckypony]

Ask me 2 years ago and I would have said - no rearers, no bad loaders, no bad catchers and nothing with sweet itch.

I now have the most perfect pony who when I bought him was a rearer, a bad loader and had sweet itch. He is quirky but I wouldn't change him. 99% of the time he doesn't rear, and I know I can get him on the lorry now, but he does have sweet itch.

I do stick to the bad catcher thing though. Must be so infuriating and seemingly pointless to have a horse you can't even touch!

 

[ljohnsonsj]

I would have and work with pretty much anything if its price was right. But I don't mind weavers/cribbers etc as I think its manageable to a certain extent.

I work with and own horses with ridden vices so thats difficult however I would NOT have a blind bolter. I wouldn't even get on it, to dangerous to everyone involved in it's life.

I have a fence jumper, not a real big problem just build a fence higher than she can jump. I don't find it half as bad as the cobs run through the fence, atleast mine doesn't damage it, just pops over

 

[Thriller]

Behaviour - nervousness. It seriously gets me. I'm happy to work on a horse who is a bit unsure and just needs relaxed and shown what to do but if ta genuinely too scared to move past its own shadow it's a goner.

Health - I couldn't stand a horse that needed a ridiculously expensive and regular shoeing regime. I prefere barefoot because I can gauge when it needs done or when it's wearing down itself.

 

[madlady]

I wouldn't touch a bad catcher, rearer, kicker or something that won't hack alone.

Health wise I couldn't cope with lami or sweet itch. I'd have to think long and hard about sarcoids and it would depend on where they were.

 

[rara007]

All ours we keep at home and we don't tend to buy more than a couple a year so take each horse on its individual merits and downfalls. Have taken on horses right from aggressive with a string of injured riders behind them, rescues, to locking stifles and cataracts. Have ended up with whilst in our care EMS (due to ovarian tumour), recurrent colic of no identifiable cause, sarcoids etc. Depends on the plans for the horse and how good the positives are to outweigh the negatives! If a proven advanced pony came available I'd tolerate quite a lot- when we were getting my current one we agreed we didn't mind if it was badly behaved if it did the job! (He's a poppet anyway!)

 

[anuvb]

Most of you wouldn't like my new horse - a door kicker By far the most talented and sweetest horse I have ever owned!

SI and headshaking are a no no for me. I want to compete and I have know some awful cases of both which couldn't be managed.
Sarcoids - would depend on price of the horse and their location. I wouldn't jump at the horse, but for the right price I would consider it.
Rearing and bucking - likewise some of the nicest horses I have owned have had a tendency to do this if stressed or worried or unbalanced, so again neither would bother me. Broncing and rodeo acts would - however be a no go area!
Good in traffic is a bonus, but not an essential because of where I live.
Crib, weaving etc - irritating but not a deal breaker as long as I can get the right livery set up.
Anything which requires me to medicate and means I couldn't affiliate I wouldn't spend money on although have kept them if the issue has happened whilst I owned them.
Most behaviours can be trained with a little patience and a lot of confidence...

 

[abb123]

I wouldn't touch a horse that was a known bolter. Far far too dangerous. Rearing or bucking would be ok.

I wouldn't buy a nasty horse. Bolshyness, high spirits, bad to catch etc would be fine.

Nothing medical wise would put me off - if the price reflected the problem!

 

[Annagain]

It should be but I have known people who blame the rider and think they can "sort it out". I think there are still an awful lot of people around who don't know the difference between a bolt and a little tank off...

Tell me about it. My novicey friend infuriated me by telling the whole world my horse bolted with me. He didn't even tank off, just got a bit excited when he saw some mares and starting showing off, just at the moment we were turning for home. He cantered about 6 strides on the grass verge before being told to pack it in, listening and coming back to walk, albeit sideways and with much snorting! I wouldn't have minded if I wasn't looking for a sharer at the time.