# i don't know what to do with my unridable horse



## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

i hope i have this in the right spot. I have a horse been trying to sell my horse for the past few months now and understandably no one wants him. Anyway most people would tell me contact a trainer but we dont have the money to pay for that on top of the usual stuff. His problem is that he rears and bucks (which i was told he didnt) so he is not suitable for me because i am learning and thats a bit hard when he plays up every two seconds. From what i can work out its not a pain thing, its more he just doesnt want to do what your asking. He normally rears to avoid having to go faster then a walk. Walk is the only thing he seems to not hate doing. If he does go faster he sometimes bucks. I dont think they have ever been huge but they weren't always tiny either. He doesn't just do it with me because i'm giving wrong cues or something he does it with everyone. We have tried praising him a lot when he does something even slightly right, tried using a whip not as punishment but to emphasis whats being asked if he doesnt listen to the leg. He doesnt like being told what to do he'll fight to do what he wants in any situation. He has pretty good ground manners. He does the same thing (bucking and rearing)when being lunged to avoid the work especially if you have been doing it for awhile (not even 20 minutes). I have a feeling that its because he gets bored. He catches onto things very quickly and doesnt like doing repetative work which sometimes is needed. He is a 10 year old thoroughbred so he isnt old and done it all before. I'm afraid i dont have any videos or anything to help. I'm at loss of what to do and if what i have written hasnt completely confused anyone i would love some ideas on what to do.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

In this economy, great horses with no vices and great manners are going for free, especially horses like Thoroughbreds that are inundating the market with their vast numbers. If he really has next to no training and has a problem with bucking or rearing, which is soooo dangerous, your best bet is to try to give him away and take him off your payroll.


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## AlexS (Aug 9, 2010)

If you can't afford a trainer, I imagine you can't afford to be keeping a horse like this who is offering you nothing. Try to give him away or put him in a auction would be my advise. Sorry.


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## Spastic_Dove (Oct 4, 2007)

Agreed. Give him away, send him to an auction or it may be more humane to just put him down yourself.


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## Buckcherry (Nov 18, 2010)

We gave our Mare to a friend a while ago because she had the same problem. You could kick her and kick her and she wouldn't go anywhere or she would rear straight up in the air. And i know because I rode her. lol Also she would buck at the canter and this was an all the time thing. So anyways she put her on a calming suppliment and it worked wonders after a few weeks of her being on it. She's like a whole new horse no more rearing and refusing to do work. Now I know shes a mare and mare's and geldings are different but they have calming suppliments for both. I don't know it could be worth a shot.
Or you could just give him away as a companion horse?!?!?!


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

Who wants a companion horse when you could buy a sweet rideable/driveable horse for next to nothing, AND have him as a companion? It's a hard reality but there are some horses that are just unwanted right now, especially when they have nothing special to offer, like a great pedigree, once the issue is resolved. Best of luck


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

thanks for everyones imput. We have resorted to just giving him away. The calming supplement may work i could give it a try. I would sell him as a companion but i cant cause he is a bully in the paddock expecially towards other geldings because he can act a bit like a stallion as in proectiveness of mare and he can get quite violent about it only towards horses though.


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## Buckcherry (Nov 18, 2010)

Some people do just want horses as companion for another horse. Give him away as unrideable. There are some people that want horses and don't actually ride. 
What about a rescue?!?!


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## Brighteyes (Mar 8, 2009)

A random thought... Have you checked him for ulcers? Going faster than a walk causes stomach acid to splash above a point in the stomach where the lining is toughest and causes pain. If he does this on a lounge too, it isn't a rider's fault. Possibly the association he's built between going faster than a walk and stomach pain? Maybe even actively experiencing pain? Is he off the track? Most OTTB have had ulcers at one point. 


This is a shot in the dark, but I don't want anything happening to your horse... Unrideable is a bad thing nowadays.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

It could be a health problem, like Brighteyes said. Has he been vet checked?


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

thats a good idea i never thought of that he never came across as though there was anyhting wrong and i never really got a vet check on him which is probably a bit stupid. He hasnt been on the track since he was 3 or 4 i think he was to slow to stay


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## lildonkey8 (Dec 12, 2010)

i think if he isnt ridable you could just do groundwork with him...thats what i did for two months when my parents thought about selling her, know she is a big dog


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

lildonkey8 said:


> i think if he isnt ridable you could just do groundwork with him...thats what i did for two months when my parents thought about selling her, know she is a big dog


that is a good idea i have been doing that as much as i can for the last couple of minths and he has improved with his groundwork majorly. When i first got him he could be caught but it was nearly impossible to actually make him walk anywhere and now you can just walk up to him and click and he'll follow you. I'm still waorking with him on other things though.


