Park the sports car, and start having some actual fun!
Mar 07 2011
I just found a web site called “Project Horses“…oh my. It’s kind of a mix of people who have more horse than they can ride and people trying to dump the horses they have broken. Pssst, the latter are not “project horses” unless you are advertising solely to veterinarians! A lot of these ads a great example of something I’ve been wanting to talk about: Buying a horse the same way you shop for a sports car. Look, I can totally relate to the desire to drive something super cute and fast. In the days before I got back into horse rescue, I had a BMW, and I absolutely loved it. Unfortunately, many people go shopping for a horse with the same set of priorities: They want something stunningly gorgeous, something that they are proud to own, and something that is a status symbol. They forget that the main priority should be something appropriate to their riding level. You see it everywhere – middle-aged folks perched, white-knuckled, on very expensive warmbloods. They are stiff as a board up there, and obviously petrified. I am not for a moment making fun of that – I’ve noted many times that I have my own fear issues. But I stick to riding stuff that I feel comfortable on, and I have learned to say no even though you do get shit about it. (I keep saying no right now to getting on something I know I don’t want to, and yes, I am getting shit about it!) I’m fairly sure getting teased is better than getting hurt, so I will continue to decline.
But you see a lot of people who are bound and determined to ride the skeery thing they bought even though it’s obvious they’re good and skeered of it. The horse deteriorates and the rider’s riding certainly does not improve. The rider would be having a much better time, and progressing faster, with a middle-aged, mid-sized, experienced horse. But they saw the prettiest, most high-status thing out there and had the money to write the check, and now here they are – not having fun, and often getting hurt. C’mon guys – it’s not a Vuitton bag. You’d be having way more fun on something less fancy that you felt confident on! (And, btw, it actually does look a lot “cooler” when you are in control and getting the results you want from the horse.)
Sometimes it’s not all the buyer’s fault. Some trainers are notorious for encouraging their clients to purchase more horse than the client can ride. Sometimes the trainer simply sees a cool horse that they want in their barn, and that they themselves want to show, and the client has the money, so there you go. Other times, the trainer may be of the mindset that it’s good to push clients with a horse that is a little too challenging for them. I personally disagree with that philosophy. As a rider, if you ride something that is a little too much for you right now and you decide you really, really want to learn to handle it and are willing to work hard with that goal in mind, that’s your choice and may end well. I haven’t seen it end well when you are pushed by an outside party – trainer, spouse, whatever – into making that choice. Ultimately, I wish trainers would remember that clients that stay uninjured spend more money at the trainer’s Also, do you know what everybody else is saying when they see your client out of control at a show, bazoinging around the 2′ hunter course hanging on by their toenails? It does not reflect well on you, or your barn. Don’t do it.
The other reason I see people get overmounted is their fear of older horses. They think an older horse will be a constant vet bill, or will have one foot in the grave and the other on a banana peel. But ask anyone and they will tell you – soundness isn’t related to age. You can lose the soundness/health lottery with any horse! I know someone who has a 5 year old they raised themselves and the damn thing is intermittently “mystery” lame all the time. The vets can’t figure it out either. Unfortunately, this is one of the risks you assume with horse ownership. You may buy a 5 year old and end up with all kinds of vet bills and down time, whereas if you’d purchased the 15 year old, who merely needed some Adequan shots and a good chiropractor to hold up 100%, you’d be spending less money and having more fun. And the 15 year old might be far, far more appropriate to your riding level. While age does not always determine how quiet something will be to ride, and I’ve definitely met high-powered, sensitive 20 year olds, a horse that has been doing a job for 10 years is much more likely to be good at the job, solid, and tolerant of mistakes than a horse that has been doing the job for six months. I’ve seen people reject horses that were perfect for them because of a bit of swayback that would be easily dealt with via a $30 riser pad. But that person simply did not want that “old looking” horse standing in their barn, so they ran out and got – you guessed it – too much horse for their kid to handle. And yes, the kid got hurt before the summer was over.
I’m not saying no one should ever push themselves a bit out of their comfort zone. You do improve by riding different horses and challenging horses. However, for your own personal horse, buy a horse you feel good on every day. You can always take lessons on other horses or pick up rides on your trainer’s sales horses for variety, but much like your other personal relationships, you simply will not be happy dealing daily with unpredictable mood swings and drama. Whatever your riding level, look for a horse at your level. If you can find it in the physical form you were hoping for, great, but never sacrifice your safety or your enjoyment of riding just so you can say you own X and that’s YOUR imported blah-blah-blah over there in the turnout. Buy a Porsche instead — you’ll have a lot more fun!
P.S. This blog is dedicated to my friend Lauren, who is doing her best to convince a friend to buy a dream horse, not a nightmare!
139 comments to “Park the sports car, and start having some actual fun!”
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I’m having a similar, but sort of opposite problem.
My mom wants to buy another horse to be the husband/kids/beginner horse so that we can start bringing friends along for trail rides. It doesn’t have to be anything close to show quality, but it needs to be broke and QUIET, especially on trails.
However, mom doesn’t want to spend more than $1000 on it. I keep trying to convince her that, despite the market being in the toilet, actual broke and quiet horses are almost always selling for 2k and up around here unless they have a major health issue.
I’m afraid a dealer or someone will convince her a horse they are selling cheap is kid-broke, and she’ll buy it and bring it home only to discover it’s a complete nutcase. She has made this mistake once already, and I’ve had to FIGHT to keep it from happening with 3 other horses. I am scared to death she’ll go to an auction without me and come home with another trainwreck.
Mom, just spend the extra money to get what you actually want!!
(PS: We are in Illinois if someone is selling a BROKE, reliable horse. Breed/registration doesn’t matter, and we would prefer a gelding around 15 years old. Gaited or draft would be a bonus.)
Im in that area and in a few months will have to put my pony on the market. Hes sane, incredibly broke and cute, but he is 14.1hh so maybe not what you are looking for.
This is to gotuckergo…I am looking for one and he sounds perfect. Looking for 2 beginner brothers and 14’1 would be perfect. Plz email me at patperdu50@yahoo.com if still available. Thx
Have you looked at http://www.longmeadowrescueranch.org? They’re maybe an hour or two into MO from IL, but they have a trainer on site that works with the horses and will tell you every single detail about a horse. He will also give you lessons on a horse you adopt. I know of two people who have been very happy with the horses that they adopted from there, and I personally have a rooster I adopted from them. They’re prices are for the most part under $1000 as well!!!
Went and looked at the horses they have right now:
http://www.petharbor.com/detail.asp?ID=A499709&LOCATION=MOHS2&searchtype=ADOPT&friends=1&samaritans=1&nosuccess=0&rows=10&imght=120&imgres=thumb&view=sysadm.v_mohs&fontface=arial&fontsize=10&zip=63110&miles=50&shelterlist=%27MOHS%27,%27MOHS1%27,%27MOHS2%27,%27MOHS3%27,%27MOHS4%27&atype=&where=type_OO
There are lots around for 1k, (I’m in Indiana, near Shipshewana), but as you noted it helps to know broke when you see it or ride it. See my post further down regarding looking for the ‘ugly’ ones.
True story: a mare who I had watched carry children around, be picketed to a tetherball pole in the front yard (yes, the portable kind…), drive the buggy, plow the garden, carry teenagers around, raise babies, and do it all over again. I’d have bought her in a second, but seriously, what was the chance that such a gem would ever come up for sale? The answer: pretty good chance. She ended up at Shipshe, and thanks to absolute luck (I NEVER attend the sale because it breaks my heart) and a unique scar on the mare that allowed me to ID her, I came home with a dead broke, dead safe, sweet, gentle, fun mare for $150. To be fair, she isn’t 100% sound thanks to an encounter a few years ago with a truck on the highway, but she has my heart, and she faithfully carries around new riders and children with cheer and care.
So moral is, YES, they are out there, and yes they are that cheap, but you have to know what you are looking for. I agree that your mother shouldn’t go within miles of a sale barn unless she knows every single trick of the trade.
http://indianapolis.craigslist.org/grd/2251803606.html
This horse is about 10 minutes from my house (its a little north of Indianapolis, IN). If its something you guys would be interested in, I would be more than happy to check him out.
Says he’s beginner friendly, there are pictures of a kid riding him and texting while sitting on him. They list a bunch of the local trail places. Also says price is negotiable to a good forever home.
maggie(dot)taylor28(at)gmail(dot)com if you want to talk more about this guy
I’m looking for something similar (but I’d rather have a mare and something a bit smaller than a draft) in MN for some kiddie camps we’re doing this summer, for lease or sale. I’ve been finding horses advertised cheaply, but they either don’t get back to me or are really not sure about selling their ponies
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/my username @gmail.com
It can be done for $1000.00 or even for free… with some leg work and patience. Think about retired show horses and ex-show- horses-turned broodmares who are no longer producing. Most reputable show barns won’t advertise these horses. They typically will keep them in a field and take care of them while using word of mouth to find good homes. I would cold call bigger show barns and ask if they have that sort of horse available. The worse that could happen is that they laugh at you or hang up. The best that can happen is that they are thrilled to hear from you and invite you for a test ride.
Zanthia – please e-mail me privately at urbanzebu at gmail.com. A friend of mine is trying to rehome her part-draft gelding. He might be what you are looking for. He’s about 15 years old, retired eventer, loves to hack out on the trails, but he isn’t supposed to jump anymore. We’re in Wisconsin, about an hour or so north of the Illinois border. I can tell you more about him in e-mail if he sounds interesting.
Wow… I actually just spoke with a lady at work who’s looking for a home for her 14 y/o QH. He’s grey, 15.2, she says he’s as close to bombproof as it gets. I’m in Illinois (southern), but if you’d like me to get some more information/pictures, shoot me an email at thisiskellie@hotmail.com
Amen sista! This is so sadistic, and you can totally judge me for it, but we used to gather around the AA ring at shows JUST to watch the rich old ladies on $70,000 warmbloods biff it. They were usually fine though. I think. Meanwhile, I was cleaning 10 stalls a day and practically throwing myself at any client who needed a catch rider just to ride in a few divisions at every show. Nobody said life was fair I guess! Plus, it’s not all bad. You should see me with a pitch fork. No poop, even tiny pony pellets, stands a chance against my dextrous wrists- I can hit a wheelbarrow from 5 feet away with my patented scoop-and-fling method.
“Meanwhile, I was cleaning 10 stalls a day and practically throwing myself at any client who needed a catch rider just to ride in a few divisions at every show. Nobody said life was fair I guess!”
Yeah but who is less likely to get hurt? YOU. Because it’s catch riding all those different horses that makes you a good, solid, secure rider. That’s why I encourage people to do it. Got a lame horse? Keep him, care for him, and go ride your trainer’s sales horses all day. You’ll wind up being 10x the rider as if you ran right out and got a new show horse right away. And you’ll make a better choice when you do buy because you’ve ridden such a variety that you know what you like and don’t like.
“Plus, it’s not all bad. You should see me with a pitch fork. No poop, even tiny pony pellets, stands a chance against my dextrous wrists- I can hit a wheelbarrow from 5 feet away with my patented scoop-and-fling method.”
Gotta love it! I do stalls myself most nights after work, and on the weekends, and I like doing it. First of all, I like being more nitpicky about stalls than anyone else and giving the horses a beautiful clean place to live, and second of all, I like that I don’t have flappy batwing arms like girls I see 10 years younger than me!
Here’s to all the Stall Technicians and Manure Managers! I do my best thinking when scooping poop . . .
I think we need a fancy shingle to hang out when we work our magic with muck forks and buckets. I’m one of these “sift through all the shavings to find the hidden treasures” cleaners. I used to board my horses at a “do everything yourself” barn with a crusty old ranch manager He’d watch me clean and say, “When you find the one you’re looking for … ”
Anyway, I think even a diploma stating a doctorate in Manure Detection with a minor in Equine Stallology would make quite the fancy shingle, don’t you? ;o) And you’re right–NO one cleans a stall quite as well as we do.
I’ve been doing a lot of helping out at the barn lately and I just noticed this morning that my upper arms aren’t quite as flabby as they used to be. Go go manure picking muscles!
When I was in high school, I ended up riding an OTTB for a woman who was a good trainer but had a bad back. She was trying to sell him (and boy was he gorgeous–he had the big trot of a warmblood and could jump too) and some middle-aged woman who had taken up with some big-name dressage trainer and had been taking lessons for all of 6 months came to give him a try. She couldn’t sit his trot for shit and proclaimed that his trot was terrible and un-sittable after she got off (yeah, like she would even know). The owner asked me if I wanted to take him around the arena a few times since he was already tacked and warmed up. Boy was she pissed when she saw how my butt was glued to the saddle (which was too big for me, so I had to ride without stirrups)! But I started riding at 4, mostly rode bareback (was too lazy to drag out the saddle and tack up), and because I never had a trailer, I was always riding random horses at my 4-H club’s riding meetings. And they were usually the nutty ones that no one else wanted to ride. I figure the best time to ride really crazy horses is when you’re about 14-18 (if you started riding young): you’re fearless and you heal well.
I totally agree with your last sentence; I miss those days.
HA!! We used to do the same thing down in Arizona. Only we were the thirty somethings coming back to riding on our sweet little backyard horses!! We would be budgeting our dressage lessons, stabling, supplements etc. with the bottom line sometimes between shoes for us or the horses!! Meanwhile there was a trainer in town who was very well known for over-horsing all the 50 something ladies who thought they could buy the right to dressage divadom!!!! They would bring their big expensive warmbloods to these little schooling shows and have the trainer’s wife (cause that man didn’t have nothing to do with actually touching the animals!!!) unload the horses, tack them up and then warm them up BEFORE these ladies would get on, hold on for dear life, ride their test and then return the horse to the wife to untack while they went to collect any ribbons, their horse earned for them!!! We were just stunned!!! Couldn’t figure out why they would ever ride a horse that scared the bejeebers out’a them!!!! Well, sort of ride……and why they would train with a dumpy old man that couldn’t ride if the floods were coming and it was his only way out!!!
Maybe it was because he wore a goofy fedora and had a European accent
Swarovski crystal GPA helmet: $1,000. Custom hunt coat: $800. Tailored Sportsman’s: $300. Vogel zip tall boots: $1,000.
Watching it all hit the ground in an epic display of catostrophic failure: Priceless.
SO TRUE!!!!! My first horse I bought her because it was “love” at first sight, and to this day no other horse has lived up to her. She was not a BMW by any means, and to this day, I can not put my finger on why I fell head over heals in love with her. I invested 3 1/2 years into her. She was a good horse, but she needed a lot of training that I did not have the expertise to do. So with a heavy heart, I knew what I had to do. I sold her and I bought a “trained” horse. WOW What a difference! My confidence came back. I do not ride white knuckled anymore. Today I love her just as much, because she has built my confidence. I just recently purchased a 20 year old gelding, and he is worth his weight in gold! I actually feel more relaxed riding him and his ride is very choppy! LOL But I love them both and I ride them both. I am NOW enjoying my horse’s to the fullest extent! I feel complete! When I sold my love, I looked for the UGLIEST HORSE I could find! Because I did not want chrome…I wanted stability! Sissy my first horse, was a BMW. (Sold her), Libby my now horse, is a chevy, and Poncho, (newly aquired 20 year old) is a willys jeep! HAHA….
I have to admit, I’m a little guilty of getting in over my head. I rescued a baby, and discovered when he was old enough to start riding that I really wasn’t the superstar rider I thought I was when I was a kid. Makes my trainer happy, because she has a long-term job giving ME lessons now that he is trained, but actually I got lucky — he’s a little spooky and definitely high energy, but he also loves his mom and wants to please. I’ve had some falls, but both of us are gaining confidence, and I figure by the time I master riding him I’ll be able to ride ANYTHING!
