This doesn’t happen nearly as often as people like you would like it to.
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People like me… interesting use of words…
Are you a vet?
Because I’d love to introduce you to the 3 vets that all suggested testing mine when he was acting this way. 3 different vets from 3 different practices, one that specialized in TB racehorses and 2 others that focused on warmblood/sporthorses.
Feel free to PM me for their names and contact information… and feel free to call them “people like you”, I’m sure they would appreciate your derogatory tone as much as I do.
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I don’t know how I’d ever live with myself if I donated a horse to research full knowing it would be euthanized one day. 
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There are fates far worse than a humane euthanasia at a scheduled time in a controlled setting by people who likely by that point have developed a fair amount of attachment or at least appreciation for the lessons taught by that horse.
I’d donate to research long before I sold a horse liable to be flipped or dumped.
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You read the tone, not me.
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This, 100%.
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When something horrible happens it can be helpful to find a way to get some small shred of good out of it. If the horse could advance veterinary knowledge in some way, it could help horses in the future.
When my horse was diagnosed as a Wobbler I asked my vet to come and talk to the riding club about neurological issues in horses, and use my horse to demonstrate the basic neuro exam so the members could see how neurological deficits can present. It wasn’t much, but it was one small good to come out of the situation.
If the horse is the sort to be calm and easy going about life changes, donation to a vet program that will euthanize at some point could create a lot of good.
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Well I’m little more than a nobody and i know of two. Garbage behavior. Tested, high testosterone. One ended up having a third testicle, the other they left a bit during gelding.
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One thing I think to consider in these kinds of difficult situations is indeed the outcome of each incident. A horse that bucks or shies unpredictably once in a while but is not particularly athletic and does not physically hurt the rider or handler is a manageable problem. A horse that has an unpredictable behavior and has a high probability of hurting someone any time it happens is not so manageable, regardless of the root cause, unless the root cause can be identified and eliminated.
My heart goes out to the OP and I’m glad you’ve found a solution that works for you.
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@nolirides what exactly are your concerns? Do you feel that euthanasia is inhumane?
Your comment seems to suggest an impossible choice for many owners–you either need to commit 20+ years and a significant sum of money (could easily be over $100K to retire a horse for 20 years) that you might not have caring for a dangerous or unusable horse, or you should feel overwhelming guilt and shame. Personally I’d worry more about guilt and shame if the horse were to end up hurting someone else or if it were to end up at a low end auction.
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For those folks who suggested that this occasional explosion is normal young warmblood behavior–I agree that young warmbloods have the tendency to act out, especially with adrenaline or new situations. But these incidents did not involve any adrenaline, and the behavior was extremely uncharacteristic for the personality of this horse. He is so easy and quiet on the ground, and most of the time under saddle. He is a sensitive horse and cues from his rider but no one has ridden him who was not seasoned and experienced on young/green horses. As for the extra testosterone–again–super polite and respectful on the ground and almost always under saddle. He is not particularly spooky. Just these weird extreme explosions very rarely. And these were not just bucks of exuberance or a spook. This was standing up and/or then broncing hard to unload his rider. The last incident after 8 solid months of excellent training/traveling/showing work under saddle. I have no doubt anymore that he should never be ridden again. I don’t think this is a behavior that can be safely “managed” as there is no real trigger and no real way to manage it once it happens. He has been ridden every time right after he has done something by the person who got dumped and been totally fine. Could it happen with the pro? Maybe. Do I want to keep him in training board to test that and risk someone getting hurt? Or pass him along to someone to “try”? No way. Thank you all for your thoughtful and kind responses. He has a landing spot and should he seem to change or deteriorate neurologically or physically he will be humanely euthanized.
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@Trekkie it sounds like you’re no novice or spring chicken in the horse world. Add me to the list of people who have posted on here that respect your intuition and experience. There are spooks, there are baby tantrums, and there are things that are not right and not worth the gamble. The world needs more horsemen like that
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I did have a friend with a horse that sounded similar. Prone to throw bucking fits out of nowhere, no obvious trigger. Couldn’t find anything wrong, and she got hurt pretty bad once by an explosion. Oddly enough, she found him a home that taught him to pull a cart and he was actually quite happy doing that. Not suggesting that for yours, by the way, I actually had forgotten that was where he ended up until I started typing this. Point I was going to make was, I’m sorry you had to go through this, I watched my friend and her really nice horse she had SUCH high hopes for go through it too and it just sucks. You sound like a fantastic, responsible, thoughtful owner, and he sounds like an otherwise sweet horse. It’s rough.
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True story: years ago, a teenager at my barn told me excitedly that she was getting her first horse — for free!! Given that the kid was still pretty novice, I pictured the horse as a quiet senior stepping down to be a babysitter and was really happy for her. I happened to be coming back from a hack with a friend when the horse arrived. A drop-dead gorgeous, big, fit, young WB mare walked off the trailer. My friend and I looked at each other with identical expressions of horror. We weren’t wrong.
