Went to see a horse and they wouldn't let me ride him!

LindaAd

LindaAd

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Feb 20, 2000
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There've been a few threads about sales not happening recently; well I went to see a horse the other day and they wouldn't let me ride him.

He was a cob, advertised as being for sale because too strong for the owner's thirteen-year-old daughter - I rang up and talked to the owner and he sounded fine.
So I went down to have a look, they asked me lots of questions about what I'd done and what I hoped to do with the horse, and I told them the story you'll know if you've been reading my posts in Mature Riders - about losing my horse to lameness, losing my nerve, starting riding again at a riding-school, and getting my confidence back amazingly fast.

So the YO rode this cob - a real heavyweight, even chunkier than my Barney - in the school, walked, trotted, cantered, and at one point did a bit of a sideways spook and napped towards the gate, but she sorted him out pretty fast, and I wasn't more scared than anyone would be riding a strange horse with strangers watching you ...

But they said (very politely and sweetly because they're nice people) that they didn't think he'd suit me because he needed a home where he'd do more competitions and hunting, and they didn't think I ought to get on him because he would take the p**
with a strange rider, and if I was nervous and tipped forward he'd keep testing me ...

Well, I worked out that maybe what I'd seen with the YO was his best behaviour, and if I did get on and he unbalanced me, then he'd go bucking across the school and I'd fall off ... At least that's what I worked out afterwards that they must be thinking.
And maybe they were right. My OH, who came with me, said I'd sold myself a bit short, made myself seem more nervous and less experienced than I am. Maybe he's right.

I suppose if I'd loved the horse and thought he'd be right for me, I might have insisted on trying him .... But it's left me feeling a bit weird; maybe it's too soon to be looking at horses. What do you think?:confused:
 
Sorry folks, liability wise.. I am with the horses owner. If they KNOW he is an issue, and let you get on him and he proceeds to blow up and dump you on your noggin.. well it's just a legal NIGHTMARE for them. And for yourself.. if he blows up and dumps.. Bye bye hard earned confidence.

It's a tricky position being the seller.. esp if you feel the horse probably isn't right for the person taking a look and vice versa. And then he may have been being right stupid, and the YO was talented enough to hide his nonsense well from you... And if you were talking about being nervous etc. I probably woulda stopped you getting on also unless I knew he would be safe - he may be notorius for taking off with nervous people! Keep in mind they are selling him because he is too much horse! Yes for a 13 year old.. but still.. I have seen 13 year olds ride me under the table...

Is it too soon to be looking, I don't really know only you can answer that.

I would chock it up to experience, and count yourself lucky as nothing got hurt for the effort! Most esp. your confidence!
 
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I think it depends on the order of events really.

If you had a brief chat, then (without saying anything more about yourself) they rode him and said "he's not suitable." Then that's odd :cool: .

But, if you had a brief chat, then they rode him, then you chatted a bit more, then they said "he's not suitable". Then that's not so odd :eek: .

Perhaps you could have inadvertently said something in that second chat which made you sound less experienced/more nervous than you really are.
Or maybe you looked very worried after him having a little nap.
So their opinion on his suitability could have changed after speaking with you further/seeing your reactions.

I remember one lady trying out one of mine (as a loan horse) afew years back. She said she was experienced (and wasn't arrogant, but she certainly didn't sell herself short either).
She sounded like a good match for my horse, so I rode him for her and during this time he had afew spooks (which he doesn't normally do, but there was a show going on in the distance and he was a tad jumpy).
She didn't say anything, but the second I got off and lead him over to her I could tell she wasn't right for him.
I don't know if it was the spooking which put her off (or indeed if that even bothered her at all), but whereas before she'd seemed fine, she now looked far too timid and tense for him.
I think maybe she was just having pre-ride jitters (and it was no reflection on her ability, or even her nerves in general at all), but I do know my horse and any kind of edgyness would not go well with him.
So it was a no go. As much because I'd hate to have seen her get injured as anything else.
And if it's any consolation, I did feel awful turning her away :eek: . But nice as she seemed, if she'd have been less experienced than she made out I'd have been the one responsible if my horse had misbehaved.

So if you were selling yourself a bit short to them, or were more outwardly nervous than you actually felt, that could well be why they didn't suggest you ride him :) .
 
They may have just got him out of a certain type of behaviour and didn't want anyone (nervous etc) jeopardising that.

I have told people a horse isn't suitable before letting them ride it. They are obviously responsible people, and know what type of home will suit him.

