I wouldn’t ever consider a horse that had dangerous vices such as rearing, bolting, biting and kicking.
Now, if it came down to making a decision on an otherwise nice horse but had more annoying than dangerous vices, I would likely turn down a horse that didn’t tie. I have horsey friends that have horses like this and I find it to be a big annoyance. I’m sure with time, I could train said horse to at least tie for a bit but I would prefer a horse that is cool to stand where I park it.
My “deal breaker” is a horse that is hard to catch.
I have a limited amount of time to ride, and my horses are always kept in large pastures. So I need to catch my horse NOW and not mess around with it.
Herd-bound or buddy sour horses I can work with. Same with trailer loading.
Some degree of “naughty” (bucking, bolting, etc) I am willing to work with. Some just need some regular riding under their belt to take care of it.
Cribbing would depend. I don’t normally keep my horses stalled or confined, so it may not be an issue if they are out on pasture.
Rearing, personally, I won’t take the time to fix. So I guess that one would be a deal-breaker too. There’s too many horses out there without this nasty bad habit, that I’d rather work with. Same would go for a horse that was overally agressive and went out of their way to bite or charge a human. Too many good horses out there to deal with one that simply has a mean mind.
training issue, but–horse that will not stand to be mounted. makes me INSANE. :mad: (and since i ride schoolies, i can’t exactly train this issue out of each horse i ride.)
Most of us are thinking of horses for our personal use without top level competitive aspirations, so there are a lot of deal-breaking vices we wont tolerate!
But I think of those cheesy movies in which the misunderstood racehorse is going to be killed because he is “mean”. NO, if he is fast, he will be valued!
For me, I wont tolerate dangerous vices (though I one owner a “bolter” but I make a distinction because he didn’t run blind - had a sense of self preservation). I could deal with somewhat hard to catch or a bad loader (had one of each and mostly resolved) I don’t mind mild cribbing but it could be an issue as I have to board.
I agree, I mostly want a horse that seems happy to work with me.
fixable- but your timing must be spot on. When Horsey pull his leg, immediately (before that leg hits the ground) MOVE him backwards at a speed and distance he finds very uncomfortable. Preferably backwards up a hill. Until Horsey implores you to stop, then back more until you say stop. Horsey will soon learn standing still is a good thing.
*For farrier safety, coordinate with farrier on this plan beforehand 
I dont deal with dangerous horses. One that bolt, bite, kick, rear, and are untrainable.
I can train a horse that hates to trailer, I trained my mare who hated to load/unload/kicked the heck out of the trailer to stand and ride quietly. She loads and unloads perfect now.
She cribs, which is unfortunate, but not a deal breaker. I also have had weavers, stall walkers, pawers, wood chewers, stall kickers, and alpha jerks. I usually have no issues and most can be dealt with.
I train horses to tie, stand, and lead when they come so its not a big issue if they are uneducated when they come. A dangerous horse though is hard if not impossible to fix.
My deal breakers are:
Horses that pull back when tied
Rearers/spinners
[QUOTE=Bem55;8895334]
I think we may use slightly different terminology - I have a windsucker - attaches to a post, arches neck and ‘inhales’. Honestly, out of all the weird horses and other things I put up with it is what bothers me the least. He is an absolute gem of a horse, lovely paces, well mannered and easy to take out places. I have another that fence walks and that annoys me waaaaay more he also throws his dinner bucket and eats off the ground, that also annoys me more than the windsucking!
Cribbing for me is chewing wood - which I agree is annoying and destructive. But honestly, if the horse is perfect in every other way I would look past it.
My deal breakers are nasty and dominant personalities. I do not tolerate aggressive or dominant horses who are constantly fighting you to be in charge, I can’t stand biting either. Rearing is also a big no.[/QUOTE]
I have always used the term cribbing instead of windsucking, although the latter is descriptive. But cribbing is not chewing wood, at least, not according to what I have heard, and not according to sources I’ve read. The Horse.com discusses cribbing (windsucking, not biting wood) in this article:
http://www.thehorse.com/articles/36878/taking-a-bite-out-of-cribbing
The Merck Veterinary Manual makes a distinction between cribbing and lignophagia (wood chewing):
http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/behavior/normal_social_behavior_and_behavioral_problems_of_domestic_animals/behavioral_problems_of_horses.html?qt=cribbing&alt=sh
Cribbing (Aerophagia, Windsucking)
When cribbing, the horse usually grasps an object in the stall (such as the water bucket) with its incisors, flexes its neck, and sucks air into the pharynx. Some horses will aspirate or swallow the air. In some cases, horses will suck air without grasping any object. Feeding highly palatable food (eg, grains, molasses) is associated with cribbing. Lack of exercise is also associated with cribbing; endurance horses are less likely to do it than race or dressage horses. Thoroughbreds are more prone to cribbing than other horses. The rate of cribbing is higher in confined horses; however, even if the horse is turned to pasture once the behavior is established, it will persist. It is possible that GI discomfort can lead to cribbing. One of the major complications of cribbing is damage to the incisors. Other problems include gastroduodenal ulcers and epiploic foramen entrapment. In most cases, cribbing is a benign behavior that does not affect the horse’s welfare and does not require treatment. Close to 10% of foals 20 wk of age will start cribbing when weaned and placed in stalls. Those kept on pasture will not start. It has been speculated that horses can learn cribbing by watching other horses; however, no clear evidence exists.
