That could be, or the horse could have been bought from a "horse trader"----a person who is dishonest and only wants a sale. They often drug a horse with Bute so it will be calm when the folks ride it at their place, and then the horse's true colors come through when they get it home. For your neighbors sake, I hope the horse is only trying to adjust to it's new situation and not a drugged horse purchase.
As for new horse folks buying a yearling colt, well that's a whole 'nuther can of worms. An giant accident waiting to happen!
Let us know how it turns out with both horses.
Take care,
Carla

Although what Carla said can be very true we can only hope that the horse saw that his new owner is a 'little green' and took advantage by being a little barn sour. It is good that the owner did not give up and get off as this would have made the problem worse. As far as them buying a yearling colt I only have one word "yikes!". Having said this I hope that with lots of help from the experienced relative everything works out for them.

a horse will try anyone's patience to some extent. they will try to get you off their back (wouldn't you if someone was on it?) and once they figure out YOUR in charge they will be ok. BUT some horses are just born stubborn and never make good riders. i have a two year old 16 hand paint. me and my son are just fine with him, but my daughter has a heck of a time. cant get him to do anything. he's gelded by the way.

a green horse and green people only lead to black and blue. my 2 yr old i got from a guy that said he could do nothing with him. i was told he kicked, bite, all the nasty stuff, but when i went to see him he was great. so i went for it. within three days i was riding him, he as a bit stubborn about it, but i'm 300 lbs so not getten me off too easy. guess the moral is, if they truely care about the horse, they will work with him to be good around people. it takes time, but can be done. nothing worse then a big mean horse, other then a big mean dog.....

That could have been a reaction to pain or discomfort. Did he use the same saddle and bit on the test ride?

I feel sorry for that yearling colt. It's doomed to a miserable life if they ruin it through mishandling or fail to have it trained properly.

Well, more info now. We'd been invited over so my kids could see the horses. We went; my kids fed them. Turns out, where they're living was his family's dairy farm.

ccox, heh, that stable I worked at, the owner would tranq horses too green or feisty to rent out, until we hands had ridden them enough. I hope that didn't happen here, but seems like these folks have the resources to deal with it.

I dunno if it was the same saddle and bit as before, dunno enough to have asked. My first impression was that he was used to handling horses. With other large animal exp., and a knowledgeable relative, and being willing to get help, think this is likely to turn out OK?

So horses will "test" people. Good to know. I'll mention the discomfort possibility. Horse is calm and friendly otherwise. Knows his name, comes when called. Didn't startle when being led on the road and cars passed.

Might this steady part of his temperament favorably influence the younger horse, btw? I really appreciate y'all sharing your knowledge with me. Thanks!

We had horses for years, and they can be wicked clever little snots, lemme tell ya. :) They can learn all kinds of little tricks to get their rider to part company with them. *L* My horse was a Welsh/Arab mare.

If I read your post correctly, it's the 7-8 year old Appaloosa gelding that's being a problem, NOT the colt--correct? If so, it could be that the horse has a problem inside it's mouth--have the new owners take a look for any obvious problems and maybe have the vet check it out. What they might try is to ride the horse around the corral WITHOUT using a bit--instead have the horse in a halter with reins. If it only reacts badly when the bit is in it's mouth, well, you have your answer. Also, they need to make sure that their bridle and bit fit this horse, as well as the saddle.

It also could be that something was spooking the horse, something new (and usually big and scary to a horse) that the horse didn't want to get near.

The old horse should be a source of comfort and stability to the colt, and help to keep it happy. :)

Velvet ~:>

horses bad actions almost always come from pain or fear .they are afraid of things you would never guess.just be positive with them AND (SAY IT WITH A WHISPER).

Velvet Sparrow - Yes, it was the 8yo App that was kinda uncooperative being ridden, but otherwise great. The young horse seems to have a nice disposition, too. I'll be sure and mention these suggestions if it seems warranted. He and his wife know I'm on the 'net and like to look stuff up.

Animal behavior is so interesting.

maybe the saddle isn't a good fit, there was a wrinkle in the blanket, dirt on the horse's back ....

A cold bit will make a horse do that too. On a cold morning, cowboys will tuck the bit under their arm long enough to warm it up.

I agree, it sounds to me that the horse was uncomfortable with the saddle/bridle and that's why it was acting up. And yes, they will test the riders, too.

I have an App pony, and she is very sweet and loving as long as she doesn't think you're going to ride her. If I ride her, she will misbehave for the first couple of minutes, and then if fine for an hour, and then starts misbehaving again. When my young daughter rides her, she is well behaved. We have a weight difference of 80lb, so I have to assume that the pony is just trying to get me off b/c I'm more work. When my daughter or I ride her, she behaves normally--will trot if clucked to or gently kicked, and will canter if given the proper signals. For anybody else, she will take off running if you loosen the reins just a little bit. I believe she thinks that if she scares the person riding her, they will get off. She never bucks or kicks, just runs off, and she only does it if a stranger is riding her (this makes giving pony rides to friends very difficult). Apps are a smart breed!

