Would you buy a runner...

T

The wife

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Now, got a little question for you all... Mainly aimed at the professional riders on here or very advanced and brave amateurs. Hope i don't offend anybody by saying this but he would definitely not for the faint hearted.

I have a super talented, extremely well bred dressage horse who is 6 now, who is working at elementary at home, has an amazing scopey jump and is a genuinely fantastic person to deal with on the ground. Was bought with all sorts of problems, mainly being that he's a runner. If anything scares him, he runs and it is somewhere between a blind panic (until brain engages) and a I'm scared but I need help. We are just about getting on top of this problem and he has never done it at a competition or whilst hacking. Is he sellable to obviously the right person as he's the type that would end up being shot in the wrong hands? Would you ever consider buying a horse like this? He needs trust and somebody to be brave enough to drop the reins and give him a pat and reassurance when he goes... Is there anybody out there that would do this?!
 
My experience with my girl is get eyes checked. bought her to rescue her from horrific abuse . unrideable dangerous but i won her trust but she was going blind. didnt get her vetted but belief was it started before i got her at 7. May not be but rule it out. she became rideable trusting but alas now retired . still the horse of my 43 years of horses
 
And a ps yes the right person who will give reassurance and confidence and not shout or hit are out there but honesty is a must total honesty. with right person amazing things can happen :)
 
Doubtful that I'd buy / or even take on - though I suppose without knowing te horse its difficult to say. From what you've described though, I think I'd be thinking PTS, as would be worried how someone would aim to resolve it....most of the capable people don't want / need to take on a problem of that magnitude, and those who will often have no idea how to deal with a horse with a true issue :/ sorry to sound negative :(
 
Some types of horses are suited to different people... What I'm saying is in different hands and this is in no way meant to offend you.. He may or may not go differently...

I know of a horse that for its owner it was a delight. She was an advanced rider. For others including advanced riders it would not tolerate and become extremely dangerous...

So could you sell it?? Maybe but be very careful to match horse and rider
 
I am pleased you call him a runner not bolter as they are usually called on here, yes I think people would buy him if he has enough going for him, which it sounds as if he does, in my view any horse can run when worried it is how they then respond to the rider that is important as to whether they become a bolter or can gain confidence in the rider and gradually stop overreacting when scared.
Plenty of dressage horses are very sharp in new environments, are not safe to hack or otherwise quirky so I think your horse would sell if talented enough to go on through the levels.
 
It's ok, I posted to get both sides of the coin and if I didn't want to hear negativity I wouldn't have posted :) as appreciate he's not every bodies cup of tea.. He has found the right jockey now and they get on fantastically and have gained each others trusts, just testing the water to see what others thought. It didn't bother me when buying him as knew we had the experience and knowledge to deal with his problems. He's a lovely chap, just mis-understood!
 
Thank you with baby i alllowed her to turn and walk away from things that scared her(ground work) but turned back with a pat and a song she learnt she wasnt going to be beatened and that i was good. now she will folllow me past anything and when hacking if scared a hand on neck and a song was enough to say ok mums saying ok. took time but unrideable errrrr sorry we jumped galloped out hacking met many scary things . one very brave horse when allowed to think for her self :)
 
be positive said:
I am pleased you call him a runner not bolter as they are usually called on here, yes I think people would buy him if he has enough going for him, which it sounds as if he does, in my view any horse can run when worried it is how they then respond to the rider that is important as to whether they become a bolter or can gain confidence in the rider and gradually stop overreacting when scared.
Plenty of dressage horses are very sharp in new environments, are not safe to hack or otherwise quirky so I think your horse would sell if talented enough to go on through the levels.
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We are just about at that stage now with him, where he is gaining confidence and thinking before reacting. It's been a long old road at times but I do agree he does have an awful lot going for him, especially his jumping ability. Are bolter, to me he isn't a bolter. He just runs a bit quicker than we'd like when frightened and isn't going to put anybody into the school sides/through fences ect. Had one of those before and he got sent home very quickly!
 
Personally absolutly not - I am permentantly lamed due to coming off a horse who bolted with me.
He went on to a more experienced rider who did really well with him, unfortunately he did bolt again (rider was fine) but ended up in a cattle grid.
Most of his behaviour was due to previous treatment by whoever had him before me.

I'm really glad your horse has found a good match - this is whats important
 
Well, I wouldn't even think about it, but only because I would lack the confidence now to be able to manage a "runner". I wasn't even going to comment until I read the end of your post, where you say, drop the reins and give him a pat. One of my best friends has exactly that type of horse, when he is scared, he goes, but the more you pull, the more he fights and goes faster. The second you drop the reins, he comes back to you straight away, and with a pat on the neck he is walking in seconds. (And the crazy thing about it is, that I dont really consider him dangerous, as anyone that rides him knows to drop the reins- it's like the opposite stop signal to your usual horse). Dont know too many people that would want to buy him, but he is an amazing horse, once you know how to ride him. I think if you are selling him, make sure you sell to the right person, that has ridden a horse like him, and has the confidence to drop the reins when he "runs". xx Best of luck. xxx
 
You mentioned he never does it out hacking, so am I right in thinking he does it in the school then? How often does he get hacked out? It might be agoraphobia, which some horses imported from Europe have, because they are only used to living from stable to school 24/7.
 
