This might be a very nice horse most of the time, but this is a young horse who had at least one incident that made the owner get the vet out immediately, and even though apparently nothing was found by the vet, horse gets put up for sale. You are right to be worried about this. I would not be surprised if the PPE is clean. But my horse that had the biggest physical problems (including testing my ability to stay on, and I’m a very experienced rider) had the cleanest PPE.
11 Likes
The running martingale may or not be a red flag.
You didn’t say what discipline, but hunters typically use martingales as a fashion accessory whether the horse needs it or not.
I don’t think it is necessarily a bad thing that the owner had the vet out after the horse reared. We’ve all heard horror stories about bad trainers that punished horses for “being a dick” when they were in real pain.
The questions you have to ask yourself are
“Am I ready to handle a horse that may test my skills?”
And
“Do I want to spend a significant amount of money doing PPE on a horse I already have some misgivings about?”
Only you can know the answers to these questions.
As far as your horse search goes , you didn’t put in your location, but definitely look into OTTB that have been been recycled. I.e. CANTER, etc.
Good luck.
6 Likes
You said you were looking for a horse to be your companion for the next 20 years. Does this mean you are limiting your search to those under 6? At this point in your horse ownership, you might be better off with an older been there horse that might only last you 5-10 years! Or maybe look for a care lease with an older guy. Going from a lesson horse to a personal horse is a big step.
11 Likes
And no offense to the previous poster about OTTB, but fresh off the track is not for a novice owner. OTTB with several years retraining would be a different story.
7 Likes
Thank you for all the additional responses. I have considered an older horse as well, I’m open to anything ages 5-15, and am also open to some maintenance.
I have part boarded my schoolie for 1.5 years, and I also owned an OTTB for about the same period who was going to be a light riding horse for me but had a catastrophic injury in the pasture that flared up an old injury and had to be PTS this spring. She had a great temperament, solid training, and a great restart that I was having “brushed up” before I was going to start riding her in lessons with the trainer. I did a LOT of groundwork with her over the last 6 months before she was injured.
I may not be a life-long horse person but I do understand the vet bills, maintenance, responsibility, etc that comes with ownership 
I understand the size of the “big step” it is to buy.
5 Likes
Horses rear for a lot of reasons. Pain. Fear. Play. Fighting. So to hear that a horse reared once means nothing without the story of how it happened. Direct from the people who were there.
I got a horse from the kill pen once who reared precisely one time when he was in a position where he couldn’t go backwards, left or right and didn’t want to go forwards (fear) so he went up. And over. Scared us both! But he never did it again until the day he died and he was so trustworthy I taught my husband to ride on him.
And my current horse will get light in front occasionally when she’s super excited. But you couldn’t offer me enough money to part with her!
So, there’s rearing and there’s rearing.
The thing I don’t like about this situation OP is that a) they didn’t give you the full story about what happened and b) they went direct to spine rads ($$) Vs checking on things that are cheaper and also routine maintenance (teeth, saddle fit) so there must have been back pain.
People look for pain issues when the rearing doesn’t seem to have been provoked by fear/emotional issues - or they can’t admit that. I think you need the full story, from the owner.
11 Likes
This is a great post. Since the horse is at a sales barn, I wonder how difficult it would be to get honest information from the owner.
1 Like
We don’t know anything about the actual owner, it’s possible the “rear” wasn’t even really a rear. Sometimes horses do something silly and it happens so quick the rider isn’t really sure what happened. I know it’s happened to me when I thought my horse did a huge buck or something but if I’m lucky enough to have it on video I see it looks quite different than it felt in the moment!
I’m not saying ignore it, do your due diligence but I wouldn’t write the horse off immediately based on this.
3 Likes
When we buy a horse, remember, is always caveat emptor, buyer beware.
All horses have stories, not all are complete stories.
He may have reared once with the seller, what is the story before said seller?
If that was a little rear without consequences, why mention it, why follow with a vet exam?
There may be more to that story for it to make sense.
8 Likes
I asked the seller for more info and got some minor additional insight.
- seller feels it was likely saddle fit, a rear does not seem to be something in this horses’ temperament ---- which I do agree, this horse appears to have a very kind, laid back nature based on the very small interaction I had and the videos I saw
- owner did not know why the horse reared, which is why she had him x-rayed to see if it was his back; he never did it again, they never determined a cause.
