Anyone bought a riding school horse?

i got mine from a riding school. he was used mainly 4 beginners hacks and was used to noes to tail plodding so was quite green and quite different wen i got him home as he learnt work was actually quite fun!!

however he was only 5 and hadnt been there long so hadn't learnt the bad habbits that many school horses have e.g being an absolute pain to tack up!!!
 
Just to add, our school horses are very easy to handle and do because we ensure our staff look after them correctly and deal with them as if they were their own.
I would get the horse vetted though as the school horses are ridden my less balanced riders meaning they get a bit more wear and tear on their joints. Many people think that the reason for this is the amount of work they do but in all honesty if the RS your boy is coming from is anything like ours they do approx 9 hours per week at the most and a lot of that time is spent doing basics so they don;t get much wear that way.
 
I would urge caution, my boy came from a riding school because he was 'stale and showing behavioural issues'. I had him fully vetted to check it wasnt something physical that was causing this and he passed. however my vet is convinced that though he was sound at sale the hard work he's had on his joints from 4 til 7 are the reason he's so unsound now (bone spavin and navicular).

That said - he is the sweetest boy in the world and I've had three wonderful years with him - its just a shame that it looks like his riding days are done. He was a very depressed boy when i bought him and didn't suit the 'riding school' life at all - he is a very possesive horse and clearly didn't like not being 'owned'.

I tried to keep in touch, and get back in touch to find out more since he got lame but they have no interest in his progress.

However - if you feel he's the 'one' then go for it - despite our problems, and they have been many - i wouldn't give up a day I've spent with my boy!!

Good luck!!
 
I bought an 8 year old horse that the people previously to me had bought from a riding school. Their kids went off him as he bucked them off (probably too much grass from his nice new 250 acre home!)

I had him for 17 years in which time he was hacked, hacked and hacked in North and Central London and also took me hunting with the Quantock Staghounds.

Brilliant horse (completly bombproof and spookproof) for me and would jump any reasonable jumps he was faced with.

My present horse is 27 years old and still happily hacks out for 4 hour hacks without a problem.
 
A riding school horse can be very nappy when asked to work or hack out alone, as it is used working in company. They are also often used to being well worked daily, and a change in routine, ie less work, can lead to a very bouncy horse!

Having said that, ny friend bought a riding school pony, and although he can be a little nappy on his own, she can ride him through it, and he was also very stale in the school having been drilled for hours in the RS, but she kept sessions in the school short and made it lots of fun, so now he is keen to work again.
 
I bought Hattie from a riding school, she was for sale as she couldn't stand up to the work, but has never been lame with me. She was very quiet and switched off when I got her but soon woke up and is much more lively now.
 
He could be for sale for a number of reasons. Some RSs do sell their better horses as it means more money for them and that's what every yard needs if lesson numbers are dropping etc.

I'd get him throughly checked over by a vet and go from there. I've known some fantastic RS horses over the years that have been sold on for various reasons and at many different ages too.
 
i bought Shadow from a RS. best thing i ever did, but i was after her for 8.5years! she was one of these 'perfect'/'favourite' ponies of everyone who ever rode her (i had loads of people stop and ask if it was her once i'd bought her
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) which is why it took so long. i was only able to get her as she was intermittently lame - i did care one bit. i bought her with the view of giving her retirement. after breaking down and being a absolute cripple, she seemed to fix herself and the photos below show how awesome she was, even at 26
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:) we thought she was about 19 when i bought her, but probably more realistic that she was 22. worth every penny.
 
My boy is from a riding school, is not nappy in any way and wasnt stale. He was schooled to a high level and would do xc sj and dr happily, he was used for up to 4 hours a day and worked extremely hard, i ride for around and hour a day nearly every day and he is fine.

Riding schools may not sell their best horses but every horse is different and even their best horses need a break, not all last their whole lives in the school. Most riding schools rotate their horses from time to time, a life in a riding school however well treated and looked after they are, is a hard life, some just arent suited but it doesnt mean that they have been naughty.
 
i bought an 18 yr gelding froma riding school, their insurance is huge when the horses get older i think!!!
he had only been there about a year and i got no history with him,
it was the best thing i ever did, he appreciates everything i do for him coz he was ignored there, he can be ridden daily or not for weeks and he doesnt mind,
the only problems he had was he had been ridden ina bad fitting saddle so had horrendous muscle wastage, but 2 years with correctly fitting saddle and pro lite front riser pad, and he is comfortable and muscle ahs grown back,
i would do it all over again!!!!
 
Chex was 16/17 when I bought him from a RS. I don't regret it for a second, but he changed a lot once I moved him away! He was nappy and knew all the tricks. Eventually though his personality started to show through, and, although being a little crazy, he turned into a fun-loving pony.
 
We bought an 'aged' clyde cross from a riding school several years ago for my then OH (beginner male rider) and my sister to share. She was overworked in the RS and had all the large beginners on her. She was eternally grateful to us, anyone could ride her and she adjusted to their ability. She took a while for her personality to show through, but she was the nicest kindest horse, who looked after all people and other horses all the time she was with us, which was until she was PTS from a failing heart. The vet then estimated her age at about 40!
 
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