Buying a horse - Have you ever bought the opposite to what you were looking for?

When I lost my sensitive TBx mare after 14 years of owning her, I knew I didn't want to get another mare or a youngster. So of course it stands to reason that when I found an advert for a 3 year old Welsh D filly a few months later, I fell in love! I've now owned Friday for nearly a year and wouldn't swap her for the world! :D
 
YES!
Spent months searching for a 16-16.3hh school master; something that could teach me, hack and take me hunting..

Instead I turned up at the yard to see that I'd been bought a 15.2hh NZ TB ex polo pony that is far too athletic to be a happy hacker and have been thrown off this nappy bugger a fair few times! But I do love him to pieces and am praying that a miracle will happen and I'll master him! (in my dreams!)
 
Thank you!

You've made me feel a lot saner :D

Went looking for:

17hh plus
4-5 year old
Gelding
Preferably a bay.

Did not like spottys, or mares.

Hm. Came home with:

15hh
3 year old
Mare
Appaloosa

She was the world to me. When I lost her though, I thought there's no way I could match her, so went back to my original plan, but maybe a bit older...

Came home with:

16.1hh
DWB
Four years old
Just backed
Chestnut
Mare
Fruit loop
Just about doubled my budget to get her
 
Yes, I did...

Wanted 10-12 yo Bay/Brown/Black (any dark coloured) gelding 16-17hh been there, done it.

I got... Bonnie- a mare who was 6yo at the time, white with a few blue splotches 15.2 HW cob who is spookier than any of the big lads I tried, something inside just went "click" :D and next week she's been with me for 6 years !
 
I went out looking for somethinh hardy-ish.. was looking for a welsh section D or something like that & yet again come home with a 16'1 tb.. great idea huh??
 
After advertising my first horse for sale because i wanted something, a gelding, with more oomph so i could do more, i came back with an 8 month old filly.
 
hmmm yes and no.

Wanted to buy an untouched youngster to bring on myself so yes, got that right, bought a 2yr old, wanted something to event in the future so something quite light, rangey and athetlic, that part didn't quite go to plan once I saw him, narh, he's no 'sport' horse, he's a got a leg in each corner for the hunting field but he'll never be the sort of horse you'll see flying round a BE course...well as in be any good at it, it's just not him he he's just not built for it, but he can always prove me wrong, I won't complain.

Don't get me wrong I love him to bits and he's a smart chap but I should of perhaps stuck to looking at TB/s or at least a partbred if was buying again with the same intentions.
 
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Oh yes wanted a 16h bay gelding ! went to see about 15 over 6 weeks and nothing grabbed me by the horns

Ended up with a 15.2 grey mare - she's still with me now after nearly 10 years though so I made the right choice + I now have her foal too :-) he's looking to be about 16hh and is a bay, they come around in the end !
 
Errrr yeah...

After Monty went to his loan home (I wasn't looking to buy when HE came up for sale!) I went to Ireland with my trainer to look at a couple of horses. I had in my head a 7/8yo, 16.2hh plus ID x type, dapple grey that had been out and done a bit of jumping. Having tried two that didn't really fit the bill I then fell in love with the most unsuitable scrawny 15.3ish bay 5yo TB gelding who was green as grass (allegedly hunted but not so sure!). Tried him when we got him home as he was coming back to be sold through the yard anyway, suffice to say that never happened and I had him for 4 years.

When I decided to sell Jack (and having fallen for TBs completely!) my plan was to go to Doncaster sales and pick up a cheap project 3 or 4yo TB to play with - had been through the catalogue and everything. I went to pick up my friend who worked at a local dealers to go for lunch one day, saw Bonzo (16.1hh bay 5yo Dutch Warmblood) standing in the field and that was that. In my defence he does go back to Sadlers Wells on his mum's side lol!
 
Yep. Went out looking for a stedie eddie, 16hh cob, around 9 ish, for a bit of a fun horse.
Came back with a rising 4 barely 15hh x racer. She did grow to 15.2/3 ish. Amazing little mare. If she didn't have the slipped disk in her back she would of been amazing instead of being PTS! Now have a 16.1 9 year old DWB. Never dreamt I would own such a sweet and trusting mare :D never have owned a cob.. yet ;)
 
I wanted a max 16.2hh cobby/irish type who was very safe and sane - had a fair budget for this and just to hack and do a bit of riding club with. Oh and I wanted a gelding.

Well I got a gelding but its a 17hh sharp (usually safe though) belgum warmblood who is much more capable than just riding club! He was double my budget (thank you mum I still havnt managed to pay it all back yet!!) but when I saw him I didnt know he was for sale and I fell in love over the stable door. I had my heart set on an ID or cobby type and when I came home with him my friends nearly passed out in shock (gone from my 14.3 cob bought to get me back into riding after breaking my back!) :D I do love him though!
 
After Lucy was diagnosed I set out to find a nice young quality pony to bring on. (I realy realy wanted a connie) Something nice and kind without any hangups and that haddn't been ruined by anyone else.













