Whats this horse worth?

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Dexter

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I really need some unbiased opinions to show his current owner. Hes a colt rising 2 yrs old, currently standing 12.3hands ish. Bay and white, nicely marked but with more white on his face than most people like. A MW cob type but with not alot of feather. He should grow into a nice MW clipped and pulled type. He has some fairly serious behavioural problems. Most could be sorted with gelding and a competent owner, but as it stands hes currently very aggressive to people and horses. Hes turned out in a bachelor herd of 2 rising 2 year olds and a rising 3 year old.

He has attacked the other horses to the point of knocking 2 of them to the floor. The other youngsters cant be taken out of the field as he guards the gate and attacks them as they get there. He cant be caught, I had been managing to catch him but currently cant. If you approach him and put the leadrope around his neck he spins and double barrels anyone he can reach. He has started charging at people with his mouth open in full on attack mode. The vet who did his passport said he wouldnt come out to him again unless his behaviour was sorted.

Last time he was caught he was brought on to the hard standing and handled. He will pick up his front feet, but no his back. Not really an issue as lots of babies are funny about feet, but he again was very, very aggresive. I've worked on a stud, including starting 3 yr old colts with limited handling, but this one worried me.

I'm sure with gelding and turnout with older horses who will put him in his place, and very competent handling he will come round, but as it stand right now, whats his market value?
 
I have to agree with 3beasties I'm afraid. There are so many horses looking for homes that this little chap wouldn't get a look in against all the well handled youngsters out there.
 
I've worked on studs and with less straightforward horses, and always been aware, but never frightened the way I was tonight. Its a very scary feeling being stood in a field with a horse charging full on with intent!

I genuinely think he would come round, but as it stands now its not good. No one else will go into the field with them, and I genuinely think its a matter of time before he hurts either one of the others or a person. As it currently stands we cant get our babies out of the field, or go in and handle them.

The current owner paid £400 for him, which was there or there abouts at the time, she is adamant that she wants at least that back. She doesn't understand that right now she'd be bloody lucky to get someone to take him for free!

I've suggested gelding ASAP and taking him to a yard where he can be in a routine and I will handle him. She cant afford gelding or to move him to a yard, even though the yard is the same basic livery as the field. We've been feeding him Suregrow in the field, at the yard he would be in over night and need hay and looking after twice a day, so its a no go! I've suggested putting him in a paddock within the field behind electric fencing, but she wont buy an energiser, even though we offered to use our rope and put the fencing up. Not ideal for him but would solve our immediate problem

I've told her that we have no choice but to move ours ASAP as this cant carry on. She is off on holiday in 11 days time and thinks that "being alone wont kill him and might help him"
 
you sound like the voice of reason in all this. Poor old you. You sound like your offering very good advice. If he were mine he would be getting gelded straight away and would be out to live with a mare who knows how to square up young ruffians. I had one of these, she was worth her weight in gold bless her.

I don't see why you should have to move your horses though. Is there a YO on the scene who can have a word about his future? If his owner can't afford to have him gelded he isn't going to have much of a future is he. I don't know if one of the charities could help with the cost. The RSPCA definitely will with dogs and cats but I've never heard it with horses.

I really feel for the little man as he can't be happy the way things stand.
 
Sounds like a nightmare, he definitely needs gelding by the sounds of things, whether it helps or not is neither here nor there as if it doesn't calm him down you wouldn't want to breed from a horse with his temperament anyway!

I'd maybe take him off the Sure grow and see if that makes a difference.

Good luck with him, keep us posted please!
 
Hes not had any Suregrow for a while now, because we cant catch the little dear! And even when he was he got half rations as a cobby good doer. Its all very sad, hes not happy at all :(

I have to accept at least some of the responsibility for this. I encouraged her, and she saw my yearling who is not straight forward, but as hes handled properly etc, is a gem.

When the owner bought him I said I would help her as it was her first youngster. We deliberately picked something that should have been 'easy' My sister bought a yearling at the same time, and hers with my help, despite being a 'competiton horse' is cracking! He has his moments but is generally a pretty well mannered young man.

I'm torn, I feel like I should take him, 'rehab' him and then rehome him, but I've just bought a weanling and have my rising 2 yr old plus a riding horse. And I dont do this for a living anymore! If I got hurt where would that leave my current 2 and my cats and my job!?!
 
