horses? money and behaviour problems

andfear_2

Anybody on here dabble in enquines?

My problem is a 17.3 percheron who is 9. I cant rehome him due to behaviour problems and a bad hip meaning he isnt always happy to hack. He doesnt like being turned out loves the comfort of a stable and will climb out of fields and break fencing, gates, electic to get back in (were talking after an hour being out)

Yesterday i was leading him to his field and he just turned and bolted, the thing is I'm pregnant now and well hes such a risk to be around Hes stables 20miles away as hes been thrown off 2 yards near me my other ponies are easy going cobs in/out just stoic behaviour alround.

We cant afford to put him on full livery somewhere as prices for his size are £125 +. Charitys wont help as he cant live out I even offered to pay a regular donation of £50 per wk

What do I do? we're worried he'll crush me or barge into me at some point as they are both his party tricks But sometimes hes an angel, who just wants a love. I try to keep his running costs down, invested in rubber matting (veterinary standard) bedded on straw, no bucket feed. his insurance is £20 per month for just minimum treatement as he wouldnt be going to leahurst for anything and he is a awful awful patient.

Any advice welcome please xx

Morganarla

Have you considered putting him on loan?

There are some people out there who would be happy to take on a monkey such as yours, especially if you could still help contribute to his extra costs. I know my mother would've done in her younger years.

pinetree

Hi It might be an idea to have his back/hips checked by a horse back person if he hasnt already as if he could be ridden it may not be as difficult to rehome him, good luck he does sound quite a character:)

Raksha

Have you thought about getting in touch with somebidy like Sarah fisher who is a tellington t touch person.

andfear_2

thanks I should have said his hip/back has been fully checked out. He has a dropped hip, his hocks are in line its his hip. I was told by leahurst that yes they could investigate and try and manipulate it but they said the end result would be just as it is and that would be too listen to him about what hes happy with.

He is happy to hack out occasionally, squealing and launching ect ect occasionally flying over fallen trees but never any schooling.

You get idiots who believe a whip and strength will make him school and they are the people who scare me... as do the 24stone riders who turned up when he was advertised for loan:mad:

When vetted and seen by a physiotherapist I was told it would come up with correct schooling He isnt all bad but he had a rough start in france, broken jaw badly set, sun burn scars over his white face, scars and lumps riddled with worms.

this is him before playing at schooling
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YivYPGGJEW4

Pupnik

Poor boy, it sounds like he has had a rough life.

It sounds like the main problem is that you are wanting to avoid contact with him while you are pregnant. It could be an idea to put a sign up in the local newsagents, local riding school or college offering animal courses and to try and find someone with an interest in horses who will come and help you out with the moving, feeding etc.

Long term he is probably going to need a lot of time and attention to tackle his behavioural issues but I don't know how you would go about doing that.

Raksha

Omg, he's beautiful, and just the sort I'd love to take on if finances would allow. I can only suggest joining a t touch group and see if any one who practises it would consider taking him on as a loan/project

orlao

Ok, this probably won't be a very popular opinion *zips up flame suit and gets ready to run* but if you can't rehome him locally and safely would you consider PTS?

The reason I suggest this very difficult option is that the reality is that there are far too many horses needing the very few good homes available - this has always been the case but recession has really highlighted the problem. I do understand as I also have a 'problem' horse who physically healthy (why wouldn't he be, he's been practically retired for the 18 years I've owned him!) but who is very unpredictable both to handle and under saddle - some of many tricks include going over backwards, flattening handlers and running blind. This is all because of fear not bad manners or bolshiness btw. But when he is scared he is dangerous to both himself and any poor s0d who gets in his way. I've always said that I couldn't/wouldn't ever sell him despite the fact that I didn't want to ride him (I can handle him, we have coping techniques and he does trust me, however under saddle I didn't trust him and vice versa which made him very nervous but he is better with a quiet confident rider) so I tried loaning him out. I took all precautions known to man...full, complete disclosure of all his issues, to stay on my yard so I could check on him, no under 18s, no novices and so on. The 3 times he was loaned were all an unmitigated disaster mainly because people either weren't prepared to put in the time to earn his trust or the had a much higher opinion of their ability that was warranted...if he had been sold he would have been sold on within in a month/6 weeks each time.

TBH, the great majority of good, sensible horseowners don't need to bother with the very tricky difficult horses - there are plenty out there at low prices with much easier to fix problems. The professionals will take them on - but only if they are sound and very talented. Sadly, the kind of people who seek them out are either the inexperienced 'fluffy' types who think they work miracles with kindness and the latest woo way of training or the people who see a horse as a commodity to earn them a bit of cash by reselling (with or without the use of drugs and/or harsh treatment) ASAP. The first buyer will get themselves hurt and sell on, the second will offload to any home and their buyer will probably be hurt and will also pass them on. In either case the horse is now on a very rapid spiral downwards towards the cheap auctions and the real possibility that a horse of that size could easily end up in Europe as a meat animal - his size (and behaviour!) work against him being bought as a companion or pet.

It's a very hard decision to make (and plenty of people will lambast you for doing it while backing off at 100mph if you suggest they take them on!) but I strongly believe that we should take responsibility for our animals and be realistic about their prospects in a new home. If a horse is unsound or difficult to ride you need to think about why anybody would want them - they are expensive (very expensive!) pets and if the person who is selling them, who presumably is attached to and fond of them doesn't want them, who will? Will they appeal to the type of home you want for them? Or will they attract the 'get rich quick' type or the novice who knows no better type? Could you live with seeing him advertised on Dragon Driving? Or even worse seeing a picture of him on Redwings site as part of a rescue of 30 emaciated horses?

I do know that there are some saints out there that will take on horses like ours but as a numbers game the likelihood of your horse finding one of them is so slim as to be practically nil. I have already decided that my boy will be PTS if I can't keep him for any reason as I'm not prepared to let him take his chances in the real world. I would much prefer that I know what has happened to him rather than always wondering IYSWIM.

Jojo_the_Tightfisted

Is there anything on http://www.percheron.org.uk/

that could help?


And, as he's a draught, look up the Working Horse Trust in Eridge, Kent. The lady who runs that might be able to offer some advice. http://www.theworkinghorsetrust.org/about.htm