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

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Tangaroo

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I just wondered how many people have set their heart on a particular type of horse and then ended up with something completely different. Do you stick to your guns or go with your heart?
 
I was looking for a 15hh coloured cob and ended up with a bay 17hh hunter.

He may be a boring colour and bit of a giant but he has been the best horse ever and I will never be able to replace him!

Very glad I didn't stick with what I wanted and went with my heart on this one!
 
After selling my project new forest pony, was going to get another as he was so easy and barely cost a thing to keep....

Instead I ended up with a 16.3 ex racer who has probably cost me more in vet bills than I originally paid for him :( I just keep telling myself he's going to win Badminton and then i'll sell him for millions!!!! ;)
 
Yes!

I wanted:

15-15.2hh
Gelding
7-12 years
Dark bay/Black

I ended up getting:

14hh
Mare
18 years
Chestnut.

She felt so right that I went with my heart. It paid off because she is the best pony in the world and not a day goes by where I dont appreciate how lucky I am to have her.
 
i definately didnt want a youngster, or a chestnut - and I wanted a school master.....

i got a cheeky just broke chestnut gelding with flaxen mane and tail
 
First time I got exactly what I wanted even down to colour.

Last horse I bought I went looking for 16h WB ended up with 17h ex racer. Didn't last though. I now have my WB :D
 
Yes! last april went looking for a 4-5 yo half bred to produce and sell as an allrounder and came home that day with an unbroken gone in the wind chestnut 3yo TB....
But, great buy! He is an absolute superstar in the making.
go with your heart!
 
I have never, ever wanted a Highland, yet it's what I bought although I love her to bits - contrary so and so.

In summer I was looking for an ideal 1st child's ridden pony, mare,bout 10 yrs old, 12hh max and came back with a 3yr old unhandled 14.1hh. She is a little cracker and will come on fantastically. When I went to see her there was a pony that matched what I was looking for in everything except a bit younger but found her too tame for my liking.
 
I was looking for a broken horse that had all the basics, around the age of 6 and a mare (for some reason).

I ended up buying a pretty much unhandled 2 year 8 month old gelding.

It's meant I have nothing to ride (3 youngsters!!) but I definately made the right decisions as he's the best!

The only thing I stuck to was that I wanted a black, and I got my black :)
 
Yes! Didn't want a mare and didn't want a chesnut and certainly didn't want a combination of the two.... So what do I have a chesnut mare. :)
 
When i was looking 2 years ago i wanted a 16.2hh 5 year old dark bay gelding and ended up with Impy! 17hh 3 year old bright bay! But i've never regretted a minute of my time with him! I got what i was looking for then this March in Borris, also swore i would never have another Grey...oh hello Frazier, 16.2hh Steel Grey! But again he is awesome too! Go with your heart, you have to love them not just like them :)
 
I set out to buy a cobby gelding aged 10 plus to get back into showjumping on. I ended up with a 2 year old 3/4 TBx mare... She converted me to mares and I've never looked back :D

When I got the pony I wanted a 2 - 3 yr old I could show inhand then sell on - I got ended up with an unhandled, semi wild 10 year old.... Love her to bits though and can't quite imagine selling her :D
 
Yes!! I really wanted a coloured cob about 14-16hh
I absolutely did NOT wanted a tb or arab, and was NOT allowed to be Bay.

I ended up getting a 15.3hh bay TBxArab
So i got everything i didnt want yet couldnt be happier :D
 
No, I haven't.

As a child I read the Shantih books and had a dream of a white Arab of my own.

My first horse was a white/grey Anglo Arab (75% Arab).

I now have 3 white/grey pure bred Arabs.

I also have a TBxSpanish Bay/Brown boy - who was actually bought for OH, but as OH only rides once in a blue moon, I've taken over the ride there too. (Actually, I guess I could say he is the opposite to what we were looking for, as we'd thought about getting OH an ex police horse or similar, but ended up with this smashing yearling instead, who's now 8).
 
Well they were the same breed, but that was it. I wanted a 14.2 piebald gypsy cob mare, with good bloodlines, very hairy, 4 -5 years old and backed etc. I ended up with a 13 month skewbald colt. Stinky is now getting on for 15.1, fairly hairy and though he had his nuts off, good bloodlines. Had I not popped in for that cup of tea, I would have bought the mare I had just viewed, but there he was with his kind brown eyes and I fell for him - best decision I have ever made on a horse.
 
