who has had a new horse that hasn't worked out ?

firewell said:
Maybe I came across a bit harsh in my last message. I was prepared to keep my grey for life which I did. I will keep my current one for life and before my grey my family had 2 horses that we also kept for life untill they died at 26 and 23 years.

However I WONT keep one for life if it's not right. Sorry! And yes I can tell quite quickly. I'm very experienced and come from an experienced horsie family. I actually think it's a bad thing to keep a wrong horse. A lot of horses get ruined because they are in the wrong home and people are too stubborn to let them go.
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agree 100%. if i had kept my youngster he would have been ruined probably. Not because i was stupid and bought a youngster having no idea what was involved, but because he is a stressy lad who i just didnt get on with, and who was even greener than i had thought. ive seen him since i sold him and he is much happier, but its going to take him a good while to get to the stage i needed him to be at, so affirms it was the right decision for me, and him :)
 
Yip, I sold one three months ago. She was a cracking horse with loads of talent but just not for me. I plodded along for 18 months but whatever it is that makes it work just wasnt there between us. I didnt just sell her on to the first person that turned up with the money and she now has a nice new owner who enjoys her and has recently started competing her. I also have a new ned and have did more with her in the three months ive owned her than I did with the last one in 18 months.
 
interesting post :)

the grey in my siggy wasn't the right horse for me- but it took me nearly 3 years to realise it! i bought him as a 5 year old that had done a bit of everything, for me to event- he was lovely when i went to try him and for a few weeks at home. then he started napping, really badly- rearing up, refusing to go forwards etc and stopping when jumping- even when the fences were tiny. I'm a very stubborn person and i worked him through it (with a lot of help, money and sweat!) and got him eventing- he was very successful at intro and even had some placings at PN. however, deep down he was never right for me- our personalities were too similar and he could wind me up very easily (and me him :rolleyes:)- i think because we'd started on such a negative footing i never truly liked him- even when he was in a good phase- the bad napping side of him could always emerge without warning. i finally decided to sell him when i did somerford BE with him. he was a git in the SJ and then stormed round the XC- before stopping (and point blank refusing) to go in the water which was 3 from home. i realised that he wasn't 'willing' to do what i wanted to- we weren't a true partnership. i sold him to a lovely hacking home (for a LOT of money :D) where he won't be under pressure and they love him to bits. in retrospect it would have been better for him (and me) to admit defeat much earlier on instead of stubbornly trying to continue...

by contrast my 5 year old is definitely the right horse for me. he was hell to break in (he's cold backed) and is the sharpest thing i;ve ever sat on and fallen off him SO many times its untrue :eek: however, he's a nice person. he always looks so confused when i fall off and gradually has turned into an amazing little horse. this one was worth sticking with. however, lots of people told me to get rid, that there was something wrong with him...
i guess you need to go with you gut feeling really... and please don't criticise someone getting rid of their horse- you don't know what it feels like til you give it a chance. regardless of why a horse won't settle in, if you don't have the confidence or will to ride it then its pointless- get rid and get something you DO want to ride :)
 
Oh also when I said I sold my dodgy horse to a dealer he actually went back to the same people I got him from I just lost a lot of money. I was going to sell him to a private home but my conscience wouldn't let me. He wouldn't of given any pleasure. He was missold to me by the people who should have been responsible for him so he went back to same people. They just wouldn't give back all the money.
 
