|
|
Discussion on Will one bad experience risk a repeat?
|
| Author |
Message |
Member:
heidim
|
Posted on Monday, Apr 23, 2012 - 1:46 pm:
About two years ago, our family bought a laidback teenage 15.2HH QH ranch gelding. Hugo has been an A-1 confidence builder for our teenage daughter in all the time we have owned him. My 180-pound husband and some lighter weight friends have ridden him, too, and found him super agreeable. Last fall, I tried to take an older man, one who has ridden, owned and trained many horses over many years, on a trail ride. I forgot to bring along the 16 inch saddle--the one we usually use for my husband and bigger riders and which fits Hugo very well. Seeing as we were only going on a short ride, I thought I'd saddle Hugo with a smaller saddle. It's one my teenage daughter loves but, to be honest, we never should have used on Hugo because the gullets sits only an inch or so above his withers when she rides. This man probably weights twice as much as my daughter, but I was only thinking of his discomfort and not Hugo's. Anyway, as soon as the man sat in the saddle, Hugo went ballistic. It seems only logical that the extra weight closed the distance between the tree and Hugo's spine. Hugo wasn't acting snotty--he needed that man off, and not surprisingly that's what happened. The man was shaken but sustained only minor injuries and came out okay in the end. Because he is an old cowboy, he insisted I ride Hugo hard right away to ensure he didn't get away with anything. I did that and experienced no trouble at all doing so. Hugo acted gentlemanly as always. My concern is that the man said such an incident can permanently spoil a good horse. That would be heartbreaking because Hugo is a truly good one. My daughter and I have since ridden him with no problem. But I still wonder if he react that way again if a heavier person mounts him, even if the saddle is a good fit.
One more things makes me edgy, and I'm not sure if I'm overreacting or not. A few days after the incident, I went to feed the horses. While getting the hay, Hugo gave a big buck out of the blue. It's the first time I'd seen him show impatience that way. I withheld the hay for about ten minutes to ensure I didn't reward him for the spectacle. That was the first and only time he has ever done that also, and he has not done it since.
Now that my daughter is graduating and working this summer, we want to find a new home for Hugo...but I don't want anyone to get hurt trying him out. It's also a little awkward asking someone to try him out to see if he'll do a repeat performance. Any thoughts/suggestions? The big questions here is "Is Hugo no longer to be trusted, or can we view the saddle incident as a one-time thing?" I prefer to be honest with sellers, too, so any suggestions in that respect are appreciated as well.
|
Member:
canter
|
Posted on Monday, Apr 23, 2012 - 6:32 pm:
It seems unlikely that one brief incident would spoil Hugo permanently. Most horses are so much more forgiving than that. Think of a school horse that day after day goes around the arena with unbalanced, uncoordinated riders and yet willingly does it's job.
I would reco Hugo be ridden by a lighter rider for his next few rides (reinforcing that not every saddle/rider will hurt him), perhaps get his back checked to ensure he didn't do any damage either with the small saddle or with his bucking fit and then try him again with a heavier rider and the correct saddle. That should hopefully put your mind to ease as you try to find him a new home.
As to his buck out in the field at haying time: it's spring and horses will be horses. Unless you see an increasing progression of unusual behavior for him, I wouldn't worry about it.
|
Member:
heidim
|
Posted on Monday, Apr 23, 2012 - 11:04 pm:
That sounds encouraging, Fran. I'll give it at try. Thanks.
|
Member:
ellebell
|
Posted on Tuesday, Apr 24, 2012 - 9:13 pm:
I agree with Fran. Last year I started a two year old gelding who was agreeable and never once tried to buck. One day, we were loping in a round pen and unbeknownst to me, the girth was loose and the saddle slid forward over his withers and he bucked and I went off. I adjusted the saddle, got back on, and he never bucked again. I sold him and he continues to be a joy to his new owner. Similar story, I have a three year old filly that never bucked once when we started her last year. This year, I was warming her up on the lunge line and she started bucking like a bronco. It was a kind of cool morning. I warmed her up for longer than usual, then rode her. She was gentle and responsive under saddle. Same thing happened the second time--she was just feeling frisky at first but was perfect when I rode her.
|
Member:
cmatexas
|
Posted on Wednesday, Apr 25, 2012 - 2:18 pm:
An ouchy spot will make even the most steady of horses have a moment. That's not to be confused with one that's having a temper tantrum, which is a horse of a different color. 
Wouldn't even think twice about it.......
|
Member:
heidim
|
Posted on Wednesday, Apr 25, 2012 - 8:22 pm:
Oh, good. I'm feeling much better about our boy. Thanks for all your input.
|
|
|