I have to laugh only because I’m the same way. Sometimes I think, oh, I can ride that, and totally forget I do NOT ride like I did when I was 20. Or I can still do it but damn I’m sore the next day. I rode Mr. Heavy on the Forehand yesterday and my thighs hurt and my shoulders are sore. And before anyone says it, yep, my shoulders are sore because my core is weak, I already know it!
Hee. Reverse crunches, ‘Supermans’, bird dogs…you don’t even need a gym *flees from Fugly*
Foam rollers should just come standard with horses who are heavy on the forehand. If you don’t have one, they are so worth the investment. You can just macerate your traps/delts/rhomboids on those things, and it hurts so good after a day like that.
I thought you were writing about me. First horse was pushed on me by my trainer. WAY over mounted, within three months I was off with a severe head injury and needing surgery. Took me over a month to get back on and almost six months to be able to canter without having a panic attack.
Second horse I was overmounted but not because I couldn’t stay on him. If all I wanted to do was get on and go in a circle (to the left only), whoopee, I’m good to go. So I paid a trainer $1000 a month (including board) for three months to train him, then I spent a small fortune learning how to ride him, and ride in general.
Soooo I bought a yearling, because I wanted a dressage horse and can’t afford the price tag on one that’s already trained. That hasn’t quite bit me on the ass yet but the skills I learned from horse #2 will come in handy for horse #1.
I did discover, however, that I really enjoyed getting on my husband’s 15 year old draft mare and knowing more than she did. But I would get bored with a horse that all I would have to do was jump on and sit. When I was in Ireland on the Galway-Clare trail (http://www.irishhorseriding.com/ for anyone who is curious) it was nice to be able to do a posting trot up a hill with the reins looped over one wrist and taking pictures with the other. But after three days of being on the equine equivalent of a couch, I wanted something more. I enjoy the “AHA!” moment I get training a horse so – without putting myself at risk of killing myself like the 17.2H psycho I started with – I’m working on it.
And it kills me too, some days, to think of what an awesome match I would have been with my first horse if I knew then what I knew now.
I am a somewhat middle aged rerider that made that very mistake. Bought the beautiful dumb green horse when I was back into horses after 10 years out. He was never a right fit for me and after months of training he was still “special” and pushed ever button trying to act up. I loved him though and tried everthing to make it work though even after I had him going along ok (no bucking at least) others could not ride him. Not the way to go. A year ago this month he had a horrible accident that resulted in a spinal chord injury. I was told to put him down but with some rehab he is not danger to anyone (he has brakes and can turn now) and is turned out forever with our 30 year old paint happy with his forever pasture potato status as his most redeeming quality is his beauty (Impressive bred of course).
6 months ago i came to the conclusion I cannot give up riding again and realized I was not content grooming and mucking so I started looking at horses. I saw a few I liked, but I decided send a random email to a neighbor horseman who has beautiful cutting horses that I couldn’t afford to see if he knew of anything. My emailed entailed a list. I want a BROKE gelding, ready to ride, preferable no older than 12, can pull out of the pasture and go etc possibly to do some sorting and cowhorse practice (not show just fun), and a very limited budget. I got an email back about this 12 yr old guy named Pete. And horrible blurry pictures of this scraggly brown slightly sway backed pot bellied horse but fit my description to a T. He had ROM in junior reining and nothing since (another story there) and been living in someones coastal pasture. I said this time looks mean nothing and set up a time to go see him. I did not pet him, love on him nothing just was all business as the trainer rode him around. Then I rode him, and he carried my ametuer butt around and made me look good. I stopped in the middle of the pen and asked how do you cue the spin and as I said he did it ( I had watched the cue but didn’t know if I was doing it right). He is the most talented, automatic horse I have ever ridden. I tried to hide my enthusism as I was talking to my horse friend that came with me (tried to keep my poker face). Then the trainer said he had been told that if you have a Miller Lite in your back pocket Pete would steal it and drink it, I looked at my friend and said “It’s like a match.com date, we are compatable on so many levels” Needless to say I am now Pete’s proud owner and moved this week to a training facility to get him fit again and me to learn how to do all this stuff that my cool horse knows how to do. Already he is the barn favorite and even will be doing some reining lessons for some others because he is such a confidence builder. My little superstar, I’m so on cloud nine about him. Lol and my name is Lauren so tell your Lauren my story!!
“Then the trainer said he had been told that if you have a Miller Lite in your back pocket Pete would steal it and drink it, I looked at my friend and said “It’s like a match.com date, we are compatable on so many levelsâ€
LOL! LOL! LOL! I would have said the same thing, he even likes the same BEER I do, match made in heaven!
Pete sounds TOO cool and I bet you are going to have a LOT of fun with him. And your other horse sure won the owner lottery!
bummer.. I checked the website & it’s based out of the UK.. :/
Thanks for the new time-wasting site! Too bad they’re all in the UK, though.
This one cracked me up:
http://www.projecthorses.co.uk/viewad.asp?id=50274748944101533
http://www.projecthorses.co.uk/cl_upload/1010/10072836168.jpg
So, she’s “done lots of natural horsemanship groundwork, riding & even some demos” and you’re wondering why she “Can be unconfident and spooky so does need a confident rider”?
“For sale due to lack of time.” ???? Lack of time…. Riiiiiiggght.
Lack of time = you couldn’t PAY me to spend more time on this worthless piece of crap.
Lack of time = being on bedrest for weeks after trying to work with him is REALLY cutting into my paycheck.
Lack of time = I have no time to ride Peanutbrain because I spend all my time riding a real horse.
Very well said! I hate seeing people “afraid” to do things with horses. The horses feel it immediately and are constantly looking for something to be afraid of.
“I can’t ride, it’s windy”, “We can’t go there, there might be bikes”
We had our own issues, but geez, we were a TEAM. The horse gets it’s confidence from the handler/rider. And the rider has the confidence with a horse appropriate for what they ride for.
Running the shit out of it in the round pen so it’s so tired it won’t misbehave>>>wrong….it starts the ride tired and asked to do more than it can. Makes it Cranky. Why should it behave?
I’ve been working with my friends mare. Perfect for me. An old schoolie in her 20′s. She has manners, even if I have to remind her
I can relax and have a good time, and she enjoys it too.
I just rode a horse yesterday who’s perfect for me right at the point where I’m at. He’s not pushbutton and he has some issues but they are not behavioral issues. They are things like being heavy on the forehand, lazy about transitions and really laying into the canter and leaning to the right. I was good and tired and sore from riding him, but I enjoyed it. I wasn’t thinking, oh shit, I’m gonna die.
Raises hand..I’m guilty of this.
Just like some girls dream of the perfect wedding day, I always dreamed of owning a horse. I had a list of breeds since 1970′s of what I would own. I took lessons, cleaned and mucked in exchange for rides but no one ever owned the “fairy tale” dream breed I wanted. Sure there were tons of paints, quarter horses arabs and a few TB’s but I wanted the lustano,andalusian,friesian. These were the exotic breeds I would drool over from a book I had when I was 10 yrs old. So many years later when I had the funds to buy what I wanted, I did the homework on the three breeds and decided that the friesian temperment suited my skill the best. Than I shopped and test rode quite a few before buying. The been there done that older gelding I bought was not quite what it seemed, he was not the push button I was looking for. Maybe I knew it going in, but I looked at so many and he was pretty and he was all that I ever wanted. I have been bucked off and fallen off since so I am a little white knuckled now, which is taking longer that I would have thought to get over. I also wish he was not so tall, I’m sure I look the fool because I can’t mount on the trail without a nice boulder or fence to climb on. He will trot all day long but does not like to canter, and if he does canter it is a huge movement and not as comfortable as a nice QH lope. There is a part of me that wishes I would have bought a grade QH as a fun play horse instead of my fairy tale dream horse. Like this weekend, my husband on his calm QHxDraft (PMU) on loose rein, feet out of the stirrups, calmly watching me convince my stubborn, barn sour, fairytale to stay on the trail and not to go back home. The rides are fun for the husband, but are mentally and physically exhausting for me. I know I’m one of those owners you describe, and it’s OK to point and laugh. I know it was foolish too, but at least I can say that I did not ever plan on breeding my dreamhorse or making magical Pegasus babies. I do plan on keeping him for his lifetime and we will continue with our lessons so we will not look so foolish as we do now.
I won’t point or laugh, but I think what you posted may save other people from the wrong choice:
” Like this weekend, my husband on his calm QHxDraft (PMU) on loose rein, feet out of the stirrups, calmly watching me convince my stubborn, barn sour, fairytale to stay on the trail and not to go back home. The rides are fun for the husband, but are mentally and physically exhausting for me. ”
There you go…that’s a perfect example of the point I was making. And you are in lessons and working on him. A switch may flip and he may yet become your dream horse. My favorite horse ever was a nightmare when she was young (but I was young then, and thought it was all entertaining…would not have worked out today!)
I see lots of 4-H kids whose parents see a pretty horse and buy it. A good example is a neighbor who’s young daughter wanted a horse so her parents bought her one. None of them know anything about horses. They never saw it ridden before they bought, none of them have dared get on it yet. I got on it the other day just to see what it knew…which was nothing. I could barely get it to move one step to the side. I have no idea if anyone has ever been on it’s back before. Thankfully, they are getting lessons and the youth is learning by leaps and bounds. The horse who used to drag her all over, nip, and paw at her is now quiet, respectful, and she can lead and lunge it by herself now. I’ve seen some pretty terrified kids at fair and it’s a wonder that more kids aren’t hurt – getting that many newbie rider kids and green/spoilded horses together in one spot.
Heh.. buyer beware. We recently had a rather terrified 4-Her who couldn’t believe how crazy nuts their project was when they got it to the clinic. Turns out the project was a three year old stallion, unbroke.
Guess the dealer decided to throw in a ‘little extra’ without telling the parents.
This is exactly why I’m looking for a older dressage horse who wants to still be ridden and used but doesn’t want to do piaffe’s and pirouette’s anymore. I want to learn more and gain confidence so when my yearling is ready to be started under saddle I’ll be back to MY best. I’ll STILL probably send him out to get started and then still have my older mount to learn and relax on, and my younger horse to train and (hopefully!) show!
Luckily, my trainer saved me from this kind of situation. When we were out looking, I got a lot of, “Come back to earth” reminders about my actual ability vs my perceived ability. But, I kind of had my heart set on a TB.
I ended up with a very kind OTTB gelding who is the perfect horse for me, and my trainer agrees. He is only 10, but he is very patient with me. Now that he has put on some weight and muscle and is actually fit, he is able to give me a much bigger trot movement than he could when I bought him 6 months ago, and so we’ve had some white-knuckle moments at times since I’ve been learning to correctly ride the movement (and because sometimes I can be a baby), but I’m not afraid to hop on and walk around bareback with him when we’re not “working.”
My problem is more of a “you need to sit up and ride!” issue more than my horse is too much for me. If I did as I was told, we’d be great!
I can relate. My mare *was* very bad, she’s since been fixed by my trainer, but I still have a tednency to freeze up, perch, and expect the worst from her, since I’ve been dumped so many times. Which makes NO sense in my head since I know sitting deep and relaxing gives me a much better chance of staying on if something does happen, and I have learned to stay on in a bucking fit, but I still freeze up. I get so frustrated with myself.
My mare is also very lazy… as in, if I want to trot and not jog she’s a huge pain in my ass and I have to work harder than she does to keep her going… anyway, trainer wants me riding other horses so she puts me on her safe QH who just happens to like to move out…. you just nudge him and he’s in a forward trot going “can we canter? can we canter?” I was absolutely fucking petrified!
LMAO. That was funny, and made me think of a little story that while similar is a bit different.
I have a QH who is really well trained, young, and very responsive. My husband has a BelgianX who is green broke and, well, so is my husband. He doesn’t put the pressure on correctly, and the Belgian doesn’t really move out, so hubby keeps applying more and more pressure until she does move. If I get on his horse, she actually moves out fine because she knows I know…
Well, hubby hops on MY horse who does respond to pressure… and without even realizing he was applying pressure, my horse BOLTS forward. He hauls on his mouth to stop him, then my guy bolts forward again! I’m yelling “relax your legs!!!”. Finally, hubby relaxes his legs, and my horse just stands there looking like “WTF?”.
I personally don’t see this website as a problem. Horse websites are always set up like shopping for cars. At least on this website they are actually telling the truth about the horses rather than hiding his true nature behind words such as “loves to go”. There are also links to training tips and ideas…frankly, I think it’s a pretty honest website that could be very useful in the U.S.
I wasn’t bashing the site or the idea behind it…some of the posters there, oh hell yes. Particularly those dumping their lame stuff!
At least they are not drugging the horses and lying to potential buyers or shipping them straight to an auction. Someone’s bowed tendon may mean no longer being able to use that horse at the level of competition they are accustomed to, but it can mean that horse can be resold/rehomed (there are quite a lot of free to good homes, although we all know how THAT scenario often ends up) to someone who is looking for a pleasure mount.
I actually rehomed a pony through this website – its a great site – you can’t help that some of the adverts are not in the spirit of the original aim of the site (owner is a friend).
I rescued a sect c gelding from an awful situation – we spent months rehabbing him and he was a wonderful pony – quiet, with character and very very pretty. We advertised him for sale and we didn’t like any of the people so we ended up loaning him out – sadly I didn’t get references – it went horribly wrong and I got the pony back in a total mess – and rearing. I got on with getting him out and about and he was rehabbing again really nicely, but my health was so bad at the time I knew I couldn’t do him credit and I had my own horses to ride as well. So I put him on Project horses as free to a good home – with an initial loan period and references. A lovely girl came for him – she taught him to drive and he forgot about rearing entirely – I got good references and I visited a few months later, and I had friends in the area who also kept an eye on him – I signed him over to her happily. She did sell him on, as I had understood she would – and he’s now in a home for life, loved and having a great time. This website helped me out of a very difficult situation and I’m so grateful for it.
One thing about being overhorsed – I bought my guy as a foal – luckily he is my perfect horse, I’ve worked damn hard to make him so – but when you buy as a foal you are taking a bit of a chance on how loopy they will be!! I’m lucky that my chap has an intrinsic sweetness to him (most Connemara’s do) but he can be complex – in the last two years we have been re-training him with mainly clicker training to be a perfect disabled person’s (me!) horse and he’s amazing. I had found myself overhorsed physically as I had no physical strength and he had learned he could just bugger off and I couldn’t do anything about it – I had three choices, put a chifney on and yank a lot, sell him (he’s unsellable, Project horses would be the only place I could advertise him!) or re-train him somehow. Luckily I found a genius of a trainer and we have done so – we are a work in progress but I don’t have the problems with leading him now. He’s 12 and I bought him at 3 months old – he gives me the reason to get up of a morning, he’s my strength and my determination. If I lost him through illness I’d be devastated, but if I lost him through not trying hard enough to train him, I’d have no self respect left. He’s not a horse you can use too many aversives with – he fights back, and there is no point getting into a fight I know I would never win, so I had to look otherwise at the problem. So glad I did, clicker training has really helped!
Niki x
After two years back in horses, taking regular lessons, and getting dumped 3x so far, I am ready to admit that I am most relaxed and confident on one of my trainer’s schoolies, a 22 year old TB. He is 100% sound, and does cross-rails, trail, and schooling shows without flicking an ear. Doesn’t it take just as much skill to get light, responsive and forward out of a lazy old fart like him as it does to ride a hot, sensitive horse?
Heck, I find the hot, sensitive, go-go-go horses easier. My joke is that every horse I get on slows down…
I’m an example of a near miss. I have begged, dreamed, drooled and wished for a horse for damned near 40 years and I finally decided that I was going to do it – come hell or high water. And, of course, said horse was to be the purebred arab that I had my heart set on for decades. So off I went to the rescue to go pick me out one of those beauties.
