Sending ‘difficult’ horse to a specialist trainer

[NoProblem123]

Ok - I’ve posted about this horse before and he’s got progressively worse despite lots of professional help.

Main issues are napping & rearing in any situation, both under saddle and in long reins.
Everything checked pain-wise several times, all fitted tack which has been checked several times.

Has anyone sent a horse away to a specialist behavioural trainer and been happy with the outcome ? Any experiences of it being a complete waste of time & money ?

@HighlandCowbag that’s a valid point, and I do definitely ride like a sack of shit it times !

I’ve not actually ridden him myself for a couple of months as I’ve paid for 2 competent and confident professionals to bring him on since the start, and as he’s gotten worse I’ve stepped back. They are both saying this is a behavioural issue.

We all ride like sacks of shit sometimes lol, the trick is to recognise when it's your fault and when it's the horses fault. Except if it's your mother or riding school instructor that's watching, in which case you could ride like Mark Todd and it would still be your fault.

If it's definitely behavioural, and it sounds as though it is, and as though you have tried everything I would have no issues with pts. They are big issues, far too much for anyone to handle and even a pro rider would want him to be exceptional in some way to tolerate straight up rearing.

It's a difficult decision to make I know. But sometimes they just get to the end of the line. At least its with someone sensible enough to not just pass the problem on as a project. Plenty of lovely, non rearers out there. Life is sometimes too short to keep battling on, we do it for fun, it costs a fortune and our time and our souls. The least I think we can expect in return is a happy hacker.

@NoProblem123 oh that’s a shame that he’s been unresponsive when you’ve messaged him and also that he won’t travel as I know he has done in the past.

@NelliesWellies He’s terrible with IT according to his daughter and gets lots of DMs so doesn’t even read them now. I would have loved him to work on this horse. Visiting horses upset his own herd so he prefers to go to the yards.

Richard Maxwell has been suggested so I’m waiting for a reply from him too.

Honestly, I know it’s hard but with a full up vertical rearer that does it with professional riders and isn’t insanely talented I think it would be a bit mad to send him away for retraining, who is going to want this horse afterwards ? If he is then going to be left in a field you have just chucked loads of money away that could go towards buying something you will actually enjoy.
If you sell him honestly and cheaply there a 90% chance he will end up being resold dishonestly and someone will get hurt. Get thee on the dodgy dealer group on Facebook and you will see how much of this goes on and how good these people are at spinning the forever home line.
I gave away a pony to a supposed friend , years ago. It was just too dangerous for young children to ride and we had thrown all sorts of checks and schooling at it for several years. Within 24 hours it was up for sale , fully clipped with video of it jumping a course at local dealer ( who had and still has a great reputation) with stories of it doing all sorts including hacking with his mother.
Give up, use the money to buy yourself something lovely to have fun with and make a decision for him or send him to retirement livery where you still have control.
I do feel for you, been there done that and it’s a constant worry.

He will lead from another horse by parking himself right and you need to haul him along but he will do it. He’s the same on the ground, always at a rope’s length away.

What did he do before you got him? That sounds like a confidence issue or possibly even a trekking horse that is institutionalised.