buying horse or foal?

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ahashake3

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Hiya everyone,

New here :) Any advice would be appreciated -

Thinking about buying a horse next summer, I have never bought before only loaned. I am unsure what to buy, I would love to buy a foal, I think the bond would be amazing but understand it would be a hell of a lot of work Has anyone bought a foal that could give advice for or against?
:D
 
it depends on what you want?
do you want to spend 4 years without riding? do you have access to another horse to ride whilst the foal grows and begins his education? Do you want to break and train him/her yourself?
 
I pay for lessons at the moment to ride. I would just continue to do that until I could ride my own. I would love to bring him on myself but would need some outside help no doubt. I knew a girl that done it and the relationship she had with her horse was amazing, I would really love to have that he was so easy to break because the trust was so strong. But there are cons as well, and I am in two minds at the moment if it would be worth it or just to buy something I can ride from the get go. :)
 
Would advise not to get a foal if you haven't done it before. Also foals are notoriously accident prone, so the potential for heartbreak is huge!

You can get just a good a bond from the right horse. The sort of horse who will do anything for you, tell you what sort of day he's had, let you kiss and cuddle him without embarrassment ..... And horse shopping is just about as good as shopping gets!
 
the bond is amazing, but the same can be achieved with a horse who is ready to go. Its personal choice really but you need to have a lot of experience or have experienced people around who can help if you havent had a foal/youngster before.

It is very exciting!
 
Yeah, thats true. I was heart broken when the horse I was loaning went back so I don't want any more of that! Its just the thought of having him from such a young age that appeals to me, but maybe a youngster instead of a foal. I've started looking around already although I am waiting until after my holidays in March so all my money and time is free for him before I buy :) So excited!
 
personally i wouldnt recommend buying a foal to someone who has to keep it on a livery yard (speaking from experience), or anyone who is relatively new to owning a horse. they just dont work out and potentially can be a problem to both the foal and the owner.

I have both older horses and a foal currently and wouldnt want the foal to be sold to anyone who didnt have experience or their own yard/fields. appologies if this is not the case with yourself, but its my personal preference, and i know how hard it is having done it for years and years before owning my own place. I also have aprox 30 years of experience looking after all kinds of horses.

I know there are lots of lovely horses around at the moment for sale, and i am sure that you will find a super horse to own/ride. i wish you luck in finding your new horse, its great looking and finding your 'dream' horse, and i am sure you will have hours and years of fun with it when you find it.
 
Dancing Queen, thanks for the tips :) I have a while to think about it, make sure I do whats right for me - I am 50/50 at the moment which way to go, just trying to get as much info and opinions as I can , lol :D
 
thanks Monkstc :) Yeah whatever I buy I will be keeping him at a livery yard, so the advice is very helpful! I am researching at the moment exactly how much work/money needs to go in to raising a foal/youngster. Vets bills etc etc... I know a couple people who have brought them on themselves and also sent them away to get trained so they are ridable on return if they werent experienced enough themselves. But its also tempting to find something already trained that would suit me :D
 
You need to ask yourself alot of questions.

How experianced are you?
Can you cope when things go a bit wrong?
Are you able to calmly correct naughty or 'wrong' behaviour?
What support do you have?
What knowledge do you have (training a young horse, feeding a growing horse etc...)?

I bought a yearling filly (see signature below) in 2009. She was my first 'true' youngster, although I had re-backed my mare and I had prviously had a just backed gelding. i had alot of very willing and knowlegable support, which was really helpful.

She is a super filly who wants to please and she came to me leading nicely and was good to handle, including picking out her hooves. We have had some 'excitement' along the way though!

She went through a stage of not wanting to go back in her paddock. I'm sure that this stemmed from her wanting to go back to the yard for more food as she wasn't bullied and is actually very fond of her companion. Anyway, she would plant, rear, back up and spin to try to get back to the yard.

It also took me several sessions in her stable to calmly get her to wear a fly mask. The first time i lifted it near her head, she reared, so I had to approach it very slowly and show her that everything was fine. Now you can put it on her loose in the field no trouble. :)

She's also had injuries which is hugely upsetting, but we just had to try to put that aside, calmly catch her and call the Vet. She hated being on box rest and I has to sedate her (sedalin) to graze her in-hand and to clean the wounds. She has healed beautifully and was soon back out with her fieldmate.

