Trying to find US show record: horse imported from Germany

[RavtoadOH]

This was my very first thought, he didn’t appear sedated, but you just never know. He loaded into their trailer instantly, was well mannered at the park they hauled him to the first time, and I rode him in an smaller open field with a gravel track around it with park benches, picnic tables, and a covered area. There were definitely plenty of things to look at and people walking through the trails around the field area, so definitely a lot of opportunities for him to spook or bolt that day, but he was a complete gentleman.

The setup at the ring I rode with on disaster Saturday was a very “standard” barn setup and nothing out of the ordinary at the indoor that I would consider unusual or something that would be spooky for the average horse.

[findeight]

You are too trusting…

Horses are a journey with no defined finish line. You never know it all, there is always something new to learn. Some new things are lightbulb moments. Other new things are nasty, painful, expensive surprises you wish you never learned. Learn and continue on your journey the wiser for it.

[vxf111]

I am not in any way blaming the OP.

But an imported warmblood with great breeding that is seemingly sound and a good size/age for $15k sold by some nobody who has been trail riding it… yeah, that’s sus. And no way I’d be getting on that (for a first ride or a second ride) without seeing it go first.

[RavtoadOH]

In what respect? I drove down fully expecting something seriously wrong with him the first tim and was in no way believing the stories on this horse, I also brought someone with me each time and throughly talked about the situation with my barn manager/friend before the first visit, after and multiple times throughout. It’s also why I made this post in the first place, trying to gather more info from I had previously found.

The only issue here is the lack of ability to see the actual rider on the horse the first time and my choice to ride him after lunging him. The first ride went great with no issues at all.

I also throughly hand walked and lunged him prior to getting on him the second time. I didn’t have any indications that the horse would bolt in that manner. He was “up” but not in a way I thought he would ever end up uncontrollable and he responded to all commands on the lunge and in hand. If I thought he would have any indication of that level of danger, I wouldn’t have ridden him.

[endlessclimb]

I’m not sure why you continue to lecture the seller. What happens sucks but you aren’t the first and won’t be the last - live, learn, move on.

[RavtoadOH]

How am I lecturing the seller? I sent her a message and I said what I needed to say in one text. She reached out multiple times afterwards when I did not respond back. I finally made a few responses back because of her messages back to me and how completely incorrect her perceptions of what happened were.

Lecturing? Absolutely not.

[ThreeWishes]

@vxf111

But an imported warmblood with great breeding that is seemingly sound and a good size/age for $15k sold by some nobody who has been trail riding it…

Agree absolutely. Biggest red flag to me was the price. So glad you are all right OP!

[Jackie_amp_Starlette]

I know someone who had a horse like this. Very experienced equestrian. Focused on endurance and trail riding. She bought him as a yearling, researched his breeding (QH). Did everything right. He got big - 16.1 hands. Sweet on the ground. However, he would unexpectedly lose his mind and bolt - no stopping him - when riding. Took him to a good trainer who experienced it and told her the gelding was unsafe. She kept riding him until he bolted and ran her into a tree on the trails and left her with a concussion and broken ribs. She did stop riding him after that, but a big guy farrier fell in love with him, and with full disclosure, she let the farrier have him.

This horse had the best upbringing but still had a screw loose. You thought he was safe until he wasn’t. Not defending the seller but the OP.

[endlessclimb]

Just block her. I wouldn’t have sent a message at all. Just walk away. I know you had your hopes up and it really sucks, but there is no talking to people like this. I would warn all my friends that were looking for a horse and just move on.

[endlessclimb]

@RavtoadOH

I did mention this to her later stating that if you are asking 15k for a horse, I would expect him to at least be brushed.

It’s this sort of thing. You are too invested in this. I would NEVER say this to a seller.

