Buying advice after losing forever friend

Shooting Star

Shooting Star

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So after lurking for a while I figured it’s not too frightening to say hello and also ask for some thoughts …

I’ve been looking for a new neddy since July having had the best part of a year out after losing my Orange Donkey of umpteen years. I’ve seen a couple of nice but not ‘the ones’, a few shockers that I’m convinced had their legs photo shopped on to point in the right direction for the ad, a couple of the amazing shrinking / growing from their advertised height variety but nothing that has given me that must-buy-it-immediately-before-i-burst feeling.

I’m coming to the conclusion that I’m comparing everything to my old girl which is daft as I know she was far from perfect and the fact that she was basically put together the right way round was more luck than judgement on my behalf.

But buying this time round seems so much harder, last time there was no internet with millions of ads (OMG!) and you just had to guess off of a 2 line ad in H&H what you were going to see – photos in ads were only for the really expensive ones, videos had to be sent on VHS through the post and I swear I never saw more than 4 or 5 before buying!

Soo, question is – for those that have kept their friend through retirement to the end, how did you go about buying your next horse? Did you just bite the bullet and take the view that it was just for fun, maybe go for a less than perfect project and wait to see if it grew on you or did you keep looking until you found your next forever friend?

… and for those that haven’t yet found or lost a forever friend how many frogs did you kiss before you found your prince?! (Hoping to find mine soon!!)

Sorry for the length, when you haven’t got a horse you’ve got lots of spare time ;)
 
I lost my fabulous sec D at the end of summer last year. He'd been fully retired, and living as a pampered pet, but was my horse of a lifetime. I said, at the time, that I wouldn't have another horse as I have arthiritis, so barely ride and get a little fed up of being skint!
Blimey, I was bored rigid! A friend needed a loan home for her daughter's aged cob mare, so I took her on. She was totally different to my Ted, safe as houses but very aloof, she didn't care for much company either human or equine.
She had to go back (not through my care, a long story!), so, I thought I'd look for something older, maybe retired, to fill my spare time. I looked at quite a few, but it was mainly horses that should have gone to the big meadow for health reasons, or, people looking to offload a problem.
Then I saw Markie's ad and knew he was the one! About double what I wanted to pay, but I got an absolute load of gear with him. He's a 19 year old traditional cob. My thinking was a nice, comfy plod when I feel up to it...........he's very comfy but no way is he a plod!
I think having the little mare helped me to bridge the gap to a new horse. I haven't 'replaced' Ted, I've just got another 4 legged friend for company.
 
I bought with my head not my heart. I made a strict list of what I wanted in order of importance & didn't believe I would find it all in one horse. i didn't look at any horses that didn't match my main requirements. i found my mare in a very unassuming advert in the local paper - which I would have dismissed if my mum hadn't insisted I call the number. It turned out that she was being sold by someone I knew years ago, so I went to look at her, still not convinced that she would tick all my many boxes. Because she knew me, the seller suggested i might like to have her on a couple of weeks trial, so i bought her home, but I never really believed i would love her like my last mare, she didn't put a foot wrong so I bought her, still with my head not my heart, I have not yet found a box she doesn't tick and i now love her to bits, she will do everything I want of her and she most definately has a home for life. My point is, that I didn't expect her to match up to my previous horse, I bought a horse that would suit me well "on paper", and found that she easily fits in with my horsey life, and I love her for alsorts of different reasons from the ones that made me love my last mare. Good luck with your search!
 
I am very lucky in that I still have my forever friend (Lottie), she is 32 next spring though, so a cuddly ornament now and no idea how much longer we will be blessed with her company.

I bought my next one (Beau) as an unbroken filly 9 years ago from the old school 2 lines in admag no picture! She has turned out to be my horse of a lifetime but while she is a legend, she is not a cuddler!

Recently finding I had space for another but on a limited purchase budget, I have been ploughing through the internet. I've called about a few but not had the responses that made me go and look until Sonic. He was a 2.5 hr drive away and when I got there the 15hh hunter from the advert turned out to be a 14hh cob with very short legs, large tummy and the hugest head ever, but as my friend was looking for a mother daughter share I tried him anyway. OMG mother daughter share he is not, screwed up, mental, angry and odd definatly but I fell in love and bought him.

Depending on your budget and what competative hopes you have for your new horse, maybe be a little forgiving of wrong height or slightly off conformation and let the horse 'speak' to you. I get all soft and fluffy when I see him now. He's built for cuddling.

I guess what I'm saying is keep kissing frogs, your ponyprince is out there somewhere, he just might not look quite how you expect.
 
Go with your instinct. If something seems a bit off or doesn't feel quite right walk away. Also there is no rush, don't worry about taking your time.
After my late girlie died, I actually got the first horse I saw but honestly I loved him the moment I saw his cheeky little face over the door. I even said to my mum straight away 'there he is!!!'.
Funnily enough when I tried him he was lovely in the school but when I went to try him up a track he whipped round and tried to bog off nastily 3 times. If I was buying him I would have said NO but because he was for loan with view to buy and because of my initial reaction to him I said YES!
The strange thing is ever since I have had him (2yrs now) he has never been as naughty as the day I tried him! I love him to bits, he does have his moments or course but I had a bond with him the moment I met him and because of that I just 'get' him and hence we have never had any troubles :).
Therefore go with your head but I really think you must have that initial reaction. It's like meeting people, some people you get close to over time but those people you click with straight away are the ones that become friends for life :).
 
I was lucky I think as when I lost my soul mate of ten years prematurely I couldn't quite believe it and my first reaction was I don't want another horse. However I heard about her half sister the very next day and kind of knew she was going to be mine. She was completely not what I had thought about in my head as decided this time round it would be a gelding and definately not grey! So of course I end up with another grey mare and this was without looking at any other horse. I got her straight from her breeder and she was unbroken which wasn't ideal but after two years of wondering if I actually did the right thing I now have my perfect princess who whilst being similar to her sister is also very different but only for the better so I was lucky. I then was told about a gelding saw his photo and again knew instantly he was going to be mine so trotted off to Wales but really needn't have bothered going should have just got them to send him up LOL Anyway I know i've been lucky as my two just happened and between them they have filled the gap left. So my advice would be follow your heart and don't try too hard be open to something falling into place :-)
 
I took on a rescue from the Blue Cross six months ago after seeing her in the stable and falling in love with her kind face. She is a tb, possibly raced at some time, a bit spooky hacking on her own, but bombproof with traffic. Possibly not the ideal on paper for an old lady, but she's the best replacement I could have wished for.

Try some of the rescue centres, there are some really nice horses just waiting to be loved and cherished.

Some centres also have waiting lists of horses waiting to come in, so its worth ringing them.
 
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My farrier gave me some brill advice after I'd had to have my old boy PTS; and it was to "go for something completely different to what you've had before".

Don't try to find something that reminds you of the old horse, coz it will only end up breaking your heart, coz when you lose an old friend you just won't find anything that can ever be anything like them.

Also ...... important not to get so desperate that you go for something that isn't suitable. Very easy to do though.

Just an idea; but round about now a lot of trekking centres/riding schools are often looking for winter loan homes? I ended up buying the horse I had on winter loan, and the advantage is that you've got a whole lot of time to try them out without any pressure. Anyway, just a thought.
 
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