Difficult horse decision *UPDATE*

[luvarabhorses]

I'd ship her off. You might try a listing on Craigslist that says something like " free to good home, difficult dangerous horse in need of someone with a lot of natural horsemanship experience". Lots of people love a challenge and brag about it later when someone gives up on an impossible horse and they make it work for them.

 

[luvarabhorses]

Ps- If you are ever in Arkansas please look me up. I have GREAT horses and would love to take you riding with me. Here's a pic from yesterday's ride. My Tara was ponying my two year old Magic on her first big ride in the mountains. Magic went into the water all the way up to her chest!!!

 

[Epona142]

You've gotten some good advice, so I'm just going to mention one thing.

I've seen a couple comments about horses being a dime a dozen. This is very true right now.

And then I see, "You could use her as a brood mare."

Tell me, why would you breed a horse (with obvious problems no less) when good broke horses are a dime a dozen? When foals learn a lot of things from their mother? When the costs to PROPERLY care for a pregnant mare, then her resulting foal, and the costs to raise the foal to an age where anyone will even take a look at it, are so high?

Especially when horses are a dime a dozen and weanling foals run through auction at $20 a head.

Just something to think about on that aspect . . .

Anyways, I agree with some of the posters here. Get rid of her and find a horse that is properly broke and can give you good memories. Yes, you brought the horse home, but its obviously not the right home for her.

I hope everything works out for you.

 

[chickenpiedpiper]

Quote:
It was discussed in this thread about using her as a brood mare, but in also the same breaths (or clicks as it may be) your same concerns were addressed. and tho I agree that foals absorb a lot from thier moms, (especially thier social rank) I have worked with some down right murderous mares whos babies moved on to be top show or pleasure horses. Its as much to do with the handling as the horses sometimes.

I think that this mare is simply young, and has learned some nasty behaviors that are going to set her back. We all agree she is in the wrong situation, and can only hope that soon she will find the right situation. Like roosters, there are too many good ones out there longing for a good home to put up with a nasty one!

Horse breeders would do well right now to hold back for a while, but I bet they already know that.

 

[onthespot]

Someone said on here you "owe it to the horse" to find the root of the problem and try to fix it, and I beg to differ. You do not OWE that horse anything. She is a sourpuss sow and you got tricked into buying a problem horse in a bad market. Sorry about that, and shame on the sellers. All that being said, horses are bought, sold, traded and givene away every day for any number of reasons, lack of time, financial pressure, outgrown, unfit for purpose, horse diminishing usefullness, dangerous, too small, too big, to fast, too slow, wrong color, thin mane, too many socks and blaze too big, navicular, you name it. DO NOT for one second think you are morally obligated to feed for one more day a dangerous, bad tepmered, ill mannered sow of a mare. Adios amigos is all I would say about that. I personally would put her down, in this market and just eat the loss.

 

[Knight Hawk Ranch]

I thought the horse was bought to be a confidence booster for you.

Is the horse doing what it was intended to do?

Does your husband REALLY think he can rehab this mare till she is safe enough for you? REHAB is what is going to happen here because it sounds like this mare is super sour and been allowed to get away with a lot and basically, ya'll got sold a 'lemon'.

Would you REALLY feel safe riding her IF he is able to rehab her?

There are too many truly nice horses out there to do the job you want her for to have to deal with this.

You would be safer on a green broke horse who is not out to hurt you to begin with. At least then you would know the horse just doesn't know enough to try very hard to get out of working.

My opinon (take it for what it is worth). Sell her, or let your husband ride her and get something that IS suitable for you to enjoy riding.

 

[Buster]

Quote:
My sentiments exactly.

 

[jay1995]

I had a appaloosa the same way. He was spoiled when ever riding would buck and only do what he wanted to do. So I spent a long time just walking him around letting him eat grass and scratching his back, giving him baths, brushing him down, hoof picking him, just doing anything around him. I would open the stall door while he was eating and rub his head. Then I took him to the round pen MAJOR DISASTER. He bucked he kicked he pinned his ears at me. So I took the lead line down and got mad. I grabbed his halter and would yell out the commands and make him do it. He eventually straightend out and became a GREAT pony horse. It takes ALOT of work, but WILL eventually pay off. You will lose you patiance with her hand want throw in the towl, and just give up. But when you do that, they just take advantage of you. Everyone says thier dumb and thier brain is the size of a golfball but they can read us better than we can read ourselves. Heres an example, at my barn we have six stalls and two hoses on the block seperaters and my thoroughbred would bend her head out around the stall turn the ont spout, grab the end of the hose pull it in her stall and drink from it. But horses are great animals and take alot of time and effort. Goodluck, -Jay

 

[blasto]

Your plan seems sound--get an outside opinion from someone you can trust to help you with your next purchase. I have to agree that a 4yo filly/mare is not a good choice for a tentative rider. She is more of a pet project for someone with time and a firm hand who is very confident with training out bad habits. No guilt, just move on and find what works for you.

Any chance you can go back to english, at least for a while so that you can get back in to riding with a style you are more comfortable with? I rarely get the chance to ride English these days (or ride at all, for that matter

) but that*s what I learned on nearly 30 years ago so I still feel far more comfortable and confident that way. I feel like neck reining and that thick western saddle and those bulky stirrups separate me from my mount and give me far less control than heels down, toes in, back straight. If I can*t feel his mouth then I feel like I*m just along for the ride, KWIM?

Best of luck to you. Here*s to wishing a future with a great horse who brings the joy of riding back to your life!

 

[patandchickens]

Quote:
I missed this when first posted, but now that I see it -- I guarantee that this indicates it is a real physical problem and/or a serious misunderstanding about how to 'teach' a horse things.

Is the horse even *suppled* to turn left? If she is braced and leaning on that shoulder or hard on that side of her neck (either because of discomfort or just because of naturalborn crookedness), then yes, trying to make her turn left will not work well.

Might be worth just WATCHING her a lot, even just at liberty, to see if you can see where her problem comes from. Or perhaps your trainer will be able to pick it up. Possibilities range from impossible to fix to pretty easy to fix.

Good luck,

Pat