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## KawaiiCharlie (Nov 17, 2010)

I would get the vet out to check him... just because he doesnt seem like hes in pain doesnt mean he isnt.. if he rears & bucks when you try to get him to move it could be a back or joint problem.. after you get the vet out, if theres nothing wrong with him try free lunging him...he might be more willing to move if he isnt attached to anything


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

this is not to say i won't get a vet but we have had a horse muscle therapist thingy (i forget the name right now) and he said the only problem with him was that he had some bruising where the saddle goes for something that happened awhile ago that was never really fixed(before i bought him). His answer to this was let him rest and only ground work for a few weeks, then use extra padding under the saddle. I am working on getting somewhere to free lunge i dont have anywhere small enough to do it at the moment. This is probably going to sound stupid but ... Could he still have something physically wrong with him if he is quite active out in the paddock running around at all paces most of the time the faster ones but as soon as you ride or lunge him he doesn't do it?


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## KawaiiCharlie (Nov 17, 2010)

how old is he? and what was he used for before you got him?


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## lilkk11907 (Oct 23, 2008)

Spastic_Dove said:


> Agreed. Give him away, send him to an auction or it may be more humane to just put him down yourself.


I don't think you should put him down because you can't ride him. If he is not sore and there is nothing else riding him, try working him from the ground up. Start with putting bags on each stirrup and lunging him. Get that bucking and rearing out of him. He just is being stubborn and doesn't want to listen. Make him listen. If a horse is getting away with it then he is going to keep doing it. Try riding him and every time he bucks or rears get off and make him run until he is pooped. And then try getting back on and getting him to trot. If he does it again make him run again......See the pattern? The horse will get so tired he will give up.


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## Thia (Sep 21, 2010)

Getting off is just going to teach him that if he bucks or rears you are going to get off. No matter if you make him work afterwards, your just going to do what he wants, and that is get off. I can't believe people actually suggest sending him to an auction? If no one will take him off your hands as a companion, who do you think is going to want him at the auction? The kill buyer that's who. He'll be bound on the next truck to Mexico to wind up as dog food. If you can't give this horse a good home just because you can't safely ride him, then the best thing to do for him is put him to sleep.

Edited to add: I also agree to have the vet come out and check to make sure this behavior isn't pain related. My mare started to buck and rear when her saddle started pinching her after started to build some muscle. I quit riding her in that saddle and now just go around bareback until I can get one that properly fits. She quit bucking and rearing now that her back doesn't hurt any more.


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## Saskia (Aug 26, 2009)

Its a tricky situation because you are not experienced enough to attempt to retrain and you are not financially independent enough to send him to a trainer. 

I don't know if they do this where you are from but perhaps you could offer him on a sort of free training lease where someone takes him and attempts to train him, and if they like they can then sell him, but if that doesn't work out they can give him back?


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

KawaiiCharlie said:


> how old is he? and what was he used for before you got him?


Well he is ten and from all that i know is was raced when he was younger and his last owner mainly used him for trail riding.
Oh and by the way i am from australia. 
Thia - thanks but i'm pretty sure its not his saddle because my saddle was bought for him and he does it without a saddle on. 
Saskia - I have started to think of doing that.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

Did he do it when you bought him?


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## RedTree (Jan 20, 2010)

If his previous owner was doing trial riding with him surely they were doing more then walk?
He could be testing you because as you said before your new and wasn't expecting a horse like that, maybe he sensed it and now becuase he has gotten away with it so many times, its habat??

But still get him checked out just in case


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

equiniphile said:


> Did he do it when you bought him?


 We have a feeliong he may have been drugged when i tried him because he was stubborn when i tried but didnt play up as such and my mum said when she picked him up a week later he was funny going into the trailer like trying to avoid it (whenever we have put him on a trailer he has been perfect). He then kept laying down all day ( i have never seen a horse lay down so much) but was fine the next day. To answer your question the first couple of times i rode him he simply wouldn't move. then someone else got on him and used a whip and he jumped in the air(not a buck or a rear literally jumped) and the person fell off. Then i used him for lessons where i had trouble making him move but he didn't buck or rear. I think it was a month and a half maybe when he first reared. The more i tried to make him work the more he played up.