Just to add, its a weird set up, we rent 13 acres of baby pony heaven! sheltered, flat bits and some slopes, loads of natural shelter, etc. I looked for a long time to find something this suitable. But we dont 'rent' the field. We pay on a per horse basis, we pay for the topping and fencing etc but the owners have nothing to do with it. So there is no YO to step in :/ We have to move ours as we need to at least be able to feed them, they dont get much in the way of calories, but they do get nutrients in the way of Suregrow. We have lots of grass, but the nutritional value isnt enough, for me personally, for growing babies! We also like to handle ours every day, if nothing else I miss my baby pony scritches! lol
 
Baring in mind the fact I'd have to take on such issues and geld him, I think I'd offer a token payment of £50. There are great horses going unsold week after week for not much money, I think to expect her money back on this one is throughly unrealistic.
 
It seems like, you are going to be stuck sorting out this problem.
And i cant suggest any morethan what has already been suggest, e.g. gelding and popping him in a field with a marethat stands her ground
He needs manners from human but needs manners from other horses
 
wow! well to be honest he isnt worth much is he? cant catch him,doesnt like his back feet touching,aggressive to other horses! hes a bit of a nightmare!
but hey..the owner can afford to go on holiday but cant afford gelding him or an energiser for the field to protect your horses? well we know where her priorities are!
My two reject boys are very different. My TBx yearling will be caught,led up for vet or farrier,anyone can touch his feet-all 4 of them! he ties up loads and just recently got gelded-he didnt need it as his behaviour is always..well flipping brilliant but hes done anyway so I wont be setting him up for trouble later.
Now my other lad-was found in a trailer,had been there 3 days,had no food and water and the guy who owned him was going to leave him another 2 days before taking him to a local sale.
He climbed stable walls to get away from people when he was brought home.took weeks for me to actually get in a stable with a bucket of feed without him grazing his legs in trying to escape!
He is 2 years old, thankfully have had amazing vet and farrier come to sort his feet and passport details who understood his behaviour problems.
But you know something-he cost me E50 to buy him...I couldnt sell him due to his ongoing problems even if I wanted to!
this youngster you are dealing with needs a lot of help and you have your own neddies to look after. If you feel like you could help him-then do as firefly says..offer 50 quid and tell her shes lucky to be getting that as no1 but the meat man would want a young colt thats dangerous to everyone including himself!
 
make you wonder why the ladys has got the horse if she wont invest anything to make him better. I had a colt who was very coltish, got him gelded and stabled him for 6 weeks, sat and played with him, made swedes on strings, spent hours grooming him, picking feet up, a little bit further each time..........until her realised I was the head of the herd, and he came out a different horse, she needs to invest the time if she wants him to have any monetary value........
 
Ok, you've all confirmed my thoughts :( I am not taking him, 3 is enough coming into winter, I've just turned down a lemon and white MW cobby 2 year old who will be cracking, as I dont want to overstretch myself coming into winter. Might be different if I owned my own yard/land but I dont so its a no go.

Any suggestions on where to go from here? for the time being we wont feed ours, not ideal, but they are in good condition and I'd rather not be dealing with a serious injury either horse or human. This is a very, very, VERY temporary solution.

She has agreed to sell which is progress I suppose. I'm hoping I can get her to realise hes not worth anything and then we might have a change of finding him a good home. I have no doubt that someone would take him for free tomorrow, but its finding the right sort of people to take him. Wheres best to advertise him and how?
 
:eek: POOR YOU!
please don't take him on. I agreed to take on a youngster for a friend in march, it was on the basis that i'd bring it on for a 'share' at the end if it was sold etc.
All got very messy as she was a 'friend' who i trusted and so i so stupidly didn't put an agreement in place.
Horse turned out beautifully, so much better than when I'd taken her on, but in present market owner sold her for much less than she wanted.
I had this mare for 4 months, the agreement at the start was that she would come round every week. She came 3 times in total, and then complained when she asked me how much I wanted and I said 500, to cut a long story short she tried to get me to take 250 and i point blank refused so took 400.
In the 4 months the mare was with me I lost 2 very close family members, and the owner didnt even ask how i was. :mad:
I was so hurt that some one I trusted treated me like that, but will never do it again!! :mad:
 
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