The mare I bought before I found Che was a complete mistake. She was bought (advertised) as a complete family horse, easy and kind and good to hack alone. She was none of these things, she was bad tempered, reared vertical and kicked and was generally not an easy mare to love. I persevered for 3 months before I completely lost all confidence in her, she wasnt even nice to look after, would come at you teeth bared in the field and would try to kick you whilst being groomed. I returned her to the dealer, who I have since heard has a bit of an iffy reputation, and found my little TB. He is an absolute little star, a proper softy and a joy to own. I did feel guilty about the mare but as a one horse owner who is in this purely for the fun of owning a horse, I couldnt justify the expense of keeping a horse I was scared to ride and didnt like very much either!
 
i think thats right enough tbh..... deep down i knew the first time i sat on him at home and he decked me within 5 mins, that it wasnt right. I had that awful sinking feeling but id invested so much time and money in getting him, and so many people were also involved i felt pretty trapped tbh and didnt admit how I felt. I was on another forum at the time and all I ever posted about was how well we were getting on. Fundamentally, he was LOVELY lad! but I was so worried about judgements from others i kept my mouth shut about the problems. The last thing you need when you are in that position and you know yourself how dire things are, is a barrage of unwanted, perhaps well meaning advice to stick with it, try this, try that:rolleyes:. Im experienced enough to know for myself and if I wasnt, my RI certainly is. The thing is, those who stand in judgement, its a hugely emotional and upsetting process. It just about made me ill!!
 
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ok im sorry - points fully taken - suppose it was different for me because i know im a novice and knew we needed proffessional help - no bad feelings intended x
 
NeverSayNever said:
i think thats right enough tbh..... deep down i knew the first time i sat on him at home and he decked me within 5 mins, that it wasnt right. I had that awful sinking feeling but id invested so much time and money in getting him, and so many people were also involved i felt pretty trapped tbh and didnt admit how I felt. I was on another forum at the time and all I ever posted about was how well we were getting on. Fundamentally, he was LOVELY lad! but I was so worried about judgements from others i kept my mouth shut about the problems. The last thing you need when you are in that position and you know yourself how dire things are, is a barrage of unwanted, perhaps well meaning advice to stick with it, try this, try that:rolleyes:. Im experienced enough to know for myself and if I wasnt, my RI certainly is. The thing is, those who stand in judgement, its a hugely emotional and upsetting process. It just about made me ill!!
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This sounds like my relationship with my last boyfriend! People kept asking me how we were getting on and I'd say "Brilliantly! I love him to peices, he's so fantastic... although he does have a bit of a temper... but he is really lovely! ... and he also made me feel really guilty the other day when i told him my job wasn't going well... but he's totally right, I should just get on with it!".

Suffice to say, we broke up (that was nightmarish too). Why continue any kind of relationship - human, horse, anything else, when it just isn't quite right?
 
I brought my mare who was/is too much for me really. She is my first horse, got back into riding a few years ago (after riding as a teenager, though am only 27!) Anyway, got a newly backed WC x WB and she was a nightmare... My lack of skill really showed and i have fallen off more times then anyone in the world i think.. lol Literally couldn't do much with her, she took the piss and all the rest of it. ( I was a fool)

She is so odd sometimes when you ride her it's like she has never been ridden before and is so on edge like she has never stepped foot in the school before, when reality is, she was ridden the day before in the same school... lol

Spooking is her thing, though she has reared with me many times, bucked me off many times, napped constantly and everything else which has landed me on the floor.. But now I have a bit of a bond with her.. She is so smart but we are getting on very well at the moment...
My riding/confidence and ability has improved so much it's unreal. She has taught me so much I cannot thank her enough for that, she has done every evasion, every trick she is outsmarted me a thousand times over! But now we can hack out solo, she doesn't nap, can lead a ride or go at the back, box out perfectly to new places, will go out alone to new hired schools...We did out first fun ride the other day (OK, I did fall off) but she is becoming so well behaved... All the prep work for me wanting to do BD (one day!) is finally coming along - i have cried so much over her but like in my siggy .. We will get there in the end!!!

x
 
heidirusso said:
I brought my mare who was/is too much for me really. She is my first horse, got back into riding a few years ago (after riding as a teenager, though am only 27!) Anyway, got a newly backed WC x WB and she was a nightmare... My lack of skill really showed and i have fallen off more times then anyone in the world i think.. lol Literally couldn't do much with her, she took the piss and all the rest of it. ( I was a fool)