I think your neighbor should check his equipment, and make sure that the saddle and girth are the right size, that the pony doesn't have any sores/wounds on its back/girth area, and that the bit is appropriate for the pony. He should call the people he bought it from, and ask what type of bit they used, and get that kind. The head shaking could indicate that the bit was bumping in its teeth or hurting its mouth.

It's good to hear that he's willing to send the horse to a trainer. Probably when the yearling is 2-3, that is the best thing to do, instead of trying to "break" it himself. It's good he bought two horses, since they are herd animals, and really do need companionship. The more they handle, lead, brush, play with the yearling, the better he will be to ride.

They are experiencing the 2 week rule...

Seriously, it could be all the things mentioned previously, or it could be just that he is in a new place, and is upset he is away from his buddy.

If he finally settled down, then he is cooperative, just testing.

I think if he was in pain from something, he would have keep his behaviour up, not given in and cooperated.

They probably should pay to have an experienced trainer come and test ride him just to see if he acts different.
Worth the money in my opinion to avoid any unpleasantness.

M

I sincerely hope that, despite being "city transplants," your neighbors have a good bit of horse experience themselves. If not, then I have to get up on my soapbox: people with little or no horse experience have NO business owning a horse, and ESPECIALLY not if they intend to keep that horse at home rather than boarding it at a reputable stable.

I've been closely involved with horses for 25 years and am currently a riding instructor; it drives me up a wall when I see people buying a "pet" horse as if they were adopting a stray kitten or puppy. The latest I heard was about a couple who always loved horses, had ridden a couple of times on trail rides and such, and had acreage at home and money to burn... they built a nice little run-in shed, put up some fence, and bought themselves a 4-year old off-the-track thoroughbred. Wife couldn't understand why the horse was so high-strung, husband thought they'd be able to give "pony rides" for the neighbor kids... talk about a disaster waiting to happen.

As for your neighbor's horse: yes, it's not unheard of for an unreputable horse dealer to tranq or bute a horse they're trying to sell. If that's not the case, saddle or bridle could be poorly fitted, cinched too tightly/placed improperly (did they "leg stretch" the horse after cinching so as not to have bunched-up skin under the cinch?). If your neighbor was attempting to work with one horse while his "buddy" was out in the pasture, it's quite possible the appy didn't want to be apart from his pasturemate. Neighbor could have "thumped" down too hard in the saddle when he mounted, thus causing the horse some discomfort. Maybe they're feeding grain with too-high protein. Etc., etc., etc... it could be any of a hundred things.

And yes, horses definitely DO get "onery," just because they can... if this is a horse who previously was ridden almost exclusively by one person, he'll act up if a new person gets on. Horses can almost immediately gauge the (in)experience of their rider; some will take advantage of this, some won't.

Your neighbor's best bet will be to work with an experienced trainer, on his own property if possible, and he should participate in the training as well as the horse.

Best of luck to them all, and kudos to you for trying to help.

My horses all get lunged before I work them. It gives them the opportunity to act up and act out without a person on their backs. Lunging is putting the horse on a very long line and giving voice commands to walk, trot canter and stop. Lots of stops sometimes. (grin)

It also is my chance to remind them who is boss with my feet on the ground. My older horses need to be warmed up, to loosen old joints too.

I know that some folks don't do it, but let me tell you, it's the cheapest health insurance around!!!! The horse works out his temper, and the human takes gradual control of the situtation. Once the horse has about 20 minutes at all three gaits, he's worked off all the excess energy that could result in nasty behavior. (Plus it's really cool to have a horse working on voice commands.)

My old mare bucked like a saddle bronc when she was younger so if she's not lunged, I was in BIG trouble.

Anyway, all horses test humans, you just have to be smarter and let them test you where you are safe and

I agree 100% with Miss Kitty. Owning horses is like Religion (everyone has one). We just had a death with a very close friend on a horse. It smaked him in between two trees. Nobody knows what happend except him and the horse.Some people make excuses for the horse and some just hate the horse. I hear about pasture horses and you just saddle up and ride, well I think that is an accident waiting to happen.

Yes, even a certain 15 year old stock horse here can expect to be lunged briefly after time off. The horse makes up for it in endurance and all round ability. The humans can't afford not to minimise risk of injury.

The older horse and my 11yo son have fallen in love. He acts like a babysitter. I would almost say that that horse is teaching my son to ride, deliberately. Is that possible?

In the small ring, he walks up to my son, puts his head down to be petted. Follows him. Stands like a statue for him to mount and dismount, reins with a whisper touch. Kept to a slow walk the first couple rides. I suggested my son nudge him lightly with his heels. Two touches, very slow trot for maybe 20 ft, then back to a walk.

He calmed down with the owner after a couple days. I rode for about 5 minutes until my lower back protested. Too old (sigh). Neither horse startles easily, even the yearling.

cnvh, I understand your feeling on this, but with all due respect, there are people who are going to be first-time horse owners. With resources, humility (to ask questions), and brains, I see little wrong with it. Will they make mistakes? Probably. So do exp'd horse owners. IMO dogs are less complicated. I've had dogs for 30+ years, and I'm still learning, I still make mistakes.