total nightmare-please read

[jill]

If you decide to keep him, then you need experienced help - in person, no disrespect to anyone on here who is trying to be helpful, but unless you are there in person you are only seeing part of the picture.
I suggest you eradicate any physical issues, then find either an RA or a local sympathetic person who starts ponies and have him restarted.

[wabuska]

Just to say... the trembling thing. My horse trembled a front leg quite violently in his first few weeks. This sensitive boy clearly requires understanding. A very dodgy approach to buying a horse it has to be said. I would never have been that confident. I really would love to hear in a few months (which is what he deserves rather than judgement in a few days) that it was all worked out. You may have a super pony there you know? All the best.

Total nightmare? Hunger. Famine, Child in hospital seriously ill. This could be a superb learning experience you'll always treasure.

[mandal]

Dec 21, 2008 11:32:56 GMT 1 Amanda Seater said:

To be honest if pain isn't an issue I would say he is unbacked- so they lied.
Start at the beggining. Ground work, All over grooming, patting allover , lean over back with arm in site of other eye etc etc
Re start him as a youngster. Assume he has done nothing including being driven. You will soon see where he comes on quicker due to experience
keep safe and good luck - Sorry he is not what you purchased.

My first thought was he's not been backed or has been backed once or twice!
Just read this and I too am sorry but buying from auction in my experience is especially risky if you want a 'safe' horse.
My advice if you're unsure what to do is an RA visit for a proper assessment of him and of course the physical checks.

[milo]

have sent you a pm.

[laura]

I am sorry emy if you were upset by my post but I will be honest here , I was feeling upset that on one post you said you had fallen in love with this horse and were excitited because he was placid etc ...... then a mere 5 days later the "love affair" is over because he has some problems that appear to be pain or fear related. The majority of the people on this board you may find advocate always that new horses are given time to adjust to the stress of the auction , the move, the new home etc because repeatedlyover the years people are asking for advice on here because of things like this ..... new horse presenting big problems in the first few weeks of getting into a new home.

If you have a fit , well balanced ( mentally) horse that copes well with change and is used to different people riding ..... or just has a placid temerament ..... then of course it might be ok and the horse is fine from the word go ....... but thats not imo ( and experience) how it usually goes . Mulhern might be on th emore extreme end of the reaction but most horses present their anxieties in some way !


since you have 4 other horses I thought you might be experienced enough to have recognised the chances you take when getting a horse through auctions and be prepared for the fact that there is a higher chance of there being issues and want to sort through them if you "loved" the horse. Falling in love with an idea of what the horse can do for you , or you anticipate he can , is different from falling in love with the HORSE.

I can understand anyone being excited about riding a new horse and having to test out because of warranty ( and its importance that the horse match the experience and abilities of the rider. If Mulhern is not what you were told he was then you have been misrepresented / mis sold etc this horse and yes you do have to choose quite dispassionately what to do with him according to what you want a horse for. He should be returned and hopefully homed appropriately.

I just thought it was very sad because after looking at his picture again I still sense he is a wonderful lad who just needs time and tlc to come right ( of course i could be completely wrong cause I have never met him )

[arabheaven]

I am sorry but if you dont 'have the time, facilities' or patience for such a pony, why on EARTH did you buy a horse from an auction??

This boy needs love, time and tlc. I remember your original post where many advised you not to ride him so soon. He needs a good MOT and time to chill and gain confidence. I have no sympathy for you I'm afraid. Poor boy.

[mags]

I don' think OP meant to give the impression she doesnt love the pony anymore, after all she is prepared to spend time and money having his teeth and back checked when she could just send him back. Think OP is just a bit panicked that he isnt as straight forward as she hope and is looking for advice. Sometimes we just dont word things so great. I know I dont

[heather]

Emy, whereabouts in Devon are you? And was it Exeter sales where you bought him?

I may be able to help if you are fairly local to me- I am near Totnes.