And lo and behold, standing there is the muddy turnout was this boring, grade (let’s lovingly call him a mutt) bay gelding staring at me with big eyes as those pesky arabs pulled at the blanket that he was wearing. He seemed to look at me and say “can you please get me out of this pasture? They have me out here with all these nutso arabs and it’s making me crazy”. I listened. I am now the proud owner of one very plain, very sane and very beautiful (to me!!) horse that keeps me safe each and every day – and every day I thank GOD that I didn’t take one of those arabs home with me. Not that I don’t still love arabs, and still drool over them daily at my barn, but I know that my skill level is simply not up to snuff. Best decision I ever made was to save him (and me!) from those beauties…
I know exactly what you mean – when they just look at you and say GET ME OUT OF HERE! I promise, I’ll be worth it!
Glad it worked out that way for you.
I agree with almost everything you’ve said however I found the site brilliant and it helped me place my recued tb when it became apparent he was way too much for me.
My sister and I rescued him at the sales (typical thin, cuts, weaving and completely stressed out his skull) without knowing anything about him. He turned out to be an absolute sweetheart and seemed to be fine to ride – my sister started out with him as she is a lot more experienced. He definately preferred me handling him and he ended up making himself my horse rather than hers. I tended to wander out with him and we didn’t really do much however one day he bolted off with me, I got hurt (it wasn’t his fault at all) and we came to the conclusion that we weren’t well matched ridden wise. We later discovered he was an ex-racer and hadn’t been retrained which contributed to what happened with me. It wasn’t his fault at all but he’d never shown any signs of this previously or I wouldn’t have been riding him.
Because he’s previously been bounced around from home to home I wasn’t prepared to sell him on but wasn’t able to keep him so I went about trying to find a loan home for him so that he was in an appropriate home where he was well cared for but if for any reason anything went wrong or he couldn’t stay in the new home he would come back to me and I could ensure that he was always well cared for and didn’t end up in the state we found him in. I was always completely honest about him, the circumstances etc – at that time we weren’t sure if he was ridable as my sister wasn’t prepared to ride him as we couldn’t risk a second accident and I didn’t know anyone who was experienced enough for him. I was 100% honest about what happened and that we didn’t know if he would be ridable. Obviously I struggled finding somewhere for him locally (I was super fussy where he went as well) and eventually came across the project horse website – I posted him on there with a brief description of him and his issues and history with a much longer, extremely detailed description ready to email out on request. I had quite a lot of interest in him with several people still interested once they had the detailed description. From these people I was able to place him in a brilliant home – this was 350 miles away at the other end of the country (I’m in North England and he went down to the south coast) Without this website I would never have found the right home for him.
He turned out to be a very talented horse, massive jump on him and very trainable, he just needed someone who was able to retrain him as he’d never been retrained following his race training.
So I am one of those irrational people who are scared of the stupidest things. So I was scared of this gelding we had at the barn. My current instructor and my old coach both knew he was one of the best for me at my current level to ride(I went from the BO to one of her instructors when I had to switch my riding day due to one of my other events being moved). So obviously they kept putting me on him. But, I was terrified of him if I had to go fetch him. I would get scared(he lunged at me once shortly after I started riding) and he would sense that, so then act up and become more dangerous. They used to fetch him for me, as once he had a lead rope and halter on I was fine with him, even though he still tried to nip me because I wasn’t strict enough with him.
Want to know how I got over my fear? Well, he actually bit my jacket one day when I was tightening up his girth(he had been ridden before me(by a beginner so it was mostly walk with some trot), so it was loosened while I waited for the other girl in my lesson to come up to the arena. I flipped. I didn’t hit him just yelled his name. Gave him a fright. So, the week after, he had a halter on in his stall so I took my whip(jumping bat) with me along with my lead-rope. When he tried to lunge at my I just pointed the whip at his face and he turned away. When he tried to turn around to kick me I touched his side. I kept doing this till I was able to grab his halter and attach his lead rope. Once he learned I was boss, he started behaving better, and my confidence skyrocketed. This went on for a few weeks, and now about a month and a half later, he is a little angel! Sorta, but I’m now starting to like and appreciate him. I just have to remember that he is the lowest in the herd and looks for everyone to be a strong leader, including humans.
Yeah, and they actually DO love you more when you set boundaries for them…just like kids!
This actually reminds me of a gelding I used to ride. I was putting side reins on him in the small arena attached to the larger indoor one. I’d gotten one on, moved to the other side and was attaching one side to the saddle and saw his head start to move toward me. I know he’s a biter so I don’t let his head anywhere NEAR me, no matter what (unless I’m putting on/removing a halter/bridle/ect). Luckily I had that other side rein on and was standing just far enough back that he couldn’t bend around far enough to actually reach me, but I looked up and saw him coming at me, teeth bared, ears pinned. He’d lowered his head, aiming for my leg. He’s lucky I just yelled at him, I wanted to kick him in his face, but of course, I didn’t. I hate his guts, but I guess I didn’t quite hate him that much. Anyway, I basically screamed his name at him and it made him jump, the trainer and rider in the arena over jump, the spectators all look over at us, and someone called down from the barn (the arena is attached to the barn) about what on earth had happened. I felt rather proud that I had managed to get that loud, lol. Needless to say, he responded very well to my voice after that one AND I didn’t lay a finger on him in punishment.
Thanks for this one! I definitely skirted the line with my first and only horse, a QH/Arab I bought from my BO when she was 7. I’d known her since she was 3 — and loved her coloring (I know, I know). I’d been riding her for months so I knew how she went and we already had some miles under the saddle, so I thought I knew what I was getting into. I’d been riding for 13 years! But as it turned out she needed A LOT of finishing — no major problems but a lot of minor issues that added up to huge headaches and frustrations some days. (She liked — and still does sometimes — to careen around with her head in the air like a giraffe, and was — obviously! — hard to steer as a result; was either lazy or SUPER humpy/forward/reactive, etc). There were days I would go online and look at horses for sale locally that cost about the same as what I paid for her ($3500) and I’d get so mad at myself for not getting a more solid horse.
But although I was often frustrated, and sometimes LONGED for a push-button horse, I was never actually overhorsed. Now — finally!!! — two and a half years later, we might actually be getting somewhere. I have never been able to afford sending her to training, so instead I just read everything I can possibly get my hands on and hope that I can separate the good advice from the bullshit. I’ve learned how to push her through her nervous moments, and she’s finally learned that maybe the crazy lady on her back is RIGHT that there are no horse-eating monsters in that one corner of the arena.
Fortunately she has a wonderful personality (the sweet, affectionate sociability of the Arab) and has moments of being SO willing and eager to get things right. And on the frustrating days, I tell her she better thank her stars that she’s pretty
I hope your post will make others think twice about their purchases, though. A barn friend of mine just bought a three-year-old untrained draft cross. The rider, an older woman who just started riding maybe a year ago, has had a lot of falls and fear issues. She was scared on one of our easier-going lesson horses. I Do. Not. Understand what possessed her to buy the horse she bought. For the money she spent she could have gotten a wonderful, dead-broke mount to putter around on. *sigh* It’s the worst situation for both the horse AND the rider.
About the draft cross:
Probably because so many people hear that drafts are “gentle giants”. And, don’t get me wrong, I love them. I’ve got one of my own and he pretty much defines the stereotype.
But they forget these are also big horses that you really have to set boundaries for. If they learn they can push you around to do what they want to do…they will. And if you let that scare you, they’ll just keep doing it and become very large monsters.
I can’t tell you how many “dangerous” drafties I’ve seen that really just needed firm handling and boundaries.
Oh yeah, and my stereotypical boy? He was sold to me as a horse that would need careful handling because he could be dangerous. When really, he was just a touch spoiled and had likely never been told “no”. (Oh, the tantrums the first few times he met “Mr. Riding Crop” but even then he never actually tried to hurt a person, he just danced around and stomped his feet)
I’m afraid this tends to be a lesson people like learning the hard way. My personal problem was that I wanted a Porche for a price of a used Opel. I ended up with a green broke 3-year-old Trakhener. Of course I had no idea how to finish her training. Luckily for me, she happened to have a brain of gold and ended up not killing me. It was still an other 5 years and A LOT of help until she became my dream horse though. She is now 11, teaching me how to jump and doing a brilliant job as a teacher
I’m still a little fidgety on trails with her though. This is us last summer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sHRnGKJ4iM
Here’s an other story: one of my friends who is an experienced dressage rider (and a judge and a trainer) bought her current horse quite cheap off a lady who, as my friend put it, “had needed a Fiat, but bought a Ferrari by accident”. The horse was beautiful and a fancy mover, but his ego was as large as the rest of him. He can still be a handful to ride because he could get away with throwing tantrums for such a long time. Over-mounting doesn’t just ruin the confidence of the rider, it is also very likely to ruin the horse. This horse is in good and capable hands now, but he was lucky.
My first horse was absolutely broke. Green on green = black and blue. Had never heard that expression before, but the lady who owned my soon-to-be-horse told me to get one already broke since I had dreamed of horses for years but didn’t buy my first one until I was 30.
He was a treasure. Seven years old, won the Junior Reining at the Cow Palace (Judge was Barbara Worth) in 1966. AQHA. Gelding. Adorable.
I owned him for 20 years. Went about 15 years without a horse and then bought the guy I have now — thought I was getting a greenbroke “appendix QH” who turned out to be TB, off the track and retrained, beautifully bred, and a money winner but not exactly thrilled with the racing game.
I was not in shape to ride but he is one of these “take care of the peeps around me at all costs” types, and while I thought he had issues I wouldn’t be able to work through, they all turned out to be problems that could be handled with “tincture of time” and LOTS of patience.
I’ve come off him three times, worst injury for me: Two cracked ribs. Each “unplanned dismount” was my fault — one, a loose cinch on a synthetic saddle; two, decided to mount him bareback and wasn’t seated before he moved away; three, throat latch on the bridle wasn’t closed tightly enough. Doing a canter circle to the right, he zigged left, I zagged right and flipped over the top of his head. The entire bridle came off in my hands. THAT was the fall that resulted in my cracked ribs.
We have learned from each other, and it has been a wonderful journey. It would NOT have been so good if my first horse had not been as broke as he was — or if this fellow had been my first horse. Some people are stupid enough to buy a horse that fits their “dream,” and they end up hurt more often than they get to live the dream. I wish my guy were 17hh instead of 16hh, but I’ve learned that bigger horses seem to have more soundness issues, and they are nowhere near as athletic as the compact, short-backed package I’ve got in my barn right now. Trouble is, you can’t tell someone with stars in their eyes that they are about to step over a cliff — or smack dab into that big pile of crap that’s right there in front of ‘em.
I purchased a ‘grade’ (later received the papers and he’s a NSH?????- never would have purchased an Arab of any kind had I known LOL) 7 y/o gelding as a resale prospect. He was green as can be and a bit spooky. I was pretty green myself (yea yea I know, green + green = black & blue), but he did teach me a lot. We made it to preliminary level eventing when so many trainers told me he would not amount to anything. He’s now soon to be 23 y/o and I use him w/beginners for lessons, he’s safe & reliable. 15hh2, adorable bay
I then got a free 11 y/o TB (OT at 5 y/o, he’s now 15) who was ‘nuts’. I consider myself a decent rider/trainer, but this one is a bit much for me. He overreacts to everything, and must be ridden regularly.
I then got another OTTB, who at 6 y/o, has the brain/calmness of an ‘old soul’ and a super talent for jumping, can’t wait to see what the future holds for us.
I will go for the brain any day LOL
So if anyone wants a free lease on a 15 y/o, 16hh3, SUPER talented jumper, who must be ridden often, by a rider who’s calm and knows how to stay off a horse’s mouth, contact me.
General metro area you’re located in, in case someone is interested?
I’m located in MI, about 1 hr N of IN
Could NOT agree more… people who over mount themselves to own something they ‘adooooooore’ are going to get HURT.
When I was riding and working in the United Kingdom, I had a client who was a lovely, lovely person, but a very timid rider, not experienced, or strong, and rather frail. She bought a 7 year old OTTB, who had then played polo for two years, because he was ‘cute’ and ‘ a gentleman on the ground’ (seller’s words). He was a DOLL to ride for the experienced rider, but would take advantage of her, and her fear. She couldn’t canter him (she mostly hacked, and we hacked out on Epsom Downs, the race track grounds!) and to stop him from anticipating the canter, the staff couldn’t canter him when we were exercising him several days a week, either. So you have a fit, 7 year old OTTB confined to doing w/t on the trails, and some schooling a few days a week.
I hacked out with her almost every day of the week, and if I wasn’t riding with her, I was hacking this horse. He had a heart of gold, but was slowly going stir crazy. Shortly after I returned to Canada, he took off with her out on the Downs- several hundred acres of open land, brush, woods, and roads all around. She fell, he carried on galloping, somehow impaled himself on a gate. Two staff members had caught up by this time- they freed him, and he galloped off again, GUSHING blood from this huge, gaping hole in his chest, got onto the road, somehow lost his bridle, destroyed somebody’s garden and then died in their backyard, while the police looked on deciding the best way to euthanize.
I know freak accidents happen, but I can’t help but think this one was avoidable. If Amanda had bought a doddy old cob to babysit her instead of this little firecracker of a horse, she probably would have enjoyed the riding experience a lot more (she had to have a drink or two before riding her own horse!) might still be into riding, and a lovely little horse might still be alive. Never once on that horse did I feel out of control- and I was one of the few who cantered it, and hacked out alone!
I agree. That was a totally avoidable wreck.
Amen to this post, Fugly! My first horse was a greenie and I was a relative beginner and a chicken to boot. We were like two virgins getting married; full of enthusiasm and goodwill, but utterly lacking in skill. Sure enough, we gave each other too many problems, and the “marriage” ended in divorce. My confidence had sunk lower than a snake’s belly in a wagon rut, but luck was with me. Someone mentioned that a friend was stuck with an old mare whose owner had moved and stopped sending the board for her. It was the middle of the coldest winter in years and she looked like a yak, but I tried her out and liked how she felt. Mind you, it’s a wonder I didn’t kill her there and then; what I didn’t know, and wasn’t obvious to this ignorant beginner because she had such a heavy hair coat, was that she was “severely debilitated” (per vet) from starvation and the cold. Half an hour after the try-out, she was still heaving from the once around the arena at a canter! I bought her and moved her to a stable nearer to where I lived. The BO took one look at her and put her on a rehab diet; “she would have been dead in two weeks if you hadn’t bought her”. A tough little range-bred stock type, she recovered in a remarkably short time, and turned out to be the perfect horse for chicken-hearted, mediocre rider me – 15 years old, ugly, crabby, ghastly conformation, but safe as a church, never sick, never lame, and with a flat little canter that I actually could sit and not have a panic attack. We entered schooling shows and once in a blue moon got a ribbon, and went out on the roads and trails for hours at a time. In cold weather, if my hands got too cold, I’d just drop the reins on her neck and ride home with my hands in my pockets – no problem!
When she died of heart failure in her 20′s, I was grief-stricken. It was as if my mother *and* my child had died: my mother because she gave me back my confidence; my child because I had given her back her life. I keep her picture in a locket which I wear to this day, 30 years after her death. I’ve had other nice horses since, but there was and is only one Patches, a Transport of Delight.
I clicked on 3 of the ads on “Project Horses” – 2 out of 3 mention “would like to go to someone who will continue his Natural Horsemanship training”. Could this be why the horse is being offloaded?
I haven’t been blinded by beauty yet, but I’ve watched it happen at least 5 times in the last few years. 2 of them I offered to go along and help, but they went off on their own. I just got blessed with boarding the resulting monsters…..