I ended up with the horrid one :p :D :D :D :D A 12.2hh forester, 8 yrs old and has 6 owners already and Who is agressive, mean and will buck, rear, leap and spin to get his own way. But I don't regret buying him for one second I love him so so much. :D
 
Yup me to, I was looking for a nice little 15.2/16hh RC horse with a bit of bone and sensible which I could do everything with, instead I bought a 15hh Lusitano who has regular "melt down" problems when faced with basic
things/poles on the ground etc. Nearly 7 years later I an still wondering why I bought him as I can't do half the things I want to do and then I look at him and his trust in me and I put negative thoughts to the back of my mind and accept that there are certain things his temprement is unable to cope with. :confused:
 
Yes when I was looking I wanted either arab x or welsh x around 9 - 11 years old 15.2 / 15.3

Ended up with an 8 year old chestnut ex race tb mare 16.1 - love the bones of her and shes definatly not your typical chestnut mare! shes fab :)
 
Two occasions spring to mind.
One was when we went on holiday to Norfolk to do a bit of boating and finished up bringing a yearling Welsh sec. B home. (my vet said that most people bring a stick of rock home)
The second was when we were looking for a loan horse for my son to do tetrathlon and RC/PC events.
We were offered loads and made a short list. Son said he didn't want a grey and definitely not a mare.
Yes, you've guessed it. We got a grey mare. And she was the best horse we ever were lucky enough to have.
 
I was looking for a show jumper, but fell in love with my shire x gypsy vanner! and he isn't exactly the best jumper out there.
 
Yes I have.

Wanted a 14.2 ish native or cob, black, gelding all rounder that I could have fun with. Ended up with an in foal, 3 year old TB mare. Oh and she's chestnut. That was almost 5 years ago and I still have the useless lump.

Not even looking for a horse and ended up with Binky.

Looking for a 14.2 ish native or cob as a companion for my TB, wanted something older that my OH could ride. Got a yearling cob x native filly who'll make about 13.2 tops.

Do I regret buying any of them? Not for a moment.
 
yes i said:

don't want coloured cob
only buy an older horse
don't buy first horse we see

we bought a 5 yr old coloured cob which was the first one we went to see and would never look back!!!
 
only in looks current horse is everything I don't normally go for he is chestnut with a white face. Normally I prefer bays/liver chestnuts

However he ticked all the right boxes

I just wasn't attracted to him. But I bought with my head and not my heart. Have to say it was the best decision I have ever made horse wise. I now love him too bits, he is perfect!

last one I bought with my heart and while I had him 8 years he was so much hard work!! I wouldn't do it again
 
when i was 11 we set out to look for a safe share for me and my sister.
so the list of wants was a nice, steady sane and sensible horse for us to have as our first pony.

we got a 13.3 green 6 year old welsh (i'm sure we said we were absolutely not getting a welsh) who after 2 weeks went a bit loopy and was a tit for a good amount of time. turned out to love jumping though! sister soon out grew her so she became mine and we didn't get on at all, it took a year and a half before me and her finally started to get on. :rolleyes: we tried to sell her alot as she wasn't suitable for me but never had any interest.


6 years on we still have the sod. she can still be stubborn, nappy, strong and fond of bucking but she turned out to be the best horse and i love her to bits. really one to teach you how to ride. wouldn't be without her :D
 
I wanted a coloured, well skewbald to be more specific, 4year old, 16-17hh, with a good temperment, markings that stand out......
And i got exactly that!! Glad i didnt change my mind or give up on what i was looking for :D
 
I wanted a 15.2-3, 5/6 yr old, showjumping potential, and always said i do not want a chestnut. especially not a chestnut mare.

... well here we are now..

With a 2year old, 15.1 coloured, hopefully showjumper material, complete numpty..

And guess who came along for the ride..

His 8month old, chestnut half sister. Who has definately turned out to be the sweetest, most loving, laid back horse I have ever known :D

37129_1717057006549_1241963108_31938588_1702013_n.jpg
 
I wanted a:

14.2 Chestnut Arab Mare,

ended up with

16.00 Ex-racing TB Dark Bay (yuck! ;) ) - best boy in the world!

Second time around I promised myself that I would finally get that Arab, but too keep things easy a gelding, preferably grey/black. about 8 y/o

Nope - 20 month old, palomino, quater horse, Mare.

typical! :rolleyes:
 
Yes i have. Wasnt really looking for another horse as had one but lost my old mare having owned her for 22 years.
Went on holiday and had couple of lessons on a lusio came back had a crazy moment and ended up with an unbacked PRE!!!

Love him to bits, had a few ups and downs but the most amazing nature.
 
Went shopping for a weight-carrying, sane, sensible all-rounder, preferably something with alot of ID in it - definitely not too much TB - not too sharp or silly, push-button/easy ride with reasonable paces on the flat. Definitely didn't want a grey.

Got . . . scrawny, spindly Polish sportshorse with a high percentage of TB and some anglo arab thrown in. Sharp, quirky, green as grass on the flat and tricky to ride (had a horrific four-beat canter and always went disunited on the left rein - now much improved after eight months' schooling). Oh, and he's grey.

P
 
I wanted a young-ish jumper so I could start some serious competing and definitely did not want a TB, ex-racer or not. Wanted them to be a straight forward gelding too.

Ended up with a 9 year old TBx (she thinks she's a racehorse) who had never jumped in her life. She's as stubborn, grumpy and as contrary as me.

Yet it turns out I'll still be able to seriously compete by the looks of it....when we teach her to load :o
 
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