She was easy to teach to tie up and easy to bit (I've been very lucky) and she loves going out for walks down the lanes. We have met some scary things (big tractors, alpacas, cyclists) and she really needs her handler to say that it's fine, particually with tractors and rattly trailers.

I have recently bought a second yearling. http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=483888
He needs alot of work with his ears. He was eartwitched when he was microchipped at 10 days old. It will take alot of time and calm training for him to trust me with his ears.

It is very easy to mess up a youngster because they don't know alot of the normal everyday things (eg how to tie up or have a fly mask put on) so you have to be able to teach them new things calmly. You really need to be quick at correcting undesireable behaviour (like rearing because they don't want to go forwards) in a calm, fair but firm manner.

I must have typed the word 'calm' a fair few times, but honestly it pretty much sums up my approach. ;) :p
 
"How experianced are you?
Can you cope when things go a bit wrong?
Are you able to calmly correct naughty or 'wrong' behaviour?
What support do you have?
What knowledge do you have (training a young horse, feeding a growing horse etc...)?"

Thanks for all the advice there :) its a big help in trying to make my decision... I have been riding since I was a little girl, however I have only loaned the one horse. I have support there to help, and I am studying at the moment so I understand everything I would have to do before I make my final decision. I am guessing its pretty much like trying to raise a child... I am very calm in a crisis and think I could cope with that aspect of it! It would be heart breaking to put all the effort in and it not work out because I am not experienced enough etc, so I will need to think about it seriously. It does really appeal to me having them from a "baby" on the other hand, already fallen in love with a couple of pics and had to resist making that call!!

Your yearlings are GORGEOUS :)
 
how can you not buy a foal if you've never done it before ,you never would

follow your dreams i did and had ups and downs along the way but it was what i'd always wanted to do ,sure there'll be heart break when the time come's to say goodbye (not for a long time yet i hope) and i could never sell him even though he has pushed his luck on more than one occaision and has grown too big for me but i don't regret a moment of it

iv'e not only really enjoyed the journey he's taken me on through bad times and good ,it means so much when you get your 1st rosette and hopfully your 1st red one :)

the only thing that would put me off doing it again is the pressure i put on myself for him to be good ,well mannered etc because there was only me to blame if it went t**s up :o

he was unhandled when he came and i can't say "oh its not my fault he does that" :o
 
Sorry, I should have added...

... ask your livery yard if they will take a youngster. i do know of a couple of yards that have a lower age limit of 2 years because they only have group turnout.
 
there is a pic of mine as a foal and full grown on here

http://www.horseandhound.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=484608&page=3

i had only had horses on loan and couldn't afford to spend £2000+ on something more grown up ,i only paid £500 for him ,but he did cost a fortune to put right as he came home at 4 months complete with strangles etc

i also kept him in livery yards so it can be done ,you sound really sensible so just do your home work and buy something sensible
i went for mine because he was meant to be a cob cross (he isn't ,think he is part warmblood :o ) so i was hoping for a quiter temp as i wanted to back him myself and also go for a sensible size and nothing too "hot"

good luck with your dream as long as you like me love to spend time on ground work you will get a lot of pleasure out of it as well as quite a few bruises lol
 
Also bear in mind that a foal can grow up to be totally unsuitable for you. I've got 3 youngsters at the minute and not one of them is going to what they should have been based on breeding etc. The end result of this is that 2 will eventually be sold. I'm lucky though in that I have got the 3 of them, it would be a different story if I just had the 1 and they hadnt turned out as expected.

I also wouldnt consider a youngster on a livery yard.
 
I have two three year olds that I bought as foals, I kept them on my own land when they were younger, when they were two I took them to a livery yard and when they were three I separated them as they were far too attached but they had important foal company in each other when they were young, along with a small pony and an older mare.
I would say if you're not experienced and don't have lots of experienced help then don't do it!!
My two have been very challenging at times and have been lots and lots of hard work. Although now I sit back and admire my work, people always comment on how well behaved etc they are for three as I've handled them every day and treated them as a normal grown up from day one. I had done everything possible with them except ride them up until they were three.
One of them is away being backed and I rode her for the first time the other day, what an amazing feeling!!
Those two horses have the most amazing bond with me that I just simply can't put it into words!!
 