Horse 1: 13 year old leopard appy mare, arrived with one eye already cancerous. Buyer showed up late to see horse (found her already tacked, “warmed up” & waiting), paid way too much, and then showed up late for the loading & delivery. Horse was a bitch to catch, a bitch to load, very high strung & fast. But she has spots!
Horse 2: 4 year old Percheron mare. Calm, stocky (only 14.3 hands), “already passed the testing for mounted patrol”. Future owner (different woman) arrived late and brought her home (had showed up to see her with the trailer). Horse arrives at my place missing one shoe and 300 lbs underweight. I think she’s a good deal when the first night she busts out and gets remaining 3 shoes tangled in smooth wire. She calmly allows me to cut the wire from her feet and pull her shoes. Fast forward 4 weeks and some poundage – mare now has ENERGY! She is nasty to work with, shies at everything, and occassionaly kicks the hand that feeds her.
I TOTALLY agree about the age thing. My mare is 15, turning 16 in May, and hasn’t been lame A DAY in her life, as far as I know. She has super sound feet, has only gotten one stone bruise because the ground was SO hard and she’s unshod, and legs of steel. No slightly off days, no nothing. She’s solid and packs me around at 10385934809385 mph, and then turns around and packs my brother around like an old pro. Can’t put in enough for a slightly older horse. She’s only a year older than me, for gosh’s sake. But whoever said 16 was old? 22 ish is old. 16, not so much.
The same thing is true in the motorcycle world. There are many people that want the fastest most powerful motorcycle as their first bike. It often leads to the rider crashing and sometimes much worse. Having owned three motorcycles and traveling almost 100,000 miles on them. The smallest, least powerful motorcycle is the one that got me a helicopter ride. Two years ago I started taking horse riding lessons and I know someday I would like to own my own horse, I am not ready at the moment.
You forgot the part where those middle-aged women drop thousands of dollars on Parelli snake oil and are still afraid to get on their warmbloods afterward.
I also bought a horse well above my level before I knew any better. At twenty-one, leased and purchased my first horse (the redhead) when he was a greenie with thirty days and I had been riding nothing but lesson horses for fifteen years. Many falls (a couple bad ones) later, I was asked if I wanted to continue with him, because I was in over my head and even for a youngster he was a shit. I decided I did, mostly out of stubbornness, and focused on becoming a better rider, because damned if he was going to change. Buying a green youngster at that skill level was not one of the smartest things I’ve ever done, but since I started riding him, no other horse has succeeded in throwing me.
I leased a mare for 12 months, or was a bit of a nutcase. Not much by way of brakes, and she preferred to gallop rather than walk. Still, we got along well and eventually she learned that walking is okay, and the brakes improved a bit. No one else would ride her though, because she was still too “crazy”. Now, silly old me had fallen completely in love with her. The old “dream horse” issue. High spirited, beautiful black horse. So, after riding her for 12 months, I convinced mum and dad to buy her for me. I’d done pretty much everything on her by this stage, jumping, galloping etc. without even nearly coming off. I felt safe as anything on her, despite her issues. Because, even when she did go a bit nutso, I could still control her to a large extent.
A few months after I bought her, we went to Pony Club for the first time. Now, the day before, we’d been racing across a big field with a few friends before walking quietly home. Then, at Pony Club, she was a bit nervy and didn’t want to stand still, but I wasn’t concerned, I’d expected it. First we were doing flatwork in a group. We were at the front seeing as she was walking very quickly, and I had to circle her numerous times before she slowed a little. I should also mention the weather wasn’t crash hot. Slippery grass underfoot and it was still drizzling. But I’d ridden her in pouring rain so wasn’t worried. We moved into trot, and to begin with, my mare was perfect. Rounding the corner, she sped up a little. And again around the next corner. Around the third, she broke into canter. I turned her in a circle, the only thing that works when she won’t listen to your reins. But I turned a bit too tight, she slipped on the wet grass and we both went over sideways.
Fortunately I came off clear off her, so she got back up straight away and didn’t crush my leg or anything. I thought I was fine, and rolled over to get back up, then was aware of a huge pain in my left elbow, which I couldn’t move. SO it was off to hospital for me. I ended up with it broken. I had, somehow in the split second we were falling, managed to pull on the rein for whatever reason, and no doubt my horse was pulling her head away from it, and the main muscles you use for flexing and extending, which are attached to the inside of your elbow, had a bit of a tug of war with the bone, and the muscles won, pulling a large chunk of bone off the inside, a good inch or more down from where it was supposed to be. Hence why I couldn’t move my elbow.
I had the piece of bone screwed back in place in surgery, then went through a 3 month rehabilitation process to regain as much of my movement as possible. The accident happened last September, and toady, I have most of my movement back, but still can’t quite straighten my elbow. It aches on rainy days, and hurts like hell if I smack it on something. I’m getting the screw taken out later this year.
Believe it or not, I still own this mare, and still ride her, and now she is beautifully soft for the most part, and we were working our way towards our first dressage comp until she came up lame and is now being tested for navicular and coffin joint issues. But, even though the first few times I got back on, I was nervous as anything, I never for a moment thought of selling her or stop riding her, just because I came off and hurt myself. Because it really was a freak accident, that could have happened on the quietest horse.
So, whilst alot of people wonder why my parents bought me a nutty horse, I knew the horse, I knew my ability in riding her, and I loved her. If she doesn’t come sound from these lameness issues, I’ll be keeping her, and she can have a happy retirement in the big paddock with a bunch of mates.
I think I need to add a point to your description, and that is the color.
If you want a top notch, amazingly broke but not broken horse, go to the local sale barn and look for the sorrel or chestnut. Pick one over about five or six years of age. You find that, and you have found a gold mine, because sorrels and chestnuts (and boring brown) horses are just not ‘cool’ enough to be kept and worked with unless they are amazing. I’m always floored by the quality that will sell for next to nothing at a sale just because it’s not a kool kolor. Oh, and if it has a plain head, then you have REALLY found the best one.
I’m always frustrated by buyers who take one look at a boring colored horse and then quit looking. But bring out that nutcase palomino, and the buyers flock around with ooohs and ahhhhs.
I admit that I’m equally as guilty– there is a gelding that I’m going to look at for another trail horse, and frankly my first thought was, “Ugh… another black? I have two already…” I have this dream where I own a grey (my ‘heart’ color) Tennessee walking horse who is well muscled (not halter-type, just more body to it), not too tall, and has a lovely long mane and tail. Just because that is my dream, however, doesn’t mean that I refuse to look at a good horse of another color. It also doesn’t mean that I’m going to buy the first mentally blown grey I see, just to fulfill my dreams.
As for being overmounted, I have only found one child who benefits from that– that is the rider type who likes to be pushy or unkind– I haven’t run into more than one or two riders like that, and they seemed to do much better when put on a horse who wouldn’t put up with their attitudes. The rest of the world of riders, and certainly children, all do much better when put on a horse who is forgiving of mistakes, patient with fumbling and uncertainty, and who doesn’t mean a little ‘experimenting gone wrong’ once in a while as the rider grows in ability and skill.
I still want to see somebody who is really good with that kind of thing do a website where you upload a photo and it paints the horse brown for you. Especially as some pintos are hard to judge conformation on…the markings really do get in the way.
Having said that, there is no horse color I don’t like, although all else being equal I would avoid a grey, perlino, cremello, very pale palomino/buckskin or heavily white pinto/Appaloosa…because I’m LAZY, ahem
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I think sellers need to be honest too. I have flat out told people, “this horse is not for you.” when they have come to test a horse. As a seller you should know the horse you are selling well enough to know what they are suited to do and what type of rider they need. If you are a responsible seller, you will tell folks honestly about the holes your horse has (they all have at least one – even the best trained sweetest horse we owned had a couple) as well as their strengths. Particularly if you know this purchase is for a child.
I always ask potential buyers what type of rider they are, and what they are looking for in a horse, before I give them too much info about the horse. Just because you can write the check, doesn’t mean you get to buy the horse. So many of these issues would be non existent if buyers were honest with themselves about their skills and sellers were honest about their horses.
So true. In this industry we MUST protect people from themselves. When I was a groom there was a horse at the barn who had won EVERYTHING. He was not for sale for any price to anybody because he had very dangerous behaviors. There was a woman who called several times a year for several years trying to buy the horse for her small child even though my boss told her every single time that he was too dangerous to ever be sold and that he would kill her child. She only saw the ribbons and trophies.
Some people don’t think that “needs experienced rider” applies to them. When I put my OTTB gelding up for sale, a big issue I had was people who came to try him out and weren’t a fit for him. He’s a drop dead gorgeous 16.3h dapple grey,and a lot of people wanted a horse with that ‘look’. However, he was a stallion until the age of 5 (kept the ‘tude but not the equipment), he’s a very a big strong horse and he bucks like an SOB when he throws a tantrum. You cannot be a timid passenger on him unless you’re a child on a leadline (he was great for giving kids pony rides). He *will* take advantage. I could do flying changes and circles bareback on him and he would listen to me in nearly any situation, but that was respect earned through me working through his crap and teaching him that I wouldn’t put up with it. If you didn’t click with him, he either wouldn’t work for you or it would be an all out fight.
He’s gone to a free lease with a lady whose former OTTB had exactly the same personality, and they clicked right off the bat. But I had people come out who were obviously scared of him, and another rider who came out and wanted to ride with draw reins cranked down to force him into a “frame”. They couldn’t understand why I told them no.
Lolz, this takes me back to when I used to work at a stables years and years ago. Along with regular lessons, the place rented out horses for riders by the hour. The pre-ride interview usually went something like this:
Me: “How much experience do you have riding?”
Him/Her: “I’m very experienced/been riding for years/know how to ride well.”
Me: “Do you prefer to ride English or western?”
Him/Her: “What’s the difference?”
Me goes to get the deep western saddle and old Deadbroke.
Here at SAFER (Sonoma Action For Equine Rescue; saferhorse.com) I have loads of pages of adopted horses that are in their late teens and twenties and are a perfect fit for the trail and casual riding that their adopters are doing. In fact – that is the biggest market I see – not the fancy show animals that can event or jump 3 feet. Outbid the meat man for these guys at the Petaluma auction and they are prized at their current homes. I had some that were 7-15 too and just needed time off to heal a soft tissue injury. Heck I can relate – it took me 15 months to completely heal a rotator cuff shoulder injury. Its fine now.
But even giving a trained riding horse a year off is still easier than reproducing a comparable level of training on a new one. If the horse has a good mind and attitude – that is the trump. That is something that is still relatively unknown on a 2 or 3 yr. old. Will it consistently have patience, be forgiving of mistakes, not be spooky on this or that trail or situation? Knowing these things about an animal should be part of its value.
I got a bunch of stories of race horses that needed time off; and now they are fine riding horses. BUT they could have been ruined completely if that process had been cut short. Dr. Time.
Well even sports cars spend time in the shop waiting for parts…..
Several years ago a young girl that I rode with (I was friends with her mom and her mom was diagnosed with MS which had progressed to the point she could no longer ride) bought a horse that she loved. She was an older mare, about 16, and very steady and reliable. She was what I would call a classic Appy, with the scrappy mane and tail, and a real easy keeper, but a pretty girl in her own right, and a temperament that was perfect for a young girl who lacked confidence. She was a wonderful trail horse which was great because the kid really wanted to try competitive trail riding, and also enjoyed jumping. This girl had been taking lessons from the same trainer for a couple years, and the trainer was not involved in the purchase of the horse. When the horses was hauled to said trainers house for the first lesson, the trainer laughed when the girl backed the horse out. Even after watching how much better mounted she was on this horse, the trainer could not contain her hilarity and said that she just couldn’t take the girl or the lesson serious on this horse because she just wasn’t flashy enough. Even though the combination was right in every aspect of the horse/girl relationship, she finally gave in to pressure from the trainer and sold the mare, and bought a young, flashy gelding. He was beautiful (and expensive $7500 about 15 years ago), but she was horribly overmounted. She was terrified of him and would not ride him outside of the arena. She was afraid to groom and saddle him alone, and she would not load or unload him into the trailer. Her love of riding diminished to the point where he was a pasture ornament and she would not ride any horses. I moved a while later and don’t know if she ever got back into it…
What a shitty trainer! That poor girl sold a horse that was good to her and she loved because that trainer didn’t think she was pretty enough! It’s not like she had to ride her. If I ever went to a trainer or instructor and they said that about MY horse, I would tell them to stick their lesson where the sun doesn’t shine! As I was reading your post I was waiting for the bad part – something that the horse did wrong, and it never came. It was something the trainer did! That’s a sad story.
http://www.operationhorserescue.blogspot.com
Trainers who don’t look beyond the “flash” factor and overmount their students ARE shitty, as are those who see the prospective mount as one they see themselves riding, so they recommend the student buy the horse.
I also have a thing about trainers who badmouth the horse they will NEVER ride, but one their student is riding. When you are a trainer, you teach “the horse the student rides in on,” and not all students have fawncy-shmawncy warmbloods.
There is a German national dressage trainer now based in central California. He is a fantastic rider and has fantastic horses. I love to watch him compete, and I have taken lessons from him. But one day about four years ago, I decided he was NOT going to get any more of my money — at the time he was $110 a lesson.
That day he yelled at me (when he girthed up my horse very fast after a lunge lesson), berating me for not telling him the horse was “cinchy” — like, what horse WOULDN’T react like mine had done, being cinched up fast the way he was. The second incident, about three minutes later: He told my soon-to-be-ex “trainer” that in order for me to ride the sitting trot, our lunge work would have to be a VERY SLOW TROT because there was NO WAY I could sit the trot needed for First level. I joked, “Oh, well. Guess I’ll have to wait to ride Grand Prix tomorrow,” and he went off again, stating, “THIS horse will NEVER do Grand Prix. Even *I* could not get him to Grand Prix.”
Well!!! Badmouth my horse, especially with my check in your hand, and it’s all over. There was an audience, so I didn’t say anything — the “trainer” was trying to build up the number of students who would ride with this sheiss, and God forbid I say something to embarrass HER — but I’ve made the comment before: I bet there are a LOT of horses out there doing Grand Prix — and doing a test respectably — that were dismissed by some asshole trainer in their past as being “unable to DO Grand Prix.” The KEY to success in a lot of dressage is, horses (like mine) that would turn themselves inside out trying to do as asked. They DO it because no one told THEM they couldn’t succeed.
Another thought, and something I wish I had told him: Maybe this pig isn’t the trainer he’d like everyone to think he is if he can’t take a “challenge” like my lovely, athletic, and willing-to-please horse and move him up the levels.
I have no aspirations to do GP on ANY horse. I’d like to reach Second Level (;o) But that guy’s comments did their damage — not to me or to my horse, but to his reputation in my eyes as someone I would EVER haul to again for a lesson.
There is something to be said for a trainer who is honest and straightforward about a horse’s or rider’s abilities.
There is also something to be said for tact and respect.
In my experience, even in a high level competition like Grand Prix, Grade A stakes racing, or competitive trail, there are always horses or riders who defy the type and go far beyond their supposed abilities. It’s an unwise trainer who automatically discounts a horse or ride based upon conformation or ability. Then again, nothing makes me angrier than seeing some poor quarter horse with his knees popping to his chin and his neck cramped and bowed as he tries to fit into a pleasure horse motion that he will never in a million years be successful doing, just because the trainer wants a little extra cash to pay the rent.
ARGH what an annoying and sad story, straight out of Jean Slaughter Doty.
Ironic, too, because George Morris is always praising the mind and athleticism of the Appaloosa in his column.
