Would you buy a horse that has a "history"? Quite long. Sorry!!

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Christmas Crumpet

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I tried out a really lovely horse on Sat that was bought for a lot of money to event but doesn't like showjumping and naps badly in the ring so never got further than novice. He is for sale as a hunter/team chaser which is what I want to do with him.

I tried him out and he went beautifully for me and jumped everything I put him at, I could stop him when galloping and racing other people etc.

On Sun I rang a friend who lives near where the horse is and asked her whether she'd heard of him and she said "oh god, not that horse" and said it was a failed eventer and that it had gone to the local hunt kennels where it was a nightmare. It apparently napped very badly, wouldn't go out on its own and reared up with one of the whips.

It has since gone to another girl who hunted it and teamchased it all of last season without a problem. She has been very honest saying he can be quite sharp and will shy at stuff and does bunny hop a bit when excited or left behind. I am quite happy with a horse that does that as my current one does and its no problem. She said he was a very unhappy horse when she got him but that he has transformed into a lovely horse which I agree with. He's a delight.

I have got him on trial for 10 days to try him in every situation and see if I want him. So far so good. We went for a long ride yesterday and did all sorts of tests such as cantering in front and behind, jumping ditches in front and behind, going past traffic, scary tractors etc and he was brill. He is fine in the stable, trailer and field.

So what would you think about his slightly murky past? I rather think he is a one person horse and needs love and not be in a big competition yard or hunt kennels where he can get the attention.

Would you bother with him or pass him up because he's got a bit of a past? He's 9 and a reasonable price.
 
If i liked him and he was priced around £1,500 or less then i would take the chance, wouldnt pay alot for him though.

Napping will always rise its ugly head somewhere.
 
The past is the past. Your 10 day trial will reveal all. If he is doing all that you ask him for and all the activities that you want him for then where is the problem.
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you're in such a lucky position, being able to have a 10 day trial that if i were you, i'd use that period to 'trial' him fully, and base your judgement on that.

i'm sure there are lots of excellent horses out there with a 'past'.

good luck! i hope he's ace! xxx
 
As you are fully aware of his history and any problems that may occur, feel competent to deal with this & the price reflects his problems I'd say he's probably worth taking a chance on. You probably need to be aware that if he does revert to his old habits then you would have to consider what you will do with him as wouldn't be responsible to keep passing him on. I've bought 'problem' horses in the past that have ended up being great horses but I never sold them on as was always concerned they could end up in the wrong hands.
 
Make the most of the trial, can you get him to a competition or similar to see what he does in an atmosphere? I think in some cases what a locally renowned horse needs is a fresh start and a rider that doesn't anticipate the naughtiness, which lots of the time causes the naughty behaviour imo.

Also if you do buy and do start having problems, make sure you get the right help. I had a horse who had issues, and at the time did not know where to find the right help, despite being in a pony club etc. But then HHO is very useful for that
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As you are fully aware of his history and any problems that may occur, feel competent to deal with this & the price reflects his problems I'd say he's probably worth taking a chance on. You probably need to be aware that if he does revert to his old habits then you would have to consider what you will do with him as wouldn't be responsible to keep passing him on. I've bought 'problem' horses in the past that have ended up being great horses but I never sold them on as was always concerned they could end up in the wrong hands.

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Perfect advise, if it does go tits up you will be stuck with him!
 
As long as you are experienced and capable enough to keep up the good work that his current rider has done, then go for it! just be aware that he may at some point try it on again with the napping etc, but that is true of many horses. At least you are forewarned!
 
Havent we all got a past?? Go by your gut instinked, you may be the right person that he has been waiting for, who knows!! Good luck.
 
We are going out on our own this evening and tomorrow evening, hound exercise on Sat and see how we go from there.

His current rider has said that he has never done anything awful with her and I know her and trust her. She wants to keep the horse but can't afford him. She thinks he was overfaced showjumping which is why he doesn't like doing it - he goes xc like a total machine. As for his napping at the kennels - I'm going to do some more investigation about that!!
 