The mare was very sweet, great ground manners, super athletic and talented. This was no “hidden gem that fell through the cracks” — she had obviously come straight from someone who was putting a lot of effort into her (she was sleek and shiny, well-muscled, well shod, etc.). She also could go from trotting on a loose rein to bronc-ing across the arena, tossing that poor kid like a rag doll. It was obvious there was something seriously, physically wrong with the poor mare. I left that barn shortly thereafter so I don’t know if they ever got a diagnosis — but I did hear through the grapevine that the kid quit horses and riding altogether. At least she’s alive. No idea what happened to the poor horse.
I still can’t get over how this horse ended up in this poor kid’s hands. The previous owner knew enough about horses to buy a quality horse, invest in its training, care, nutrition etc., but washed their hands of their problem by letting the mare go to a situation where she was a danger to herself and others. THAT’S unethical.
@Trekkie — I’m so happy for you that you found a GOOD solution for your guy. Well done.
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Another thing I agree with – there has to be a stopping point in the ‘research’, as it were.
When a problem is chronic and previous attempts to fix it have not reached a viable solution, there is always another someone out there with another idea, another treatment, another plan, another … whatever it is. When nothing is working, it can go on and on and on, forever.
IMO, at some point, there is a time to call the game. I mean the game of diagnosing and trainer-ing and this-ing and that-ing. Spending money and following every guru or well-meaning but disconnected friend who believes they have the answer. Even when they have the best of intentions. But that solution also fails.
I agree with those who say that at some point it doesn’t matter any more. The horse is what it is. If the problem is medical or entirely behavioral, the reality of right now is what we have to go on and decide.
At some point, either euth or pasture ornament for life. And that’s ok. It’s a responsible decision, either way.
The horse is not cognizant of the drama. They only know their life today. If that life suddenly ends, or is redirected to a pasture life, the horse is unaware of the decisions and consequences and just continues to live in the moment, as they will always do. For another day or another twenty years.
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Omg I was in a barn and watched very nearly the same drama, to the point that I wonder if you were there, too !!!
I also took one look at New Horse and felt a wave of disgust toward the parents who clearly did not care if their kid lived to grow up, or not. It took a while to learn that they had no idea, had been very poorly advised, and didn’t stand up well to strong-willed 13 yo dreamer daughter.
This 13 yo kid came home with a 16.2h, very powerful, known explosive horse over some jumps. In a course of 8 jumps, 7 were great, and one jump would be up to the kid to stay alive as the horse twisted over it. Maybe the horse would clear it and land, but maybe the horse would tangle in the top poles and crash through it, or do a nasty stop slinging the kid into the fence … etc.
Several occasions with broken bones and extended time off school. Also the barn made the parents pay to replace some broken jumps. And yet everyone enabled, enabled, enabled. Except the observers who were averting their eyes and being shushed when they tried to ‘have a quiet word’ with the enabling trainer and/or parents.
The thing that outrages me beyond all else is that this horse had basically flunked out of the program of one of the most horsemanship-oriented, skilled eventing trainers in the nation at the time. One who had international ribbons on horses that not many could ride effectively.
The seller had to know that this horse was dangerous to this kid, who was 13 years old at the time. But selling the horse at a steep discount to the dreamer kid who lived 1600 miles and a few USEA areas away solved the problem of what to do to get the horse off her bill. And far away, 3x the ‘500 mile rule’, so not out there contaminating her name in her horsey orbit.
The kid had a powerful personality and belief in herself and the horse, and the parents were incapable of standing up to this. kid. The home trainer vaccilated between delusionally optimistic and washing her hands when the kid couldn’t be diverted to another sale/purchase arrangement benefitting the trainer.
Kid was a hell of a rider and still is. But she blew up the years of her junior career in the madly mistaken belief that she could ‘fix’ this horse. Somehow she managed to figure it out around high school graduation, and took a couple of gap years to campaign a wonderful safe horse to many ribbons. Problem horse was retired to pasture as a pet & companion for someone’s other pasture horse.
Kid – now grown & in her 30’s – has some permanent injury holdovers to deal with, but nothing too bad. That was fortunate.
Professional horse people do not give classy-potential show horses to young kids they barely know – for free. Something is going on when that fit prime-years horse ends up in the kid’s hands. Horse is a no-hoper, and there is probably a grim reason why.
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Glad you found a good situation for him. If you do ever decide to further work up his behavior, I 110% recommend UPenn and Dr. Johnson’s team. Absolutely wonderful humans. Full workup, including CT/myelogram and 5 days stay was under $6k. As a team we decided on humane euthanasia and ending up with a diagnosis of EDM/eNAD. Horrific situation made bearable by the neuro team at New Bolton. I can’t say enough about them!
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He was probably never started for that reason. It’s not wrong to be totally upfront about his quirks and sell him with that knowledge. You would be surprised how differently some horses do with different riders. There are also horsemen out there that enjoy this kind of challenging horse. I have seen people take totally quirky horses and make super nice horses of them. It’s not for me but maybe someone else?
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