WHY do trainers make kids sell their awesome horses that they’re doing FINE on, and LOVE, because they have to “move on”??? I knew a girl who had a lovely gray hunter, rock solid, sweetheart, goofy, personality PLUS, won at all the area hunter shows. But her stereotypically shady, on-the-make, from-the-fabled-East-Coast trainer convinced her parents that the girl was Olympic material (a solidly decent rider, yeah, but not THAT dedicated for sure!), and so they sold that cute horse (to a girl with ONE ARM and a fabulous seat), and bought her a flighty jumper prospect. *sigh*
I mean, if you don’t HAVE to sell a horse you get along with, ride well, and adore, and it makes you tear up to even contemplate that, why would you take someone ELSE’s word for it? I can only see the wisdom in it when a kid outgrows a pony who *needs* a new job. It DOES give you a good opportunity to contemplate your priorities and goals, and hopefully then do the right thing. If your goal really IS serious competition, then OK. But be honest with yourself.
Oh, Gawd, just shoot me now – I would just about GIVE my left arm for a rock-solid, sweet, steady, local-ribbon-winning grey hunter!!! That describes my dream horse…
Can’t believe that girl gave him up. I hope she’s at least doing well on the flighty jumper these days, and Mr. Grey has a happy home where he’ll be further cherished.
Well….. this was 20-odd years ago …..
And I know the “girl” (woman now!) doesn’t ride anymore. Sad, because she loved it.
THe one-armed girl had custom reins with little brass stops for her prosthetic hook, and she was from the POSH part of Indianapolis, so I believe Oliver probably had a pretty cushy life.
I hate it when people believe that their trainer is G-O-D. Dude. Hang around horse people long enough, and you’ll find that most of ‘em probably have some screw loose somewhere. That doesn’t make them bad people, of course. It’s just that eccentric animal person thing. Even high-level trainers. Or maybe even ESPECIALLY high-level trainers.
Best piece of advice I ever got was to buy my now 35 year old App gelding at age 15. He was my daughter’s first show pony and she took him to a show a week after we got him and won a ton of classes. She moved up to bigger and better jumper in 2 years but…I knew he was also perfect for me. He’s as sane as they come, honest, and loving. He had a 10 trot in his youth (which means until about 2 years ago!), I did judged pleasure rides with him and always came in the top 3 spots, he was several little girl’s first eventing pony, etc. He still does low level lessons a few times a week. Oh, and he’s sound as a dollar and always has been. No supplements at all. He went barefoot for many, many years, too.
My vet had to talk me into him a little as I thought he was old at 15. How much I would have missed if I hadn’t listened to her. Best. Horse. Ever.
I just checked out a horse from CL that was listed as “anyone can ride”. Well, when I got on, it definitely was not the case! The person above who said the seller needs to be honest is spot on!
I also just saw this ad on CL. It made me a little sad that this person really thinks they’ll find something:
“Looking for a special gelding. Must be at least 15.3 hands and no older than 11. Will be used for english riding beginner adult and will also be used for trail riding (woods, roads, traffic). Must be safe, quiet, sound, no vices. Excellent ground manners. Good for open shows. Temperment should be very calm and willing “1″. Price negotiable for the right horse. Serious consideration will be given to a horse that is the perfect fit. “
Goodness, it’s is really comforting to see I am not the only one here that knows my limits. At middle age it is so easy to lose that mojo. I was quite a rider and not that very long ago before I lost my “baby” to colic. I never thought the loss of a single horse could consume me so much but it did and I pretty much quit riding for the last s4 or so years. In the mean time I have become fearful and forgot pretty much everything I ever knew. Now I am fighting to get it back. 4 or 5 years ago I bought a horse to replace what I lost. Yes, that little app-head that wont let anyone on his stinkin’ back. To this day I keep asking myself, what the hell was I thinking????? Who was I to think I would want to start all over again with a young, green horse?? I still had my other horse who is now 13 and was on him last fall ONE time for the first time in over 3 years. He did perfect! But now I’m stuck trying to get this other tard under saddle who would rather not have it happen. Live and learn. But I’m stuck with him till he’s under saddle. Who would want him other wise?
I know my limits, now.
I am going to seize the moment to gain some free advertisement here:
My sister has an Andalusian X that she would like to find a show home for. He is gray, 15.1h and 11 yrs. and yes, a gelding. She had sold him way back when with a right to first refusal as a youngster (she foaled him) to someone who shipped him to TX. He had been previously in show homes and jumps 2’6″. My sister is a trail rider and he is a bit more horse than she wants to have. He will be free to an approved, good home since he needs his wolf teeth removed. He is UTD with all else (hooves, shots, wormer, etc…). He is just sitting around now and she said he needs a job. If any one on here is interested contact me here ( wapsecret_2000@yahoo.com) and I can fill in any other details along with his location. He is an exceptionally nice mount and of high caliber. I told her to get some pictures of him so I can pass them around. I would snatch him up in a heartbeat but then I would be over-mounted.
“Tard” made me lol.
I totally agree with you. My retired TB is 20 now and apart from being ridden sometimes to bring cows in, he spends most of his time out in the pasture. But this horse has taught me more than all of the others I have ridden. He was a challenge without terrifying me.
When I fell off, he stood and waited for me to get back on. He was bombproof (rode him for 6 years and he never shied or jacked up) but if I did something he didn’t like, he’d let me know. I taught my friend to ride on him, and when he felt her getting off balance he would slow down. He was great in that when he had a experienced rider on him, he’d do as he was told. A slightly shaky rider, he knew it and he was lazy enough to just walk around the arena on a loose rein, only trotting if they hassled him enough.
The only ‘vice’ he had was he was very competitive. Being an ex-racer, he would bolt ahead to beat it. But I dealt with that. After two years my friend moved onto a younger, slightly spooky quarter horse who could be hard to hold when he was excited. But she could handle him with confidence. The quarter horse could be difficult sometimes but the TB taught my friend the basics and our trail rides were always heaps of fun.
If I ever get a horse that is at least half as good as the TB in the future, I’d be very happy.
I have ben extremely lucky in the sense that most of the horses I have ridden have been extremely safe, sane, and sweet. One of my favorite horses at the barn just recently passed away, but everyone who knew him loved him. He was trained to the upper levels of dressage, but he was so SAFE. The pony I ride is a greenie, but he has a great head on his shoulders and is safe, if not a little bit silly. If some miracle were to happen, I would buy that weird little pony.
I really, really love older horses. I have several wonderful ‘old things” that can hang out in the pasture or lot for months, and then be brought up to ride or drive without worry- THAT’s why I recommend people find a good older horse, particularly if they are re-riders or newbies. I like my horses at least 15 year old.
Having said that. I have a project horse. I horse that would be a good project for someone else. He is young. Just eight. He is a gelding about 14.2 and very fine boned. He is a purebred dun Paso Fino with registered parents. He isn’t.
A friend and I just could not bare to see him brought to a low-end auction by his then-owner who was out of work and out of money for hay. We bought him and invested in 90 days worth of training by a professional. He has never bucked or kicked, and is a reasonable horse under saddle but he is very quick footed, and really can turn on a dime. In short, he is too young and too green for two women hovering around the golden age of 60.
Because of his petite size, he hasn’t really been anyone’s dream horse down here in Quarter Horse country. To make matters worse, he does not play nice with other horses. He is a pasture bully despite his smallish size. All the other horses here are in their late teens and early twenties. After he spent more than an hour chasing the other horses, kicked one gelding and bit a mare hard enough to leave a nasty mark, we are asking ourselves how we got into this mess.
But we could not just let him go to an auction known as a favorite haunt of KBs who ship to Mexico. So there you have it. Here is a “project horse” right here in the United States. He will make someone a very nice smooth trail horse – he is just not the horse for two women on the very far side of 40 who are concerned about osteoporitis and broken bones. Suggestions?? We could sure use some. After all the time, effort and money spent, we hate to think that we will have to euthanize him just to keep him “safe.” But he is not a good “fit” here because of the way he terrorizes the other horses. And we are just not able to give him a pasture all to himself. Ideas???
Maybe try advertising him for free lease or even just for someone to put miles on? As a teen that’s something I would have JUMPED at the chance to ride. I had (still have really…) the skill to ride something broke-ish, but green as a teen. You’d get miles on the horse and he’d get a job. Maybe he’d be less of a jerk if he had something to do?
Candygirl- Already tried finding someone to ride him or lease him. As I said in my post THIS is quarter horse country. No one is interested in a nice small gaited horse who is a pasture bully- probably why he was headed to auction in the first place.
Did find a girl who was willing to come ride him if we paid her $20 an hour, though. Somehow, we just didn’t think this was a very good “deal.” Neither of us has any grandchildren, and our own grown children have outgrown horses- unfortunately.
I am sure we could “give him” away on Craigslist, but he deserves better than that. Afterall the point of our buying him was to keep him out of the slaughter pipeline. Euthansia would accomplish that.
I wish there were horses like that around where I live, and maybe there are and I’m just not looking right. I’m a teen and know I’m not quite ready to own my own horse, but still want to ride. I’d be willing to pay YOU $20 to ride him, is that girl crazy?? xD good luck though, hopefully you find something that works with him!
I love this post!!! As a trainer it is my job to make sure that clients and buyers are safe. Most people do not know their own riding skill level. It makes my job so much easier when someone tells me that they want a safe reliable horse, rather than when I have to refuse a sale to someone who has overstated their skills. As a trainer, even I get scared now and then on rank horses so I really cannot get why someone would want to get on a tough one in their free time for fun. It’s my job and I have to do it. Given a choice for my leisure time activity I choose not to be scared for my safety.
I actually had a young horse at an Addis show horse auction once as a halter prospect because he was so nutso that my boss would not let me try to get on him. We were totally honest with potential buyers as we always believed in full disclosure. A family stopped by the stalls to ask about him as a family horse to ride/ drive along country roads. We told them to not bid on the horse because he would hurt them BAD. Guess who outbid everyone. Seriously, what are people thinking???
I agree its so much more fun to ride a horse you can have fun on. My dealy departed gelding was a rockstar, he was an Appaloosa that had been raced and had such a love for life and adventure he made me fearless. I could ride him anywhere and not fear for my life, he wasnt the prettiest guy around, but hell not many horses would chase after ultra lights next to the airstrip. When he died I started riding my husbands 17.1 hand Standardbred and while I loved him, I didnt race around willy nilly on him. He was just to big and a bit more hot blooded and apt to jump sideways on occasion. So I adapted my riding style and still had a ball on him but we went just a bit slower. My husband would have loved to see me go faster, but I stuck to my comfort zone and had more fun. The last horse I owned was just too much for me and I was one of those white knuckled riders for a good part of our rides. I know that if I would have had more time to devote to him and was able to ride on a weekly basis we would have had a better relationship, but life had taken a different turn for me by then. I sold him to a gal that I hope has the ability to work through his issues and has a wonderful life with him.
You hit the nail on the head. I did a blog JUST like this one a while ago – about the horse you wanted vs. the horse you need.
When I first got back into riding (I had a break from when I was 12 to 17) I wanted a high spirited, black mare around 15.2hh no older than 6. I did NOT need that horse. I ended up with a horse MUCH better suited to me, a 16 year old mare, 14.2hh and dead broke. I’m glad, because when I got back into riding I even had off days on her – I got so nervous at one point that I wouldn’t even ride her at more than a trot, and she’s a freaking angel. So, I did get the horse I needed and she became the horse I wanted, more than anything in the world. I’m so glad I got her. She actually is a constant source of vet bills though. She was completely sound, but then she got tangled in a fence and had a hock injury – could have happened to any horse though. Because of her I now have the confidence to break in and rescue horses and if I had gotten the horse I wanted to begin with I don’t even know if I would still be riding. I’m currently riding a 2.5 year old that I broke in. I wouldn’t have thought that I would be doing that when I was too nervous to get on my mare.
My bf had been riding my mare and we decided to get him a horse of his own after a while. We found a mare and we bought her. She was alright, but a forward moving horse and she could get quite nervous at times. His confidence diminished and she is now being retrained so that hopefully she will learn to respond to the bit better and relax a little more. He also needs some lessons so he will be learning to ride a little better before they are going out on any trails. I love her very much and I am glad she is with us. However, she is not a great match for my boyfriend. She has come a long way though and I will continue to work with her and him until they are back on their feet/hooves =)
I haven’t looked at the website yet, but I certainly shall.
I also think that a seller is responsible as well. Some sellers will tell you everything a horse can do, but fail to mention some bad points as well. Sugar sounded perfect and when we went to look at her she did everything we were told she could do. However, we weren’t told that she can get a bit ‘on her toes’ or nervous sometimes.
In some situations I think that the rider is overly sensitive and scared (like when I wouldn’t ride my mare) and has to suck it up and get over it. In some situations, the fear is well earned and they need to move on. One rescue I had would buck and even though I could stay on most of the time and I didn’t get hurt when I fell off *touch wood*, I still became scared. Then one day I realised that I shouldn’t be afraid and that I was not doing her any favours or doing myself any favours by getting nervous. So I got over it.
http://www.operationhorserescue.blogspot.com
1st. horse-Beatiful 5 year old Arab-could see myself flying over the desert on her, instead found myself flying over her dropped shoulder when she decided she’d had enough (I was 23)
2nd horse (for husband)-green pretty bay QH 5 year old.-Saw at a riding ranch, tried him out, rode OK (realized later it was late in the day so he was tired out. (I was 28) They trailed him to our house and quickly left. Next day while riding him, I asked him to back up and he reared and fell. No one hurt, thankfully. Send horse to a trainer for 6 weeks. Rode okay for husband.
3rd horse-Went to Tractor Supply. Saw a crowd of kids around a young 4 month old colt. He was up for adoption and had come from Last Chance Corral. Not the prettiest thing but had a look in his eye of trust and kindness. Asked about him and I was told if I wanted him to put my name on the list to be the possible adopter. My name was number 23 on the list. I stood and watched this colt for 30 minutes and I liked what I saw in his attitude. I got a call that night that they thought I would be the best choice for him. So an hour later I had him bedded down in a box and started in getting him used to being handled. He’s been at my trainer’s barn (I started proper riding lessons 10 years ago) and he helped me train this guy. He’s turned into a very nice 5 year old all round horse. He doesn’t have a pretty head, a little light in the butt but as my trainer says “Pretty is as pretty does.” He tries his heart out for me.
The one thing I’ve really learned thru this is that if you don’t have respect on the ground, you might not have in the saddle. Training on the ground work has really helped my and my horse communicate.
There are at least two horses in his barn that boarders bought from the encouragement of their friends that turned out to be more horse than they could ride. People should buy from a trainer whom they trust, who has their riding ability in mind.
By the way, I’m now 58 and started my lessons when I was 48. I’ve hit the ground many times riding his jumpers but have loved every minute and always (except for one time) got back on and kept going.
If I was to buy another horse, I would definately want an expert who knows my riding to go with me and also to leave my check book home.
“1st. horse-Beatiful 5 year old Arab-could see myself flying over the desert on her, instead found myself flying over her dropped shoulder when she decided she’d had enough (I was 23)”
That was a brilliant line. I think a lot of people have had that experience re: their dreams of flying!