She is so odd sometimes when you ride her it's like she has never been ridden before and is so on edge like she has never stepped foot in the school before, when reality is, she was ridden the day before in the same school... lol

Spooking is her thing, though she has reared with me many times, bucked me off many times, napped constantly and everything else which has landed me on the floor.. But now I have a bit of a bond with her.. She is so smart but we are getting on very well at the moment...
My riding/confidence and ability has improved so much it's unreal. She has taught me so much I cannot thank her enough for that, she has done every evasion, every trick she is outsmarted me a thousand times over! But now we can hack out solo, she doesn't nap, can lead a ride or go at the back, box out perfectly to new places, will go out alone to new hired schools...We did out first fun ride the other day (OK, I did fall off) but she is becoming so well behaved... All the prep work for me wanting to do BD (one day!) is finally coming along - i have cried so much over her but like in my siggy .. We will get there in the end!!!

x
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i think thats a lovely story and well done you! but i think the key thing is that you have a bond with her. and that bond drives you to persist... i do wonder if you would feel differently if you had really hurt yourself? its also a different ball game if deep down you dont like or trust the horse. and frankly, (dont shoot me down for this) i didnt set out to buy something that was a project and was going tocause a lot of grief. i know that may sound heartless, but i set out to get primarily, and uncomplicated, straightforward horse, i cant be faffed with dealing with something that is putting my safety at risk on a daily basis, and I no inclination to work with a horse like that.

the first day i rode the horse i have now, Charlie... he spun 180 degrees twice, put in a little rear and at one point took off back in the direction we had come because he saw some cows. But its a totally different feeling, i can cope with his behaviour, he doesnt worry me. I dont really get the feeling he wants me off, lol, whereas with the last one, he definitely did.
 
My new and first horse that bought on a wim in March last year wouldn't settle and created merry hell in the stable. I couldn't pick up her feet, groom her, tack her up, she refused to let me mount and I didn't have any control of her at all TBH, in fact she totally blanked me. She was a complete stress head and I really should of moved her on as she wasn't the horse for me. I was completely in way over my head. But then again, how do you sell a horse like that? Other than having a complete idiot such as me coming along, your stuck with it and so we had to just get on with it.

She's great now and we are the best of pals. She looks after her novice rider and teaches me something new every day. I never feel unsafe with her either on the ground or in the saddle. I have to admit though that apart from the early days of naps and nasty spins(that I sat) she has aways been fab ridden and that has been her saving grace I guess.

So I'm glad I stuck with it, just gave it time, took things slowly and at her pace and of course listened to her when I got it so wrong. She's turned into my horse of a lifetime thankfully. She is always such fun and I owe her so so much.

TBH and in hindsight, it would of made so much sense to let her go long before the heartache and the tears and I know that I have been unbelievably lucky as it could of easily gone the other way.

Imagine though just what I would of missed if I had!!
 
I think its very important to listen to your gut feeling with horses.
You know when they are not right and I think its best to sell on.
I dont mean a horse with some issus that with work you can over come and you have bonded with them, I mean a horse that you are feared of, or that you feel is dangerous or even just dont like.
Its not worth the heatache, or the expense.
My daughter stuck with a pony for 4 years knowing they are not right and she's now sold, and we have a new cob. I am having a few minor problems with him but they are age related and related to my confidence having had a horrendous accident in the past - he reminds me far 2 much of the horse that I had the accident on.
But I think I can work through these issues as he's an absolute gem, I couldn't have bought a horse easier to handle on the ground and apart from getting a bit excited due to age under saddle, he's also very easy to ride albeit a bit green.

The horse I had my accident on I sold on, I just could face getting on him again, in fact it left me terrified of him - I broke my leg in 9 places and had to have 2 lots of surgery. Its taken me everything I've got to try and get back into riding and I wouldn't have stood a chance if I'd kept him, some times selling on is the right thing to do !
 
