Anyone bought a riding school horse?

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amzy

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I tried a horse yesterday who seemed perfect for me. He is very well schooled and could teach me to ride a lot better than I do, we went for a short hack on our own and was perfect. Unfortuanately he is 17 (although is in excellent condition) so that has put me off a little and I wonder that if he wasn't worked as much as in the riding school, would he become a more lively boy? He is a Warmblood and has been at the school for 18 months but I don't know his history before this. I think I will go with my gut feeling that I shouldn't buy him but what do you think?
 
I have a WB that has been used in a riding school - I can see why she was as she is the kindest horse to ride and is very well natured. She isn't at all lively, even on heating foods, it is just the way she is. Many people think all WBs are feisty but it just isn't true! Quite possibly this chap is like my mare, so level headed that he made a perfect RS horse. Nothing wrong with that!
 
I did
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He wasn't there for very long (about 6 months as far as I know) and was very quiet for a TB. He was underweight when I bought him so I had allowed that he may get more spritely as he got fitter and fatter but TBH he hasn't changed that much over the years and although he is completely different to how he was when I bought him its in a good way
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But I would say if you haven't got that gut feeling then its not the right horse for you
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As many people will say you just know when you meet 'your' horse
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They are only selling him as they feel that he could do with a quieter life now as he is 17. They said that if he was a few years younger then he definately wouldn't be for sale.
 
I agree with AmyMay. If he is so good, why are they selling him? I was ripped off by a riding school in the West Midlands who sold me a horse that they said had been used in their riding school for the previous 10 months. Unfortunately, this turned out not to be true. The horse was sold immediately he arrived at the riding school (to someone else) 3 weeks prior to me viewing him. He had not been used in the school at all and he turned out to be a dangerous horse who still didn't respond after being sent away for professional re-schooling twice.

I had hacked him out before buying him and all seemed well but the first time I hacked him out after getting him home he threw me onto the road for no apparent (although obviously there must have been one) reason and things went from bad to worse from that point. I'm not saying that your chap will be like that but I would sound a note of caution as AmyMay says.......
 
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My first question would be - why are the riding school selling him??

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To be fair to the riding school, surely that should be one of the first questions WHOEVER you are buying from. I don't think the fact that the riding school is selling him should be of particular significance.

Certainly all our riding school ponies are for sale (apart from the working liveries LOL), our boss buys horses, we school them so they are ready for the riding school then once on the riding school they are also available to buy both to clients and private buyers. Just how it works for us.
 
Don't get me wrong, I really thought he was the one for me after riding him and even arranged to go back later this week for a proper hack in traffic but, having slept on it, the age does bother me and a friend suggested that he may liven up with less work.
 
Plenty of riding schools sell horses for genuine reasons - some like to sell to private homes to prevent them becoming stale. Shame more don't do that really...
 
Every horse i have had from a riding school has always turned out to be a loony or nappy when i got it home!
I wouldn't say IMHO that 17 is too old to be in a riding school if it is a good as they say?!
 
If your first feeling was you like hime - go back for the second look. I think that any new horse is likely to change when you first get them home. But the age thing could be an issue depending on what you want to do with him - if you just want a hack/riding club horse then he could still have lots of time left - my old YO's mare is still dressaging/jumping/showing at 24
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Good luck whatever you decide
 
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My first question would be - why are the riding school selling him??

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To be fair to the riding school, surely that should be one of the first questions WHOEVER you are buying from. I don't think the fact that the riding school is selling him should be of particular significance.

Certainly all our riding school ponies are for sale (apart from the working liveries LOL), our boss buys horses, we school them so they are ready for the riding school then once on the riding school they are also available to buy both to clients and private buyers. Just how it works for us.

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I absolutely agree. But this horse sounds super - just what the riding school would need for the larger rider.

So, is it stale or or unsound????

If it needs a quieter life I would question it's soundness.

AmyMay came from a riding school so I am in no way predjudice. She was 5 years old though and her temperament was totally unsuited to the environment.
 
Why should the fact that the horse is 17 years old bother you. My boy is 16 and has plenty of life left in him. My friend's horse is 26 and went round his first novice cross country a couple of months ago. The riding school I went to and now take my granddaughter to, has a 15.2hh that is about 35 years now and he still acts like a 6 year old. He is full of life, loves jumping and can gallop about with the best of them. Riding school horses are always for sale - they're in the business of buying and selling, and people will always want to buy their favourite horse.

Today's horses are given so much better nutrition etc that they are no longer 'aged' at 15.
 
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Riding school horses are always for sale - they're in the business of buying and selling, and people will always want to buy their favourite horse.

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Not strictly true - A good RS will not sell it's best horses, because they (with the instructors) are what makes their reputation and their money.
 
