# New horse trying to throw me off



## lilypoo (Jun 15, 2013)

I so feel your pain! Honestly, is there such a thing as 5yo TB who raced being a quiet horse? 

I bought a 22yo Paint who was supposed to be quiet as a little old mouse...he was supposed to be 18yo and perfect on trails and slow as molasses. 

I knew he'd been a barrel horse but was told he was so long retired that he no longer had those habits.

It was allllllll lies. I'm 40 this month with four kids and also just getting back into horses. When he bolted with me a couple weeks ago, I thought I was done. 

I leased a 7yo QH/TB head horse prior to buying my Paint and didn't like that horse cause he was all go and joggy. So I have been super disappointed to be going through this.

Thankfully neither bucked.

Trainer, trainer, trainer... 



Kietra said:


> I have recently purchased a big 5yo tb finished racing 18 mths ago that was supposed to be very quiet. The first time i rode him after buying him he was fine. After that the next 2 times he was very forward, joggy and didnt want to stand still. I made him stand and he tried to flick me off with a string of little bucks. This has kept happening it also happens when trying to get him in a canter. He is very hypo. Charges at dogs when they go near him now. He has started running away from me in paddock when he knows there is going to be a ride. He finally got me off on saturday when i had ridden him for 20 mins and was just standing relaxed and next thing i was mid air.
> I am now scared and stuck with a non quiet horse. I have no flat spot to lunge and no float. I have tried to lunge on the flattest part of paddock and he bucks and throws his head and i cannot hold him. I am thinking of giving up horses forever as it is not worth the risk. I am 38 and have 3 young kids. An intermediete rider just getting back into it after 25 years. I paid $3k for him and don't know what to do  last owner contacted and can't believe it.


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

I would really try and get a trainer to work with you! My horse did the same with my friend, who can now ride him no problem.

Or if you really don't feel up to it, try and rehome this horse but if you get another you may find yourself with the same issue. It's not always the horse, sometimes it's what the horse learns from their handler.


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

What is his feed? 

Beyond that, if he is just getting a grass hay and lives in a paddock... I don't worry about having an even place to lunge, but it sounds like he is pulling too much for you to handle.

The previous owner contacted you and was surprised at how the horse was behaving? Any chance they would come over and check him out and perhaps school him with you?

Also, if you are 38 and getting back into riding after 25 years, you were 13 when you last rode consistently. You could probably use some lessons to refresh and retrain yourself.


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## Muppetgirl (Sep 16, 2012)

What you've described is not unusual. 

I'd be inclined to send this horse out to a trainer and get some miles put on him. The thing is with OTTBs is they are used in such an entirely different manner than what most people are used too. As for standing still for example, when we would leg the track riders up or they would swing on, the horse was always moving forward, it was actually safer to keep some forward energy rather than ball the horse up and make him stand still. Where as in your typical riding situation you WANT the horse standing still - and for your boy it's not the norm. An OTTB is a retraining project, it's either easy or difficult. 

The fact that you haven't ridden for a very long time means you need retraining too:wink: take a deep breath, step back and evaluate how you can both get the help you need.


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## tinyliny (Oct 31, 2009)

yep. look at feed as being too hot. look into getting a trainer, and maybe rethink your reasons for choosing him. Would the seller take him back? I don't mean to advocate giving up, but this type of horse (OTTB and young one, too) might not be the best choice for a mom getting back into ridng, with kids and all. it's so much nicer to have a horse that you are not deathly afraid of.


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

No offense, but I think your in way over your head even with a trainer. There are plenty of horses out there, you just have to take time to look. You need something more aged and broke. Even if you got him a trainer ($$$) it still doesn't mean he will be easy to handle, especially for a beginner. He may very well have been calm by race horse standards, but its ok to admit that he isn't for you. 

Don't give up yet. I'd link up with trusted trainer or experienced horse person and take them shopping with you. Look at more then one horse even if you liked the first the best. Ride it several times and do EVERYTHING from catching to tacking (let the seller get on for a few min before you do incase the horse has a screw loose). You ride and have you horse person ride. See if you can even work out a trial, like a one month free lease. Lastly get a thorough PPE done by your vet!! 

Look at horses over 10. Stick to clam breeds like QH or paints but don't exclude others, like TB or Arabs. The stock breeds tend to be a bit calmer then the TBs or arabs, but there are ALWAYS exceptions to the rule but good and bad!! Look for ads that say "bomb proof", beginner safe, husband horse, kids horse.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## Skyseternalangel (Jul 23, 2011)

SlideStop said:


> No offense, but I think your in way over your head even with a trainer. There are plenty of horses out there, you just have to take time to look. You need something more aged and broke.


I do agree with you, but I was thinking that perhaps the OP chose this horse for a reason and may be worth it to try with a trainer instead of simply letting go of the horse.


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## SlideStop (Dec 28, 2011)

Skyseternalangel said:


> I do agree with you, but I was thinking that perhaps the OP chose this horse for a reason and may be worth it to try with a trainer instead of simply letting go of the horse.


