Buying a mare who has been used as a brood mare

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Pebbles

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What are your thoughts on buying an 8 year old mare who has bred a couple of foals and fairly recently come back into work? I tried a lovely mare today who has obviously been well schooled, works naturally in an outline, still a little unfit but then so am I so we can fitten together! Your thoughts on anything I should be concerned about ahead of instructing vetting please? She's not long over from Ireland so not a lot of history known but from a very reputable dealer I know and trust, well known for supplying quality safe horses to riding schools, riding for disabled etc and 30 years in the businss so knows her horses
 
I bought a mare once who had bred 1 foal the previous year, she was absolutely great. Dont really know what to advise, just wish you the best of luck..:)
 
Having the foal isn't really that relevant - what has she done to prove herself to date and when you say unfit - how unfit? is she upto hacking and light schooling or on a programme to build basic fitness up. A horse can seem to change - a lot! when properly fit so that is something to be taken into consideration. A mare who has foaled often seems to be a little more precious about her bits (and in my mares case, loathing of my completely blameless vet - she had been AI'd!). I have bought a mare who had just had her foal weaned and had not been ridden for 2 years, but she passed the (basic) vetting and had a fantastic competition record so worth the risk. Best risk ever, took me out eventing properly!
 
Broodmares often have a lot more miles left in them than other mares.

I have just brought a 19 year old back into work (been out of work since she was about 5) and she is thrilled to be doing something else, she has perfect legs, absolutely no muscle tone of course but we are working on that.

Vetting wise I wouldn't have any more worries about a broodmare (she may be a bit 'loose' but that isn't a huge problem) than I would any other horse.

If she suits then go ahead. Good Luck.:)
 
One of my best mares was an ex-brood mare. She was wonderful. A really lovely dignified lady.

When we backed her, she was a bit stroppy so we did join-up and everything slotted into place and we never looked back again.

Sadly, she had been kept on concrete and had dodgy back-legs because of it - a full vet report would've shown this - but hindsight is an accurate science and tbh, I would've still taken her.

Go for it. If you click and think she is for you, her background will not deter from her future imho. A lovely mare is a lovely person. A stroppy witch, otoh, is a stroppy witch
 
Thanks guys, she is fit to hack and light schooling, same as me really and in good shape so not too much of a worry but take heed re her possible sharpness once fitter, but i also hope to be able to cope with same as we fitten together and like the fact that at 8 she should be relatively grown up in atttitude if low mileage! I only want her for hacking and low level riding club so not too challenging! Not much history known like a lot of these irish imports
 
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