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

cinammontoast said:
Because it's not something that should be brought onto a public forum for reasons I'm not going to go into on here. (Not about the title of the thread, just the personal things behind it).

It's made me a little sad to see it all aired in public and there are repercussions elsewhere. :(
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I must be really thick but what's wrong with admitting you didn't like a horse and decided to sell it? It's hardly airing dirty laundry in public.
 
I don't see anything wrong with admitting you're not getting on with a horse. I had a horse for 3 months and got very, very emotionally attached to him in such a short time but knew that his talents lay in another discipline than I wanted to do and so I let him go. He is doing very well and is a lot happier doing that than he would have been with me. I believe his previous owner maybe should have realised the type of home he needed wasn't mine. He was an absolute sweetheart to care for and I wondered whether I was doing the right thing but I know now that he is doing what he was bred for and I think he is happier than he has ever been.

A horse that is not suitable for one person is often someone else's dream horse and I think we owe it to horses to do the best for them. Sometimes that means letting them move on to where they can thrive and be the best they can be - and putting our feelings aside.
 
narkymare said:
Not all novices give up!
I bought a horse last year for my daughter and me to share - my daughter had all the lessons, i just wanted a few to hack out and i really enjoyed the grooming, looking after him
Said daughter got fed up / scared/ put off - he became bolshy, spooky, dangerous. - id fallen in totally love with him though and wanted to keep him.
Hes only 7 and has had at least 6 different homes - i do love him, know he loves me and knew i had to work at it
So i began lessons on him - hated them to begin with because he would jump and spook at everything - i was and am determined to keep him
Its now working out thanks to an excellent private instructor and my determination - now my daughter dare ride him again he has improved so much and he has a happy loving permanent home for life
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Oh my gosh, full of admiration well done to you - that's why i always think when out buying has to be that spark, just like in a relationship, coz once you fall in love you can overcome allsorts as long as that bond goes both ways - unless horse totally nasty/vicious in which case just as brave to admit defeat and move on
 
Yes, I have had to admit with my coloured girl that it just isn't working. Not her behaviour, but other things that I should never have ignored when buying her. They niggle away at you. If she was perfect in other respects, I wouldn't selling, but it is difficult to work through issues when deep down you know it isn't right. However I ended it on a good note with her, got through the behaviour blocks, so I had a nice final few weeks with her. So yeah, it's pretty gutting, but at this point in my life, with time constraints, what I wanted her to do etc, we just aren't well matched.

This thread has made me feel a bit better!!!

I hope people don't think I'm giving up easy- I stuck through a hell of a lot with beans, and would do if she was the right horse for me, but she's not. Why waste lots more time and money on a partnership you know won't be right?

Plus, I think she will make 17.1hh at least... which when that throws its weight around... and you only weigh 8.5st, you've not got a shot!!

:( Well, live and learn eh?
 
Well said Teddybully! Come on chaps if noone sold horses on where would you get a horse from??

Nothing wrong with selling for any reason whatsoever imo BUT my big NO NO is not to disclose vices, quirks, problems etc with the horse for sale!
There are far too many horse and owner mismatches which is unfair on both. Good on anyone realising they are mismatched and doing something about it. Also people's circumstances change - if you haven't the funds to keep a horse then sell it to a home who has and don't skimp on dentistry/farriery/feed/veterinary - I know those who do - how fair is that?
Just had an undisclosed problem horse sold to me and it stinks - people off loading a damaged mentally/physically equine. It's downright dishonest and why oh why do so many horse owners/dealers do it?? My new boy is being given a chance luckily for him, but only because I have the facilities at home and the money. If I was at a livery yard this would probably be a different tale and I would have had him pts. I couldn't con someone and also I really feel for the poor horse and discounted suing the seller as that wouldn't help him either - the poor lad.
 
Ive just recently sold my first horse, I originally bought her from a friend, she was an amazing mare, jumping machine althou she was very foward going and sharp, i initially didnt want this as a first horse but i was so eager to own i jumped at the chance of having her without thinking it all through.

I had for 7 months, i got her home and started riding her and althou she was good i still felt myself not being completely confident on her, althou i am an experienced rider/ carer, she needed someone who was going to be more consistent with her, i wanted to event her, which is what she loves but 7 months down the line we still didnt gel, i felt myself getting angry at her everytime i rode, we wound eachother up so much and just never got on, comparison to that we were like best friends on the ground, she was a super mare, was extremely affectionate and we totally bonded, it was just the riding, we both argued with eachother and i found myself crying every time i rode her, i had lessons weekly, moved to a compettion yard to help over come our problems, had her back, teeth, everything imaginable done but nothing ever worked, i felt myself saying it would get better, but as a 17 year old girl i spent all my wages on her and never enjoyed her, what was the point, it wasnt a hobby anymore, more like a chore. i felt she was never going to be what i wanted her to be, it was the most heart breaking decision i ever had to make to sell her but i know it was the right one, i miss her terribly but only miss her as a companion. She's gone to wonerful home living the quieter life,

Noone can ever judge until theyve been in the situation themselves, i knew it was the right decision for her too, she didnt know why i was angry at her, im just glad i finally came to my senses, selling her to a home where she would be happy and so would i, i knew it was right for both myn and her intentions.