Cribbing can be diagnosed by finding U-shaped pieces missing from fences and horizontal surfaces in the stall, and worn incisors and enlarged neck muscles in horses that crib. In some cases, the caretaker may directly observe the behavior. Management should include more roughage, exercise, and social contact. Turning confined horses to pasture may help, and providing toys and stimulation is also advocated. Placing a strap around the horse’s neck behind the poll will apply pressure each time the horse tries to flex its neck. This essentially punishes the horse for cribbing, with the punishment associated with the behavior and not the caretaker. Alternatively, an open-end muzzle can be applied. This will allow the horse to eat and drink but prevent it from grasping objects to crib on. Some horses find a way to crib with the muzzle (eg, grasping a linear object, such as a stick), and most horses seem to tolerate the strap better than the muzzle. Keeping stalls free of horizontal surfaces and objects that the horse can grasp can help minimize cribbing. A variety of surgeries have been suggested to manage cribbing; however, the varying success rates and negative impact on animal welfare are significant disadvantages.
Wood Chewing (Lignophagia)
Like a horse that cribs, a wood-chewing horse will grasp pieces of wood with its incisors, but unlike in cribbing, it will swallow the pieces. The definitive cause of wood chewing is lack of roughage in the diet. Confinement, high-concentrate diets, and lack of exercise and stimulation increase incidence of wood chewing. Horses on pasture normally spend 8–12 hr/day grazing, while confined horses spend <3–4 hr/day feeding. Wood chewing increases in cold, wet weather. Providing more roughage, exercise, stimulation, toys, or social contact can reduce incidence of this behavior. Eliminating exposed wood and covering fence edges with wires and taste repellents can also help minimize wood chewing.
Having been around a truly dangerous horse - one with zero regard for humans - that is my only deal breaker. I can live with just about everything else, but a horse that runs you down in the middle of a wide open pasture is NOT to be tolerated.
I’ve owned horses that didn’t tie and wouldn’t load - and I don’t like it, but at least they weren’t dangerous. Not purposely, anyway.
I sent back a horse that wouldn’t tie. It hadn’t been disclosed to us and the first time we thought it was perhaps just a fluke. But when he pulled back and broke either a halter or a tie two more times, we just decided it was too dangerous and took him back (it was a lease). The horse would be fine and then just lose his mind and freak out and pull back and there was no getting to him. No bueno.
I’ve had a cribber and he was the best horse. Never colicked. Never “passed it on” to other horses. Granted, he was kept at home so it didn’t have to bother anyone but me and Mr. PoPo!
The one thing I had that I would not have again is a horse with total disregard for a person on the ground. Something was wrong with this horse and he just didn’t get it about boundaries and herd hierarchy. I’m guessing maybe he was an orphan foal. Various trainers and all sorts of attempts at vet/chiro/acupuncture/saddle fit/whatever didn’t entirely give me an answer. He was dangerous to be around and ultimately I had him put down before he seriously hurt anyone (he bit two people in the time I had him - I wasn’t around either time).
I probably wouldn’t have a horse that couldn’t handle trail riding.
Now that I’ve started my first on my own, I don’t know that I would actually buy another horse that was started by someone else. I know everything that has been done with her, good or bad, and don’t have to guess if maybe something bad happened somewhere/sometime to cause a behavior under saddle that might spring up on me when I least expect it.
I will say that my pony paws sometimes and that does drive me nuts.
Bolting when it is not a result of spooking. Spooking is understandable and can be trained to a certain extent. Bolting and taking the bit and not listening to the brakes at all scares the crap out of me. Bad experience as a teen and triggers some PTSD.
I used to say mine was a bad loader, but I’ve fixed that in horses since, so…
I always tell myself that I would own a cribber if he was otherwise perfect. But I catch myself saying “nope” and scrolling on by as soon as I read that word in an ad. So that’s probably a deal breaker.
