Have 9 yr.old arabian that is only halter broke

Okay so here is my delima! I was given a 9 yr.old arabian gelding who has never been worked with other than to get a halter on him and lead him 5 feet to the cross ties to be farried.(hope that is tthe right word.) And then only his front hooves are done. I so want him to be broke to ride and to gain the full potential that these beauties are known for. The Lady who gave him to me says that I can break him with no problem.But in talking to a few local horsemen so to speak , I have been told he is to old and that the only way I will ever get on his back is to Buck him out... I know that there has to be another way than to break his spirit... But just to let you know he his a very CANTANKEROUS horse!!! One day he will come to me and want to be loved on then the next second he is biting and rearing ears pinned back and turning his butt around and trying to kick me through the gate... I have had no real knowledg of training a horse , only know how to ride and the horses I have been on have already been well trained.. I want to do this for my self can some one help me out by letting me know if I can do it or will I be wasting my time and Rockets...

First thing he is not to old, second thing get a good trainer.
Also sounds like he has had some people issues in his past.

If you are the least bit scared of the horse, do not attempt to train him
Your self as he will use that fear against you.

Get a good Trainer.

I was at a show last summer in the novice horse class. The lady next to me was on a 10 year old gelding that she had broke just that summer. She said she moved a little slower w/ him but that he was coming along nicely.

I second a good trainer. Good Luck.

I agree that it would be best to find someone that could help you or else back this horse themselves. He will just need time, just like any other horse. Don't worry about the age. My one gelding wasnt broken out till he was nearly seven and he is doing just fine. Since you don't have much experience with actually training a horse at all though, I think it would be in your best interest to find someone that could start the horse out right. Good luck!

I have had some experience training horses on a ranch, and own my own horse. The ranch I went to worked with some unbroken horses like your Arab, some older. They have recently released a book to solve training problems, which might help you get started and give you a better understanding of horse psychology and why your Arab does what he does. I would definatley recomend it.
If you are interested it is Western horseman 'Backcountry Basics' By Mike Kinsey.

Good luck

If you're nervous of him send him to a good trainer.

I am new here, so I hope I'm not overstepping my boundaries by just jumping in and posting... I agree about getting a trainer. Even if you only hire him to get you started in the right direction. I also agree when people say he is NOT too old. He is still a young horse. Very young. He'll have no trouble picking up on it once he gets going. My own horse was raced (OTTB) when he was 2 and then nothing was done with him again until he was seven. I have a really good friend who has an un-raced TB who was left completely unbroke until he was eight and now she shows him. But I'll say again I would suggest getting help unless you are a real professional...

He's not too old to be broken in but from my experience older horses can be slightly more difficult to train, especially if they know their "power" like your seems to. Still its far from impossible but because he is older his habits might be more ingrained, so you are not going to be starting out with a "blank canvas". If you don't have the confidence to train him then you should get someone else to do that, but saying that you cannot really get a trainer to fix everything. Well I guess you could if you had unlimited money and a good trainer, but even once he is broke to saddle he may still be quite difficult, and just because a trainer teaches him not to be tricky on the ground with him, because of the horses experience with people, he may try it on you all over again.

If you are going to get a trainer then make sure they are not violent, and be prepared that he might not be "perfect" when he comes back. Meanwhile try and handle him often. So don't feed him in a paddock, make sure you catch him and feed him outside.

I'd think about what you want to do with him though, free horses generally have problems, which is why they are free, and if you are inexperienced fixing those problems often costs more than you would pay for a horse with basic training.

Good luck though, sorry if I sounded negative, didn't mean to.

I was given a 7 year old arabian to work with back in october, he had been shown class "A" halter and done very well. But....... that was the extent of his training.
And those halter horses are bred to be HOT let me tell you this boy was no exception

Arabians are really tuned in to their handlers and they will bring out the best and worst in you. Haha count on that

If you don't have a whole lot of experience workin with horses that are green or just not broke... send him to a reputable trainer or have one come out and work with you guys.
I mean that's what they are there for

No shame EVER came from working with a trainer and you'll probably progress a ton faster than you would on your own.
I love my trainer she comes out and works with me each week, you learn so much valuable information.

Psssssshhh all that stuff about him being too old, he'll get it. Just be consistent, patient, kind, but FIRM when you've gotta be

Congrats on your boy! Have fun with him!