Advice on what to do next with my horse

[MyHorseAndMe]

We’re an experienced home, so I should have known better. My daughter has had horses for years (she’s now an adult) and I’ve ridden most of my life.

I got back into riding after a few years off and decided it was now my time to have my own horse.

I bought from who I thought was a reputable dealer. He was sold as a happy hacker, confidence giver, over grown Labrador, yard favourite etc. I had him vet checked and all was good at the viewing.

After a week things started to go down hill. He was aggressive with food, would bite, kick out when he didn’t want to come in from his field, would seek out the lady who came to poo pick our field to kick her and generally didn’t like his feet being messed with. Under saddle he is very green and would buck when transitioning to canter.

I got the vet out to check him over, she said it wasn’t pain related.

After a month I put him in a schooling livery after he nearly kicked me in the face and it taking 3 of us and two other horses to get him in from his field. He’s been getting better there but will make it well known if he doesn’t want to do anything.

I just want him sold now, so he’s up for sale. But with an an honest ad as I don’t want anyone being misled, but no one wants a 14hh, 5yr old cob with these issues.

What do I do next? Put him in a retirement livery for down time? Keep plugging away in the sales livery? It’s costing me a fortune to keep him there, so I’ve already lost a shed load of money.

I’ve tried going back to the dealer but they’ve now blocked me, small claims court will likely take up to 12 months. I just feel a bit lost with it all

Just because the vet hasn’t found something it doesn’t mean it’s not pain unfortunately. Yes 5 year old cobs can be rude and bargey if they’ve been allowed to get away with it but that level of aggression with people suggests there’s something physical going on as well as him not having had a good start. If you sell him it will be for peanuts and you’d have to be completely honest that he’s a project who’ll need to be restarted and may well have some vet issues and he may still end up doing the rounds of dodgy dealers as you’ll have no control over his future once he’s sold. I’d be wary of putting him on retirement livery as he’ll still need to have regular interactions with people. You could try somewhere like the Blue Cross as they might have the expertise to turn him around but rescues are overrun at the moment. And as a last resort you could have him euthanised - to be honest that would be a better outcome for him than a life being sent from dealer to dealer but I realise that it’s a very hard decision to make for as ostensibly healthy 5 year old.

I have retired my 9 year old cob because he started panicking and bolting under saddle - he was perfect for the first few months but as his workload increased something wasn’t right. However, I was able to make that decision because we have our own land and he’s very sweet on the ground so is easy to manage. If he’d been behaving like yours then I would probably have had him put to sleep - I couldn’t sell him on knowing what he can do.

How is he under saddle, other than being green? If he has talent, there are small adult who would take on something with decent conformation & skill, and work through how bad he is on the ground.
But honestly, if he's not good/dangerous under saddle, shows no scope to develop for jumping/dressage etc, as PP says, euthanasia is a kinder option than passing him round.

He'll be sold for less money every time until he ends up seriously injuring someone, neglected, or in a totally unsuitable home.

I'd lay money on it being pain. Either ulcers or foot/back related I'd guess. If I were you, I'd get him on Acid Ease. It won't hurt if he doesn't need it but will give him relief from potential acid burn and ulcers. Have the farrier out and check his feet, make sure they're not the issue and have a good prod of his spine, see if he reacts.

If you suspect ulcers don’t waste your money on supplements - they can’t cure active ulcers and by the time you’ve effectively thrown several hundred pounds down the drain you might as well have paid for a scope so you’d know for sure and medication which actually works.

He sounds like a very unhappy horse. Likely pain related. I would be seeking a second veterinary opinion. If all clear i would see if I could sell him at a v sensible price who was experienced and looking for a project (but vet v carefully where he went).