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Its a bit like a marrige , i think ive had quite a few in my life time my first was a nutter but we gelled and i thought he was perfect, he used to bolt , galloped for trees to get me off branches -i had to jump off to stop him or duck down while he went under that branch, mind i was a fit teen at the time and you couldnt go on roads with him he was unsafe,he was twenty but he always stood out as the perfect pony for some reason !had one horse in my twenties a stunner he was ok bit sensitive but my perfect horse is my youngster hes green but i will never sell him.I know a family who have eight horses they cannot hack out on one they have an aged horse which was ok for paddock work but hes too old know they have two 15-16.2 4yo and they will not ride them because they are very very green ,they will keep them until they die or they sell up .I coulnt afford to keep a unsuitable horse or get on with in my opinion unsuitable horses handling /ridding can be dangerous and you are a bigger person to think you know what this horse needs to have a chance with a more suitable/experianced person
 
well its been heart warming to read all these other stories:) I am so happy ad settled with Charlie now I cant imagine him ever going anywhere, and Im so glad I went with my gut instincts with the last one.
 
I bought my grey horse after searching for months to find something suitable. I tried him out cubbing and loved him because he had such a great jump. However, he is only 5 and is prone to childish tantrums. One of which resulted in me breaking my leg. I have never got the confidence back so am selling him. I've had him for 9 months. I just don't trust him when he is being a sod that if I give him a telling off, he is going to accept it and move on.

Whereas my TB who I got out of racing 2 years ago can be a spooky git and have major breakdowns about things like bits of cow parsley lying on the track... this was this morning's incident...

“Can’t possibly go past that broken bit of cow parsley mother… no… must spin round and try and gallop back the way I came… oh god you’re going to make me go past it… I’m going to have a breakdown… spin round again…fall off the bank... oh god oh god… perhaps if I run past it and don’t look at it, it might not eat me… oh my god I’m a nervous wreck… run, run, run with eyes closed…”.

BUT I trust him and when he behaves like that, I just sit quietly and talk to him and he gets over himself. I never carry a whip with him and he gives me confidence like you wouldn't believe. He is not everyone's cup of tea but he hunts well and has a huge character and I adore him. He doesn't buck or rear - its not in his charactdr. I just didn't get those vibes at all with grey horse.

I thought that because I'd got a horse out of racing and turned him into a good hunter and general all rounder that I was a better rider than I was so thought nothing of taking a "sensible" 5 year old on thinking he'd be my horse of a lifetime. I've accepted I am not good enough for a youngster and so will not have one again. I don't have time to have a horse that I can't exercise quickly before work on my own and that needs hours of schooling. I just like hunting and that's it. Probably sounds awful but squares and circles isn't my thing at all.

I think it takes a brave person to admit that they are overhorsed or are scared of their horse and riding is an expensive hobby to have. Especially if you aren't enjoying it. Far better to get a horse that suits you and that you bond with!!
 
carolineb said:
I bought my grey horse after searching for months to find something suitable. I tried him out cubbing and loved him because he had such a great jump. However, he is only 5 and is prone to childish tantrums. One of which resulted in me breaking my leg. I have never got the confidence back so am selling him. I've had him for 9 months. I just don't trust him when he is being a sod that if I give him a telling off, he is going to accept it and move on.

Whereas my TB who I got out of racing 2 years ago can be a spooky git and have major breakdowns about things like bits of cow parsley lying on the track... this was this morning's incident...

“Can’t possibly go past that broken bit of cow parsley mother… no… must spin round and try and gallop back the way I came… oh god you’re going to make me go past it… I’m going to have a breakdown… spin round again…fall off the bank... oh god oh god… perhaps if I run past it and don’t look at it, it might not eat me… oh my god I’m a nervous wreck… run, run, run with eyes closed…”.

