Well, yesterday was interesting. In the morning we had this whole saga about the car that Phil wants to buy, and the rudest car salesman in the world. We first saw the car on Friday, and he was not only offhand and rude to us during the whole visit, he wouldn’t let us testdrive it without an apppointment. So we came back Saturday, cash in hand, and the price was suddenly £500 higher because he’d supposedly just realised that it had been advertised online for a higher price. Total prick. Phil test-drove it anyway, expecting him to negotiate. I succumbed to a childish impulse while they were gone and pressed fingerprints all over every car in the showroom because he was such a dick. They came back, and he wouldn’t sell us the car for the originally-advertised price. He wanted £129 more. For that small amount, he let people with £6500 cash in their hands walk away from a deal. Insane.
Then we went to see the horse, which was in Warwickshire, quite a drive. He was a nasty little beast. Pretty, but quite small, and I wasn’t overly impressed with his movement. When they told me that he bucked people off, that wasn’t quite true: what he does is a lightning-quick drop of his shoulder and twist out to the other side, which is wickedly effective. I’m pretty good at staying in the pad, but he was impossible. It’s so quick that you don’t even realise that it is happening until you’re already in midair. He laid me out flat in this rock-hard field twice before we finally called it a day. The professional trainer that she had him with supposedly got him through it, because she saw him being worked normally in the school, so perhaps he’ll work through this and stop once he develops some sort of work ethic. It’s a well-practiced little trick, though – you can tell he’s had a lot of people off because he does it the same way each time, and he’s quite calm while he does it.
I don’t know…I’m desperate to have a horse to work, but I don’t want to get seriously hurt. Plus I’m a bit nervous about her overly-optimistic view of his potential: she wants to skip right over unaffiliated shows, go straight to affiliated, and try to bring him up through the levels as quickly as possible, which is NOT going to happen. I think if I spent the summer getting him rideable, she’d take him to a professional rider to show. Someone like that definitely wouldn’t take him on now, but once he’s going well, since she’s talking about financing his competitive career, I think an ambitious rider would have her hand off at the elbow. I just don’t think it’s going to be me, but I’m going to consider it for a few days.
My ass hurts….I don’t bounce like I used to. ;)
That was killian’s move, often followed by a helf roll if you were not already out of the saddle. There aren’t many horses who can unseat me either, but that move from an 1800 lb horse with anger issues, no thanks :-) It’s definitely a well practiced trick in both cases.
I think what you think, that you may get the dirty work, but once he’s going well she’d turn him over to a pro, you should seriously consider waiting. I know it’s hard, I’m in the same boat, but you won’t be much use to any horse while seriously injured.
ny ass feels sore just reading about that! nasty twisting dumper horses are just … unfun. Some can be good lesson horses IF they only dump (say before a fence) if ridden incorrectly but go well when ridden well. But then you get ones that do it just ‘because’.
It’s definitely a choice for you … hard to tell what his attitude is really like and I can’t see savoring that many contacts with ground. Yet, it would be something different than Kip!
and MEH to stuck up salesmen :P
I can’t imagine a horse of Killian’s size and power doing that – it was bad enough on a 15.3, unfit horse. :( I agree, as well – I think I’d risk my neck to get him rideable, and then she’d whisk him away to a pro to start his competitive career.
Yeah, I’m really hobbling around today. :( I think he’d always be untrsutworthy – it would always be in his arsenal.
I’m thinking…not. Let someone else do it.
That’s what I see, if he’s discovered this and *has* an arsenal. Killian would just do it, no warning, and everyone I had watch said I was riding her beautifully, I had saddle fitters, massage people, vets, it was just learned, and that’s what this guy seems to have.
I knew I’d never truly be able to trust her, no matter what the training, for it would come out of nowhere after many good rides.