I wanted

something around 15 hands, cobby, definately not an arab or Tb and had to be sane, done a bit of everything... I`d taken a break from riding for a few years and wanted something i could have fun on:)

I got

An unbroken 16 hands (to make 14.3 pffft) 3 year old dun arab x Tb filly :D who was a bit of a nut case

Best **** up i`ve ever made :p
 
Yup. I wanted a Gelding Warmblood dressage horse.

What did I get?.................................


An ex racehorse that is a mare!

Not sure what happened there.........well i do, my dressage diva friend told me to get an ex racer as hers is doing PSG! Hers is a boy though.

Have to say, my mare is very sweet and not mareish at all. yet.
 
Goddy was exactly what I set out for... just a few months younger that I wanted ;)

When I was looking last year, I wanted a 5-8yr old 15.3-16.1hh gelding to go novice with this year....

I ended up with a 15.3hh 4yr old just backed mare :D However, I wasn't actually that strict as most of the horses I went to look at were mares. Madam was the only baby, and I only went to that yard to look at a 16.1hh 6yr old :D I clicked with her though, which i think is the most important thing.. ;) :D
 
Theresa_F said:
Well they were the same breed, but that was it. I wanted a 14.2 piebald gypsy cob mare, with good bloodlines, very hairy, 4 -5 years old and backed etc. I ended up with a 13 month skewbald colt. Stinky is now getting on for 15.1, fairly hairy and though he had his nuts off, good bloodlines. Had I not popped in for that cup of tea, I would have bought the mare I had just viewed, but there he was with his kind brown eyes and I fell for him - best decision I have ever made on a horse.
Click to expand...

Nothing to add to this thread but is your cob really called Stinky? hehehehe funny name! I have been no better with horses name, we had a shetty called Ratbag :D
 
I went looking and was determined not to buy the first one I looked at, also wanted atleast 16.2, Saw him over the stable door, 15.3 and unbroken, let heart rule head and nine years on wouldn't change him for the world!!!
 
I went to look at a 3/4 Qh 1/4 TB yearling who had been gelded and was to make 15.2. He was exactly what I wanted on paper. His half brother Chapulin who was ten months old was 3/4 TB 1/4 QH. She brought both in to feed and Chapulin threw himself on the floor in a paddy whilst waiting. I declared that I definitely wasn't having that one as he had a real attitude... I think he must have snuck into the boot of the car because sure enough he can now be found in our field :rolleyes:
He still has one hell of an attitude, looks like a pure TB (which I didn't want) and is going to be far too tall (think 16.2 plus) but who could resist those big loving eyes.
(His half brother can also be found in our field as my friend went back and bought him the following week :eek:)
 
Wanted: a bay, TB x connemara 3 yold gelding to mature to about 15.2.
Bought: a chestnut warmblood yearling filly whose siblings made 16.3 and 18.1 :eek:

Wanted: a project to play with for the summer and then sell on, pref a gelding, not coloured or grey and probably a connemara or connie X.
Bought: a 11yold piebald cob mare who I love to bits and who certainly isn't going to get sold on.
 
yes - i wanted a 14.2 cob....

got - a 15.1 warmblood x.

go figure.

p.s im still set on getting apony one day, as i do prefer the smaller types. :)
 
I was sort of looking for a nice 15.2 to 16hh lightweight T.B type capable of dressage and showjumping/maybe a bit of eventing as well,7 years plus, I didn't want a youngster at the time, nor a chestnut as I really do like them but wanted a change of colour!!- and I went to see one that fitted that exact description of what I wanted in the advert, but when I got there, the horse I was presented with was a 14.2 cob type and not really as advertised, although very sweet and a nice horse for someone, was just not for me, so the owner very kindly sent me to a friend of hers who lived up the road after a quick phone call who was a showing rider/producer who had a horse in from Ireland who they though would suit me- he was a 4 year old 16.2 Irish Draught x and chestnut, and yes I bought him and still have him now 11 years later! most of my horses have found me one way or another, apart from one who I saw in an advert and just loved his photo so i went to buy him!
 
YES! :D :p
Looking for.. somethinng around 16-16.3hh, safe and sensible first horse, happy hacker, perhaps done of spot of hunting and jumping.

Ended up with.. 15.2 NZ TB, ex-polo, bonkers and not at all used to hacking! My motto is now 'we'll get there' forcing me to be an optimist and setting lots of goals :p But boy do I love him :D (L) x
 
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