My worry is you cannot always know what a horse's potential is, being a quiet came beginner trail horse might be a goal but who knows he will actually get there. It sounds like this horse would ny happiest with someone who 1. Understands OTTBs and 2. Can give him a job. 

If the OP is willing to put the time and mainly $$$$ into training and taking lessons (especially with no guaranteed out come, he could be a horse suited for an advanced rider when all is said and done) more power to her. If not there is NO shame in saying "this horse isn't for me" and buying the right one. Horses should be FUN, not constant turmoil from training, worrying bucking, etc. Not every horse is a fit for every rider.
_Posted via Mobile Device_


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## waresbear (Jun 18, 2011)

Sometimes a coach and an attitude refresher course makes all the difference in the world. If you can find a good coach to help you with MRICANBUCKOFFMYNEWOWNERHAHA, and assert your authority over him, it will make you a proper intermediate rider.


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## picup436 (Nov 22, 2012)

Feed it less, work it more. Check saddle fit isn't causing any issues. Get a trainer or someone more experienced with OTTB's to help you.


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## Palomine (Oct 30, 2010)

The thing is if you or anyone has little to no experience with horses? They will ALL do exactly whatever they can get by with. They KNOW when a human is clueless.

I can put you on my broke to death horse and once he figures out that you don't know what you are doing? He is going to bolt with you. He will come right back to me, and it won't be a let me kill you bolt, but he will bolt.

And that can be laid squarely at the feet of the rider. If you can't ride? A horse is going to try things. Every single time. May be nothing more than just refusing to move, all the way up to throwing you.

That said? OP needs to tell former owner to come get this horse and get their money back.

This horse is a project for someone who is well versed in horses, and nothing that she needs to be getting training for while horse is trained. Bad fit all the way around.

If you can get your money back, you need to enlist the help of someone that can give you some lessons on all aspects of horses, and help you find a horse that is better suited.


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## Saskia (Aug 26, 2009)

It's definitely worth considering selling. A five year old recently off the track isn't going to be the best choice of horse. You want something that has a lot of experience to get you back into riding.

It could be a range of things, saddle fit, feed, living arrangements, he could just be getting one over you. Something that did sort of pop out to me is his mouth. Many people get a a TB and it jig jogs and so they pull on the reins to slow them down, and walk around with a firm contact. This tends to just work thoroughbreds up even more, they want to go, and you keeping hanging on their mouth and they get more and more agitated. Then asking for a canter, pushing them forward while holding the contact, well it's a problem. 

I don't know if that's the case but it could be contributing to the overall problem. Regardless, you don't want a horse that bucks when agitated. Either send him away for training, and get him assessed (even a trained, "finished" horse might not be suitable for a novice), or sell him and try to find something more suitable. 

It's got to the point where you're not happy and he's not happy, and I don't think on your own there is anywhere you can go from here.


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## jinxremoving (Apr 6, 2009)

I'm with everyone else, although I would take it a step further and say you were probably lied to in regards to the horse being quiet.

I've been on a handful of young OTTB's and quiet is the last word I would initially use for all of them. Although to be fair, they weren't trying to dump me, but they definitely had more go than whoa and requires a confident rider to get them back under control in a safe manner. I'm currently riding an OTTB, trained in English for the last 2-3 years, and she still has her moments that definitely get your attention. Just last night I was watching a beginner attempt to ride her and the horse bolted into a full on hand gallop when asked for the canter, mainly due to the rider not properly balancing or half halting the horse before asking for it.

I imagine that's kind of what's happening with the OP, the horse is getting too forward, probably launching into the canter and the OP doesn't have the skills to handle the situation so she's getting flustered which only makes the horse get more flustered with mixed signals. It's just an unfortunate situation all around. If you're committed to this horse and see something there, I would send her off for some professional training and use the free time to work on getting an acceptable lunge area going. When the horse comes back, I would definitively pay for some lessons on that horse to see if you're making the situation worse. (In a lot of cases, how the horse acts is a direct result to the rider on the back.)

Either way, good luck and if you hop on the horse again, please wear a helmet.


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## gssw5 (Jul 30, 2013)

If you know the horse knows, if you don't know the horse knows.
I agree find a trainer, or sell her and find something more suited to you. Either way take some lessons and learn how to work safely with horses.


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## Kayty (Sep 8, 2009)

Get rid of the horse. You got done a good one, they should not have sold a beginner rider a young, fresh ottb. They are smart horses and as others have said, once they know you're not ruling the roost, they'll take advantage. 
Don't give up on horses all together. Instead, get yourself a trustworthy trainer and get them to help you find something. What ever you do, don't go and look at horses on your own, fall in love and impulse buy. It ends in disaster like you have just experienced.


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## Golden Horse (Feb 20, 2010)

Palomine said:


> .
> 
> That said? OP needs to tell former owner to come get this horse and get their money back.


Oh if life were that easy!

Why is the previous owner going to do this? Horse was sold, done deal. Unfortunately there is no guarantee that a horse will remain the same in a new home. I know to my cost that older returner riders, like err me, do not have all the skills that they once had. Projects, youngsters etc are not always the best choice.

Op good luck, either get some help, or another horse, believe me I learned the hard way and got hurt, so now I'm preaching safety first.


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