Horse Buying Nightmare: Not the Horse you thought you Bought

 Meet Tulip

The sales pitch said this: 

Tulip is a super fancy gorgeous buckskin quarter horse mare that stands 15.1 hands tall and has as much eye appeal as you could ever want in a horse. She is a 11 year old AQHA mare, she has been used for play days, 4-H, barrels and poles at the WSR a barrel races, And she has also been trail ridden extensively, she has a super good neck rein, walk trot lopes around extremely nice. She is good to catch, good for the Ferrier, loads and unloads good, good with other horses, Stands tied, Tulip does have one vice, She really doesn’t like her ears messed with, at some point in time someone must’ve rough handled her ears and now until she trusts you she does not like them messed with much.

Barn Name: Tulip

DOB- 11 years old

Height- 15.1 Hands

Color- Buckskin 

Gender- Mare 

Price- $5000

Rider- Advanced Beginner & Up

Disciplines-

Playdays

Barrels & Poles

4H 

Open Shows

Trail Riding 

"I think you would really like her she is a super broke super fun Mare that is 100% safe she only has one little quirk that she doesn’t like her ears messed with but isn’t bad about it someone at some point must’ve been very rough with her ears and now until she can trust you she is a little bit worried about it but extremely sweet and very easy to ride and very broke."

She was shipped across the country and delivered. It took her unsuspecting new owner two hours to get a halter on. Couldn't touch, tie, or trailer. The one riding attempt the horse started running backwards at full speed.

She's had her a year, and can do nothing other than catch her being very, very careful.

Here's my first session assessment:

Massive deep scarring in between her chest muscles as if impaled by something like a t-post, with random divets of missing flesh throughout her body, all healed. She's completely sound.

Atrophy and nerve damage to the left side of her face with trauma to the eye which is set deeper. 

Any movement with "intention"  towards her, she's fearfully running.

Raise your arms, horses in pasture move, trucks on the road slowly going past, she's running.

One tight, trembling, fearful horse. This isn’t just a case of bad training, but true trauma. 

I got her to mentally acknowledge me and "lead" without the rope attached. Then it took about 10 minutes to get her to accept me hand anywhere in proximity of her head to attach the rope to the halter.

After doing so, she was quivering, in her muzzle and shaking in her body. It was 85 degrees out.

As soon as the rope was attached, she was mentally gone, and physically locked up and braced in her body. As in hyperventilating in her breathing, hard severe steps, inflated neck and torso. I touched her neck with a finger and she bolted sideways as if touching electric fence.

I moved her to a temporary small area where I can work with her to start to build trust. Then I needed to get the halter off. It took close to 20 minutes for her not to thrash her head away, get read to run off, or go flying backwards.

One of my biggest peeves in the equine industry is how many professionals will lead on their clients promising blue sky potential. I'm quite the opposite because I think people need a realistic perspective to not be hopeful about how very much it will take to help a horse like this progress and recover. That way growth is appreciated and recognised without an end agenda overshadowing true, long-term changes and healing in the equine.

But these scenarios truly make me angry. Another website selling "pretty" horses that could get someone killed. I'm frustrated for the horses and unsuspecting owners. 

I watched this mare's sales video. 

I'm going to put it together with a current real session to give everyone a learning opportunity to see what most people wouldn't see in the sales pitch vs. reality. Join the Alternative Horsemanship with Samantha Harvey Facebook group to watch when it is posted.