Advise on searching for new horse

[Jen1706]

Hi All
All my life I have wanted to own a horse and have always shared / loaned, I am now in a position to buy my own which I am really excited about however I’m struggling to find the right one.
I really want to do eventing up to about 80 / 90 and have done it in the past but I can be nervous jumping, I want a horse that is not going to pick up on the nerves when they happen! I am having lessons at the moment which is really helping my confidence but only once a week this is going to take some time! As I will be wanting to push myself into going cross country and jumping back to 80 / 90 the nerves I can not see going but I really enjoy doing it!
I am not nervous on the flat and love schooling and hacking it is just jumping!
How do I go about finding a suitable horse? I have had mixed responses from dealers from I should not be looking for a horse until I get back jumping to oh yes horse is well schooled and a good confidence giver (but then is not well schooled!).
I have a budget of £5k and I do not want a TB or a lightweight sports horse, I do not mind age and looking up to the age of 15.
Do you think the horse I’m after exists with my budget?
Thank you for reading.

 

[be positive]

In my experience all horses will pick up on a rider being nervous it is how they deal with it that is the important factor, a generous, forgiving horse with several years of experience being ridden relatively well will probably still get on with the job provided you set them up fairly well, a less generous/ green or one that has been messed about in the past will probably decide it is too much to deal with and not help the less confident rider.

I would be looking for a horse with a proven record, ideally ridden by a good rider who has established everything at the level you want to do, not cut corners but is not so professional that the horse relies on the rider too much, with your budget you will probably be looking at a mid teens horse, anything younger will probably be well over budget if it is doing the job you want it for, a horse being sold due to uni could be ideal, most dealers will not have in horses with the miles on the clock you require or if they do they should be over budget if they are genuine.

Take your time, be flexible on some things that are less important, colour/ age/ height for example, if you are small consider a good pony or chunky cob if you need a bigger type, accept a blemish that will have no bearing on ability, keep saving if you can as what you want is very desirable and will command a premium price.

 

[TGM]

It might be worth looking for a share horse or part loan as an intermediate step before buying a new horse. This would be a good time of year to look for a share as people are struggling with time in the winter. That way you could hopefully get your jumping confidence (if you find the right horse) more quickly than with once a week lessons, but without the commitment of shelling out a lot of money on a horse that might be wrong for you. After six months or so of sharing you are going to be in a far better situation to find the right horse for you.

 

[ihatework]

I don’t think the perfect horse exists in your budget, but I do think you will find a forgiving 80/90 type schoolmaster who won’t completely take advantage of your nerves.

You will have to compromise on something though - it could be the flatwork is poor or a vice etc.

You need to look at a horse that is proven to do the job you want with a comparable standard rider as yourself.

You might be worth investing in wanted adverts

 

[Sparemare]

As usual I agree with Be Positive,

 

[Molasses]

Take your time, the right one is out there for you, have confidence in yourself

 

[SO1]

I would contact a few local riding clubs or pony clubs locally and see if they know of anything that might be suitable. Pony club classified pages might be good as well.

 

[Shay]

I think TGM's suggestion is worth considering. The horse that you need just at the moment may well not be the horse you need in a year or so. What you need right now is a genuine schoolmaster type to help with nerves and get you out and about over those first hurdles (pun intended). But in 12 months or so you may well need something a little more outgoing. Sharing or loaning for a while - if you can find a decent one - would let you get your feel under the table in terms of horse ownership and let you find a horse which is ideal for you right now without worrying overmuch if it will still meet your goals once you are a bit more established. You can move on without the wrench of having to sell - and without having to compromise on age / vice / blemish as you would at the moment.

 

[hopscotch bandit]

Friend got hers from a dealer who went abroad to his contact with her list of requirements, i.e. colour, sex, height as she was very specific. If she could have drawn a sketch of her potential horse he would have fitted the bill EXACTLY which was really scary. Her dealer would actually take his clients to visit his contact in Holland if you wanted to be more involved and you could try up to a dozen suitable horses in a single day in order to narrow your search down.All he asked for was the air fare involved which was around £40 return (back in 2004). Horse Quest, H&H horses for sale and horse deals are all websites you could go on to look and narrow your search down. Same friend when looking for her previous horse put an flyer ad up on all the lorries on the car park where she had previously competed looking for a particular horse and again got exactly what she wanted so there are lots of ways of doing this search. Also posters up in local feed merchants, riding club notice boards, etc, etc.

 

[MiJodsR2BlinkinTite]

I would suggest OP, as you are obviously (forgive me for being honest) quite a novice, that you ask your instructor(s) at the riding school what sort of horse would suit you.

Maybe there is a loan/share arrangement at the riding school which you could think about? I know a lot of riding schools do offer this arrangement, where you "share" the horse with someone else for approximately half the week, and it does seem to work well in most cases, tho' flexibility is needed with stuff like competitions, special events etc.

This would mean that you've always got someone there to supervise you in case you need it, and who could deal with the situation if there was a problem.

The one thing that is worse than no horse, is the wrong horse, believe me, and it would be all too easy to happen. Unfortunately not every dealer out there is honest and reputable, and if you don't know what you're doing you could be easily sold a wrong'un. If you ARE thinking about going to dealers yards then you'd be best to take a knowledgeable friend who knows you and your riding ability, and isn't afraid to be honest! Such as one of your instructors, they'll know what's what and would be an ideal person to take along.

Good luck!