- no other info is available.
Based on this very limited info, plus the info that the owner was “getting out of horses” as the reason for selling, I do wonder if he was perhaps an expensive hobby that she didn’t spend a lot of time on, and she saw that she could fetch a good price in the current market.
I don’t know whether it was fully a rear, or more to the way of “getting light in the front end”. If it was me, I suspect if I had a horse that reared without any obvious reason, I would check MANY things - saddle fit, teeth, back pain - and would probably think twice about getting back on before figuring out the issue. If no issue, I would likely send to a trainer for assessment/help.
But, it wasn’t me, and I really would love to buy this horse, but am listening to that small voice in the back of my head that says something from the story is missing and it’s no worth the risk for me. I’m sure he’ll make a beautiful partner for someone else.
10 Likes
I don’t think a horse that has reared once with the owner would put me off. As another poster said above, there are rears, and there are rears.
If the rear was something like the horse got light in front and didn’t go forward, I wouldn’t be worried. If it was a real Hi-Ho Silver rear, then I wouldn’t be a fan.
It makes sense to do the PPE and pull blood (in case of drugs–and these might include pain medications as well). You should ask the seller (or the seller’s agent) point blank about any history of using medications or calming supplements on the horse. You might also ask how long ago the rearing episode was. Ask if the martingale was added after the fact; I’ve also known horses that hated running martingales and a episode of bad behavior could be related to the use of particular equipment.
I’d also talk frankly with your coach. Just tell her that you’d like to talk through whether she thinks rearing once is a red flag. Your coach knows you better than a bunch of strangers on the web does.
Good luck!
2 Likes
Omg, guys, this horse is in a sales barn, being sold by a professional!!! If they mentioned the horse reared “once” I will eat my hat if that is accurate. WAY more likely this horse has reared multiple times.
Also, the kind of horse you are looking for is often sold through word of mouth, if they are steady eddy worth their weight in gold types. Sellers don’t need consignment barns and sales commissions on those guys. (OK, as a rule – undoubtedly there are exceptions).
Those two facts together would make me pass on this horse.
34 Likes
The worst fall I ever had was from a horse rearing and flipping over. He was a sale horse I was trying out and I liked him enough to buy while riding him. I halted the horse to dismount an the next thing I know I was on the ground dodging horse parts that seemed like they were coming at me from all angles. This horse destroyed my confidence and I was never able to regain it. I’d say stay safe and keep looking.
9 Likes
I’m sure you have discussed this with your coach, but there is a massive difference between 5 and 15. At 5-6 there are still things the horse hasn’t experienced so you will find yourself in the situation of introducing them to something for the first time, which is not ideal if it is also your first time. At 15 they have hopefully experienced everything you want to do with them, so they can teach you the ropes. (This may be true of an 8-10 year old but they will be $$$$$$)
I agree with others who say pass. This sounds like a young horse who was too much for its owner. It is fine with the sales pros but when you get it home who knows.
6 Likes
As above do not buy a horse that has reared. It is their go to when a question is asked or they don’t wanna. It can be fatal or worse for the rider. Keep looking.
Also do not buy a horse that is being ridden in a martingale.
2 Likes
Horses are not “comfortable in a running martingale.” A running martingale is used to get a headset or to have additional leverage/control. Has the sale barn ever ridden him without it, just to see how he goes? Did you ride him with or without it in your test ride?
But even that isn’t a deal breaker for me necessarily - I remember a time when it seemed like everyone had running martingales because they were THE thing. I still have mine somewhere. So someone who really doesn’t know much about horses might have just started to use one because someone else said they should. If this horse will go without it, that’s fine.
As for the rearing incident - I’d want more information about that before I said yes or no. I was one a horse who reared. In her defense, she had nowhere to go but up. I would never hold that rear against that mare. I hold it against ME, for letting her get into that situation, but not her. So was it really a ‘rear?’ Why did she suspect the saddle or spine? I would want to talk to the owner, not the seller, about this one.
All that said . . . don’t rush this. A PPE is a good start, but I would want to talk to the owner before I even went forward with that. You need more information first. Maybe a second or third test ride, just to be sure. There are plenty of good horses out there.