Heather

[gordo]

For God's sake, get off her flippin back!!! Who the hell is so perfect that they haven't gotten it wrong and asked for advice??? Emy is upset and asking for support not condemnation!!! She is a horse owner and knows a lot but we LEARN EVERY DAY and this poor new chap gave all the signals of being settled but it obviously wasn't the case! I wouldn't wait 5 days if all seems ok. And the 'affair is over' was not meant ot be taken literaly, she is not going to dump him as he's not a clockwork horse. She will do right by this horse as we all strive to do and at least she is humble enough to admit she is having problems and willing to work on them rather than make the problem worse by pushing him.
I thought we were a group of 'friends' not people who turn if the wrong non-ih word is used! So lets stop the wittering and help her and each other. There are cruel people out there as we are reading about all the time on the dg, she isn't one of them so remember that and support her!

[cobalmighty]

He sounds almost like an unbacked baby in his responses to movement over his back (the car keys in pocket, leg visible, pulling numnah straight...). They're all little things we take for granted in an experienced horse, but can be scary triggers to an unbacked youngster. OK I appreciate not so young in this case (did I remember seeing 8yo written earlier ), but you know what I mean.

He sounds like a little gem on the ground and in traffic etc, but is obviously scared and simply confused by what is expected under saddle. If he were mine, I would treat him like an unbacked youngster and start right at the beginning. Yes, definitely get back teeth etc checked, but then begin at the beginning. Longreining, ground work, roller, then saddle, leaning over, leading then lunging with rider, then loose in enclosed space, then finally gentle hacks with experienced older horse for company, etc etc. And lots and lots of despooking work from the ground, if rattley keys (or even and hand into a pocket in the absence of keys) sets him off, he must be very sensitive.

I'm not convivnved of your 'been driven' theory - driving horses are usually very well despooked - a cart behind them is seriously scary and requires lots of vuild up work, even with blinkers! and I doubt he'd find mounting (or the pocket or numnah thing) so terrifying if he'd been driven. Traffic proofing can come from just living near a busy road. I think he sounds just very very green and unbacked.

He sounds like a lvoely 'person' though, and worth persevering with. However, if you don't feel you have the time and nerve (and that is no criticism, only you can make that decision), Project Horses may well be a good place to find the right home for him. Good luck with whatever you decide. x

[Diane D]

I just want to wish you all the best emi. Am not exerienced enough to make comments so I wont. Take care whatever you decide. x

[beany1]

I fell in love with Bob, my ex-racehorse TB, and the main reason was the endearing way he stole one of my barbeque beef crisps! Not a good reason to buy a horse!!

I have had so many ups and downs with him, and nearly sold him a couple of times. I am so glad I didn't though, because I have learned SO much from him The main thing I learned that I wasn't looking at the big picture - there are so many reasons why they do things. For example, I know that if there aren't any other horses in sight I will have a very anxious horse on my hands etc etc

Hang in there, for a while at least, think of the bond you will both have by going on this journey together - and you will be a better horsewoman for having him rather than a safe riding school type. It took me a year to get the horse I wanted, and it was worth it Having said that, horses are very expensive if you arent enjoying them, so I'm sure you will make the right decision in the end.

[gordo]

Forgot to add in my rant eralier that I think he sounds like no-one been aboard before or, at least, well enough for him to feel safe.

[laura]

Like you emy I fell in love with a horse on our first meeting ( a few years ago now) and although I knew she had a few problems we did not realise quite as much as after a few days in her new home with us.

So I have sorta been there

I also know how much blood, sweat and tears ( literally) plus time , money and vet investigation for the medical issues it took to change the situation around .... but the main thing we needed was the love, if that had not been there we would not have survived together.

I admire you for saying that you do not have the time or facility to put into him, that is being honest, because it seems that may be what he will need.

