11 yr old standard breds

Question
I recently rescued 2 11 yr old standardbreds from a farm. the gelding was raced 3 -4 times when younger, the mare (his 1/2 sister) has never been raced. I was told both horses have been western saddled and good to ride. i have had the two of them for about a month. it took this long for them to trust us. my wife a biginner rider and myself, I've been riding all my life & did some training when i was younger. I am now 61, and these horses scare the crap out of me, I can't seem to keep their attention, they want to get away all the time, i can't even tie them up for grooming without them feeling tremendous fear. All we wanted was a couple of trail horses and we were told these would be perfect and they had been ridden all winter. I can't get near them with anything in my hand other than a carrot, they reach for it, take it and run. I don't know what to do at this point. should I send them back, hire a trainer, ????

Answer
Hi George,
           It sounds like you and the horses are not a good match. I think you said it best when you stated that they scared you and you are the experienced one. These are not the horses for you and your wife. I would send them back and purchase something that you will both be able to ride. If you are able to, try the new horses out prior to your buying them or hire a trainer to help you find the proper horses. With the way the horse market is, you should be able to find the perfect horse easily.

Lisa