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would you purchase this horse?

2K views 11 replies 9 participants last post by  garlicbunny 
#1 ·
would you purchase a horse who has great anxiety being stalled? He calls to his buddies, leans into the walls, moves quickly in circles, kicks and generally just can't relax. All winter though he and 6 other horses were outdoors with a run in shed so he is not used to being in. Owner says he is fine being in if he can't see other horses beside him.

Horse cowkicks. First time we saw him he did it once or twice while being saddled, owner acted surprised. While picking out his feet he must have done it 7-8 times and I smacked him each time and also verbally reprimmanded him with no results. Same thing for the vet doing the ppe and it came out he does the same thing for the farrier that will smack him on the belly with his rasp. remember owner acted surprised.

Next it I tried to look at his front teeth and he refused to let me do that, same thing for the vet, she could not get to them to check them at all.

Thirdly owner was to work with horse on loading, said he loaded all week until Sunday he refused and monday morning when we were supposed to trailor him to clinic for ppe. Said she would continue to work with him and she WOULD get him to load by the time we come to pick him up.

Please share with me your thoughts. On one hand I think this horse would make a good trail horse for my husband, on the other hand I think he may have to many issues and we might be sorry we purchased him. Thankyou..
 
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#4 ·
Hmmm...if you already purchased him, I hope the owner wasn't too quick to cash that check.

I'm going to be perfectly honest; unless you have the experience to retrain an animal like this, I would steer clear, especially if you are looking for something suitable for your husband in the first place.
 
#5 ·
He is a project, clearly, and if you have the time and knowledge to commit to getting him where he needs to be, I think you can assess on your own if he suits you otherwise. If you feel any doubt toward whether or not you can "fix" him, I would not recommend him for you. How does he ride? When I went to look at a thoroughbred gelding last year, he refused to let me look at his teeth as well. He also acted up in the saddle. I was looking for a project, and he was a fit healthy boy so I purchased him anyway. A week after we got him home, after he'd settled in, he let me look at his teeth with no problems and he was perfectly calm under saddle (this is with no work...). Horses are so weird sometimes, and it's best to go look at the horse a couple of times, maybe even try him out for a week at your home if the owner allows. Get lots of in-the-flesh assessments from reliable people.
 
#6 · (Edited)
It really depends on what you are willing to work with. One thing is for sure - this horse requires active, ongoing training.

Personally, I don't care what a horse does under saddle, those are the things I like to work with. A horse that can't be caught, shod, loaded onto a trailer, left alone or has poor ground manners is not a horse I would be interested in working with. I realise this isn't a wholly accurate description of the horse in question, just using as an extreme example.

Of course all these things can be dealt with and I have had to do so before. It's just that personally I don't enjoy spending too much time dealing with those types of issues.

So if you are willing to work with him to resolve each issue that crops up then go for it! If you do not want to spend each session with him actively training something specific then perhaps consider another horse.
 
#7 ·
If you're asking the question you already know the answer.

If it were me... and it has been... don't do it. If you decide a month on down the road you don't want to deal with him anymore... good luck finding another person willing to deal with your newly purchased headache.

I speak from experiance. I was able to sell my headache after a year of rehabilitation and hard work... at a loss. Why did I buy in the first place? I felt sorry for the horse... after the year was up, I felt sorry for myself.
 
#8 ·
Thank you all! We have NOT purchased him yet, just gas money, ppe exam and a deposit we put on him on the second visit. I also am more concerned about the stalling issue than the cowkicking but do not want a project! finding a good horse is just not fun....actually he leads well, rides well and all, thats what makes it a little harder..
 
#9 ·
Hope your deposit wasn't large or you are able to get it back.

My concern would be that I think he is a project, not a major one, but one all the same. And I am sure other issues would come to light once you own him, as the seller has already proven herself to be a liar. The fact that she acted surprised means she is a liar, and I would not trust a single word she says.
 
#10 ·
It doesn't sound like he would suit your needs without a lot of work on your part.
That's the horse who will not load up after a long day of riding.
The owner being surprised by his behavior could have been real. i went to check out a horse & while the owner was bridling him with the halter around his neck (the horse's) he pulled back, broke the rope & ran off. The owner said he had never done that before. I had my doubts but bought the horse anyway. That horse never pulled back again, still doesn't.
 
#11 ·
The stalling wouldn't bother me. Don't stall him. Problem solved.

Cow-kicking depends on the motivation. Could be pain, but I'm betting it's anxiety. If you are able to keep him from anxious situations, it could be manageable.

Trailer-loading, if it's just a matter of refusal and not total blowing up and freaking out, is fixable.

Not wanting the mouth touch is just a matter of needing to be desensitized.
 
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