Dont take it to heart, i'm sure they was doing what they thought right by the pony.:)
 
Sellers can be odd. There are all kinds. We bought a horse that the sellers refused to ride! :p
I don't think you need to 'sell' yourself better. I am sure there will be a better match and somebody that will be happy to see you buy their horse
 
Maybe they were a bit concerned because you had a lack of confidence before and you told them that? And like another member has said the libiability is so big with horses, especially people you don't know well.

It's nice enough that they looked out for you even though it seemed wierd, it's better to be safe then sorry, and get a horse that is a handful, that really needs to be worked often and hard?

I don't think it reflects though that it is too soon for you to start looking, because when you find the "one" you will know.

Good luck on your search!
 
i think the owner was right if they knew he was handful and that you were nervous no point in trying him and taking a fall. that would ruin your confidence again. better to find a new suitable pony that would make you confident.
 
Shadowlark said:
Sorry folks, liability wise.. I am with the horses owner. If they KNOW he is an issue, and let you get on him and he proceeds to blow up and dump you on your noggin.. well it's just a legal NIGHTMARE for them. And for yourself.. if he blows up and dumps.. Bye bye hard earned confidence.

I'd agree! I think they did you a favour. You may have ended up with completely the wrong horse for you. Perhaps subconsciously you were giving out nervous vibes.
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maybe he was more of a handful than originally presented in the ad- if they know him well they can probably tell when he's not on best behaviour.... At any rate, no loss- doesn't sound like you need a horse with these issues. I don't think it means it's too early for you to be looking- you may find a nice, honest confidence giver in no time!
 
When I was selling Rhi I knew exactly the kind of person I was looking for for her.


Also when selling her I was downright honest in what she could do and what she was like. If I felt that what the person told me did not fit the criteria of what I was looking for I would turn them away.

Maybe they thought you did not fit their criteria and thats fine. He was just not meant to be.

Do you feel its too soon? I'm sure yours is out there somewhere
 
Does seem a bit odd that they would chat to you, then ride him and then decide not to let you ride but maybe when they got on him he was in a particularly feisty mood and they decided on balance better not to let someone else on him. If they knew him really well they would have picked up signals that a stranger might not see.
 
It's a shame that you couldnt get on and try him. But it sounds as though he was quite a handful and rather than be upfront they were thinking he was too much for you. I would rather people be honest and not let me ride a lunatic than for them to lie to me and tell me he is ok and that he just needs work. ;)
 
How strange. Could they not have asked what you were going to do with him when you spoke to them on the phone?

If they are trying to sell him and don't want strangers riding him then thats just stupid.
Obviously the 'new' owner will be a stranger to him to start off with.
What strange people.
 
I think it sounds a bit odd, but I agree that you may have been spared an injury. In a similar vein, I was recently turned down as a home for a pet rabbit :rolleyes: . As most of you will have noticed in my big red signature, my bunny was stolen in September. She was more than just a pet - she was as much part of my family as a dog, cat (or indeed horse!) would be. I'm still dealing with the fact that it is highly unlikely she will ever be returned to me. My OH got a bit fed up of me mooching around wailing about the rabbit and encouraged me to get another (to him she was "just" a rabbit). I was dubious, as it felt much too soon and like I would be giving up hope, but after discussion with a friend and weeks thinking it over, I decided to get a buck. That way he could be neutered and if my little girl ever came back and they would be company for one another. Should she not come home, I can set myself a time frame and after so long get another female or a neutered buck from a rescue to be a companion for him.

I decided I wanted a house rabbit, as I would always panick about one out in a hutch, and a friend found me a lovely little boy on a rescue website that needed a good home. He wasn't actually being rehomed through the rescue, but by a private individual. I emailed her, explained my situation and set up, that I wanted an indoor rabbit to free-range around the house with supervised access to my secure garden to play and graze, and got a message back to say that they didn't think I was the right home for him, because they thought he would be happier in a hutch in the garden. I was a bit puzzled because I would have thought a large single rabbit (as he currently was) would prefer to live indoors with so much more space than a hutch and more interaction than being shut up out of doors all day, but I had to respect the owner's decision.

I think this is one to chalk up to experience and let it go. Only you will know if you're ready to start looking at horses again. Good luck!
 
It does sound fairly peculiar behaviour to me, but probably for the best...

for future horses, I'd try and have a good chat on the phone first and see whether they think (or at least say they think) the horse would be suitable for you, to avoid wasting any more journeys...

Ross
 
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