You are better to get something already broken , as there is never a guarantee that the horse will be a suitable ride for you, and you have major expenses for three or four years, also youngsters are best kept with their own kind until ready to break.
 
I have 6 youngsters, they are out with a herd of horses, which range from 16 years old and down, I am on a livery yard as well. Having youngsters is as hard as you make it, If you end with a bad horse it is your fault. I have had some from 5 months and the others from 9 months. All are well behaved, teaching horse manners is not rocket science.
All are youngsters are different we have warmbloods, welsh, friesians, hafflingers. So quite arrange. Be prepared to just be a care giver for a few years. I love ours, would not be without them.
 
Hi Dexter, thanks for the advice there. In what way do you mean unsuitable. A major worry I have is that they don't grow big enough for me to ride does anyone know if thats likely to happen? Obviously I would have viewed the parents and make sure they are meant to grow to a suitable size for me. Can anything else not be fixed with the right amount of time, hard work and money or am I just being naive :D ? I wouldn't be showing or anything, I just want a horse in the end that I am able to hack out, works well in the school and can jump. It would be a horse for fun, just for me.

thanks Ruby and Mrs D - very helpful getting all the different opinions to help me weigh things up :)

Hi Bugbee/Ruby - sounds amazing. I really would love to do it, and I think the time and effort would be all worth it for that amazing bond. It would be a lifetime commitment to buy a foal/youngster but I have the time to put into it, apart from my job I don't have any other commitments that would get in the way. I am still 50/50 on horse or Foal but I have started studying and its seeming more realistic than I first thought to live out my dream :)
 
Horse. Not foal.

I've had two riding horses over the years and bought a foal as my third horse to give me a break from riding for a while, for various reasons. I have handled youngesters though not had my own, and am an experienced horse owner. Hewas kept at youngstock livery. I never got the right kind of help/level of attention for him, the right kind of training. I had him at DIY livery for a while and that was even harder- he was BIG and I really struggled. Eventually I realised he was much too much for me, and in fact I don't DO baby horses, and he was sold, backed, for less than I paid for him as a foal. He is a cracking horse and is doing well, the price was no reflection on him, just the market (2 years ago) and one of those things.

Unless you can go and help at a stud/breaking yard, and can reliably get really good regular help with a foal/youngster I'd say no every time. Still seeing having a foal as a "dream" I'd say you're not being realistic - you're far better off getting a known quantity - perhaps a well ridden away 4 year old if you really want a youngster, and building a relationship from there.
 
I would suggest that you look at a horse rather than a foal. It does not need to be a schoolmaster but for example a 5yr old would let you be the one to bring it on and train it, but you would be able to ride it when you go yo buy it and you will know what sort of a ride you will get.
Foals do look sweet and the idea of getting one and forming a bond with it is great in theory, but what would you then do if the nice calm foal turns into a sharp/spooky type when its older and you want a calm ride (or a whizzy foal turns into a plod and you want a more lively ride), or if it did not make the height bigger or smaller that you expected it to? If you had other horses of your own to ride it would be less of a problem but I would think you would be better to find a younger horse who you can see and try and can be riding from the start, plus the lessons that you would be having on a different horse while you have the foal could be on your own horse :)
 
Also how many foals never make it to being a riding horse? Many foals are lost at a young age, or have issues that stop them ever being able to do what you want in terms of ridden work - buying a backed horse at least eliminates those risks so you have a riding horse from the word go.
 
personally i would say as your first horse i would get a horse rather than a foal, you can get a good bond with any horse depending on how you treat it/how responsive it is with you.
i've got 2 ponies 5yrs and 4yrs and had them since babies, they are totally different in every way but both have been challenging. i've enjoyed bringing them on even though it's been stressfull. i've got a good bond with them but to be honest i've got a better bond with my horse who is now 18yrs old.
my horse will call out to me if i don't go up the day before, he marches up to the gate to greet me and is very affectionate, i know him really well and he knows me, we trust each other.
i thought it was only me that had a bond with my horse but as it turns out my son has a better bond with him, my horse is a big lad at 17.2hh and my son is only 5yrs old but something has just clicked with them.
 