I would go for it, imo 10 days is long enough for any issues to surface and you sound like a competent rider. Maybe the horse has had problems with the way previous riders have ridden / handled him.

You are going in with your eyes open and the person selling him doesn't seem to be hiding anything which indicates to me she cares about him and is looking for the right home.

I think there's probably very few horses out there who someone hasn't got on with.
 
TBH, she must care about the horse or she wouldn't be offering a trial, she also must know that he's good for what you want him for.
I also have a problem napping horse and it caused me a few probs in the begining but now we are fine, I too would be very wary about selling her on and she has a home for life
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This could be quite naive of me but I honestly think that the problems all stem from the fact that this horse was bought for a lot of money to go eventing and just didn't like it. If you buy a horse for a lot of money and it doesn't come up with the goods then its going to either have a hard time or be forgotten about and not given any love. I'm sure if he wasn't very much money then he would have been moved on to a nice home ages ago.

I'm hoping he would much rather go hunting (which he did all of last season), go for nice rides every day and do the odd hunter trial and team chase, none of which are hugely challenging and become more of a pet than a competition horse. Who knows. Perhaps I am hugely shortsighted in that I like to see good in every horse but I want to give him a chance and I don't want to miss out on what could be the horse of a lifetime just I've heard about a bad period in his life. If he does everything I ask of him then I can't complain. If he is a nightmare he will go straight back but fingers crossed it all goes ok!!
 
We got a pony with a nasty history- her previous two riders haven't successfully persuaded her around a course bigger than 2'. She is very quirky and throws impressive tantrums. However, now she's being doted on and indulged she's a different pony, jumping double clears round 1.10m and eventing happily. His history with others has nothing to do with his future with you.
 
I'd be inclined to think along the same lines as you, typical story of alot of money paid, horse overfaced then pushed to the back of the yard. Lets face it like humans horses all like something different so that lifestyle just didn't suit him, some jsut thrive on the one to one thing.

I think if there was anything major to hide this girl would not be allowing you the 10 days trial. You seem to have your eyes open about this. I would probably go ahead with the purchase....

Good luck whatever you choose to do
 
I'd say the story rings true (I'm "do" problem horses for a living so I've heard it a lot
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) and would believe what you see and what the current owner tells you. You have no way of knowing the details of his past experience and I suspect they parties involved might not be entirely unbiased, even if you asked.

It's one of those "damned if you do, damned if you don't" situations. People want full disclosure but then when they get it, even with proof of reform, they run a mile or want some sort of incredible deal just because someone has something bad to say about the horse. If the horse is the business for what you want, he is. The owner is obviously confident or wouldn't be letting you take it on trial.

All that said, horses don't forget their experiences. "Fixed" is not the same as "Never f****ed up in the first place". We had one to "fix" and sell because he had a stop in him. We couldn't MAKE him stop, even with relatively novice riders on him, and I jumped stuff on him I wouldn't have attempted on many horses. (He'd also been an expensive prospect, poor soul.) One girl came to try him and he stopped so hard he left skid marks! She obviously pushed his buttons. So you just have to find out if anything you want this horse to do will push his.

I'd also really check with the current owner about her management and do as much as you can the same way. The horse may have lost some of his "adaptability" and I often see people get in trouble because they refuse to accommodate the horse in necessary ways, losing sight of the end goal, which is a happy, successful performer. (I had one that had food allergies and went mental on particular feeds. I disclosed the situation absolutely but the people who bought her felt the need to reinvent the wheel and she reverted immediately. In the end it all worked out okay but it would have been quicker and easier if they'd just accepted the situation.) If there are a few things that make a difference to him, it's worth it if you can see it his way.
 
I would take the chance.. Not all horses are suited to being hunt horse our hunt have one that is the opposite was a fantastic BSJA horse started going loopy hunt bought him and he is fantastic and a real huntsmans horse.
 
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