Buying a competition horse - how much would it put you off if....

S

SWE

Well-Known Member
Joined
14 August 2017
Messages
295
Visit site
... They were occasionally a bit of a fruitloop on the ground? E.g not great to tie up, unsettled when there is a change of routine, have a paddy if horse taken out of sight etc etc?

Would it stop you looking/buying?

Would you say it would decrease their value? If so by how much?

And what other concerns might you have?
 
If I was buying it as a competition horse, and it did the job it was intended to do, I wouldn't be concerned about quirks, and wouldn't expect its behaviour on the ground to devalue it.

Leisure horse/happy hacker - wouldn't even go and see something that was a tit to handle
 
Depends on the level of competition. If horse was at the top of its game it wouldn’t matter a jot.
If middle range then I would think there are plenty of others out there without the problems.
 
I have one that is a bit like that
I wouldn't expect to find her easy to sell if I wanted to
But she has a job that she does well so we compromise.

It rather depends on what you can live with and whether you can accommodate any quirks. Mine has separation anxiety but I have another horse mainly to give her company that I'm in charge of, For instance ;)
 
Last edited:
It's a young horse (4yo) and I handle her all the time on my own. She's not huge either which helps but can occasionally just have her funny 5 minutes where she is unsettled and something sets her off. Hence I don't like tieing her up, hold for farrier etc. She's really easy to handle loose in the stable though (unless v occasionally something sets her off in which case she forgets your there!). She doesn't actually have any 'official' vices though but it's something I'd want to a potential buyer aware of. She's pretty damn straightforward to ride though and is v talented 😊
 
If it was super talented I wouldn't mind. All the best ones seems to be quirky, but it would have to be super talented. Theres a lot of other good competition horses around without those issues.

the meltdowns over the change in rotuine would worry me - if you are competing and travelling/staying a shows you really want them to be on their game on the day, and not melting. The tieing up thing would annoy me as you would want to be able to put studs on, tack easily, wash them down without them dancing around.

At the end of the day, regradless of how much potential they have, if they end up knocking poles or being tense in dressage because they are stressed at new venue, or they can't see their pals then they are no use really, regardless of talent. theres a lot to be said for a horse with a workman like attitude.
 
It is never when ridden and they do only ever last 5 min so has never affected attitude at the couple of shows she's been to, luckily. She does knuckle down in warm ups and in the ring and is pretty easy for a 4yo (when your on top!).

I totally get what you're saying though and that's why I think people might be put off as it's hard to prove that when you're only viewing a horse!

I find her really easy to manage as I know her and know when she's about to have a moment so just walk her around at a show/try and distract her or ignore her at home and after she's processed the situation she's fine and the switch flicks back to her being normal. She's an odd horse! I really hope I can find someone who 'gets' her as she's got so much potential to be an incredible horse for someone, just let's herself down sometimes!
 
I bought one very similar a few years ago. The owners were totally honest about all his quirks and they gave me a very clear idea of his issues. When you describe it the way you do in your last post it sounds manageable and wouldn't be that offputting if she had the potential to be good.
 
If the horse is a good enough prospect to attract a pro, they won’t care one jot. If horse is more good amateurs horse it shouldn’t really affect price, but it might slightly reduce your market pool as there will be some people who wouldn’t particularly want to deal with it.
It would be an issue for a leisure horse
 
Thanks all, sounds like it might just reduce the interest I get but hopefully won't hinder her too much. Tbh I think she'd be better suited to a pro as loves her work and routine and is plenty talented enough.

On the other hand I want her to be loved and spoiled but you can't have it all haha! I think she'd take the work over cuddles any day!
 
SWE said:
... They were occasionally a bit of a fruitloop on the ground? E.g not great to tie up, unsettled when there is a change of routine, have a paddy if horse taken out of sight etc etc?

Would it stop you looking/buying?

Would you say it would decrease their value? If so by how much?

And what other concerns
Click to expand...
 
It would affect me as I keep my horse on livery and therefore not in control of all care / situations. I wouldn't necessarily expect others to deal with a challenging situation the way that I would, so I wouldn't put them in that position. Makes it hard to move yards if necessary too.
If I had a yard at home and I was responsible for management it probably woudn't bother me that much
Pro yards don't mind, they expect that most horses come with quirks of some sort, either ridden or on the ground, and the staff are more switched on to deal with them.
 
all the things you mention are fairly standard in my book with my current loons! They are all great competition horses in their own right. I like a quirky horse, I never tie up main one, he has no respect for it, always tacked up on lorry or in stable, occasionally play and tie him on the gate, just for him to stand up and prove me right again! I am only amateur level so wouldn't phase me for a leisure horse either as long as they were manageable.
 
You've just described my welshy.. :D ha. I wouldn't be bothered, after all I rather have personality than those horses that stand there all day looking half dead.
 
SWE said:
It's a young horse (4yo) and I handle her all the time on my own. She's not huge either which helps but can occasionally just have her funny 5 minutes where she is unsettled and something sets her off. Hence I don't like tieing her up, hold for farrier etc. She's really easy to handle loose in the stable though (unless v occasionally something sets her off in which case she forgets your there!). She doesn't actually have any 'official' vices though but it's something I'd want to a potential buyer aware of. She's pretty damn straightforward to ride though and is v talented 😊
Click to expand...

No wouldnt bother me but she is only 4 so i suppose it might be a baby thing and she might be much more settled to handle in a few years, or it might just be her personality, I have a 13 year old that can be an absolute wally on the ground sometimes not nasty just sort of forgets himself and can get in a state over nothing!
 
Best horse I’ve ever owned was an absolute pain in the arse to deal with. Couldn’t be tied up as pulled back repeatedly, box walked, weaved, and was a chronic fence walker.

However, he was also a puissance horse who had competed all over the world with Guy Williams, and gave me more confidence over fences than I thought possible. I would have trusted that horse with my life once on his back - I had him for 11 years before he died at the age of 30, and not once did he scare me on board. He got me out of more sticky situations and fixed my cock ups more times than I can count.

Conversely, my current horse is the easiest horse I’ve ever had to deal with on the ground, but my god does he take some riding. Two comas to his name already.

If they do the job, and you enjoy riding them, i think they’re worth it no matter how quirky on the ground.
 
It would bother me because I am on my own with the horses and fit them in around work, so I need horses with at least basic manners and I can’t be doing with handling an idiot. The hooligan was perfect to handle, until that switch went in his head. I fondly (?!) nicknamed him the silent rearer because you could turn around at the field gate and he’d be in the air next to you, waving his feet by your head, but he did it so quietly you had no idea, which was rather alarming. I often turned him out with a hat on!
I can’t be doing with that anymore. My girls can be silly in bad weather, but day to day they are angels.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top