14:2/3hh cob gelding
Year of Birth 2018
No breeding listed or parentage stated on passport.
Up to date with current vaccines, flu jab due in Oct 2024.
History
He came to us when his previous owner was no longer able to look after him due to ill health. She had cared for him diligently after rescuing him from the travelling community where he had obviously been beaten and half starved, left with rain scald, petrified of men and sudden movements. We’ve done what we can to return him to full strength and he is such an affectionate boy who loves all the cuddles and fussing a horse is able to get. However, he’s still very wary of men, especially those he doesn’t know.
Ridden
Established with 3 good paces this lad is a very forward cob, and loves going out on hacks. He’ll happily pop a little XC fence, up to about 70cm’s easily, but he’s a little careless show jumping and isn’t fussed if he clatters a pole so I think you’ll struggle to get him to do a nice clear round. He’ll ride a decent prelim test but his suppleness isn’t great for moving him beyond that and sometimes the schooling environment can stress him.
The tricky thing with Little Bee is that he’s cold backed. Doesn’t buck, or rear but we’ve been very careful in how he’s treated when you get on, in so much as he should stand himself still and then wait for the rider to be aware of when he’s feeling stressed or when it’s good for the rider to mount. His new owner will have to understand you can’t rush this boy when mounting and they will need to earn his trust. For me to get on it’s a non-event, however, new people he is very wary of and he instantly tucks up. For this reason he needs just one person, a person he can learn to trust, a person who can read his very clear body language and a person who won’t rush him or get stressed. The video below is a very honest insight into this behaviour, I know there will be critics who say “He’s just being cheeky”, and trust me that could develop if allowed, however, he is cold backed and this is his way of managing that.
All that is totally worth it when he’s such a great hacking and XC horse…..
Likes and Dislikes
He loves to be fussed and cuddled. If there is something going on he’ll be in the middle of it. He’s a super character and a very curious sole who has to know about everything that’s happening. He likes his food, and almost a little too much as we’re careful to keep an eye on his weight, especially when the good grass starts to come through. He loves XC and hacking, great on fun rides and never spooky or silly. However, he can be forward and occasionally strong; for that reason I would say he isn’t a novice ride.
He dislikes nervous and tense riders, he mirrors their tension and won’t settle. He’s not fussed about show jumping and has never been a careful horse with poles and will occasionally knock a fence. This could improve with schooling as he wasn’t jumped at all before he was 5years old to allow his growing body to mature. He show’s signs in the summer of being a slight headshaker, but it’s generally only on the return leg home on hotter days. We’ve never found a cause and it doesn’t affect his way of going. He’s not a fan of his flymask but will tolerate having one on, however, he does not like it to have a net over his nose. Nor is he a fan of flyspray, but again, we’ve worked on this and he will settle to be sprayed. He’s getting better with being hosed down; he was terrified of water from a hose when he arrived but last summer we spent a lot of time getting him to relax and be calm to be washed down after hacking.
He’s great to clip, shoe (he’s currently hot shod), for the dentist, load and travel.
The Future
We can see him going to an older rider, not a teen or child. He is a wonderful hacking horse who would be happy all day out on the trail but can also do the odd fun ride or competition. But he isn’t a high level competition horse. He needs to learn to trust the new rider hence why he will be available for loan to stay at current yard for them to build their partnership. All new homes will be thoroughly vetted.