Hi ridinghigh :) thanks for the advice. This will be (probably) the only horse/foal I will buy so I am putting so much thought into what to do :D I had a good bond with the horse I loaned, so I know it can happen if you get them at an older age too! Its such a big decision for me and I wasnt to get it right for me and the animal. How old was your horse when you first got him? Its amazing that when you find the right one it just clicks like that, I hope it happens with mine :D
 
Hi Angelish,

I think Dexter means that once going under saddle, they may be too sparky for you to handle, or too laid back for what you want to do, you may want a jumping horse and they may hate jumping. It is at times, far better to buy a known quantity that you gell with and that will suit your needs, than an unknown quantity, that you spend years investing time, money and energy into only to find out that it isn't 'your sort of ride'.

I have had a number of horses and done different things with them, from bringing on a youngster (sending it to be backed for 3 weeks) then riding it on, backing other people horses, complete handling of youngstock that I rescued, working with my 2 adorable fizzy nutters (pickles and ebony) who both had 'issues' when they came to me, and pickles was and ebony is 'speshal;)' Ben was brought by OH for christmas for me at 6 months, I had seen him at 2 weeks old and loved him. He is now coming up to 28months old, he has been an absolute dream, and really hasn't challenged my boundaries like many foals would he stables, he ties up, he wears his roller with pride :D and has been a sinch to mouth, he is great to catch and was quick to get the idea of leading, he is good with his feet although we do go around the stable on three legs when the farrier comes to trim. Honestly, knowing what I know about youngsters he is absolutely fantastic in terms of what I could have ended up with., and some of that comes from his breeders, and what they did before he turned up at mine. Now last year he turned, and tested, he would rear on the lead rope, if that didn't work (which it didn't) he would come back down strike out in impatience with his front hooves, and buck and cow kick at you, you try leading that!!! I almost lost my bottle with him, and I am used to horses throwing me curve balls, and what I am describing is a foal who actually has behaved pretty impeccably.

I have years of experience with owning the 'challenging and messed up ones' I have also worked at a stud and I really wanted my very own un tainted canvas, but believe me, I was nervous as hell when I got him, things can quite easily go wrong, just think things through very very carefully, Only you know your real level of experience on here and your ability, perhaps ask some people who are experienced and know you in the flesh, what their opinions and advice would be. It would be far easier for them to judge and advise you accurately, because I do not know you but would find myself advising you to go for something that has been produced already. Loaning is different than the responsibility of owning, and there is a very very wide gap between foals and ridden horses. I don't know you, and perhaps the answer to the question you should put to yourself is yes, but you do have to be brutally honest with yourself and ask if you are really skilled, experienced and capable of bringing a foal on, anyone who entertains the idea of having a foal does.
 
I bred a foal from my mare last year. Shes 16hh, the stallion a smidge less. The yearling is already over 16hh and growing like a weed. He is a lovely boy, very calm and easy. I also bought from some people in caravans last year a neglected 2 year old and the bond with him is incredible, he neighs to me all the time, does cuddles far more than the yearling and is a real sweetie.
So, I would recommend not a foal but a youngster like a 2 or 3 year old, you can see more of what you get.
 
Hi Queenbee :) Thanks for that, all makes sense. It would be awful if the horse ended up hating what you loved to do riding wise (or vice versa :)) Yes I am not taking this decision lightly hence why I am doing all this now and not planning on starting looking till next spring. I need to think and study everything very carefully before making my decision. I was working with horses too but have been away from it for a while now, working in office the job is nowhere near as enjoyable but pays a lot more so I can now afford to have a horse of my own. I will be asking around all my horsey friends , and if I was to take on the challenge would like to have support there. I would be equally happy with a foal or a horse, I think. Just the fact this may well be the one and only time I do this, I want to be 100 percent sure so I don't have regrets later not taking on the challange of the foal/yongster or taking on the challange and really wishing I hadn't!! :D
 
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