Curious question

starjj · #1 12/02/09, 07:02 PM

I called tonight about horse for sale. $600.00 registered 3 year old TW green broke. Sounded too good to be true but I knew there must be more to the story so I called. Woman called me right back asked if I was an experienced rider (use to be but not having ridden in a long long time) so I asked if she was "spirited". She said she use to be fine but they had gone on vacation and when they returned she had become sour. She is out with cows and now does not want to leave the cows and she definately does not want to be ridden.

The woman said she is 62 and she is looking for something gentler (which I am 58 and in the same boat) lol.

Anyway I was wondering if this is common if a horse that young is not ridden regularly do they become sour?

bergere · #2 12/02/09, 09:34 PM

Some horses are more prone to that problem, than others. Some could care less and happy to go out. Heck.. after my accident Dyfra sat in pasture with her buddies for 8 months. Took her out.. no worries, she was just happy to be with me.

If this horse is really barn sour, it will take a lot of work to make them safe to go out. Personally I would pass, having dealt with those kinds of horses in the past.

There are so many good horses out there that don't have issues. ;O)

DixyDoodle · #3 12/03/09, 06:34 AM

I would pass, also. I"m betting that the horse was always like that. They're trying to diffuse the issue by implying the horse could get better with more use.

How long exactly was she on vacation for? Months? lol That sounds a little funky, too. And I think that with a 3 year old horse, yes, you should be experienced as a rider. The horse is still a baby and will likely have some issues that need a firm hand under saddle. It's likely this baby was just tossed into a cow herd (likely for more than a vacation's time) and just not bothered with, so it's likely not trained much at all. That it "definitely does not want to be ridden" says it all.

Always be suspicious of what a seller is telling you. Remember, if they have a difficult horse, the sooner they rid themselves of it, the better, so they could get vague about their horse's abilities, without actually lying.

It's good that you asked questions, so the owner has to be more specific. I think one of the main comments sellers use for "difficult under saddle" horses is "he hasn't been ridden in awhile". You can bet that if you get into the saddle, you will likey be taken for a memorable ride.

Quote:

after my accident Dyfra sat in pasture with her buddies for 8 months. Took her out.. no worries, she was just happy to be with me.

Yeah, I don't think that a decently trained horse will just forget everything so quickly. They may need a gradual working up as a reminder, but they remember a lot! Unless like the horse above, it was likely not trained much at all to start with.

starjj · #4 12/03/09, 01:42 PM

Oh I am definately going to pass BUT at least she was honest with me that the horse didn't want to be ridden. Believe me I have learned that even the most supposely "nice" people selling horses are not always honest and trustworthy.

6e · #5 12/03/09, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bergere

Some horses are more prone to that problem, than others. Some could care less and happy to go out. Heck.. after my accident Dyfra sat in pasture with her buddies for 8 months. Took her out.. no worries, she was just happy to be with me.

If this horse is really barn sour, it will take a lot of work to make them safe to go out. Personally I would pass, having dealt with those kinds of horses in the past.

There are so many good horses out there that don't have issues. ;O)

I rode a horse over the weekend that was buddy sour. Dang that was scary! Every time I turned the horse around it wanted to take off with me at a full tilt run and the rest of the time I was fighting with it to keep it from turning around. Not fun at all and all the time this woman was telling me how wonderful these two horses were.

southerngurl · #6 12/03/09, 05:59 PM

One of my horses was buddy sour from the get go. Just used to always being with the other horse. We've worked on it a lot and he has gotten much better. It's really not all the hard to fix. Just worked them hard near their buddy, and then take them away and let them rest facing the opposite direction of their buddy, over and over. They get the hint.

Not fun at all is right, GRRR.

6e · #7 12/03/09, 06:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by southerngurl

One of my horses was buddy sour from the get go. Just used to always being with the other horse. We've worked on it a lot and he has gotten much better. It's really not all the hard to fix. Just worked them hard near their buddy, and then take them away and let them rest facing the opposite direction of their buddy, over and over. They get the hint.

Not fun at all is right, GRRR.

Yeah, that's what this woman said she had been doing, but she was selling them as kids horses. I don't think so. Personally, I'd rather someone else did the work then sell him to me. LOL I'm just old and lazy now.

southerngurl · #8 12/03/09, 08:24 PM

Quote:

Personally, I'd rather someone else did the work then sell him to me. LOL I'm just old and lazy now.

Believe me, I can appreciate that as time goes on! It is a lot of work, a lot of focused and often physically taxing work.

6e · #9 12/03/09, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by southerngurl

Believe me, I can appreciate that as time goes on! It is a lot of work, a lot of focused and often physically taxing work.

Yes it is. It is a lot of physical work to fight with an unruly horse. I have enough work with my kids and housework without adding a horse to it. I can really appreciate what the people go through that actually have the know how, the patience and the energy to train or re-train a horse!!