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## AllThePrettyHorses (Dec 15, 2010)

I gotta agree with equiniphile's original post...you don't have money for a trainer, aren't experienced enough to fix the problem yourself...give him away or send him to auction. There's too many good horses in this world to waste time and money on one that could kill you.


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## dressagebelle (May 13, 2009)

I agree with finding a free training lease. There are several people in my area who have put ads up on craigslist, they want a project horse, but don't have the money to shell out to buy one, especially with all the well trained free horses out there, so they are saying that they'll take a problem/untrained horse off your hands, and work with it. It would benefit you to get him off your feed bill, and give someone who wants a challenge, and is prepared for a challenge the horse that they can work with. I agree though with getting him checked by a vet. A massage person will only be able to tell you what his muscles feel like, and what type of muscular problems he may have, but not what may be going on internally. Good luck.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

Free training lease is a great idea, if you have people around your area that are looking for projects.


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## SugarPlumLove (Dec 27, 2009)

About the drugging thats why I always take some blood and give it to a vet (that isn't my vet or the horses vet to keep it nuetral) from the horse before and after I ride him. Then when I get him home and he acts up i can get the blood tested and if he was drugged then I can legally get my money back.


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## AztecBaby (Mar 19, 2009)

Where is Aus are you located?.. you can pm if you want.


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## KawaiiCharlie (Nov 17, 2010)

sounds to me like hes never been properly trained.. i think you should restart everything with him, act like he hasnt been broken in. start with loads of lunge work, if he doesnt move, make him move. dont let him mess you about.


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## equiniphile (Aug 16, 2009)

KC, That's great advice but it can be pretty dangerous if the OP doesn't have experience in things like this. Rearing especially is a very dangerous problem and really needs a trained professional to handle. You could perhaps lunge him a bit and work on groundwork, but if the horse is really that bad, I would not get into the saddle.


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## sarahver (Apr 9, 2010)

Hey there! 

This sounds like a tough situation for you. I think you need to get rid of this horse, he is potentially dangerous for you and others and certainly not an enjoyable horse for you to own which is unfortunate.

I don't think it matters that you don't have the money for training as it will probably take more than a month or two to truly train him out of his dangerous behaviour and that is not a chance that you want to take. It is _possible_ that he was doped when you bought him, hard to say without a blood test of course but that is so sad that someone would be deceitful like that. Is this your first horse? 

Personally, I think you should ship him off to the auction without a second thought. In Australia, you can stipulate that he isn't to go for meat and you also can have the auctioneer state that he is known to rear/buck so that whoever buys him has full knowledge and you will have been as honest as you can in the selling of this horse. I would wait till after Christmas, when people have more money and get rid of him. You may only get a couple hundred bucks for him (you may get more who knows) but he will be off your feed bill and you can hopefully get a horse more suited to your needs.

You _can_ work with a horse like this (and I have worked with several that sound like your guy) but it can be a long, slow process and not for someone inexperienced with problem horses. Hence I don't have any recommendations for things you can do with him.

I hope you can get something sorted out so that you are able to have a horse that you can love and truly enjoy.


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## apachewhitesox (Dec 9, 2010)

thanks for all the imput people have been giving me and yes he was my first that i officially owned. But i have a new horse now who is like a best friend i just have to work on getting him fit hehe.


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## my2geldings (Feb 18, 2008)

It does sound like he uses you and he's learned he can get away with things, but I do wonder if the horse was even trained in the first place. From what you describe, I also wonder about a serious health problem with him.
I refuse to think that the previous owner used him as a trail horse without problems and then suddenly all this comes up when you get him. He was either never trained period. Not even as a trail horse-or something went wrong health wise with him, something no one cared to correct and is continuing on with you.

What a brutal situation to be in! you poor thing. I really hate the horse industry for that. People are so dishonest. I would either put an add up listing him as a FREE horse describing what he does(you have to be honest with this), and explain he can either be used as a companion, OR for anyone willing to tackle him on. I wouldnt do an auction, because someone else is going to come along and go through what you just went through, and he'll likely end up being in a bad situation-so he would be better off given away with new owners knowing what they have, or put him down.

Here in Canada there are feedlots, where cowboys will take horses on for free to work with. They are always in need of horses, and they will take your horse for 3-6 months before returning you your horse. A good option when you are running into trouble giving horses, that were well training otherwise, but need some better work ethics.

The market is brutal for the best of horses, let alone one that needs an extra hand. Really sorry to hear you're going through this. Hope you can find him a new home, or prevent a bad future.


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