So if any harshness was perceived in my posts it was concern for Mulhern and for the humans he can harm if the situation is not remedied together with a little frustration at the apparent situation gleaned from what had been said on both posts referred to where it seemed that the WHOLE circumstance ......... not just emy herself but the auction / dealer / possible mis representation etc ..... has led to yet another distressed equine and injury / distress to the humans.

I wish well to all but especially Mulhern ...... he looks adorable with such a kind eye .... so much so that if I had the money and space I'd offer a life space to him in an instant. As we say ...... sometimes there is just "something".

[alivetnurse]

Hi reactions sound very much like a horse I bought a few years ago from a private ad. The mare was 5 years old and had been backed but turned away for a year because of the foot and mouth epidemic and the owners were farmers who had homebred her. I bought her home and did some basic grounwork and longreining for a while. Then when we thought she was ready we gently backed her. The first couple of times of just getting on and leading up and down she was as good as gold and we hoped that everything was coming back to her and she was hapy with what was going on. Wrong!!! Then one day I was on her and had just gone half way round the school and to be honest I am not sure exactly what she did but she seemed to just turn herself inside out in a split second and even though I stayed on I could feel that the slightest movement from me and she would do it again so i have to say I did get off her PDQ. My instructor then got on her and she stood there but as soon as any contact was picked up she actually had her off and on the floor in seconds. We have everything checked back, teeth and there was nothing to be found. She was as good as gold to handle on the ground but as soon as you got on her and swung your leg over she then started to run backwards whilst trying to get you off. Having ruled out all things physical we decided to take her to hartsop Farm as I was out of my depth and frankly had lost my confidence with her. She slipped over in the trailer on the way up there and ended up on her side under the partition before we had even left the front drive. A vet came out and we managed to get her back on her feet and checked over and on advice decided to carry on with the journey as to be honest i am not sure we would ever have got her back in the trailer again!! She was re-started there and after a few weeks was hacking out ok and ready to come home. I had a few hacks on her and she seemed ok but lacking in confidence still and on 1 ride my friend who was trotting in front disappeared around the corner and she went straight back to the stop, try and run backwards and get me off routine again. her behaviour started to get worse again and this time we went for xrays and bone scans and it showed she had a sacroiliac injury which was poss caused by the fall in the box so not a longstanding injury but we will never know for sure. She was then referred to Chris Caham-parker an equine physio in kent who had her there for 4 weeks of treatment. They started riding her again once the treatment was finished and admitted that the guy who rides the horses there who was really experienced felt very un-safe on her and felt she had major issues with being ridden. It turned out with her that she had been sent away to be backed by the breeder but the guy that backed her only had a month to do it in. She developed an abcess whilst there so in reality only had under 3 weeks to have her backed so it sounds like she had a real rush job. I can only assume that she had found the whole experience really upsetting and this was a lasting problem that was not going to be forgotten. I actually ended up giving her away to a lovley lady who tried taking her right back to the beginning and the last I heard she has produced 2 lovely foals so I think that tends to suggest that she decided that riding her was never going to be safe option. Sorry if this goes on a bit but i was devastaed as I had bought her to bring on and use as a hack and instead it turned into a nightmare. I lost my cofidence with her so much and it took along time to get it back. She was not a nasty horse and you could certainly never blame her for her behaviour but she was dangerous as when she did her panicky thing she was oblivious to anything around her, cars, ditches etc. The thing that really scared me was when on one occassion when she was unable to unseat the guy on her back she actually threw herself to the floor. Whatever you decide to do your safety is the most important thing and even though I would love to have been able to have kept her and overcome her problems I probably would have ended up in plaster or worse. You never know what has happened to them in the past, she was bought from a lovely lady who had her mother and honestly thought that sending her away for a month to be 'backed' was a sensible way of doing things. Sadly it was a bad decision that ruined her for life. Now I stick with my beloved ex-polo ponies. Slice of heaven. Good luck in whatever you decide to do and I am sorry for both of you!