I am now on the hunt for my new one, and making sure this time it is right as i never want to go through what i had with my mare again.
I was so scared about other people and what they thought i never found what was right for both of us until the end. I feel really glad to have read others story who have been in the same situation.
 
I bought an older 16.2hh mare who went well on the day of trial, very quiet, I am a very confident novice thought I asked all the right questions. I wanted one to suit all family, within the first couple of weeks I had trouble with biting, rearing,napping, kicking and more.
I did ask the lady who owns livery and a very experienced rider to try her for me, she did the same, bit much for me.
Now I was prepared to keep her and loan her to someone experianced, however owner of livery fell for her and bought her.
I now have a lovely little mare who from day one follows me around, so nice to ride/handle.
I am very happy I have the right one for me now and so glad that other horse has got a great owner.
 
MissyThea said:
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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Well done!

I too bought the wrong horse many moons ago when I was eighteen. She was a badly broken in, 4yr old Welsh Cob. She didn't tie up, stable, lead, stand to be mounted, load or numerous other things. She bolted, bucked, napped and sometimes just got down on the floor and rolled to get you off. Oh and tried to scrape you off on trees, gate posts etc. I owned her for 20yrs until she died and she taught me how to be a rider and not just a passenger.
I'm not sure if I would stick with a similar horse now, although I probably would, as I'm incredibly stubborn!
 
I havent read the whole thread but Ive bought two horses that werent right for me. The first was an absolute little s*** when I bought him. He was great to handle on the ground but bucked to high heaven and threw some wobblers. Took me 2 years to gel with him. Altho he still threw some massive bucks. I still havent got a lot of confidence jumping and tend to jump with the handbrake on which is something Im keen to sort out with my next neddie.

Second horse was a complete loony tune, couldnt get near her in the stable, was nuts in the school and out hacking. I was glad when she went.
 
I must be a bit of a weirdo i have never had a horse i didnt get on with i have nine at the moment and my family have another five so a good few between us.
I think alot of these cases are because sellers dont tell the truth about the horse when selling so buyers often arent getting the horse they thought they were.

We sometimes bring on horses and sell on and and i would keep them all if i could,although we do tend to keep the naughty ones.
My dad has alyways had pointers and racehorses so i guess being used to their sometimes erratic behaviour and quirks we have sort of been always told nothing is perfect.

I think if you are faced with behaviour especially dangerous you are not comfortable with espc if unaware the horse had it there is nothing wrong with selling the horse, and although i dont really have any experience of not gelling with a horse the same thing applies if you are not getting what you want from the relationship.
As long as you are truthful about the horse when selling if this was always the case when horses were sold it would stop so many wrong matches.

Personally if i had a horse that i felt was truly dangerous i would have the horse pts and not sell on to a dealer even if i had to take a loss.

All of our horses are not lovely one in particular is pretty unfriendly and anti social but i see that as just how he is and i can be the same at times, but i could see how some may not gel with him.

Any horse i sell i always tell the truth about to avoid it going to the wrong home and i always agree before to take it back if it does not get on with new owner, the last horse i sold went with a book saying he could come back if they werent happy that i would like first refusal if they needed to sell and he could come back if needing long term field rest if injured as we have plenty grazing i also asked if she would contact me when he retires as if in a position i would take him back.

While i dont sell alot of horses any we have sold have always been a complete sucess because if you are going to take them back you make sure the home is a match in the first place, to save hassle expense and the horse being messed around.

If more regulations and better laws were brought in it would solve alot of these issues and may also stop dangerous horses potentially injuring buyers and the horses being put through upheavel may times over.

Sorry for rant but my pet hate is peole mis selling horses although i have never been mis sold one.

And i would say a large percentage of matches not working out are because of this.
 
I bought Sydney my grey arab just as a pet because I fell in love with him Then people started telling me I should get him backed coz he had so much potential.. I did and have a friends daughter ride him for me, because Im such a nervous wreck I wont ride Now my friends daughter is going to uni and would love to buy him but she just couldnt afford to keep a horse. So I am now faced with the reality that I am going to have a horse with so much ridden potential who will be wasted with me. I say this because he just loves being ridden. I shall be sad to lose him as a friend but know it is the right thing to do. Just need someone to come along and fall in love with him like I did, but this time someone who enjoys riding :(
 
Yes I went to what I thought was a reputable dealer for my first horse and explained what I was looking for, something with potential for low level eventing but is a confidence giver. I came away with a "16.2hh" warmblood gelding but when I got him home he was more like 17hh and when ridden he flybucked which knocked my confidence so had my instructor ride him and he reared vertical with her.

Dealer took a lot of persuading to take the horse back. I'm sure a more experienced rider could have worked through it with him but he wasnt the safe confidence giver that the dealer described.
 
im hoping to god my horse is "the one" - ive had 2 bad ones... and this one is an angel cmpared to them!!......

shes 4, dose stupid baby spooks but shes really straigh forward, like jumping - shes totally honest... if i f-up a line..... god love her she sorts it and if i faff it up enough for her to refuse (twice in the whole time) she slows to a walk and then stops

im still waiting to fall off her. it will happen soon - i know.... but when it does i can say now - no doubt it will be my fault :D

however!!! even having said all that - if this horse bronced - she would be on horsemart within 30 minutes. thats one thing with any horse i cannot deal with.
 
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