Need advise on first horses

[Steve]

Everything you said makes a ton of sense Saddle Sore.

There's no sense in keeping a horse like that.

That horse was kept with another old horse, that was crippled up.  They were kept together for the last three years.  Well, the owner of that old horse decided to put it down.  They did it right in front of my daughters horse, then they buried it with a back hoe.  My daughter's horse was freaking out the entire time.  It even tried to dig the horse back up by digging with it's hooves.  My daughter found out about all this.  She wasn't invited to be there when the Vet killed that old horse.  So, a few weeks ago, i had to drive almost 1200 miles to go get my daughter's horse.....She wanted to get it out of there.  Maybe this is another factor in why it is acting up now.

My daughter worked all last week.  On Saturday she woke up with blood in her ears and a severe head ache.  She was so dizzy she could hardly stand.  Her husband took her to the hospital for a CT scan.  Things looked okay, but she is still so dizzy that she can't drive or work.  I guess it may take months for a concussion like that to heal.

I'm going to do my best to get her to sell that knot-head horse.  i blame myself for not doing a better job of breaking it.....

[saddlesore]

Sometimes, it's not the person that trained them.The critter has a screw lose, wired wrong or something.I always see mules for sale that their team mate died or such . they go thru the auction and people buy them, then have trouble with them. After they lose their team mate,they are never right again. Some will actually sulk up an die on you. Hope all turns out OK for you and your daughter.

[Spade Creek]

I have always bought most of my horses and a mule from auctions.  I realize you aren't as knowledgeable as some so I would give this advice.  There are generally two types of horse auctions, regular and select.  At a general auction there can be very good horses that sell for cheap  ($1200-down) , but it takes experience and a little luck to find these types .  Also, at these auctions are the rank, unbroken, lame, problem horses that people are trying to dump.  So, if you go to an auction make sure you bring someone that has experience and can tell the difference. Up in Montana there is a auction in Billings called BLS.  It is a good auction that has the type of animals you are describing that sells in march called the outfitters sale. I would not consider this a select sale but close. 

The second type of auction is the select type.  These auctions are held every year and typically have the same sellers. They catalog the animals and give a brief description and picture.  Sometimes the sellers will preview the horse by ridding, roping or packing to show off its skills.  These types of sales are safer and sometimes are guaranteed or your money back.  I bought a mule at a select sale this spring and could not be happier.  Of course the down side is your going to spend some extra money at select sales.  There is a good select auction in Salmon Idaho in May, both horses and mules.

I have bought many over the years at sales, and thank god have never picked a bad one.  The few I did own that didn't work out i bought from friends, go figure.  Take your time and go to some auctions and just watch.  You can start to figure out which ones are the calm quite ones that you should buy.  You don't need the horse that the seller is running and spinning in the sale ring.  Look for the ones that are quite and have a good handle. I looked for three years before buying my first mule. I bought him at a catalog select sale.  He wasn't finished like some of the others but he sold for cheaper and I will just finish him myself.  Good luck