BUT I trust him and when he behaves like that, I just sit quietly and talk to him and he gets over himself. I never carry a whip with him and he gives me confidence like you wouldn't believe. He is not everyone's cup of tea but he hunts well and has a huge character and I adore him. He doesn't buck or rear - its not in his charactdr. I just didn't get those vibes at all with grey horse.

I thought that because I'd got a horse out of racing and turned him into a good hunter and general all rounder that I was a better rider than I was so thought nothing of taking a "sensible" 5 year old on thinking he'd be my horse of a lifetime. I've accepted I am not good enough for a youngster and so will not have one again. I don't have time to have a horse that I can't exercise quickly before work on my own and that needs hours of schooling. I just like hunting and that's it. Probably sounds awful but squares and circles isn't my thing at all.

I think it takes a brave person to admit that they are overhorsed or are scared of their horse and riding is an expensive hobby to have. Especially if you aren't enjoying it. Far better to get a horse that suits you and that you bond with!!
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absolutely... sounds so similar tbh. Il never have a youngster again either. I didnt want one to start with, I was looking for something at the very youngest 6,(even then i was cautious) that had been out doing things. My lad was rising 5, and to be fair he had been out hunting and doing HT's. but i should have trusted my own gut feeling that a youngster is a youngster, and we scared each other because he was just so green.

Like you, I feel I can trust my new lad (who is 7)- yesterday i went out for a hack, on my own, and he had had a week off. He was a perfect gent. We had to pass a huge mound of dung that had been left in the field by the farmer which Charlie thought had dragons in it, but like you, its a different feeling and he doesnt worry me.
 
This is a scary post for me to read since.....although I've had two horses, I've never bought a horse or even viewed a horse for sale.

Monty boy was my share horse and 4 months after I'd given up the share he was found in a field alone, left to waste away to nothing. He was about 25 years old and every rib was showing :( I bought him for a pound and got him fat and happy until he was PTS February this year with Leukaemia.

Zoom was in the field that I kept Monty in. She was also left untouched for ages and looked like **** when I got her. I loaned her for 2 years and then bought her for £1 in November. She is a 14.3 one-eyed ex polo pony and is a bit nuts but has come good, we've had lots of fun together in the last 3 years :)

For that reason even though, she isn't my 'perfect' horse, she owes me nothing, I love her to bits and I would NEVER sell her.

In reality, she has got me jumping, hunting and brought out the competitor in me and I would love a horse I could do more on, but I owe it to her to look after until the day she pops off since she has given me so much.

I think it is different when you haven't bought a horse with a purpose! She was actually meant to just be something to ride when my mum wanted to Monty so she has turned out to be so much more. Plus, she cost me nothing so I can't complain! If I had bought a horse for a few grand with the intention of doing RC or something I would have less qualms about letting go.

For now though, I couldn't afford another horse and, even if I couldn't ride Zoom, she will be with me the rest of her life :)
 
i've only ever had one horse of my own, the gorgeous girl i own now, but i went through sooo many doubts during the first few months. she was extremely unsettled and stressy, wouldn't settle at all. it wasn't like it was for my friends who bought their first ponies, where 'nothing' ever seemed to go wrong.

but being fair it didn't help that i was a complete novice in owning a horse, despite loaning and helping out with friends ponies etc in the past, and tbh buying a thoroughbred who was more suited to a competent rider wasn't wise really. she scared the **** out of me and i began to resent ever buying her. she took the piss with everything i did and had zero respect for me. i soon realized that it wasn't her fault, after all, she had been moved from an enviroment were she was settled and happy with people who had practically been born on horses & had had them all their life, to a 16 year old girl who expected naively that she would be out doing small shows and going for lovely long hacks within a week.

i tried a different method, i stopped riding her for a while and did groundwork, just spending time grooming her & getting to know her etc before i re-introduced the riding. and i stuck it out on my own, balancing coursework and 2 buses to the yard and 2 buses back in the pouring rain in the dark. that winter was the hardest period yet.

