Am I being realistic?

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Cat&Mouse

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I have had to make the heartbreaking decision to send my loan horse back due to him having to be retired from competition & various health issues meaning I can no longer keep him.

Having only just got back into competing I thought I would be without a horse to compete again, but my parents have agreed to help me get a horse & possibly a trailer

So I find myself horse hunting :eek: something I have not done for many years & both loan horses I have had recently have been from friends so I am well & truly out of the loop.
I have an absolute maximum of £2000 to spend & that eats into my trailer fund a little hoping to find a Ifor or something similar with alli floor but know they hold there money.

My criteria is something 15hh & above, current horse is 16.3hh TB so been used to a big striding horse, do like my big horses but I am only small so can compromise here & don’t want to over horse myself. I would like something as a general allrounder, I love to hunt, currently doing prelim dressage but would love to maybe try novice one day & unnafiliated eventing.
My current horse has been a dream to hunt/ride, forward going, responsive, sharp but fun, occasionally strong but never yanked my arms out all day hunting.
Needs to get on with Mares as have the 2 old family ponies & my other retired loan mare.
Will ride anything with quirks, spooks, excited bucks or bunny hop rears but do not want a napper/kicker or anything evil! Needs to have reasonable manners on the floor especially if it is a bit bigger I won’t be walked all over! Preferably something that doesn’t eat me out of house & home to keep weight on & something bit more hardy than my wimpy TB.
So how realistic is my budget?

On such a lovely day Ice cream to anyone that got this far
:)
 
Magnum Classic cheers! :cool:

I fear you are being a little optimistic with the budget you have, especially if you want anything to compete 'off-the-shelf', sorry! :o
 
if you like TBs your budget should be fine, if you would consider an exracer and are willing to put in the work you should be able to find something very nice under 1k.

TBs dont all have to live indoors, so may be worth considering.

I think its a buyers market and if your willing to deal with quirks you shouldnt have too much of a problem.

Good luck

:)
 
If i were you i'd definitely look for something with some ID in it or ID X TB ( Irish sports horse type ) My boy seems to be able to turn his toe to most things , he can jump , would do a bit of dressage no probs ( although we don't ) is bold enough to go cross country , and is a safe and sensible hacker , but is really hardy too ( lived out all winter even in the snow with a blanket clip and MW rug ) He only ate ad-lib haylege and a fibre and balancer feed twice a day.

Your budget does seem a little low but if you're happy to take on something younger and work on it i don't think it's out of the way.

You could go to the sales at Cavan Horsesales ireland ( Google this for info ) as there are plenty of hauliers bringing them over for very little cost..
 
I am still unsure about Ex racers or full TB's although there seems ample around for my budget, my chap has cost a small fortune to keep weight on.

I am not expecting one to have been there & done it all, as long as they are starting to work in an outline that would be good, I would ideally like something that has maybe cubbed at least am more than willing to take a horse for the first time XC/SJ/Dressage just not sure I want to hunting.

I have found lots that I like at £4000!!!:eek: whats the point in me having a £4000 horse that I can't take to do anything as I wouldn't have a trailer at that!

Does anyone do a loan with view to buy anymore?
 
I'm another ex racer fan. If you are willing to put the work in they can make cracking all rounders. And often they come very cheaply.
My only advice would be - dont scrimp on the trailer either! A friend of mine had a horrific accident at the beginning of the week. Her trailer was old but with a new floor. Her horse must have slipped while travelling and his leg went through the side of the trailer where joins floor and got trapped between the wheel and chassis of trailer. Horrific.:( Just a word of warning really..
If it had been a newer trailer it probably wouldn't have happened.
Sorry that sounded so negative..good luck with the horse hunt. Cant recommend the ex racers enough :)
 
 
Also I am asking all the usual questions,

but anyone have any generals rules about what to ask when ringing up about one, I don't want to be classed as a timewater if I go & see one & its not suitable because I have forgotten to ask a question (hope that makes sense?)
 
Ask everything!
How is it to hack alone and in company? is it bothered by traffic?
Is he good to clip, box, travel, shoe, catch? Has he competed if so how did he behave?
And stable vices? Worming, jabs, teeth, back saddle, farrier all up to date?
How is he to handle on the ground? Under saddle? Any vices?
Does he come with tack/rugs.
Can he be turned out with mares or geldings
Any vices
I think I have covered everything.
My rules are to ask everything. :D
 
TBH I have heard loads of people saying horse prices are down - I just don't think they are. If i were you I would simply save up more - then cherry pick something and maybe even have money to spare!
Good riding horses, with the ability to compete etc seem to be sat at 4k+ atm. So with your trailer you need to be thinking of having 6k.