2 Likes
In all honesty, if I were in your shoes, I’d be very hesitant to believe the horse has reared only once. The fact that they mentioned it at all to me either means it was truly once but was standing all the way up, or it’s an ongoing habit and they’ve mentioned it to mitigate liability. Either way, I’d urge you to wait and continue to look at more horses as they come up. I do have sympathy for how things are with the market right now, but better a few more months of looking than potentially getting very hurt or buying something unrideable and unsellable.
16 Likes
@MissusS, would it be possible to take this horse on trial for a couple of weeks? Maybe a very short term lease or a deposit with an understanding to buy if everything checks out. That way you and your coach and trainer could do a more thorough evaluation before you decide what to do. Obviously you don’t want to buy a horse that has a habit of rearing, whatever the reason. On the other hand, it would be a shame to pass on an otherwise perfect horse if the rearing doesn’t turn out to be an issue. If you can’t take him on trial, at least go for another 2-3 test rides. A trainer once told me that often a problem horse will be fine the first time or two with a new rider, then start to show his butt on about the third ride.
I agree with those who say the admission that the horse has reared is a red flag. But, like others have pointed out, that can happen for many reasons, and not just that the horse has an ingrained bad habit. IIWM, I’d want to really drill down deep into what was going on when the rear happened. Was the rear just popping his front feet up off the ground, or did he stand straight up and reach for the sky? And I’d really want to see how he goes without the martingale. The fact that you were told he’s “more comfortable” in a martingale makes me think the previous owner was worried about him going up.
3 Likes
The running martingale and the “…only reared once, …vet…” are red flags.
My horse reared once. I’d just gotten her and rode her to an area of the property that made her anxious. I didn’t call the vet. I call the vet when my horse is showing odd behaviors or – over some period of time.
This horse is being presented in an odd way, based on the information you described. My guess? The horse has some history with head tossing. Owner put a running on him, he tossed his head, hit the running, panicked, and reared. It happens a lot.
Walk away. Unless you are prepared to deal with rearing, this is not the horse for you.
9 Likes
I have decided not to proceed and have advised the seller as well as the few interested parties (vet, coach, few friends who knew). None of my “team” are holding it against me, all have agreed that when it comes to horses, gut feel or voice in the back of your head are valid purchase criteria.
I took a day off work with little notice and traveled 6.5 hours each direction to see the horse. I will not be in a position to make the trip again for additional test rides. If closer, 100% I would consider it. I am now smarter and will ask specifically buck/bolt/rear questions BEFORE traveling, rather than generic “vices, maintenance, soundness issues, quirks, suitable for an adult beginner” questions.
I asked about a trial and the answer was no, as the seller (pro) has had past issues with trials therefore does not do them any more.
There are photos of the horse riding without, and the seller did say they have ridden without the martingale with no issue. I also asked how often they ride and they said sales horses are ridden 3 times per week, so I believe he had 5 rides on him at the sales barn. I also had them ride for me before I mounted up.
If this were a local horse, or if I personally knew the players (seller or owner) I would work harder to find the rest of the story and find the fit because he really was perfection. If I didn’t know about the rearing, he would be getting vet checked and on his way home to me next week.
As for my stated age range of 5-15, and younger horses in the 5-8 range having not experienced things before, I have a very supportive barn including incredibly accomplished riders/trainers who are my support structure. I would not be introducing any young horse to new circumstances on my own. I already have enough self-preservation to have either a trainer or VERY accomplished rider put multiple rides on in the “new” situation before I hop on.
My brain is my most important asset and I will not risk a head injury (or any other significant, preventable injury) by being a Green rider on a Green horse in a new situation. I ride in the indoor arena 70%+ of the time (partly due to weather issues, partly due to safety considerations). I rode out in the outdoor jump field (with or without any jumps as high as a tiny cross rail) with my coach and/or other riders for an entire summer, plus this spring before taking my solid schoolie out there on my own under saddle over poles on the ground, even though he is VERY been there, done that. I’ll say it again: my entire professional worth as a working adult is tied to my brain functioning 100% and I take all precautions to keep that intact. I ride in a very expensive, highly rated cross country vest, even when (like today) it’s +35 celcius. I ride in a MIPS helmet. If anything feels off, I WTC both directions on a lunge before hopping on to ensure the horse I pulled out of the paddock today (the same one I have ridden for 3 years) is a horse I am comfortable getting on. I do groundwork religiously. I spend a lot of time just “being” with my horse. I respect that they have moods, opinions, and bad days. I value their health and my own.
25 Likes