she's taught me everything i know and i wouldn't swop the times i spent crying my eyes out because i just couldn't get it right for anything. i'd constantly say that i wanted to sell her and give up but i knew deep down i couldn't. i stuck it out and perserved, i read lots of books and spent ages in her stable just grooming or talking to her. she's now my best friend and follows me around like a little lamb, whinnies when she sees me and will let me cuddle her for ages. i wouldn't swop those hard times for anything, though it does still stress me out sometimes i love her too much to ever give her away or sell her. she's here to stay. :)

thankfully i'm alot more experienced now and have learnt a hell of a lot from other people & books in the first few months and i'm still learning new things every day!! :)
 
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At the end of the day its cost the same to keep the right horse as the worng horse. Difference is, its a lot more fun for both if its the right one. ;)
 
JunoXV said:
At the end of the day its cost the same to keep the right horse as the worng horse. Difference is, its a lot more fun for both if its the right one. ;)
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that about sums it up:cool:! except keeping the wrong horse can be more expensive in the long run in terms of having to pay for more help that you would with the right horse. And then there is the fact you often lose money selling on the wrong horse :(
 
I have had two that werent right - first one thought it still had it male parts, and was trying to get to females to s**g them. This wasn't good as we have huge fields and barbed wire fences. He just wasnt "right" when I rode him, although he didnt do anything wrong really. Anyway I had to get shut asap, and the quickest way to do it was swap him for another one that a dealer had. New horse was slightly better, but he used to rear and run down the road when he was out on his own. Finally sold him at a loss. Best thing to do, as I wasnt enjoying either of them.
 
The last two horses I have bought haven't quite worked out. The last one, because I didn't really know what I was looking for or wanted to do when I bought her. She's a lovely horse but turned out afraid of traffic, just as I got a taste for endurance riding. So I've had two years of great fun with her, but not really doing what I now know is what I want to do, so I've just sold her to an eventing home which she she should suit perfectly. I'm now free to look for an endurance horse. :) :cool:

The horse before was dangerous and unsound and never should have been on the market as a riding horse. She was given to the Blood Bank. :(

Unless you fanny about trying horses loads of times before you buy them, in which case, if they're any good, someone more decisive will come along and snap them up while you're dithering, it is a lottery buying horses. :rolleyes:
 
Depends.

I sold my last horse, who was perfect in all ways, after 2 years. he wasn't 'my' horse. I now have the horse who is 'my' horse. It wasn't a case of waiting to see if I could work out any issues as he didn't have any.

I do think life is too short (and expensive) to keep a horse that isn't right for you but I also think you should give the horse a chance if it is new. I wouldn't automatically think the horse wasn't for me if I'd ridden it half a dozen times and it had only been with me a very short time. Different horses take different times to settle down. New horse settled in straight away - old horse had some time off to settle as he was very poor when he arrived yet even when I started working him 3.5 months after he arrived he was a bit nervy and (very gently and politely) tried it on!

My horse of a lifetime was a muppet for 6 months before he & I got it together. But I loved him and knew he could be great - and he was. It didn't cost me anything but some pride and money in lessons during that time to realise his potential.

I've never sold a horse that I have sold on at a loss though. I have always got the price I paid or more for them as I have never devalued them while they were in my ownership - I've usually put value on them!

I said depends - as it depends on the person and the horse. I am a patient person and will give a horse time and put in the work to get what I want but if someone can't or doesn't want to do that then that's their perogative.
 
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I have decided to try and sell mine that was advertised as a confidence giver, family horse etc, and I was interrogated by the owners before they let me have him. He is a lovely kind lad but I have posted about him refusing to leave the yard alone. On one hand I will not get another horse as I am too old now to potentially go through this again, so will not ride again, therefore could keep this one and not ride as finances not too bad, but he is not really old enough to retire and I do have another old boy that I keep in retirement. He is a sensitive lad though and I think will not settle unless I can find the right place and i n the current recession bit worried about him being moved on again as I cant guarantee that hewill not be sold on again. Causing me sleepless nights at the moment.
 