Hi, first time commenter, couldn’t help but share my story. Sorry it’s a bit long. I’ve been riding on and off for the past 10 yrs. Learned western first, but have been riding English consistently for the past 4yrs. I was finally in a situation where I could afford a horse this past winter and my husband gifted me with a horse of my choice for Christmas. Little did we know the ride I was about to take! Looked around for awhile, didn’t find anything too great, as the horse quality around coastal North Carolina is pretty hit or miss. Finally came across an ad for a 12yr old very broke, sane, grade paint gelding at a very good price who just happened to be 2mi down the road from my trainers barn. Went out with my trainer and rode him a few times a week for about a month and he was very consistent and sane and the rider was very much a beginner and couldn’t say enough good things about him. My trainer absolutely loved him and I felt really good on him. Plus she had him on a 1/4acre dirt lot with 2 other horses and he wasn’t in the best of shape so I felt kinda bad for him. At the time, I had the feeling she really didn’t know much about proper horse care. There was my first mistake. After getting him to the barn, we started working him consistently and whoa buddy did the crazy come out! We have our suspicions now that he may have been drugged when we rode at her place. She refused to talk to us anymore as soon as we bought Abner and his paperwork and shots record from her vet turned out to be fake. After proper nutrition and some foot and vet care, he could spook with the best of them, but he also had a ton of potential once he got the spookies out. Unfortunately, he was now way more horse than I was comfortable on, but I was determined to continue working with him. Of course as soon as I made that decision I had a fall in the round pen (wasn’t his fault) and was out of commission with a torn MCL for 6 mos. and had only gotten to ride him a handful of times. During this time we found out my husband’s job was transferring him and we couldn’t take Abner with us. Fortunately, my trainer’s little sister was looking for a new eventer/show jumper. We free leased him to her with a take back contract and he is now living the good life in Maryland. We have since found out he is a Saddlebred/Thoroughbred cross, has huge jumping potential, has been taught a lot of dressage at some point, but had a lot of holes in his basic training and is actually 7 instead of 12! My trainer’s little sister absolutely loves him and he is wonderful for her. She and her trainer have done wonders with him and she will be show jumping him this spring in 2-3ft novice.
Next time around, I think a little plonky QH and a western saddle will be a better match for me. I’ve definitely learned my lesson about finding the right horse for my riding level now!
I do not haue a problem with the project horse site. It seems to be providing a needed service to horses and riders alike. Here we have craigslist…enough said.
¤ Proud owner of a big grade sorrel grass eating great dane¤
Where I work is a perfect example of age does not equal lame:
32 year old morgan pony. Stellar conformation. Sound as the day she was born. Has cushings, but is managed and sound and gallops like a moron up and down the feild and bucks at her younger counterparts when their pissin her off.
30 year old fjord – sound. He’s a fjord though. There like little rocks.
20 year old TB – TERRIBLE TERRIBLE FEET. Sound but if his feet turn into gravel overnight I wouldnt be suprised (obviously I’m taking steps to prevent that)
20 year old (apparently QH, I say otherwise) – Gorgeous horse, the nicest horse in the barn, the nicest horse I’ve ridden in a while and he’s got a super mystery “here’s a free horse” background. He’s got a fantastic work ethic and is super, super sound.
12 year old APHA mare – lame. She’s got small feet. She doesnt have navicular, yet, apparently, but she’s just mysteriously lame sometimes. Xrays, hoof test, stress test, nada, no reason for it. But she’s got narrow heels and I’m just sayin that’s my educated guess and she’s been ‘kinda off’ since the day I met her, she was 9 then. She’s got narrow heels, she’s long, she’s post legged in the back and she’s got an upright shoulder. Now, fortunately, she’s perfect for where she is, which is beginner w/t/c riding, granted 4 or 5 days a week sometimes, but many times its no more than 20min of riding, and it’s never really over 40min. Most of the time it’s walking trails, which she loves.
For the most part soundness is not rocket science. Sometimes it’s a mystery but most often it isn’t – and a giant price tag isn’t going to guarantee conformation. Only your own eyes, or someone with experience, can guarantee conformation and therefore be able to safeguard you from the inevitable early retirement. I personally would never want to purchase a horse that I could say, “WILL have navicular one day.” Like why bother?!
Oh wow, as a side note, I get my “they’re, there, their”‘s down a lot better most of the time than I did in that post. Sorry!
lol I live 6 hours away from my horses(im in college and my wonderful parents take care of my 11 yr old and 8 month old QH geldings) I love the fact that when I come home about once a month I can jump on my 11 yr old and go. Hes a fun ride, I know Im not going to have any major issues just laziness\attitude at the beginning. Been together since he was 3 so we know each other well. And little 8 month old is awesome. Huge brain. teach him something once and he never forgets. Its amazing. Ive never had a horse learn as fast as him. Its going to be interesting keeping him entertained.
I got the OMG ITS PRETTY horse when I was 12. It was a TWH and the owner had drugged it when I went for the test ride. After a week she went batshit and almost broke my back. I got my Qh shortly after that.
I have a major problem, and this is way off topic, but I dont know where else to ask for ideas.
I have 4 horses I love with all my heart. A month and a half ago, a “friend” (she wanted me as a “buisness partner, and when I started figuring out I was nothing more than a bank acct, and what she wanted to bred was “fugly materal” I backed out) and I had a falling out and are no longer speaking. Today I went to a friends house and came home to find one of my mares with 4 scratches, evenly spaced, and perfectly straight, across her side, it almost looks like someone took a pitchfork to her side. There is nothing in the area she is in that would be able to make a set of marks like that. Serveral times my ex”friend” has made comments that my horses are gonna drop dead, that they are sick and gonna die, Im scared she was here while I was gone and harmed my mare. The scratches arent deep, just enough to take off her hair, but it has me scared that this is just the start of things that are going to get worse with her. I did get home after dark, so I couldnt examine the marks really close, thanks to a dead flashlight, so I will be looking closer in the morning, and taking pictures. This is the 2nd mystery injury to one of my horses in the last month, so Im getting concerned for thier safety. I dont know where to turn, Im scared she or her husband is going to seriously harm my horses when Im not here. Im a full time college student, and my boyfriend drives semi over the road, so there isnt any one home most of the day. The acreage we currently have is a rental, and the rent is EXTREMELY cheap, I will never be able to find another rental for what we pay now. Hell cant get a just a house or even an apartment for what I pay a month for this place. So we are trying to get pre-approved thru the bank, but it could take months to find an acreage for sale here, that meets our needs, once we get approved. Once the snow is gone, the horses get moved to my best friends house a hundred miles from here, so then they will be safe(he has no fence at the moment ,but as soon as the snow melts hes putting fence up so we can move these guys) till we figure out what we are going to do, but what do I do in the meantime to protect my babies. With being in school full time, I cant sit here all day, and if my car is here they will know im home, so they wont try anything. My savings has been depleted by me putting “startup money” in this socalled “buisness” so right now, moving them to a boarding barn would not be possible. I have an outside dog, well shes outside when Im not home, but she was thiers first till they decided they didnt like her, so they gave her to me. So the dog does no good and with maybe having to move back to town, I dont want to get another dog, since I already have 3, and if we cant find another acreage, Ill have to get rid of at least one, and possibly 2.
What would you do if you were in my situation. Please email me at tonystewartchamp@yahoo.com with any ideas. The sheriff here is worthless, its a “civil matter” and wont get involved unless either one of the horses is seriously hurt, or Im harmed.
SECURITY SYSTEM. You can buy one with cameras on ebay. Hide the camera really well.
We’re very lucky to have a Sheriff Mounted Patrol unit here, and all those guys take a pretty dim view of horse-harmers. Yeah, go with a security system. Cameras. Post NO TRESPASSING signs prominently. Do they make cheap cameras with motion sensors?
Other than that…. lock gates, put up a hotwire & keep the power source under lock & key, and maybe talk to your local state police? Really tough when law enforcement falls down on the job. Is there NO ONE there who will help? All it takes is one sympathetic horse-owning deputy to go put the fear of God in that other woman, with a calm little conversation – especially if you have photo evidence of her entering your property. Trespassing is a real crime. Check out your state laws. Ugh. I had a loco ex once and looked into getting a restraining order. It was HARD!!!!!!!!!!!
Good luck to you.
OH BOY!!! haha i basically make my living off this topic!! I ride so many lovely horses for epople who have brought expensive toys and find they dont enjoy them and cant ride them!!
You see so much more of this in the dressage world, because there are a lot of people out there who get into the sport because they are already scared of all the other disciplinew then go and buy massive warmbloods…..shake head…..if u kno much about riding u know well trained dressage horse are super sensitive and can be quite hot…that what gives ther pzzazzz in the arena
half the time the horses arent even bad but just responding to riders aids they dont even ealise they are giving with there bad riding
i now train a small number of small, usally mixed breed horses for all these woman, who want to play with high level stuff but will realistically never be able to ride those bug moving warmbloods. I make them bombproof, they can jump, trail ride and cope with idots playing dresgge on them. The ones i have sold so far have ended up doing fantastically and the women who get them genuinely enjoy and waste money spoiling them silly, while getting to feel important cos they can do all the tricks!
Nodding my head with the entire article. When I was looking at horses a few years back, my trainer brought my two half arab mares to check out. The younger prettier of the two was only 4 and saying she was hot is an understatement. Despite her beautiful head and lovely conformation, her ground manners were not so pretty. She needed a ton of training and groundwork. The 10 year old mare (my current horse Electra) was not as flashy, and did not have the arab head that I love. However, I could tell immediately from her ground manners that she was calm, quiet and kind. Under saddle, my first impressions were spot on. Despite needing some tuning up on collection, Electra was willing and happy to do her job. Her ears were forward and she was happy. The younger flashier mare was spooky and full of anxiety. It was a no brainer. One vet check later I had my horse.
Just a question. Fugly mentioned in the main topic giving a 15yo Adequan shots as a matter of course, from the message i’m taking that she’s talking about a 15yo doing trail or lighter riding, not high activity competition or anything. I come from Australia, grew up pony club and eventing etc and is it just an American thing giving a horse Adequan shots as a matter of course? I dunno it just seems to me that 15 is very young and I don’t know anyone who gives a horse joint shots no matter the age, and i’m talking 20 + year olds still in active work. Heck, I had a mare who was at least 30 years old doing all day trail riding and kicking horses asses less then half her age hooning (by the way she was well within her capabilities) she had been retired some time and still sound and healthy when she passed away due to old age).
Anyway, ignore my rambling, i’m just interested in knowing exactly why Adequan seems so common and why not in Australia?
We do use Adequan very routinely for maintenance here, at least most of the people I know do. Just as something to help along a teenage horse who is beginning to become arthritic – like feeding glucosamine/msm supplements.
Probably because so many American horses are started under saddle and shown heavily when they’re 2 & 3 years old.
I have been blinded by beauty before and when I was able to afford getting a horse this time, I made the conscious decision to not reject anything because of color or conformation (unless it would affect soundness down the pike).
Cisco is everything I would NOT have looked at in the past: a little grade gaited pony of indeterminate breeding. He looks like a Haflinger with his thick, stout body and his mane, which splits down the middle. He has one and a half blue eyes and his body is predominately white, with the exception of his head. He looks rather like a Jack Russel in coloring.
But he is an angel. Fun loving, nosey, into everything, friendly, easy to catch, and as close to bomb-proof as a horse can be. And he’s 10, so I am hoping to have many, many years with him. His price? $900, because I live in Michigan where even good horses cost very little.
I’m the owner / admin for Project Horses, and was a bit apprehensive about being told we were featured on Fugly!
I read Fugly & have done for years, and agree with the vast majority of what gets said.
The site was originally set up with the best of intentions, and we try to stick to our morals even now – this is very important to us. We’ve been running for seven years now. I try to keep basic advert costs low, to make sure that everyone that needs us can afford to use us.
The original concept was to give a place where people could advertise a horse totally honestly – the total opposite of so many adverts nowadays, where people try to gloss over the less ideal stuff. I felt that we riders are all different, and it would be nice to have a site where people could advertise accordingly. For example, I don’t mind riding a bucker if I must, but would never knowingly get on a rearer – and we wanted to give people a place where they could honestly advertise their horse, quirks & all, and find someone to buy it who bought it knowing everything there is to know. Equally, there will be those with horses with issues through no fault of their own, whose life situation changes dramatically, and they then need to sell – we hope we can help them.
There are of course some adverts by owners who have over horsed themselves (haven’t many of us either been there, or very nearly!), and some from owners whose horses are broken, for various reasons, looking to rehome. We try not to judge owners – that isn’t what we’re there for. We’re there to help the horses, which we can best do by offering our help without prior conceptions.
We are trying to build up the info part of the site – giving links to resources – to try to offer help even to those who want to keep & persevere with their project horse. We also make a point of giving unlimited free advertising to approved rescues – we do check out all the rescues, and try to make sure they are legitimate. Equally, if I find someone has dishonestly advertised, or is spamming, or any other negative behaviour, I block them from being able to access the site.
I started the site in the UK, as I am based in the UK, but have recently been researching starting up in the USA, and think this may be something we do very soon.
I came by the idea of Project Horses after working with horses with issues myself. Over the years, I’ve bought a number of horses & ponies at market that I couldn’t bear to see go to the meatman (I only generally bid against the meatman or less reputable dealers), and bringing them home & doing our best to sort them out. One particular horse started it off – he was so traumatised after what he’d gone through, and I felt that even if his issues got resolved, he’d always have tendancies which could reappear under stress. I felt I needed to advertise him somewhere that would be sympathetic to those tendancies – but couldn’t find anywhere – and being the kind of person who looks to solve a problem she finds, so Project Horses was born. I still own that horse, about nine years after I bought him – he is out on loan, and very loved, and doing well.
I hope you don’t mind my posting – but I just wanted to try to explain the ethics behind the site, and where we’re coming from.
Thanks Fugly & other users, for your positive words on the site!
I don’t mind you posting a bit, and as I said elsewhere in the comments, it’s not the site I have a problem with – it’s people dumping the stuff they physically broke down that I’m not thrilled with. But you do not control your users anymore than I control everyone who comments here. I wish you luck with the site, and I’m sure you got a lot more traffic this week, LOL!
At least most of the horses on the site are actually doing stuff, under saddle even. I was expecting projecthorse craigslist style. Your project is to feed the horse, try catching it, hose it down, see what’s under the mud…..
Personally, I hate the term “project horse” for anyone outside of a 4H or FFA actual project in which they are working towards an ultimate goal of moving through a defined project. As adults, we certainly don’t need living creatures as a “project”. It implies that it’s a jigsaw puzzle or piece of furniture being refurbished that can be picked up where we left off with no negative effect on the “project”. I suppose it goes to the insane need people have for labeling things (kind of like we do our children who are outside the normal perimeters as deemed by our education system: “gifted’, “special ed”, “oppositional defiance disorder” etc) I don’t think every horse that needs to be started under saddle, have corrective training completed, or is new to you should be labeled “my project horse”. Do we call our children “projects” even though they are always learning, changing, and not perfectly behaved? It’s just a personal dislike along with other terms used in the horse world that I find just plain stupid: “needs groceries”=malnourished appearance (and maybe not really the root of the reason for a low BCS), “offloaded”=ended up on the ground (it doesn’t really tell HOW it happened and if I’m looking to buy a horse I want to know if the lovely bucked it’s rider off, flipped over, or if the rider got dumped”, and “dead broke”=perfect horse & NOTHING will go wrong (I’ve watched a dead broke horse when it stepped into a red ant hill act like it had never had a saddle on) just to name a few. Again, just my opinion & since we all get to express them, why the heck not vent about them. Right?
