What can I do with my horse?

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Cassy

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4 year old mare, with some issues under saddle. We have spent £2000 having her professionally backed and now are faced with a horse we don't want (we had hoped her to turn out to be a family horse which now we realise she will never be) and can't sell even for a very small amount as a broodmare/companion/project horse. I would not sell her to a dealer to be passed around. So have I got to make the awful decision to have her put down next weekend when she returns home?
 
Whatever is wrong with her.. after 2k worth of training she cant even be sold as a project?? Well you have thrown your 2k away thats for sure. I would have thought if she was that bad the trainer would have found out early on.
 
The mare i am getting is sold on as a project horse, if she's decent looking, nice type then someone will want her surely? Not all horses need to be PTS.
 
She is still only 4... can't she be turned away for the rest of the year and brought back as a 5yo next summer?

A 4yo unbacked horse doesn't sound like an ideal 'family horse' in the first place but admittedly you haven't gone into much detail about what the problem is...
 
Can she not live out with your others. I see you have a youngster, whats the problem with leaving her to mature with that one?
 
A week ago she was coming on well but has developed arching her back and leaping in the air thus losing the rider. She has been advertised honestly and although there have been quite a few enquiries no-one has followed up their initial enquiry. Perhaps I was too honest in what I said. We have had 2 young horses over the last 20 years and had no problems backing them and they both turned out to be "family horses". Sadly we lost one to laminitis when she was 5 and another to septicemia when she was 8. So not the luckiest horse people in the world when it comes to horses! It would be unfair of us to put her in the field for a year and then have the same issues a year on and to be honest she will never be the horse for us.
 
So she was ok till a week ago. You have advertised her since then with an honest advert. Not much time eh? If she was ok till a week ago then something must have happened to make her change from a horse doing well to one playing up badly. Whether she is the horse for you or not is another matter, you really should try to get to the bottom of what has made this dramatic change in her behaviour rather then just not bother and have her pts.
 
She will be returning from the trainers yard at the weekend as they have said they will not ride her again after she lost the groom and she sustained an injury. The problem they had with her was that she gave no warning of what she was going to do. I trust the people we sent her to and I know they have spent a lot of time and energy on her, as we did prior to deciding she needed someone with more experience and time to produce her. She has no health issues and is fit and well. I advertised her on Project Horses and on Horsemart and on Preloved. So I suppose it is just a matter of waiting now and then making the right decision for her and for us.
 
Is she good to handle etc? As she is only four and it seems to be only a ridden problem (although i'm not quite clear of) then she could even be sold as a broodmare or companion? Earlier you did mention that she seemed to jump and 'hop' and this caused the rider to come off. This sounds like it could be a back and/or saddle problem
 
I can't quite believe this post is serious, maybe I am misunderstanding something. You have a 4 year old that unloaded its rider once in the last week and that is the first time she was caused you any problems. Because of this the professional trainer has sent her back, you have decided to sell her and having failed to do so within one week you want to PTS?

If I have misunderstood, huge apologies, but if this is what happened, are you serious? I have no problem with horses being PTS rather than facing an uncertain future, but this is taking the mickey. If your horse is showing uncharacteristic behaviour get the vet out to check for a physical cause, with special attention to the back. Then get the physio and saddler out. If all is well talk to another professional, sorry but your trainer cannot be very professional if they give up on a young horse because it has decked them once!
 
Firstly, I'd be asking for a refund from the 'professionals' that are sending this horse back to you.

Secondly, give this horse a chance!!

I find it bizarre that someone would buy an unbacked 4yo in the hope it would become a 'family horse'. Surely an older alrounder would fit the bill?

You owe it to this horse to get to the bottom of why she behaved so out of the ordinary, as others have mentioned, back, teeth, back, fitting tack... they all contribute to 'naughty' behaviour should there be a slight change in any of them.

She's only been up for sale for a week, poor animal :(
 
I'd have her..
Sounds like s sweet mare that needs more time then you can give. The last cob I used to ride would leap off all 4 feet or buck then rear. It was literally a testing of the boundries.. After a couple of sessions with me of firm but fair riding he never did it again with m.
 
How bizarre. I know many a lovely horse who has suddenly found their strength during the backing process and then fuelled by spring grass has gone a bit YeeeeeHarrrr for no apparent reason. All settled into work with the right time and training. If she has injured herself somehow, which is entirely possible when bringing young muscles into work for the first time, then you might find all she needs is some time off and then brought back carefully.
 
I cant believe your giving up on her soo easily! I feel there must be another underlying issue here?! Money etc or why such a rush to get rid of her? Horses aren't selling well at the moment is a loan with an experienced rider an option?
Im sure there are lots of other options to try before just simply ending her such short life!!!
 
Firstly I thought this was a troll post but then I read back through all previous posts........ it seems you have a few young horses at the moment, which one is this one? Breed, size etc.

What has the vet advised? This behaviour is obviously to do with pain and it seems that the 'trainers' aren't as good as you think they are.
 
OP have you had the vet ?? discussed maybe putting her to sleep ?? I think they may advise against it ! .... I ditto that she can come to me if you want to offload her as it does seem she is not the right horse for you.

Can you point us in the direction of her adverts please ? ?
 
Damnation said:
I'd have her..
Sounds like s sweet mare that needs more time then you can give. The last cob I used to ride would leap off all 4 feet or buck then rear. It was literally a testing of the boundries.. After a couple of sessions with me of firm but fair riding he never did it again with m.
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My 19 year old still does this at times !! :-P
 
I cannot believe the OP is giving up on this horse so soon tbh.

IMO you cannot make any assumptions about a 4 year old. She is a baby just finding her way under saddle and nothing should be expected of her.

It sounds to me as if OP is one of these horse ' collectors' who have loads of them to turn a quick buck and if horse doesn't fit the bill in OP's timescale then its outed.

No way should a 4yrs be considered a case for PTS under these circumstances.
 
What an odd post---

"I spent a shed load of cash getting a horse backed, now I am not capable of dealing with her, so NO ONE else on the planet will be able to I shall have her PTS"

Either get a trainer and work through this with said horse or sell her to someone who is more capable than you.
 
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