I recently sold a horse who wasn't right for me. I knew he could buck a bit in company when I bought him (didn't worry me), but soon found out that it was a bit more than that as he was a serial kicker. He was also a sod to jump as he had a very dirty stop.

So, since I wanted a horse that I could hack alone and in company, and was fun to jump he had to go. I gave him 6 months to be sure that he wasn't right, but looking back I think I should perhaps have sold him sooner.

Lots of people told me that I should have kept him and worked on his issues. But I had bought him to be the 'ready made package' not a project, and I didn't want a 13 year old project. Instead, I sold him to a lovely home where he only ever hacked alone and doesn't jump - he is happy, his new owner is happy, and I am happy - result!

In hindsight, I could probably have tried him out more thoroughly before I bought him. Lesson learned, and I now have a super mare who I am very happy with.
 
It's taken a lot of time and tear's with mine. The first years were so bad I felt I was out of my depth with him silghtly overhorsed, lot's of bagage that came with him. I nearly gave up on him then had all the help I need with getting thing's right. Like a RI who supportd me etc. Now eight year's on we are complety happy and Im so glad Ive still got him. Desipte all the fall's Ive had off from him we are much stronger now!!

In some way's people who did say he mad etc made me more demited sp?? to keep him and prove them all wrong. It's such a nice feeling when you see thoso's people and they face expersion sp?
 
narkymare said:
i think my main point is tht when you first saw and bought your horse, you liked something - you made teh dicision to take him on. so he moves ot new yard, new owner, new herd, new surroundings - doesnt settle in as quick as youd like so you sell
I just think some horses should be given more of a chance
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I agree, I don't think horses truly settle in months - not weeks. If you bought a horse and trialled him/her out you've had a great insight into what they're like when settled. Why then would you sell them on after a few weeks or a month or two ? Surely you'd give them more time.

And yes I have been through it and been seriously injured too whilst working through everything. It took over a year for my mare to truly trust me and that's when she relaxed - I think we, as humans, underestimate the effect of moving horses around.
 
Good horses are worth waiting for, it’s taken mine six months to start to be my dream horse, including two badly fitting saddles (I thought the bucking was due to naughtiness :( ) the majority of the other issues we’ve had I look to myself being the problem before blaming him.

I’d never give up on a horse after just a few weeks, especially if it had had a massive upheaval and change of circumstances, such as bringing them home to live on their own without company, that would send any horse loopy, even the most saintly of grown up horses, let alone babies.
 
I once bought a horse who randomly went nuts and bronked me off as I was getting on him 5 days after he arrived, and continued in that vein. To cut a very long story short I persevered, was put in hospital on more than one occassion by him, spent thousands of pounds on all kinds of investigations (veterinary, chiro, tack, you name it I forked out for it, desperate to do right by him), spent more money still having professionals work on him for me etc etc. I ended up utterly miserable with my confidence in tatters and my purse empty. No one could find a thing wrong with him.

6 months down the line he bronked me off for the last time, I vowed never to get on him again, and I didn't. He was sold to a professional home in the end, did very well with them despite his quirks- a much better match for him.

If I could turn back time I would have returned the horse on day 5, no question- for his own good as much as mine. Wild rodeo style psycho craziness isn't acceptable 'settling in' behaviour in my book these days, I'd have no qualms whatsoever should I find myself in a similar situation again and would make no apology for it.

Incidently, I don't think the pet dog 'home for life' comparison is a valid one. I always buy horses with the intention of providing a long term home but a long term home isn't always in the horses best interest either if the home is the wrong one. Horses are potentially dangerous, extremely expensive to keep, and require a lot more time and experience/skill than your average pet. That said, if a dog behaved as dangerously as the aforementioned horse I had I'd rehome that too, if not PTS!
 
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