Having said that, I have no issues whatsoever with a trainer using an expensive horse to teach a lesson to someone who is used to spending so much money they don’t care to listen to anyone around them. I like to think about a former boarder at our barn who could not handle a 20 yr old gentle schooling horse who was bound and determined to own a young Morgan. She fell—-she was not dumped nor bucked by the horse— she lost her balance and fell off. But, to hear her tell it, the horse went crazy and bolted around the arena & then bucked her off. Yet, the 7-8 witnesses to the event say that she lost her balance, clinched him with her heels, collected her reins to balance on her hands, & when he swished his tail and started to trot a bit, she started to fall & then pitched to the ground. She claimed he bucked the ring yet again witnesses state that he stopped and looked at her as if to say “hey lady why are you down there”. She refused to ride this horse again & began monopolizing her daughters horse or grabbing the trainer’s beginner’s QH (the latter without permission when the trainer was not there). The trainer got wind of what was going on and the next time the boarder opened her big mouth about wanting young horses and specifically a 7 yr old Morgan from about 1500 miles away, the trainer was all to happy to oblige. This woman refused to take her lessons–wanting to “walk around the arena only”. Refused to try anything out of her comfort zone (our trainer likes to have you work on the lounge bareback in the round pen while she works the horse and you focus on your balance—yet this woman would have none of it). She began sending horse ads to our trainer who kept telling her “this horse is too young” or “too much” or “needs work” and then she would present the woman with appropriate horses. Again, the boarder new best so finally our trainer quit trying. She picked 5 horses that looked like great prospects with terrific conformation & great papers and told the woman “sure, these will be great” One happened to be a 7 mos old stud colt which the trainer knew was going to be at least 18 months if not longer before the woman could even hope to have him started under saddle & he would have to be cut. As it was, the woman couldn’t even halter her own colt and within a month, he was rearing up on her. The other 4 horses were way too much horse and the boarder was just pissed to which our trainer quietly said, “the next time I tell you that certain types of horses are too much horse for you, perhaps you will listen.” Yeah, the boarder got pissed and moved out only taking her daughter’s two horses & the colt with her. (leaving a hefty unpaid board & training bill and eventually trying to defame our trainer online). Did she learn her lesson? It would be great to say, ‘yes” but sadly the answer is “NO”. She moved to a boarding farm with no trainer, got on her daughter’s green horse, fell and busted her elbow. The colt is still uncut & the woman went out and bought yet another horse she can’t handle. But, the rest of the boarders who sat back and watched this trainwreck of a woman, who didn’t listen to the trainer ever, did learn. A few months later, when a young horse came into the barn for training with a price tag on his head, a boarder really liked the horse. She asked the trainer about the horse & the trainer said “he’s too unpredictable right now for what you want”. She began asking a ton of questions and the trainer asked for one of the student trainers to ride the horse. As the trainer was explaining that the horse was just “too green” for a novice rider and that he had a tendency to buck when asked to move forward off the leg, the horse went into a bucking fit, tossing the rider and bucking the ring. The boarder smiled and said, “Well, unlike __________ who would stand here and question the saddle fit or if the rider did something wrong and thinking apples and carrots will fix any problem, I would prefer not to break every bone in my body the first time I got on my horse.” Lesson learned by someone.
Oh and thought I’d share. I bought a brain damaged Maseratti and have had a blast putting the pieces back together. It’s been so gratifying to take a horse I was told could never be shown again to coming in third out of 25 at our last show. He was so freaked out the first time I showed him he had diarrhea all day and was screaming his head off when I got to the barn. Two years later he was so good and so completely changed at our last show people were asking what we “did” to him, as in what had we prescribed him. We prescribed patience, fairness, understanding and riding through some high speed train wrecks to undo what was done to almost ruin him. My sports car is such a good boy now he packs the little kids around for lessons. He’s one of the favorite lesson horses because he’s so honest and trustworthy and he thinks walk trot canter is cake compared to his usual reining work out so he’s happy to oblige. He knows the difference and doesn’t sweat little hands pulling on his mouth but when mom gets on he’s a finely tuned machine. I love projects! No turn key horses for me I don’t care about winning I like to make something better than how I got it-boy scout rule for horses.
A friend of mine did that too…got a mind blown APHA gelding. Lots of points, no mind left. She got him fixed just fine and he’s winning again, but she went for some hairy rides before that happened! He is very lucky. He will never again suffer the kind of riding that blew him up in the first place.
I got a “free” American Shetland filly two years ago. Gorgeous, stunning mover, exceedingly well bred. And insane. She made me afraid of her real fast. Kicked, bit, would charge anyone and anything in the field. I knew I was overfaced and tried to sell her, fully disclosing that she WAS crazy. Many people were interested but none worked out. Finally a competitor friend offered to trade for her. At this point I would have GIVEN her to him, but he had a Mini filly he thought I’d like. We took her down, he loved her, I really liked the filly and we traded. She’s still a wench but doesn’t scare him. The filly I got is ADORABLE. Loving, loves to hang around with you, not a mean bone in her body. Gimme THOSE type any day!
Also, when I got said “free” filly her paperwork was all scewed up and took over $100 to finally get it straight.
Younger me said “Life’s too short to ride ugly horses”. Meant they had to be purty, preferably Arabian (loved the post about flying on an Arab, so true!) Now, older me says “Life’s too short to ride ugly horses” meaning ugly acting horses! Bay is fine, QH preferred, and short horses are much easier to mount and dismount!! Experience is the best (and most costly) teacher.
Life could get WAY SHORTER if you ride the wrong horses! That’s my thought on it.
Rearers, exploders-with-no-warning AND klutzy tripping horses with no physical cause…someone else can ride them. I do not want to, and I won’t.
I read a quote from a big name Western trainer once… something like, “If I could get me a bunch of good old horses, I could make some SERIOUS money.”
Kind of like the wise old trainer who says “I see a stallion, and 99.9% of the time I think, ‘Gee, he’d make a real nice gelding.’”
People get so wrapped up in their egos. I finally got over myself at age 40 and decided I didn’t really need to prove anything to anybody by taking on a hot horse. I’m all about the Family Horse, and had one dropped into my lap last year.
Sometimes, you do get lucky and get the best of both worlds
I admit I was a bit of a “label whore” before I got my own horse. I wanted to ride the gorgeous horses, the expensive ones, the ones that you had to be “good” to ride (this was while taking lessons/schooling horses at work, etc). I finally got my own horse at 22 (about eight months ago!) and while I have been riding for 14 years, the last thing I needed was a young horse to train (even though lots of people were trying to encourage me to go that route). I waited a long time to get a horse, and I wanted the right one, the one that would be my forever horse. I found her (she was actually one of my boss’s horses that I had been schooling). It just so happened that she was a gorgeous registered purebred Trakehner with fantastic training and (for the most part) a great brain. We have fun together, and I am quickly discovering that I CAN to anything with her!
She was a show barn raised “stall baby” in the early part of her life but coming home with me was a definite upgrade (I regularly indulge in hoof care and veterinary visits!) and I have taking her hacking, both on roads and the trails, turned her out overnight during the hot summer (skeery at first!!! Gremlins might eat her!) but have also showed her and taken jumping lessons on her. So I got my purebred-fancy-import breed label with a horse I absolutely love and feel safe on.
Oh yeah–also I HATE really tall horses. A problem with my label-whore status, since for some reason “good, showy horses” are always tall. My mare is 16.1, which is perfect
What a great topic!
I was a horse creazy kid, but never actually bought my own horse till I was 30 or so. I use to work at a breeding farm in VA…I took care of all the horses and once in a while would sneak into the pasture to ride one mare bare back.
Well when I moved and finally bought a place where I could have horses, I was contacted by the owner of the breeding farm I once worked at. She was going to cut me an “awesome” deal on that certain mare. I was beside myself and of course took her up on the offer. Well the mare was a beautiful appy/tb cross who had dressage training, but had mostly been a brood mare for the farm. Well since I had ridden her bare back in the pasture I thought I knew her. OH boy was I wrong! I was green, knew the basics, but did not have a clue how to ride this horse. Plus was told it wouldn’t be a problem switching her from english to western. All I wanted was a horse to ride the trails with. I loved that mare, but she really did not love me! I spent almost 2 years trying to get her to ride out on trails, she was full of it and hard for me to control. I don’t think it helped that I had to try and learn her buttons, which I had no clue on! After the two years, I realized that this was not my forever horse and I had to let her go.
I do have to say, she tought me SOOO much. After her, I could ride much better and actually had cofidence riding. I was never thrown from her, but she made my seat better. Im not the best rider now, but because of that mare I have a lot of confidence.
I now have a little more that green 10 year old Arab mare that is fantastic and we are doing everthing together.
Because I never gave up trying to learn and ride my first mare, it made me a better rider…I still think about her at times and actually googled her reg. name and she is now jumping and doing dressage. Probably a better situation for her.
It’s funny how sensible my choice was when I got my first pony. It was based on one thing: comfort. I had been riding 2 years at that point, showing hunters and my parents were looking at alllll the best trained ponies for their little star rider XD. I rode 5 in one barn visit at one point. Rode some that made me cry, some that ran off with me and plenty that were fun. My trainer advanced her kids too fast, I believe now that I look back, so while I had experience with all sorts of horses & ponies I wanted that comfort and stability without being bored. My pony was the Mother of all ponies. It came down between her and a young 9yo chestnut who was fun and adorable, but there was just something about mine and I still remember that feeling to this day – as we jumped those little crossrails. Stable, like a rock, loving and dependable. She prided herself her whole life on protecting children. She was my second mother up until her death when I was 17…
My current boy will be 22 next month, we got him when he was 7 – a young punk. The previous owner had been a dressage rider in her 60′s and was COMPLETELY overhorsed. I will never understand WHY this woman had him – or who sold him to her. My dressage trainer taught her a few times and said she was terrified. *head-desk* Then again most people who’ve ridden him are terrified, he doesn’t behave by proper traditional standards and he’s got alot of fire. (not hot, just attitude) Granted I was a teen when we got him and LOVED the challenge!
We have been together almost 15 years now!
It really just speaks to the point that you have to find an mental/emotional match, not just a physical one. Too many people forget it’s a living being with thoughts, feelings and ideas of it’s own – NOT a machine.
I cannot STAND people treating horses like cars, and I see it far too often. Makes me all the more glad cars are our main mode of transportation nowdays – people can be so ignorant, atleast more people are screwing up cars instead (mostly).
I became a victim of this with the 2nd horse I had. My first was a large pony, which being a small 16 year old when I got her who was tired of waterskiing around the arena on horses that were too big for me, was the perfect buy. When I graduated high school and went to college I took her with me to a new trainer by the school. We switched to jumpers and did some big rated shows and I thought it was the coolest thing ever. So when she said she thought it was time for a move up horse and my parents coughed up the money for one we searched and searched and found one awesome one who failed the vet. So we found this other one who seemed ideal and vetted and bought him. It was great for the first few months, and then he got hurt and needed stall rest which caused some other health problems no one knew about to come to surface. His physical discomfort caused him to act out undersaddle and he became almost impossible for me to ride, even though he was technically sound (I later discovered he just needed to essentially live outside). I spent 2 years trying to lesson and show on this horse who I ended up being terrified to jump anything bigger than 2′ on and he was bought to be a 3’6″ jumper. I finally made the choice to quit showing. I stayed with the trainer but essentially quit her show program. She treated me like a second rate citizen but both the horse and I were far happier with each other and our last year together we thoroughly enjoyed hacking around, jumping low courses, going on trails etc. Then when I went to graduate school I essentially gave him away to the trainer near that school who had a herd in a 30 acre field on her property, she keeps him for herself and he is so mellow and happy he’s almost unrecognizable, he packs kids around over 3′ jumps now. But I definitely felt overmounted by him for quite some time and by the time I quit showing my confidence was 100% shot.
Fortunately, I had the foresight to keep the pony also all those years, free leasing her to the facility as a school pony. So now I have my steady friend back to do trails, low jumpers, and anything else I damn well feel like. In the city I am in now I found a trainer who is letting me do what I want, which is ride ponies. I’m 24, I’m 5’2″, and I want to ride ponies. I’m confident on them and I’m more technically skilled then their children owners and this trainer is using me for exactly what I want to do which is school ponies. I’ll ride horses, but I definitely have my limits now. I feel no need to put myself on something I don’t think I can successfully ride or be safe on. That was a lesson I learned the hard and expensive way.
My gaited pony is just that, only 14 hands high but since I am 5’1, he suits me to a T. I do get teased about riding a pony but you know what? When I dismount on the trail, I don’t have to look for a log in order to climb back up there, LOL!
I was at my local auction last week and two very fancy, colorful National Show Horses were run through. Some guy had paid big $$$ for them for his pre-teen kids, since they were just soooo beautiful. And here they were being sold to some dealer for a couple hundred bucks because they were too much horse. Ignorant bastard.
I remember my first pony (errrrr small horse). Ijust turned 13 yrs old. He was perfect for me at the time. He was older, 13, mix breed grade gelding tobiano pinto. He had one fear, cameras and anything that sounded like the click of a camera. Comes to find out that fire crackers were often thrown at him to make him run. However he never took off on me though he got nervous he never tried to run with me. He could trot 90 miles an hour but to hell with cantering a circle. He was a bluffer also. He would act like he was going to kick you or do something horrible to you until you got the lead rope on him. Then he was all fine with everything. He got better about that the longer I had him. I guess he figured out that I wasnt going to be mean to him. He was a great trail horse, never made a bad step and would go any where with you. He was playfull at times. He stole my hat one time by grabbing the little pom pom on top of it, liked potato chips and cheap dog food kibble……the stuff that is made out of corn. He had hooves of steel, never needed shoes (all white feet, myth buster right there). Gave my dad a good what for when my idiotic dad tried to shoe him after attending a one day seminar on how to shoe and trim a horse. Took my dad 4 hours to shoe Tony. (Tony was the name of this great pony, actually is was Sir Tony) it was great and hilarious. I dont think Tony ever had a shoe on before, he acted like it though or just knew what a deuche bag my dad was. I learned alot from Tony. I later got a more green horse that was more horse for me. I lost Tony due to divorce and hell of my family life. I bearily got to hang on to my younger green mare. Thats an another story. I used to call him Sir Tony the phoney Balogna super pony. I gave him the Page Boy cut hair do to his forelock, he actualy looked cute with it. He only cost 300 dollars and that included saddle, bridle and saddle pad. What I would do for a good horse like him today. *Sigh* <where has the time gone.
As someone who has not had the means to own a horse for a long time I have gotten a lot of horses to ride/show because of this issue.
Happily a young experienced rider bought her not long after and continued her progress.
One woman in particular was taking lessons at a sales/showing barn I rode at. She fell in love with a green appy and to her trainers credit she tried very hard to steer her to something more suitable. The woman would hear none of it, no older horses, no plain bays, and bought the pretty little appy.
I watched her get bolted with, dumped when the horse shied, etc etc. She kept on trying until the mare ran under a tree with her and really injured her. Next thing you know the barn owner is asking me if I will take the little appy on.
I experienced NONE of the really bad behaviours, and after a few half hearted shying attempts the mare realized I wasn’t going anywhere, nor was I getting mad. She was actually a good little greenie! But she needed someone who was not as nervous as she was and didn’t freeze up in the saddle, that was all.
We got a fourth at our first show in hunter hack, and a fifth over fences….not bad for a loudly colored, kind of choppy fifteen hand appy among a sea of tall elegant bays and chestnuts
Her original owner moved on to a quieter older mount after she healed, but it took the poor lady a long time to get back in the saddle, she had been so freaked out by the whole thing.
Forgot to add…no matter what I take into the ring I ride as if I AM on that elegant beast of the judge’s dreams hahaha….it seems to work
I’ve read this blog for quite a long time before now but never bothered posting before. This entry just drew my attention though because I agree with everything you’re saying.
I actually can’t stand it when people look down on horses because they’re older. I recently bought a 17 year old TB gelding and have already gotten a lot of comments from people at my barn saying “Why’d you buy such an old horse?”
The answer is I bought him because he’s exactly what I was looking for. Super athletic with a sane mind, beautifully conformed, never raced, could jump the moon if he wanted to. He can w/t/c and jump under saddle although he’s still quite green as he has spent his life so far mostly being a pet. But because he’s never been pushed or worked hard in his life he has the body of a young horse, 100% sound and sane.