My first pony came from a riding school, although I bought him from the girl who bought him from the school. Quite Ironic really coz I used to ride him in my lessons sometimes and always dreded riding him coz he was so naughty and had this reputation!! Turns out he is the most loveliest pony I ever met. I bought him when he was 15. He did me a good few years and only retired as I found him a lovely home as a companion and he has COPD. My second pony (which I loaned) was 22 when I got him and we did 2 full years show jumping outdoor and indoor. Age defo doesn't have anything to do with it - unless you have plans to sell on again in a few years.
 
"Not strictly true - A good RS will not sell it's best horses, because they (with the instructors) are what makes their reputation and their money."

Totally agree, AmyMay. My friend runs a riding school and her best horses will never be sold. They are worth their weight in gold, as she says, because they make money for her week in week out.
 
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Riding school horses are always for sale - they're in the business of buying and selling, and people will always want to buy their favourite horse.

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Not strictly true - A good RS will not sell it's best horses, because they (with the instructors) are what makes their reputation and their money.

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Ours arn't a few years back they were offered a HUGE sum for their best sum but finding a replacement would be impossible.
 
!7 is not old these days and it is very rare for a riding school to sell its good horses, although it does happen occasionally.
In my experience though I have seen quiet riding school horses and ponies suddenly change into totally unsafe rides when they are away from the boring hum drum of riding school life.
I would say proceed with caution!
 
From my point this is a 50/50 one. The rideing schol i went to bought horses/ponies, used them in the school and sold them privately. It was how the owner made good money. He did keep the real school ones until the end of their days. My daughter learnt to ride on the same pony i learnt on 20+ years later. He would also pick up rescues and turn their lives around.
I know of many rideing schools that buy and sell but never their best horses/ponies as they are too valuable to the school. In saying that they don't sell bad horses - well sometimes with white lies! One rideing school i would avoid at all costs as they tell whapping great huge lies and sell dangerous horses.
It could be one they have bought to make money on. I would look at it like i was buying from anyone - with caution not believing a word
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Coming from the other side of the coin, I run a riding school and we do sell the horses from time to time. The older horses tend to be here for good but if some one could offer them a fab home for the rest of their lives then we would let them go.
Riding schools have to sell the horses on occasionally to a) stop them getting stale, B) give the clients a change of ride or they would get fed up c) Cut down due to expense or a quiet time for people having lessons.
It doesn;t mean there is anything wrong with the horse.
We often sell school horses that we have bought and they have simply showed to much talent to be stuck in the school for years to come. We have also had a number sold due to people wishing to purchase their fav horse.
It doesn;t always work out, as in many private horse sales, we had one lady who came and fell in love with a super horse we had for sale, the horse was easy to ride and do, popular with all the clients, won a number of SJ, XC and dressage comps against outsiders and was perfect to hack. She hardly tried her, just walked around the field and despite me insisting she did more with her she set her heart on buying her and found that once she owned her the horse was too talented for her and they didn;t get on, I was motified to see this horse on the project horse website as nappy and difficult- the horse could not have been easier with us( I also know she came from a family home where she was competed by teenagers and hacked by a novice mother with no issues).
Had they have called us and told us of the problems we would have done our best to have helped her get along with the horse.
Hopefully, most other reputable RS would do the same.
 
i work in a riding school we sell alot of the horses after they have been with us for about 2 years this is purely because they beguin to get sour and this is not fair on them or the people i am tring to teach on them ! we take them out of the riding school enviroment first this ensures they will not heat up with less work and that they are happier outside riding school life then once we are happy with them we sell them to nice family or compertishion homes we stay in contact with all new owners and they are all really happy ! hope this makes sense !
 
My boy is from a RS and he is lovely. I've moved him recently to a smaller RS as he is now 18 and is wanting a slower pace of life.
The ones that my exYO sold, were ones who had got stale in the RS or ones that weren't suited to the job or when funds where low.
 
I bought my mare from a riding school, as she suddenly stopped letting riders get on her for no reason, she had everything checked.
Once she settled with me i could get on first time every time but it must be from a mounting block, she is slightly cold backed and i think she just had a bad experience with someone getting on her.
She is a forward going horse but she didn't change with less work.
My heart wasnt in it when i bought her but it turned out to be the right choice for me.
 
Of course no RS will sell its perfect horses. Even if it isn't a "perfect" RS horse, though, and will change its character a bit when it gets to a private home, that's no guarantee that it will instantly become a horrible monster. I would risk it, anyway (subject to vetting, etc).
 
My mare came from the riding school where I was working. She only did a few hours in the school and quickly acquired a reputation - no brakes! She would never have settled into that sort of environment. All the horses and ponies there were potentially for sale, although the YO did charge quite high prices. I would agree though that many school horses are quite institutionalised and can go off the rails if bought privately, especially if they are then moved to a new yard. A horse that is used to doing several hours work a day can also become something of a handful. If this horse is 17 and a biggish chap, I'd be looking carefully at his joints I think.
 
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