Incidently I just did a itinerary of everything I wanted for my next horse - nothing crazy, just basics IMHO and THAT came to £2700+...
 
I have to agree with Kitsune. If it were me I would be tempted to spend as much money as possible on the horse and forget about the trailer for now. The horse could be with you for the next 20 years and making the wrong purchase for the sake of an extra 2k now could be a mistake. You can then take some time to get to know the horse while saving money for a trailer later on.
 
I can completely understand what you are saying but I don't feel like I can wait that long, I already had a gap of 10years from competing & it took a lot to get back into it I am worried if I take another gap I may not have the confidence later on to get back in there. Also I will not have any transport available to me which is slightly worrying if I needed to get them to anywhere for vetinary treatment or in emergency.

This is why I was hoping to find something on loan with view to buy as whilst I had it on loan hopefully I could save some more pennies up maybe but will not be up to the £4000 mark still.
 
Another vote for ex racers!!

I just bought one for £2500, probably could have got him cheaper, but he is a star :) 8 years old, sane scopey jumper and starting to work in an outline. He's also very striking looking, no-one believes me that he's a thoroughbred, as he has such good feet, is so chilled and is so fluffy. He seems to defy the stereotype!
 
You definitely don't need to spend 4k to find a horse that you can compete - but you might need to compromise on certain things.

I think if you could stretch to 3k you'd be in a much better position - anything under 2k is definitely going to be a project or have some significant problems or vices.

For that price its likely to be something pretty green with little competition experience, but if you're happy to put the work in then you'll be fine. I think you should look at tbs though, because a lot of good quality projects in this price bracket are likely to be thoroughbreds.
 
Booboos said:
I have to agree with Kitsune. If it were me I would be tempted to spend as much money as possible on the horse and forget about the trailer for now. The horse could be with you for the next 20 years and making the wrong purchase for the sake of an extra 2k now could be a mistake. You can then take some time to get to know the horse while saving money for a trailer later on.
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I have to agree! Cheap horses are cheap for a reason, and a cheap horse costs as much to keep as a good one! (maybe more if the reason they're cheap is because they come with problems!) Somewhere in the region of £3.5K will get you an awful lot more horse, and then you can save for a trailer. :) But I fully admit to having rather expensive taste in horses :o
 
xspiralx said:
You definitely don't need to spend 4k to find a horse that you can compete - but you might need to compromise on certain things.

I think if you could stretch to 3k you'd be in a much better position - anything under 2k is definitely going to be a project or have some significant problems or vices.

For that price its likely to be something pretty green with little competition experience, but if you're happy to put the work in then you'll be fine. I think you should look at tbs though, because a lot of good quality projects in this price bracket are likely to be thoroughbreds.
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I have not ruled TB's out but would need to find something that kept weight a lot better, they would be sharing a field with my WB who lives on fresh air so it has been very difficult making sure he gets enough to keep weight on & she doesn't get too much as she gets fat easily.

I am willing to put in work with a green horse but, I don't have a school which is something that has never bothered me I can school in our field nice & flat & well drained but if they are very green I think this would be something I would need.
Also on the dressage side this is something that I have only recently got into & I don't want to be the blind leading the blind although my instructor keeps telling me I could go for a youngster, I have seen good youngsters ruined by bad riding/teaching don't want to be one of those.
 
I have never once needed a trailer in an emergency or to administer vetinary treatment - if that helps.
I'm like Puppy though - I have expensive taste and although I have had two very good budget horses, it's something I'd never, ever entertain again.
As someone has said - they are budget for a reason and like you say you don't have the facilities to take on green, so the other reasons will be vices or health.
That's just my opinion though :) I can PM you a lot of cheap horses for you to look at and see what you think, for yourself?
 
Puppy said:
I have, but my insurance policy (with NFU) covers it :)
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Really, never heard of an insurance company doing that!

There is only one show I can hack to so would hate to buy a horse with obvious talent & then waste it. I have managed to hunt 5 times without the use of a trailer they have been within hacking distance.

Definately things to think about, lots & lots of things! Thank you everyone
I will let you know how I get on x
 
Cat&Mouse said:
I will let you know how I get on x
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Good, good! Best of luck :)

Yes, with my NFU cover I can claim up to 10% of vets fee coverage (£5K) for transport to and from the vet hospital, which was very beneficial when my girls was going in weekly for IRAP injections :) You have to use a proper professional though with paperwork, not just a mate.
 
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