I’m NOT ok with malicious/aggressive behavior. Acting a fool or throwing a temper tantrum is one thing. But I refuse to deal with a horse that I’m afraid to lead because he might strike out at me, unprovoked? Nope.
I’m too old for a dangerous horse (bolting, rearing, agressive).
Five years ago cribbing was a deal breaker for me and I passed up a fantastic mare that cribbed. I’ve regretted that ever since. Having learned from that mistake, I ended up buying a cribber last year. To my surprise I’ve found it’s not nearly as much of a hassle as I expected it to be.
[QUOTE=LaurieB;8896068]
To my surprise I’ve found it’s not nearly as much of a hassle as I expected it to be.[/QUOTE]
My biggest concern has always been that they’ll end up inhaling a splinter or building up that terrible under-neck muscle. Plus the theoretical damage to the fences. What has your experience been like so far?
my deal breaker is a horse who is just plain mean/rude. i know a few friends that have horses that kick, bite, chase, and corner them in the stall or field as well as bully other horses that i would not tolerate ever.
Ferdinand (March 12, 1983 – 2002) was a Thoroughbred racehorse who won the 1986 Kentucky Derby and 1987 Breeders’ Cup Classic. He was voted the 1987 Eclipse Award for Horse of the Year… he was eaten by the Japanese
[QUOTE=LaurieB;8896068]
I’m too old for a dangerous horse (bolting, rearing, agressive).
Five years ago cribbing was a deal breaker for me and I passed up a fantastic mare that cribbed. I’ve regretted that ever since. Having learned from that mistake, I ended up buying a cribber last year. To my surprise I’ve found it’s not nearly as much of a hassle as I expected it to be.[/QUOTE]
This is how I ended up with a cribber. He was SUCH a good baby I figured I wouldn’t find a better brain (plus I was told he had only tried it once which I dont think was true).
My weaver is just an awesome horse-hes taken me from teh hunters to eq to eventing. He is SO fun to ride with tons of personality. I just wish I could get him to stop the few times hes actually in a stall. Like at a show, he will weave him self into a tizzy. Ill take him out for a walk if i catch it-I call it his “reset”. Sometimes that works, sometimes it doesn’t. Its most concerning to me at shows because the stalls are concrete floors and he pushes his bedding around and ends up standing on concrete all night. At home at least I have mats.
[QUOTE=talkofthetown;8896217]
My biggest concern has always been that they’ll end up inhaling a splinter or building up that terrible under-neck muscle. Plus the theoretical damage to the fences. What has your experience been like so far?[/QUOTE]
I can only speak from my experience with my horse. He normally only cribs after he eats. He has pulled two fence boards down, but it was after a night where I didn’t tighten his collar.
I do take his collar off when he comes in to eat and let him crib away on the stall guard for a few minutes. Some behaviorist suggest this is better for them and that its more detrimental to stop them 100% from doing it.
He maybe has a bit of muscle under his neck, but hes also right off the track and not in work right now, so I imagine when I put him back to work it will go away.
[QUOTE=talkofthetown;8896217]
My biggest concern has always been that they’ll end up inhaling a splinter or building up that terrible under-neck muscle. Plus the theoretical damage to the fences. What has your experience been like so far?[/QUOTE]
I have a cribber kinda like some others here…wasn’t told she cribbed (was actually told she didn’t!) but got her home and yup. That’s a cribber.
She’s super mild about it, doesn’t wear a collar and cribs for maybe 3 minutes after dinner or a few times after a treat. She’s not caused any damage to fencing and doesn’t even wear her teeth–I ask the dentist every time she’s floated.
She also has topline for DAYS and no ugly under neck muscle at all.
She’s on my mental “sure, maybe this horse could be for sale one day” list, and it’s disheartening to hear how many people wouldn’t even look at her because of her minor little addiction. Sigh. Ah well.
Absolutely any behavior that is a sign of a lack of self-preservation. This may be rearing or maybe not. I rode a stallion for a little while who loved to rear as we walked by some of the turnouts to show off his manliness :o. I felt 100% safe on that horse. He reared pretty much every. single. day. One that makes you think you may or may not flip over? Or run through a fence? Or fall down? Yeah, no thank you. I’ve also had some occasional bolters and lots of buckers. If they aren’t trying to put me in the dirt or do something that may take us both out, I don’t really care. I draw the line at the horse doing those things and mentally having a screw loose.
I also hate the pissy kickers. The ones that just cow kick the stall wall, or trailer, or whatever. It’s loud and obnoxious and stresses other horses out and breaks stuff.
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