Thank you very much, if we do decide to sell him the person would be extremely well vetted and required to ride another prior to trying him. I think too much of him to just let him go to the first person who offers and We've put too much work into him for it to be ruined by somebody trying him who isn't up to scratch.

Re, the one you we describing he sounds very similar. We spent weeks working out what worked and exactly as you said, the more you haul about the worse he gets. I wouldn't class him either as dangerous with us but in the wrong hands he would be.
 
Darremi said:
You mentioned he never does it out hacking, so am I right in thinking he does it in the school then? How often does he get hacked out? It might be agoraphobia, which some horses imported from Europe have, because they are only used to living from stable to school 24/7.
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He's regularly hacked out Both alone and in company and is currently turned out 24/7 during the summer. Yes, always in the school. Don't get me wrong when hacking out he 'feels' like he's going to go but never has done yet. Even in heavy winds.
 
That sounds like pretty strange behaviour, if he was agoraphobic you would expect him to be much worse riding outside the school. I wonder if he has had a bad experience in the school with a previous owner? I know we don't like to think about it, but he may have been roughly handled in a school in the past and thus associates pen-like structures with an unpleasant experience? Have you ever tried schooling him in a big field rather than the school? He might just be terrified of the arena!
 
I know his previous from being a foal as I know the previous owner. He did indeed have some bad experiences from his running which have without doubt exasperated the problem but has never been ill treated in the slightest. Everything bad that happened to him was from his own doing of being a doughnut - appreciate he doesn't think like this as no animals do! Yes has been schooled in a big open field before. I'm probably actually making him sound worse than he is as doesn't do it regularly but its something that a a new person would NEed to know about!
 
The wife said:
. He just runs a bit quicker than we'd like when frightened and isn't going to put anybody into the school sides/through fences ect. Had one of those before and he got sent home very quickly!
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In that case maybe I was a bit negative :D if he's more a "scooter" than a "go through things" it possibly wouldn't worry me, and as you say, if he's talented, a competent rider might be quite capable......
 
Norfolk Pie said:
In that case maybe I was a bit negative :D if he's more a "scooter" than a "go through things" it possibly wouldn't worry me, and as you say, if he's talented, a competent rider might be quite capable......
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I am chuckling away to myself at the usage of the words 'scooter' and'go through things'. I have strange visions of a Vespa versus a tank now! :D
 
He's only six. Sounds like a job for a pro rider; with proper schooling he would probably stop doing it. With a less able rider it could be dangerous, but then so could pretty much anything if the horse has any ambition.
 
I wouldn't, no, but I do hacking, fun rides and endurance so its most important to me to have a horse that is safe and dependable in all sorts of random stressful situations.

Hypothetically, if I wanted a reasonably priced dressage horse to take from its stable to an arena or horsebox to an arena, and he only ran when triggered by kind of understandable stuff which can be manageable (flapping tarpaulin, tractors, cement mixers, etc - NOT a rider getting on, starting a session walking in the wrong direction, some other ridiculous trigger/excuse, etc) then I might have been up for it. Someone will be, if he is good at dressage and enjoyable to ride and train most of the time.
 
yes he is saleable when targeted at correct market! e.g. byrds riders/pros/advanced amatures..... just has to be someone who has the confidence to drop reins and pat! - makes everything so much better ;)
 
If a horse is very talented, people may take a 'punt' if priced accordingly. I sold a show cob that had a similiar habit out hacking, but was never a problem in the school or show ring. I wanted to show him and hunt, but quickly realised that hunting would be out of the question, so decided to try to sell on.

I posted a very honest ad and sold him with the new owner having full knowledge of his bolting. The new owner only ever rides him in the school - she never hacks him out and competes him very sucessfully in dressage and showing and even got him to Hoys last year.

Sure I lost some money on him but he has gone to a very good home that takes into account his issue and manages it. All parties are happy and most importantly the horse still has a job and is out enjoying life.

So in answer to your question, there may be somone out there that would consider buying your horse. Good luck!
 
I used to ride a horse that would take off until he was about 200m away then stop and snort at what scared him. His owner took him to loads of desensitizing clinics and was lucky enough to know someone who helped train police horses and they also helped. When I last saw him he was loads better, still a bit sensitive but mush safer. She did put a lot of time and money into fixing the problem though and she's said she'd never sell him, especially as when she deviates from routes he knows well or his routine changes too much he reverts back.
 
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