My trainer has known the horse for several years now and she was the one who recommended him for me, knowing he was exactly suited to my needs. He’s enough of a challenge that I don’t get bored and I have things I can work on; before I bought him, he had never left his home farm so we’re still working through some attachment issues (he’s super herd bound and if there are other horses in the ring he likes to drift into the middle to try and hang out with them). He still gets a bit silly in the ends of the ring, pretending that the gate is super terrifying but once you give him a job to do, it’s pretty obvious he’s not actually scared and is just trying to avoid having to do work. Once he realizes I’m not going to let him stop working because the patch of sunlight on the ground is “oh so scary”, he’s super sweet and quiet and tries his best. He also has excellent ground manners and I can tell that he’s definitely going to be an “in your pocket” type horse.
I’m thrilled with him and am happy to just ignore snarky comments from other people in my barn about his age.
Oh man, this is me all over! I bought my first horse (after a 30 year break) exclusively because he was a huge, beautiful 7 year old bay with 4 white socks! A docile kid’s lesson horse, they said. It wasn’t until they’d dropped him off, bade me farewell, and left me staring at him in the paddock that I realized I was terrified of him! It was 3 weeks before I could bring myself to mount up, and when I did, I was shaking so hard I almost threw up. Well, you know the rest. He was a big stalliony galoot, not hot, but something of a bully, and he soon had my number. He went completely native under my crappy tutelage: would kick at me, try to knock me over with his giant head, pretend to be lame, pin his ears, and spook like mad. Because he wasn’t getting enough exercise — I was afraid to ride him, and he’d kick out at me when I lunged him, so I quit doing that, too — he started running through fences. But he was pretty! He had 4 white socks! Yikes!
Fast forward 3 years to the happy ending. I got a trainer and a sweet, 15-year-old, been-there-done-that TB/Oldenburg mare with an illustrious show record as a children’s hunter. She’s a smallish, plain chestnut, but she never puts a foot wrong, and I’m finally having some damn fun. We’re going to our first little show in April. The big bay gelding found love with a more confident rider who can actually handle him. Whew!
My daughter told me you posted an article about me…haha. I’m one of those people who wanted (wants) more horse (bigger, more powerful, more impressive) than I’m capable of dealing with (doesn’t matter…doesn’t stop me from “shopping” the rescues). I WANT A DRAFT. I WANT A BELGIAN OR A PERCHERON. PERIOD. Of course I do! I have giant breed dogs, so I should have a giant breed horse. I imagine myself sitting on my massive beast, regardless of the fact that I would be too scared to move, and have nowhere to go even if he or she did decide to go for a walk. We have only five acres, but that’s OK, because I’d be content just sitting up there, surveying my world. Some people post that they have weaknesses for TBs or Arabs, and I can totally relate, even though I can’t tell the difference between any of the non-draft horses…they all look alike to me. When I look at a draft, however, something happens inside me and I know that I know that a draft is the horse I was meant to have some day. I try to justify the expense in my head…extreme personal sacrifice would be in order. I’ll cut myself back to one meal a week…walk 50 miles to work one way…drive a wrecked truck with a bad transmission for a few more years…never buy another pair of shoes or any new clothes ever again in my whole life.
When my daughter realized I wasn’t playing (she should have figured that out when she was a kid), she didn’t want me to risk buying a sick, injured, nasty-tempered, over-priced animal with a bad attitude or bad habits (because we all know people selling their horses don’t lie, withhold information, or bute a horse when they see a gullible person heading towards their horse with money in her hands, tears in her eyes, and her heart on her sleeve). Instead of us driving all over everywhere responding to ads on Craigslist (did I mention we don’t own a trailer?), she directed me two miles away to a healthy, calm, well-bred 9 year-old Morgan mare that a close friend had for sale. I wasn’t impressed. She’s brown. I knew she was the mare my daughter sent me to look at because the other one wasn’t brown. The other one was yellow.
My riding skill level is slightly above that of my 5 year-old grandson’s, and this horse was more interested in grazing than outwitting or killing me. I bought her on the recommendation of my daughter (both she and her husband had ridden the mare) and then I started riding her. On one trail ride, the girth slipped as she went into a canter (with her head down, mind you…why does she do that?) to catch up with the other two horses on the trail. The saddle moved way forward, practically on her neck. Did she panic? Did she try to kill me? No, she put her head down and grazed until I dismounted and we fixed her saddle. (“You get that…I’ll get this.” blink blink) I was impressed. What a good horse. When I experienced an involuntary dismount another time, she just put her head down and grazed until I got my happy self up off the ground and back in the saddle. I like that…she’s focused. We’re well suited. I’m an older novice rider who needs a calm, patient horse. She needs a rider who doesn’t need or want to gallop anywhere, much less everywhere we go. I’m happy with her. I hope she’s happy with me.
Do I feel like I bought a canoe when I wanted an ocean liner? Yes. Can I afford or handle an ocean liner? No. Do I feel unfulfilled? Of course I do, but I also feel fortunate to have a sensible, knowledgeable daughter who helped me find the perfect horse for my skill level (NO…we are NOT cantering…maybe next year, when I’m older…), my interest level (galloping is not on my list of things to do before I die, so don’t even think about it, Mare), and am committed to her for as long as we both shall live. I have my backup plans in place should she outlive me. Do I still “shop” for that horse of my dreams? Yes, but if I were ever to be able to afford to buy another horse (luxury item #2), I won’t discuss trade-in, and I will do my homework.
“On one trail ride, the girth slipped as she went into a canter (with her head down, mind you…why does she do that?) to catch up with the other two horses on the trail. The saddle moved way forward, practically on her neck. Did she panic? Did she try to kill me? No, she put her head down and grazed until I dismounted and we fixed her saddle.”
See, you cannot put a price on that. I really think that NOT PANICKING is a trait that breeders should be breeding for, specifically and deliberately. Horses will always be prey animals prone to flight but, boy, it’s nice to be sitting on something that doesn’t come uncorked the second something goes wrong.
Oooh me too. Bought a huge warmblood mare two years ago on the advice of “trainer” who I since discovered trousered a substantial commission out of the seller – I might as well have had “gullible” written across my forehead. She is, however, exceedingly beautiful (the mare that is, not the trainer) and I had visions of us piaffing, passaging and pirouetting with the best of them, and yes it is OK to laugh now.
In many ways I was lucky as she is a kind and sweet horse to handle, is foot perfect in the school, and has taught me (with the aid of good instructors at the rate of two lessons a week) to sit a huge trot, plus half pass, shoulder in, travers, half pass, counter canter, and to jump. However; on the downside she needs to be worked every day, eats a bag of feed a week, and doesn’t hack alone unless you fancy practicing your “airs above the ground”.
In retrospect my experience of being somewhat overhorsed has been a bit of a mixed bag – I love my girl but do envy those who can pull their pony out of the field he has sat in for two days, knock off the mud, tack up and bimble off for a nice hack. I also confess I hit the arena sand quite a few times in the first months as I got up to speed – which I am sure would have given some of your ungenerous commenters some moments of amusement, who find it amusing to see someone getting dumped just because they are older and happen to have the funds to buy a quality horse, and would ask those people to remember that not everyone is lucky enough to have had the kind of childhood which supports ownership of ponies and riding before you can walk.
Here is my two cents worth on the subject of fear. I am VERY FEARFUL and I fight it every time I ride.
Horses are extremely sensitive and can feel your breathing, pulse and respiration, in short, you can’t hide your fear from your horse! Don’t even try. Own your fear, and take steps to cope. I will share my strategies below.
I’m a 54 year old office worker and I have two very high energy 9 year old geldings, one of whom is an OTTB, the grandson of Seattle Slew and also the grandson of Czarist who is the son of the super grand champion Nijinksy. Talk about having a rocket ship on my hands!
In addition to the TB, I also have a hyperactive QH gelding, and his mother, a 28 year old mare.
I’m a fan of the Fugly Blog but I’m also a Parelli Savvy Club member and I read COTH. Can’t we all just get along? Linda Parelli has probably written and taught more about fear than any clinician out there. Please, Parelli haters, just hear me out.
I keep the three horses in a one-acre corral with shelter. Similar to Jaime Jackson’s Paddock Paradise concept. I can’t imagine what the two geldings would be like if they were kept in stalls. Even in 24-7 turnout, they are still a handful. I’m afraid to ride them a lot of the time. But I cope, and I will explain how. Every weekend, I have fun, enjoyable rides! Even when the arena is full of gymkhana people running barrels while I’m trying to practice dressage.
How do I cope, while working full time, at my age?
• During the week when I cannot ride, I try to walk 3 miles a day and climb stairs at work. I’m not an athlete by any means, but at least I can move about. If you are going to ride, you need to have a good level of fitness. There’s no way around this.
• I’m confident that I have a good seat. I had riding lessons and owned horses as a kid, so riding is in my muscle memory. As an adult, when the QH I bred was started under saddle, I took several years worth of lessons from his trainer.
• I have middle-aged, lack of confidence fear. I don’t have the type of fear that is so extreme that I need counseling to get near a horse.
Some other observations:
• If you can’t get on and off your horse without help, you shouldn’t be riding.
• If you can’t ground work your horse (and I mean run up and down the arena with your horse on a long line as you ground drive it) you shouldn’t be riding.
• The minute you feel afraid, get off your horse! In the words of Pat Parelli, “It’s better to be a live chicken than a dead duck.” There is no shame in this.
• The more you get off, the less you’ll have to. The more you learn to be a leader from the ground, the less trouble your horse your horse will give under saddle.
• Even a “kid-proof, bomb-proof” horse (no such thing in my opinion) horse will spook now and then. Know how to do an emergency stop and how to do an emergency dismount, never let your guard down. Old Cowboy Saying: The good ones will kill you.
I go on a lot of group trail rides and it kills me to see people who literally have to be hoisted on board their horse at the beginning of the ride. They don’t get off during rest stops because they can’t get back on. These people should not be riding and they SHOULD BE AFRAID. But surprisingly, a lot of them are not.
This past Saturday, a cloudy, overcast day, I rode Pedro, the TB. When I went to get him from the corral, he was snorty and his head was in the air. This is after spending the entire week galloping around freely, playing with my other horses. I can’t imagine the level of explosiveness he would have displayed if he was kept in a stall.
My plan was to trailer him to my riding club arena and work on dressage transitions. When I tied him to my trailer and began to groom him he kept moving his feet and grinding his teeth. His eyes were hard and staring, his head was up. I was afraid of him because he was ready to explode.
Linda Parelli would advise you not to even groom your horse in this state. Most traditional trainers would slap the horse and yell “stand still.” Why pick a fight? I choose to go the Parelli route.
So I got out the lunge line and did some patterns. Patterns work very well to calm the horse because they get the brain involved and help them come off adrenaline. Lots of change of directions, figure 8s, sideways, backwards. 15 minutes of that and I could groom Pedro and load him in the trailer. The physical exertion and focusing on the tasks took my mind off my fear and I was able to be an effective leader for my horse. What? You think 15 minutes is too long? How does three months recuperating from broken bones sound? Don’t be in a hurry! Horses crave calm, strong leadership.
Once at the arena, Pedro was still not ready for me to ride. He was too snorty to saddle. I put him on the long line and as I was fortunate enough to have the arena to myself, I did the Parelli Falling Leaf pattern which is basically pushing the horse away from you as it canters on the long line back and forth in front of you. It’s like dancing with the horse. It’s the sort of move a boss mare would do in the pasture. Falling Leaf is really effective to get control of a horse that wants to move too fast. The downside is that it involves jogging up and down the length of the arena. That’s a great way to come down off your own fear! If I had not had the arena to myself, I would have worked him on the line around the outside of the arena, doing lots of change of direction.
Pedros’s head came down, he licked his lips, he was able to look at me with two eyes. If that sounds like jargon to you, you need to learn how to read horse body language in order to stay safe around them. He was ready to ride. I saddled him up and we had a fabulous session!! He was buttery soft, willing, easy. We of course did a lot of patterns. I just made them up as I went along: ride down the long side, do a ten meter circle at the end and come back up the long side, trot 15 steps, walk 15 steps, trot 15 steps, canter a 20 meter circle, trot through the poles that the gymkhana people left up using leg yields to move through them, canter a figure 8. Just keep constantly changing it up. This helps take your mind off your fear. Oh, and the neighbor’s flock of chickens decided to come over to the arena and have a huge ruckus right outside the rail. No problem because I prepared my horse. He spooked a little, but nothing like he would have if I hadn’t ground worked him.
And to think I was afraid of this horse when I first put the halter on him!! He was easy to ride. Because I “set it up for success.”
The Parellis call ground driving “playing.” I call it ground work because when I’m running alongside a trotting horse it feels like work to me, even though it feels like play to the horse!
OK, some of what you say makes a lot of sense, but here is where I hit a brick wall with you and the Parellis:
“The minute you feel afraid, get off your horse! In the words of Pat Parelli, “It’s better to be a live chicken than a dead duck.” There is no shame in this.”
There is no SHAME in it; HOWEVER, if you get off every time you get scared, the horse will quickly figure out WHAT scares you and do it A LOT because you are REWARDING HIM FOR SCARING YOU. Bottom line, if you can’t force yourself to ride through the fear, the horse needs to be sent to a trainer or you need a different horse.
“The more you get off, the less you’ll have to.”
I could not agree LESS with this statement. The more you get off, the more you train your horse how to make you get off.
“The more you learn to be a leader from the ground, the less trouble your horse your horse will give under saddle.”
That’s true. But it would be an awfully stupid horse not to figure out that you are a good leader on the ground and a shitty leader under saddle. And a Slew horse isn’t stupid.
If you had gone the traditional training route with these horses, my guess is you wouldn’t still be having issues with them. My first question is what the heck are you feeding Pedro, because on 24/7 turnout, even a Thoroughbred should be pretty darn sensible. The vast majority of what I ride are Thoroughbreds, and not a one of them is a snorty, stupid asshat. However, we do not grain except maybe a handful with supplements. Are you graining?
My horses get grass hay and 3 times a week they get 1/2 pound of grass hay pellets and 1/2 pound of equine senior. No oats or any sweet feed. They are high spirited horses that need a lot of mental and physical work. The Spanish riding school does ground work. It’s part of classical training. Isn’t that traditional enough for you? Don’t dismiss it as unnecessary. Getting off does not train the horse to think it has “won.” That’s is a complete fallacy. You can look me up on facebook to see plenty of pictures of me riding the horses in all sorts of situations. Horses are nature’s perfect animal. I’m the one with the fear problem. Like I said, they can feel your pulse, breathing and respiration and if you’re scared, they get scared. You should NEVER ride through fear. I want to be the best I can be for my horses and that sometimes involves being a leader from the ground. It only lasts a few minutes then I get back on, so they aren’t being “rewarded” and put away for the day.
I never dismissed ground work as unnecessary. I do a lot of ground work myself. My point was that you can’t fix everything on the ground – that’s just a fact. You need to get into the saddle and fix it from there, otherwise the problem is only fixed when you’re not in the saddle.
And I disagree with you. Getting off the horse is absolutely a signal to the horse that whatever they did worked. You’re off of them. They win. Now, have I gotten off rather than get dumped? Absolutely. But only when I was going to get back on (after longeing or turning out to blow off steam) or when someone else was available to get on and ride through the problem.
How do you propose to fix fear if you don’t ride through it? Successfully riding through it is how you fix it – you gain confidence and the fear goes away. I agree with everything you have to say about how horses know that you are scared, but a scared person can still physically do what it takes to ride through the problem…I know because I’ve done it. Sure many other people have here as well. If you avoided riding EVERY time you were scared, how would you ever progress? Isn’t everyone scared, say, the first time cross-country?