I've posted about my horse on here before but I'd just like some last minute opinions.
I bought him a year ago from a TB breeder and trainer as she felt that she was too old for a horse like him and she couldn't sit his spooks.
No ground manners, didn't know where to put his feet, didn't respond to pressure.
I wanted a project and he was one in every sense of the word. I fell in love with him as soon as I saw him.
When I tried him out he was good, but at the end, he took off with me across the field and didn't stop until he physically couldn't go any further. I wasn't concerned about that, I just figured he was green and overwhelmed and these things would come with time.
When we got him home he needed a chifney to be taken anywhere or he would just set his neck and try to canter off (my ex was looking after him for a lot of the time - he's a racehorse trainer and rehab yard owner so he knows what he's doing!) and even he would struggle with him.
Through the months his ground manners improved but to this day he can suddenly try to drag you somewhere and canter off.
His biggest issues are ridden. I've had many rides on him when he's simply decided to take off and nothing can stop him until he's done himself in. One lesson I had we were cantering for so long with him screeching round the corners and bucking that I was getting lightheaded. My trainer couldn't do anything but stand and watch.
He will do things like take off, then screech to a halt in front of the fence, then shoot off again.
I've taken everything right back to basics, over the winter I worked solely on the ground with him, teaching him the saddle and bridle is a positive thing, we learnt to stand stock still at the mountain block, yield to pressure etc.
But he is so unpredictable - he'll do a nasty spook at "nothing", just completely drop his shoulder.
I've spent months just walking and trotting in the school to make it a nice calm experience for him. I've honestly tried everything.
He's just messed up his only saving grace - to hack he is brilliant and super calm. But this weekend he took one look at something on the floor, bolted for home and ran into the main road. I came off, got concussion and fractured my foot.
I've been riding for 17 years, I'll ride literally anything. I ride friend's difficult horses for them if they've come off and had accidents and have a great time. But there's just something about this horse that I just think.. what is it going to take?
I'm so thankful that this wasn't a worse injury for either me or him.
I'm pretty certain that I'm going to put him down. It's something I've discussed with my vet before after he remarked what a difficult git he was.
I feel like it would be unfair on him to pass him on, I'd worry about how he'd be treated given all his quirks, whether he'd be passed on again etc but also I'd worry that he may seriously injure himself or someone else.
Thoughts/suggestions?