[endlessclimb]

@RavtoadOH

I’ve had extensive conversation with her post incident and there is a lot of head in the sand reasoning. Everything from “the barn owner told me that a lot of horses spook at that end of the arena” to there must have been predators in the bushes that spooked him

I explained in depth the level of severity the bolt was and it is not normal response but rather trauma based or possibly neuro/physical. I’ve also brought up several points of misinformation I’ve been given from the timeline she keeps stating she’s owned this horse for, to where he was bred, to her directly telling me he hadn’t been ridden in a month the first time I tried him and she was barely riding, to “I ride him all the time” after this weekend’s incident happened. There’s a lot excuses here and that’s what bothers me. I just sincerely hope she doesn’t push this horse off to another rider without letting them know what happened. I also suggest she find a very experienced trainer to work with him over and around fences that she tells his entire history to, including what happened this weekend before anyone else even considers getting on his back.

And this…

[RavtoadOH]

Young have his completely wrong, that’s not why I continued to speak to her. I continued to speak to her because this is a very dangerous horse and she had it in her mind that this was downplayed and him “spooking”. I stated why that was not the case, examples as to why, and also stated a large concern is that I don’t want this to happen to someone else.

The whole reason I am upset is that I feel there was deception here and I was hurt because of it, and I don’t want someone else in the same position being hurt more seriously than I am. Not because I am “disappointed”

[RavtoadOH]

Good for you.

[endlessclimb]

It’s not your place. You are speaking to a wall with this woman. You imply that you had inklings of this from the start. You took a chance, and realized why he was $15k the hard way. That really sucks. But you kvetching at the seller doesn’t change a thing - the horse is still on the market and will be sold to someone.

You were too invested in this. I get it. But it’s not your place to tell the (sketchy to start with) seller to brush their horse, and how to write the sales ad. You can tell anyone who asks you, but trying to lecture them is pissing in the wind.

[endlessclimb]

@RavtoadOH

I continued to speak to her because this is a very dangerous horse and she had it in her mind that this was downplayed and him “spooking”.

I thought you continued to speak to her because she was blowing your phone up. Which is weird, when you should have just blocked her.

This whole thing is now sus, to me. You, her, the horse, the whole thing.

[RavtoadOH]

I’m “sus”?

[endlessclimb]

Yeah, you’re someone no one will want to sell to if you are going to blow a sellers phone up about grooming their horse better and what’s wrong with their animal when the horse doesn’t work out.

That’s really weird. Hey, maybe it’s just me. If it were me, I’d have moved on the second I was in the car to go to the ER. Finito.

[RavtoadOH]

Blowing the seller’s phone up? I sent ONE text where I made a statement at the end about him not being groomed after I said what I felt needed to be said about the situation. She reached out after multiple times.

SHE also asked me to follow up with her after I left that day, which I did in the one text I mentioned. In no way does that make me “sus”.

[firecracker]

Not really sure why some posters are going after the OP here. My take on all of this is that the OP initially made this thread in an attempt to get more information on the horse, and then he or she came back with an update after a trial ride went horribly wrong. I think it’s totally understandable for the OP to be upset after what happened, and to want to vent a bit to other horse people that have been reading along and are invested in the situation. I don’t get the impression that the OP is obsessively going after the seller, and I think chances are good that the OP will ultimately process this as a really difficult lesson learned, and then move on. I think the whole thing is probably still very raw and upsetting to the OP, considering the traumatic ride and the resulting ER trip.

Yes, of course it’s good to highlight that this is an example of why it is always a good idea to have the seller (or someone on their behalf) ride the horse first, especially in a potentially questionable situation. But that can be conveyed in a way that is kind to the OP here, who has been through a lot throughout all of this.

OP, hope you’re healing up well, and I’m sorry this happened to you. I’m with you on the fact that it sounds like this seller is a pretty crappy human… based on the ad I looked at, and the information you shared here.

[endlessclimb]

@RavtoadOH

I sent ONE text where I made a statement at the end about him not being groomed after I said what I felt needed to be said about the situation.

That must have been one long text to include all the information you said you talked to her about.

It’s time to move on. It was time to move on the second your spidey senses started going off. It sucks you got hurt, but like many others have said - if it seems too good to be true, it usually is. Live and learn. Trying to lecture the seller when they clearly do not care is not going to be effective.